Content
The module consists of two parts: “Multinational Corporations - Theories and Practice“ and "Competitive Strategies".
Part 1: “Multinational Corporations - Theories and Practice“ provides an overview of the phenomena of internationalization and globalization with a focus on internationalization theories. Those theories span a range from imperialistic approaches to macroeconomic, industry- and cluster-specific avenues. Moreover, theories that deal with single corporations (micro viewpoint), transaction costs, and behavioral approaches will be discussed. In general, we try to develop an understanding of the role of multinational corporations in modern economies and societies.
Part 2: “Competitive Strategies” gives an overview of theoretical foundations and practical implications of competing in commodity oligopolies. It offers an introduction to oligopoly theory and game theory and covers the concept of coopetition and its applications, introduces the work of Robert Axelrod on the emergence of cooperation, and illustrates the potential of business model innovation to overcome stalemate competitive situations. Participants will be able to apply the learnings and train their managerial skills in an economic simulation game in which four teams compete over the course of an industry cycle of eight years and try to maximize the value of their respective companies.
