Global Strategic Management
Instructor: Professor Tom McGinty
Classroom: Van Room
Class Day and Time: Thursday 10am – 12:30pm
Course Summary: This course is designed to provide students with a
working understanding of the complexities and challenges faced by
firms doing business globally. The course will focus on internal
management and leadership challenges, the strengths and weaknesses
of various global corporate organizational structures, the increased
importance of virtual teams in a global setting, the importance of cross
cultural awareness and understanding, global communications, strategic
implementation of global strategies, strategic partnerships and joint
ventures, and strategies to either adapt product and services offerings
to local market preferences or create global product and service
offerings.
Format: The class will be taught through lectures, class discussions, and
case studies. Students are expected to complete all assigned readings
prior to class. Class participation and group discussions will be an
important component of the learning experience.
Required Textbooks and Articles:
MultiInational Management: A Strategic Approach, Third Edition, John B.
Cullen and K. Praveen Parboteeah.
The Blackwell Handbook of Global Management: A Guide to Managing
Complexity, Edited by Henry W. Lane, Martha L. Maznevski, Mark E.
Mendenhall, and Jeanne McNett.
Additional Articles: All assigned articles will be available in a course file
in the Patterson student lounge.
Grading: Students will be graded in the following manner:
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Mid Term examination – 25%
Final examination – 25%
Written and oral assignments – 25%
Class participation – 25%
Semester Outline:
Class 1: Introduction to the Course – Review of syllabus and
assignments
Class 2: Foundations of Multinational Management – An overview of
the key challenges of international management.
Reading: Cullen Chapters 1-3 and Blackwell Handbook Chapters 1 and
2.
Assignment: 2-3 page paper, Overview of Culture in Key Regions of the
World.
Class 3: Strategy Formulation and Management – Overview of strategy
analysis in search of competitive advantage and the formulation of
strategies to compete locally, regionally and globally.
Reading: Cullen Chapters 4 and 5 and Blackwell Handbook Chapters
16, 17, and 18.
Assignment: Group Project – Regional Market Entry Class presentation
and accompanying paper due Class 6.
Class 4: Structural Design – An examination of internal organizational
design options of the multinational or global firm.
Reading: Cullen Chapter 7 and Blackwell Chapter 19
Class 5: International Business Relationships from Reps – Strategic
Alliances - Joint Venture Partners.
Reading: Cullen Chapter 8 and Blackwell Chapter 18
Class 6: Group Project Presentations and accompanying papers due.
Class 7: Cross Cultural Communications – Understanding the
importance of culture and language in both internal and external
relations.
Reading: Cullen Chapters 12 and 13 and Blackwell Chapters 5 and 6
Class 8: Mid Term Examination - Essay
Class 9: Managing the External Environment Globally – A discussion of
the importance of external forces in multinational management,
including economic and political risk management, and the role of
governments, international organizations, and NGOs in international
strategy development and implementation
Guest Lecture: Patrick Brewer, Director of Government Affairs,
Lexmark Corporation
Class 10: Leadership in Global Corporations – An examination of the
key competencies and most recent trends in global leadership.
Reading: Cullen Chapters 14 and 15 and Blackwell Chapters 3, 4 and 10
Class 11: Global Teams – Permanent and Task Specific teams have
become increasingly important in global business. Forming, organizing
and leading global teams will be examined in this section.
Reading: Blackwell Chapters 11, 12, and 13
Class 12: Global Account Management – Without strategic sales,
account management and marketing initiatives, global corporations
cannot maximize earnings. In this section, we will examine strategies
to improve coordination and deliver the best products, services and
solutions for global customers.
Reading: Cullen Chapter 10 and 11 and Blackwell 8
Assignment: 2-3 page double spaced – Options Memo for Senior
Management, due Class 13.
Class 13: Knowledge Management in Global Organizations – Getting
the most up-to-date comprehensive intelligence onto the desks of
international decision-makers and program implementation teams is
critical to success. In this section, we will examine the most current
approaches in the booming field of KM and Customer Relationship
Management.
Reading: Blackwell Chapters 14, 15, and 16
Class 14: Management Strategies for Innovative Product and Service
Development.
Reading: Blackwell Chapters 17 and 19
Class 15: Global Business in Developing and Transitional Economies –
Operating in the developing world presents additional challenges for
global firms. In the section, we will examine some of these challenges
and review solutions to meet these challenges (or not).
Reading: Blackwell Chapters 20 through 23
Class 16: Final Examination – Essay
Week of December 15th - Specific date: tbd