BUSS 4513
IBUS Honours seminar
Unit Coordinator: Huan Zhang
Course Description
This course is designed to provide the honours students an in-depth review of major theories,
paradigms, and perspectives in global strategy and international business. We’ll also explore
how to apply existing theories and perspectives to new contextual settings, such as emerging
markets. Furthermore, we’ll do all this while reading and critiquing the major branches and
works within the strategic management and international business literature. The course is
intended for honours and doctoral students in business or related fields. There are no formal
prerequisites for the course although some basic knowledge of global business is expected.
Instruction Method
To achieve the above objectives, the course will use several techniques. The assigned articles
will be the primary source of readings for this class. Each class will begin with lecture,
followed by presentations (article summary) assigned to each student, and then by in-class
discussions and critiques. For each session, every student will be asked to comment on the
core readings (generally, 3-4 articles) and present some research ideas that derive from
them. In each session, the students who present assigned articles will act as the discussion
leaders in the class for the theories under discussion. This presentation will be followed by
an in-class discussion, during which all students are expected to critically evaluate the
readings. Particular emphasis should be placed on applications of these theories in your
research area(s) and directions for future research. The lecturer will act as a moderator of
these discussions.
Course Objectives
This course aims to render students with detailed and thorough knowledge of theories of
and literature on global strategy and international business. Class discussions and
assignments are intended to provide students with the knowledge and skills they will need
to (a) critically evaluate scholarly research in the IB and strategic management fields, (b)
communicate ideas effectively in written and oral forms, and (c) make original research
contributions of relevance to the IB and strategy fields. At the conclusion of the seminar,
each student should be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of extant theories and
literature on global strategic management and develop an original research paper/proposal
that builds upon and extends knowledge gained in the course.
Course Materials
Recommend Textbook:
Rugman, Alan, Ed. 2009 (Hardback), The Oxford Handbook of International Business (2nd
edition), Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press.
Course Assignments
1. Article Presentations
We will be discussing a number of ‘core’ articles (marked with **) during each class
session (typically 2-4). In addition, a number of optional supplementary articles will be
provided for students who wish to read more deeply in that area. Each students will elect
several articles and present these articles in the class (see attached class schedule), distribute
2-3 page (single-spaced) summary for each article to the class before presentation, and serve
as the discussion leader after presentation. In the presentation via power-point slides
(approximately 20-25 minutes) and in 2-3 pages long article summary, student will outline
the author’s main points, arguments, and conclusions, followed then by own comments or
critiques on the article as well as own view toward the article’s major contributions and/or
limitations. In student’s critique, it is particularly encouraged to relate the discussion to
student’s specialty area and how may use it in future research. Ideally, these article
summaries can be used later by yourself and your peers as theoretical references in writing
papers in the future.
2. Research Project
A research project is due at the end of the semester. It is an individual assignment that
student develops an original theoretical proposal, which should be suitable for submission
to a paper development workshop at an international conference (e.g., Academy of
International Business). The paper or proposal should follow Journal of International
Business Studies (JIBS) style guidelines. An individual proposal submission is composed
of: (1) introduction; (2) literature review; (3) theoretical model or framework; (4) related
propositions or hypotheses; and (5) theoretical contributions.
Course Schedule and List of Articles
Week 1: Honours course and IB research
Lecturer: Huan Zhang
Supplement reading: N/A
Week 2: What is Theory
Required readings:
Sutton, Robert I. and Staw, Barry M. 1995. What a theory is not. Administrative Science
Quarterly, 40, 3, 371-384.
Weick, Karl E. 1995. What theory is not, theorizing is. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40,
3, 385-390.
Colquitt, J. A., and Zapata-Phelan, C. P. 2007. Trends in theory building and theory testing:
A five-decade study of the Academy of Management Journal. Academy of Management
Journal, 50, 1281-1303.
Week 3: Overview of research/theories in international business & global strategy
Lecturer: Huan Zhang
Required readings:
Rugman, A.M., Verbeke, A. and Nguyen, Q.T., 2011. Fifty years of international business
theory and beyond. Management International Review, 51(6), pp.755-786.
Hofstede, G., 1994. The business of international business is culture. International business
review, 3(1), pp.1-14.
Nielsen, B.B., Welch, C., Chidlow, A., Miller, S.R., Aguzzoli, R., Gardner, E., Karafyllia,
M. and Pegoraro, D., 2020. Fifty years of methodological trends in JIBS: Why future IB
research needs more triangulation. Journal of International Business Studies, 51(9), pp.14781499.
Week 4: Founding theories and perspectives toward firm
Lecturer: Huan Zhang
Required readings:
1. Social Capital Theory
Burt, R.S. 1997. The contingent value of social capital. Administrative Science Quarterly,
42(2): 339-365
2. Economic Sociology Theory
Granovetter, M. 1985. Economic action and social structure: A theory of embeddedness.
American Journal of Sociology, 91: 481-510
3. Resource-Based View
Barney, J.B. 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of
Management, 17: 99-120
Week 5: Founding theories and perspectives toward FDI and MNE
Lecturer: Huan Zhang
Required readings:
1. The Eclectic Paradigm (OLI)
Dunning, J. 1980. Toward an eclectic theory of international production: Some empirical
tests. Journal of International Business Studies, 11(1): 9-31.
2. Internalization Theory
Rugman, Alan and Verbeke, Alain. (2003) ‘Extending the theory of the multinational
enterprise: internalization and strategic management perspectives’, Journal of International
Business Studies 34(2): 125-137
3. Uppsala Model (Evolutionary Process Theory)
Johanson, J. and Vahlne, J. 1977. The internationalization process of the firm: A model of
knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitment. Journal of
International Business Studies, 8: 23-32.
Week 6: MNE & Global Business Environment
Lecturer: Huan Zhang
Required readings:
1. Institutional Theory and the MNE
Kostova, Tatiana and Zaheer, Srilata. (1999) ‘Organizational legitimacy under conditions
of complexity: The case of the multinational enterprise’, Academy of Management Review
24: 64-81.
Meyer, K. & M. Peng. 2005. Probing theoretically into Central and Eastern Europe:
transactions, resources, and institutions. Journal of International Business Studies, 36:600621.
2. Liability of Foreignness View
Zaheer, S. 1995. Overcoming the liability of foreignness. Academy of Management Journal,
38: 341-363.
Week 7: Cross-Cultural perspective and MNE
1. Culture and international business
Leung, K., Bhagat, R.S., Buchan, N.R., Erez, M. and Gibson, C.B., 2005. Culture and
international business: Recent advances and their implications for future research. Journal
of international business studies, 36(4), pp.357-378.
2. Cultural Distance Perspective
Kogut, Bruce and Harbir Singh. 1988. The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of
Entry Mode. Journal of International Business Studies, 19.3: 411-32.
Tihanyi, Laszlo, David A Griffith and Craig J Russell. 2006. The effect of cultural
distance on entry mode choice, international diversification, and MNE performance: a
meta-analysis. Journal of International Business Studies, 270-283
Week 8: International Entry Strategies*
Lecturer: Huan Zhang
Required readings:
1. Timing
Luo, Yadong. 1998. Timing of investment and international expansion performance in
China. JIBS, 29(2): 391-408.
2. Location
Davidson, W. 1980. The location of foreign direct investment activity: Country
characteristics and experience effects. JIBS, 11:9-22.
3. Entry strategies
Chang, S.J. 1995. International expansion strategy of Japanese firms: Capability building
through sequential entry. AMJ, 38: 383-407.
Li, J.T. 1995. Foreign entry and survival: Effects of strategic choices on performance in
international markets, SMJ, 16: 333-352
Week 9: International human resource and MNEs*
1. Global talent management
Tarique, I. and Schuler, R.S., 2010. Global talent management: Literature review,
integrative framework, and suggestions for further research. Journal of world business,
45(2), pp.122-133.
2. Expatriate Management
Harzing, A.W., 2001. Of bears, bumble-bees, and spiders: The role of expatriates in
controlling foreign subsidiaries. Journal of World Business, 36(4), pp.366-379.
Mezias, J.M. and Scandura, T.A., 2005. A needs-driven approach to expatriate adjustment
and career development: A multiple mentoring perspective. Journal of International
Business Studies, 36(5), pp.519-538.
3. HRM practice in MNEs
Minbaeva, D., Pedersen, T., Björkman, I., Fey, C.F. and Park, H.J., 2003. MNC knowledge
transfer, subsidiary absorptive capacity, and HRM. Journal of international business
studies, 34(6), pp.586-599.
Week 10: Parent-Subsidiary Relationships & International Cooperative Strategies*
Lecturer: Huan Zhang
Required readings:
1. Parent-Subsidiary Relationships
Ghoshal, S. and C.A. Bartlett. 1990. The Multinational Corporation as an
Interorganizational Network, Academy of Management Review, 15 (4): 603-625.
Harzing, Anne-Wil (2000) ‘An empirical analysis and extension of the Bartlett and
Ghoshal typology of multinational companies,’ Journal of International Business Studies
31(1): 101-120
2. International Cooperative Strategies
Inkpen, Andrew and Beamish, Paul. (1997) ‘Knowledge, Bargaining Power, and the
Instability of International Joint Ventures’, Academy of Management Review 22(1)
(January): 177-202.
Luo, Yadong. 2002. Contract, cooperation, and performance in international joint ventures.
SMJ, 23(10): 903-920.
Week 11: Invited speaker (The Honours year)
The specific time will be changed based on the speaker’s time.
Week 12: Term paper/Proposal presentation week
Week 13: Proposal presentation
Lecturer: Huan Zhang & IBUS staff