Class objective(s) (learning outcomes)

The aims of the course are:
•    To introduce students to domain of the management of the contemporary MNC
•    To gain an understanding of knowledge management processes within the MNC
•    To learn to work together as a team

After participating in the course, students will be able to:
(i)    Explain the management of the HQ – subsidiary relation and HQs role in the contemporary MNC.
(ii)    Explain and analyze how knowledge flows impacts and is affected by the MNC’s structure and decision making.
(iii)    Describe and recognize how subsidiaries can influence decisions not only at the local level (autonomy) but also in the MNC at large.

By the end of the course students will have learned:
•    The complexity involved in knowledge transfer within the MNC when a strictly hierarchical approach is abandoned.
•    A widened view on the role of headquarters in the modern MNC.

Prerequisites according to degree program

All information are subject to change!

Teaching and learning method(s)

Delivery of the course will be based on a combination of lectures, assignments (both individual and group), reading, presentations and seminar discussions. The main objectives with this multi-faceted approach are to facilitate the understanding of concepts and approaches, stimulate class participation and facilitate effective interaction between the lecturer and students.

PRE-COURSE ASSIGNMENT: Students will need to prepare a 1 page individual essay that is to be handed in on the first day of class. It is the express policy of the class that no late assignments will be accepted under any circumstances. Registered students who do not deliver the pre-course assignment cannot be considered for participation. Students are expected to have read the articles in the reader before coming to class.

STUDENT TEAM DEVELOPMENT: Team work will be an important assessment constituent in the course. You are required to develop small groups of approximately five students by the end of the first class session.

EXAMINATION: There will be an exam in the form of writing an essay on a specified subject individually.

GROUP WORK, PRESENTATIONS AND SEMINAR DISCUSSIONS: Each day will contain group work with an assignment where the groups will prepare and present their work. After the presentations, there will be a seminar discussion regarding the topic and assignment of the day.

CLASS PARTICIPATION: Students are strongly encouraged to take part in the seminar discussions and raise and comment on issues of interest in class. Remember that sharing your observations and experiences on the discussed topic enhance understanding and facilitate dissemination of ideas in class.

In case of restricted admission; selection criteria

VERY IMPORTANT!

Please note that potential WAITING LISTS are managed by the IMM department and NOT by the lecturer!
Please direct all your questions regarding the waiting list to the IMM department’s secretaries.

IMPORTANT!: You need to prepare a 1 page individual essay (see above) that is to be handed in on the first day of class. Late assignments will not be accepted!

Registered students who do not deliver the pre-course assignment cannot be considered for participation. Students on the waiting list who cannot deliver the pre-course assignment cannot be considered for participation either! Hence, students on the waiting list only have a chance to get into the course when they can provide the pre-course assignment by the indicated date.

READING PACK
Make sure that you have read the relevant articles BEFORE the course in order to be able to participate in class discussion.

Criteria for successful completion

All information are subject to change!

PRE-COURSE ASSIGNMENT
What is particular for the research of the multinational corporation by the ‘Nordic School’? Pick one concept, e.g. the environment, learning, etc., and discuss how this differs between scholars from the ‘Nordic School’ and other researchers. A one-page individually written essay shall be handed in on the first occasion and will be discussed in class.

STUDENT TEAM DEVELOPMENT
Team work will be an important assessment constituent in the course. You are required to develop small groups of approximately five students by the end of the first class session.

Examination 50%
Group work/presentations and active participation in seminar discussions 30%
Peer Review of the group work 20%

Students will be assessed on:
•    Their knowledge on the content domain of managing a MNC.
•    The quality of the presentations and the written report; by quality in this context we mean the clarity and persuasiveness of each bit of work. This implies an ability to work in teams.
•    Students failing to participate in their teams will lose the marks for that piece of work

To assess the individual course participation, lecturers will use the following indicative marking scheme:
•    Excellent/outstanding contributions     10 points
•    Very Good contributions             8 points
•    Good contributions                  6 points
•    Weak insufficient contributions      4 points or less.

Availability of instructor(s) for contact by students

Ms Hanife Ülkü provides administrative support for this course.
UZA 1, Kern B, 3rd Floor, Augasse 2-6
Tel: 31336 5103
E-mail: mailto:imm@wu-wien.ac.at

Professor Ulf Andersson is guest professor at the Centre for Strategic Management and Globalization, Copenhagen Business School and professor of international business at Uppsala University’s Department of Business Studies where he teaches in the undergraduate, graduate, executive MBA, and doctoral programs, and he is a thesis supervisor at the doctoral level. He is a board member of the European International Business Academy, a member of Academy of International Business, and Academy of Management, and member of the editorial review board for among others International Business Review, Journal of International Business Studies. His primary research interests concern strategic management of multinational corporations, knowledge development and sharing in multinational corporations, subsidiary development, and subsidiary influence. Andersson has published in Strategic Management Journal, Journal of International Business Studies, Organization Studies, International Business Review, Management International Review and several other international journals. He has published book chapters in a number of anthologies, in conference proceedings, and has also acted as editor.

Miscellaneous

A reading pack containing articles and assignments will be made available via the IMM department approx. 3 weeks before the course starts.

Please check the online VVZ regularly for updates to this course!
All information are subject to change!

Managing the multinational corporation has come a long way from the neoclassical hierarchical approaches and the rather rudimentary contingency view of the environment. Important approaches to the management of the contemporary MNC put emphasis on such concepts as ‘the network MNC’, ‘knowledge development and knowledge transfer’ and recently the role of headquarters in the modern MNC have revived as an important research area. In this course we will read, discuss and work with the different concepts and thereby make them familiar to the students for their future careers as managers.