The Swiss engineering master's degree

The module describes the economic, social, political, technological and natural framework conditions of the global markets and explains the influence of culture on international business.

Prerequisites

None

Learning Objectives

1. Students understand the process and the impacts of globalization on the economy and society
2. Students are familiar with the economic, social, political, technological and natural framework conditions of the global markets and understand their importance for internationally operating companies
3. Students learn how companies select and work with and within foreign markets
4. Students know the differences between the most important cultural areas and understand their influence on the activity of international companies
5. Students have acquired basic knowledge in dealing with foreign cultures

Contents of Module

The module deals with the globalization of the economy and the opportunities and risks that result from this. It shows how far the economic, social, political, technological and natural framework conditions on international markets differ from each other and what significance these framework conditions have for companies' foreign business.
The module deals with the internationalization process of companies. It shows how companies decide which foreign markets to enter and which form to adopt in dealing with these markets.
The module explains what the term culture means and how far cultures differ from each other. It looks into different forms of communication and problem-solving in different countries and shows what challenges develop in intercultural cooperation in teams and in the management of employees from different cultures.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Students acquire the basic knowledge required for the topics covered in the module by studying a textbook. The contents of the book are covered in greater depth during the tuition, through examples that illustrate them, the processing of case studies, the discussion of controversial questions, exercises and simulations, and are applied in the context of a project assignment.

Literature

Compulsory reading (to be acquired before the start of the semester):

• Lausanne: Pervez Ghauri, Philip Cateora, International Marketing, 4th European Edition, U.K.: McGraw-Hill Higher Educa tion, 2014.

In-depth reading:

• Adler Nancy, International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, Itps Thomson Learning, 2001
• Ammann Paul, Lehmann Ralph, van den Bergh Samuel, Hauser Christian, Going International - Methoden und Konzepte zur Erschliessung ausländischer Märkte, Versus Verlag 2012.
• Cavusgil Tamer, Ghauri Pervez, Knight Gary, Riesenberger John, International Business, Global Edition, Pearson Educa tion Limited, 2013.
• Keegan Warren, Green Mark, International Management, Global Edition, 8/E, Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2014.
• Deresky Helen, International Management, Prentice Hall, 2005
• Hill Charles, International Business, Mcgraw-Hill Professional, 2007
• Hodgetts Richard, Fred Luthans, Jonathan Doh, International Management, Mcgraw-Hill, 2006
• Schneider Susan, Barsoux Jean-Louis, Managing Across Cultures, Financial Times Prent. Int, 2002
• Trompenaars Fons, Hampden-Turner Charles, Riding the Waves of Culture, Nicholas Brealey Publishing 1997