European Dimension of International Business (MA)

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The course is read at the advanced level for the master’s students. Students are supposed to have a prior knowledge of main concepts related to the strategic activities of organizations operating at the domestic and international level. It is recommended that the students taking part in this course have successfully completed the course KU “Principles of International Business” (MA). Building upon this knowledge, the course applies the relevant concepts in the context of EU business practices. 

The goal of this course is to familiarize the students with the institutional environment of the European business and the role played by the European institutions and their policies in framing the strategies of domestic and international firms. 

EU represents nowadays the most highly economically integrated block in the world. This integration is driven to a large extent by the initiatives of multiple pan-European institutions and it is reflected in various policies and measures, which have the direct impact on the activities of the individual firms. 
What were and are the benefits and challenges of “Europeanisation” for business? How European Institutions and their policies shape the strategies of the firms? What makes European companies competitive? How do they respond to the opportunities opened by the creation of the single market, liberalization of the labour movement, as well as by the recent trends of digitalization and environmental protection? 

Building upon the core courses in the International Business curriculum, this elective course aims at answering these questions, thus deepening the students’ understanding of the role of environment in organizational decision-making with specific application to the case of EU. 

Within this course the students are supposed to work in small groups on the business cases illustrating the challenges and opportunities faced by the companies in the EU. Reduction of trade barriers, harmonization of tax policies, introduction of environmental standards, promotion and support of entrepreneurship, regulation of labor movement, investment in digitalization - those are only a few examples of the EU-wide initiatives creating and constantly altering the “rules of the game” for the European businesses. These rules and the ways in which they influence the strategic decisions of the firms will be the focus of the case studies discussed in the course.  

Main References: 

JOHNSON, D., & TURNER, C. (2016). European business. London: Routledge. 
SOMERS, F. J. L. (2015). European Business Environment: Doing Business in Europe. London, Taylor & Francis Ltd. 
SUDER, G., & LINDEQUE, J. (2018). Doing business in Europe. London : Sage Publications Ltd. 
SUDER, G., RIVIERE, M., & LINDEQUE, J. P. (2019). The Routledge companion to European business. London, Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group. 

Additional Readings: 
CLARKE, T., & CHANLAT, J. F. (2009). European Corporate Governance: readings and perspectives. London: Routledge. 
ELBASANI, A. (2013). European integration and transformation in the western Balkans: Europeanization or business as usual? London, Routledge. 
MANDL, I., & PATRINI, V. (2018). European born globals: job creation in young international businesses. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. 
MAYRHOFER, W., BREWSTER, C., & MORLEY, M. (2016). Human resource management in Europe: evidence of convergence. 
MAYRHOFER, W., & HOLT LARSEN, H. (2006). Managing human resources in Europe: a thematic approach. Abingdon, Routledge. 
RANDLESOME, C. (2016). Business cultures in Europe. Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann. 
Other Materials: Other class materials such as lecture slides and handouts are to be made available before the actual start of the classes / particular sessions.