Internationales strategisches Management

The field of strategic management is equally important for the practice of internationally active companies and for business management theory. Dealing with the strategic aspects of international corporate management seems not only attractive, but also necessary. Long-term survival on the market and the achievement of sustainable competitive advantages are generally not primarily due to indicators such as the size or age of a company, but rather to its successful strategies in global competition. The development and implementation of strategies are therefore key tasks for the management of internationally active companies.

In order to create a broad and comprehensible basis for understanding international strategic management, this lecture first explains important terms and areas of responsibility in the context of international corporate management. In addition to the motives for internationalization, selected theoretical approaches to explaining international corporate activity are discussed. A process model of strategic management in international companies is then presented and its key phases discussed in detail. Important instruments and decision-making aids for strategic management in international companies are presented and illustrated using specific practical examples. A further focus of the course is the discussion of viable strategies in global competition and the examination of the special responsibility of internationally active companies for sustainable development.

The course is divided into lectures and tutorials. In the lectures, the basic concepts and theories of international strategic management are explained and combined with practical applications. From a methodological point of view, PowerPoint slides are used as a framework for discussing the content to be discussed. These slides serve more as a visual “stimulus” and not as a substitute for a lecture manuscript. Students are therefore strongly advised to supplement the lecture slides with their own notes.

The tutorials supplement and deepen the lecture content and prepare students for the final exam. The tutorials have a scope of 1 SWS. By means of group work and discussions, students learn to characterize corporate strategies and to analyse and assess the relevant framework conditions of international strategic management. In addition, the tutorials provide space for questions and critical comments. Further details on the content of the tutorials will be announced in the tutorials themselves. 

The lecture “International Strategic Management” covers the following topics in detail:

1. Introduction
1.1 Purpose and Tasks of Strategic Management in Internationally Active Companies
1.2 Motives of Internationalization
1.3 Definitions and Theoretical Approaches to Internationalization
1.4 Research Areas and Paradigms in International Strategic Management

2 A Concept of International Strategic Management
2.1 Overview of the Concept
2.2 Formulating the Vision and Setting Strategic Goals
2.3 Segmentation of the Business
2.4 Strategic Analysis as a Prerequisite for Formulating Strategies
2.5 Strategy Definition in Global Competition
2.6 Strategy Implementation and Strategic Control
2.7 Strategic Management and Ethical Reflection

3. Outlook