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 will first explain important terms and areas of responsibility in the context of international corporate management. The next step is to discuss the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on strategy development. In addition to the motives for internationalization, selected theoretical approaches to explain international corporate activity will be 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. The event will also focus on the discussion of viable strategies in global competition, the investigation of the influence of digitalization on strategy development and the associated analysis of digital platform strategies as well as the investigation of the responsibility of internationally active companies for sustainable development. 

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 Digitalization and the Innovator's Dilemma
    1.5 Research Areas and Paradigms in International Strategic Management
2. A Conceptualization 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

The aim of the lecture is to give students an insight into the research field of international strategic management. They should also be able to apply the content they have learned to specific practical problems and independently analyze strategic decisions of internationally active companies. In addition, students' awareness of the special role of internationally active companies in the context of sustainable development should be promoted. Students also recognize the need to deal with the consequences of the war in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic and digitalization for strategy development in companies.

The course is divided into lectures and tutorials. It is strongly recommended to attend both the lectures and the tutorials, as they complement each other in terms of content. The lectures and tutorials are held in German and explain the basic concepts and theories of international strategic management with practical application references.

For the winter semester 2022/23, Universität Hamburg and the Gilbert Professorship are aiming to offer face-to-face teaching. This applies to both lectures and tutorials. However, in order to be able to react appropriately to changes in the pandemic situation, the Gilbert Chair will follow the Presidential Board's phased plan and move teaching to the virtual space if necessary. For up-to-date information on the implementation of teaching under pandemic conditions, please read the course description, which you can download below in the course of September (please note the status of the course description, there may be regular updates).

The tutorials supplement and deepen the lecture content and prepare students for the final exam (Take Home Exam). The tutorials are also intended to train essential academic skills. These include sensitization to strategic problems, critical thinking, argumentation and reflection skills, the improvement of general text comprehension and a more precise understanding of the differences between theory and practice. The set of slides will be made available in German and English and can be downloaded by course participants on STiNE. The 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 and tutorial slides with their own notes.

The content and structure of the lecture is closely based on the following textbook:

Kreikebaum, Hartmut/Gilbert, Dirk Ulrich/Behnam, Michael (2018): Strategisches Management, 8. überarbeitete Auflage, Stuttgart.

Print:
ISBN 978-3-17-031111-4

E-Book-Formate:
pdf: ISBN 978-3-17-031112-1
epub: ISBN 978-3-17-031113-8
mobi: ISBN 978-3-17-031114-5

With regard to the basic texts, the 7th edition (2011) of the above-mentioned textbook can also be used for in-depth study. Further literature references will be announced in the lecture and exercise.

Take Home Exam:

Time to process the exam: 1 Day, until 11:59 pm of the next day

Time frame in which the exam can be completed:

1. Exam: 17 February 2023, 8:30 am – 18 February 2023, 11:59 pm

2. Exam: 20 March 2023, 3:30 pm - 21 March 2023, 11:59 pm

The examiner of your course will provide information about the hand out of examination tasks / assignments and their submission during the course of this semester, at the earliest after the STiNE Changes and Corrections Period.