Multinational Organisation

This course studies the behaviour of multinational firms (MNEs) from a multidisciplinary economics and business perspective. The first half of the course will present and discuss worldwide megatrends and analyse their consequences on the organization of firms, corporate governance, the emergence of new industries, and the roles played by new digital technologies. The second half of the course will focus on four main issues MNEs are dealing with: (i) the future of work, that is, the interaction between humans and machines (robots, algorithms) in organizations; (ii) the implementation of non-market strategies, that is, “political” strategies to connect with policymakers and influence their activity (e.g., lobby activities), (iii) taxation and strategies to avoid taxes (e.g., profit-shifting practices), and (iv) corporate venturing programs to scout technologies and promising ventures in entrepreneurial finance markets. These phenomena are placed in the context of their practical implications by using recent and relevant empirical studies (as well as case studies) so that students are equipped to use the theoretical framework for managerial decision making.
 
Format
The course consists of lectures and tutorials. Lectures include group work and class discussions.
Lectures discuss a specific subject along with related examples. To better understand the content of each lecture, students must read the course material (book chapters, case studies, academic articles, etc.) assigned to a certain week before joining the lecture.
Tutorials are based on presentations by selected teams of students. Students need to check Brightspace for more information on team assignments related to tutorials.