This summer Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore is offering an open online course, ‘International Business Environment and Global Strategy’. This 3-week course focuses on the social, political, economic and institutional environment of countries.

This free online course helps in learning how the social, political, economic and institutional factors affect international business environments and global strategies.

Course At A Glance

Length: 3 weeks
Effort:  4-5 hours/week
Subject: International Business Environment and Global Strategy
Institution: Indian Institute of Management and edX
Languages: English
Price:  Free
Certificate Available: Yes.  Add a Verified Certificate for $25
Session: To Be Announced

Providers’ Details

Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore is one of the top management schools in India. We build leaders through holistic, transformative and innovative education. IIMB offers long-duration programs, executive education and specialized courses in areas such as entrepreneurship and public policy. It believes in the disruptive power of technology and is committed to leveraging digital technology to make high-quality management education accessible to everyone across the globe. IIMB will launch MOOCs on topics ranging from core management subjects to advanced and specialized offerings.

This online platform edX provides online courses from the world’s best universities.  EdX courses are open to everyone. All you need is access to a computer with a current browser, an Internet connection, and, of course, a desire to learn.

About This Course

This course focuses on the social, political, economic and institutional environment of countries. This environmental context moulds the country’s objectives, defines the country’s strategy, programs and policies for achieving objectives, and significantly impacts companies.

The context is affected by historical events, and by the country’s leadership. Many stakeholders shape the environment and the institutions, or “rules of the game”, that affect business. Labor, students, farmers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the military play a crucial role, making the analysis of country environments complex and fascinating.

The MOOC will study Japan in some depth, and catch brief glimpses of South Korea, Singapore, Chile, Turkey, India, South Africa and the former Soviet Union, to appreciate the forces that influence diverse country environments and companies’ strategies.

The course will review aspects of global institutions, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), which set global rules that profoundly affect business strategy and human welfare. It will also explore opportunities and challenges at the bottom of the pyramid, the last frontier for value creation by companies and NGOs.

Why Take This Course?

This is a free online course. Once applicants have their professional knowledge and gained experience, how applicants persuade others to believe that they are as good as they say others are is the challenge. Our instructors have had a 100% success rate in getting interviews and landing a job in Asia and we hope to share that experience with applicants. The course materials are designed based on the university’s expertise as well as advice from accomplished professionals in the business, HR and academic field. Taking this course will bring applicants closer to getting that job. The course also provides Video Transcripts in English.

Learning Outcomes

• How social, political, economic and institutional factors define the business environment of countries
• What role history and leadership play in shaping the environment
• How companies’ strategies are affected by the environment
• How the rules of the game set by global institutions, such as the WTO, affect business and human welfare, for example, through the pricing of AIDS drugs in developing countries like South Africa
• How diverse stakeholders, including NGOs, shape the business environment and affect company strategies
• How companies and NGOs create value at the bottom of the pyramid

Course Format

The course will be three weeks long. The different weeks will focus on the following:

Week 1
-In-depth analysis of Japan’s social, political, economic and institutional environment
-The contextual underpinning of the economic bubble and how it burst and led to Japan’s Lost Decade of the nineties
-Aspects of the historical context, such as Japan’s relations with China, and how that defines contemporary relations between the two countries
-The role of charismatic leaders, such as former Prime Minister Koizumi, in changing institutions
-The role played by diverse stakeholders, including the mafia
-Challenges faced by contemporary Japan, such as the ageing population, redefining the role of women, stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship, and meeting skill shortages, possibly through immigration
-Prime Minister Abe’s strategy to put Japan on a path of sustainable growth with the three arrows of “Abenomics”
Week 2
-Framework for country analysis
-Brief review at the South Korean environment after the Second World War and the crisis during the late nineties
-Brief glimpses of the environments of Singapore, Chile and Turkey
-The strategy of a successful global company, McDonald’s, for addressing challenges when entering a turbulent and unfamiliar environment, that of the former Soviet Union
Week 3
-Company strategies for addressing opportunities and challenges in complex environments
-Case of ITC in rural India
-Case of pricing of AIDS drugs in South Africa
-The role of the WTO and important stakeholders, like NGOs, in shaping the global rules of the game and affecting company strategies and human welfare
-Wrap up

Instructors

Dr Sushil Vachani
Director
Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore

Requirements

Prerequisites: None

How To Join This Course

1. Go to the course website link
2.Create an edX account to SignUp
3. Choose “Register Now” to get started.
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