Overview

Starting in the late 1990s, “globalization” became a buzzword to describe the apparent integration of markets in the world economy. Many authors and pundits claimed that the world was converging towards a market-friendly democratic place, while gurus and consulting firms were rapidly producing formulae and advice on how to make profits out of the global economy. Decades later, new realities show that globalization does not necessarily mean political, cultural, and economic convergence and that, in fact, forces against it are strong. This course seeks to help you understand the forces of globalization and how cross-cultural management and the relationship of a multinational organization to various host countries is becoming more and more critical in today’s global economy. This course begins with the discussion of these issues and global relationships and delves into a deeper understanding of business strategy in today’s global business marketplace. You will be able to: • Understand how we got to the present moment of globalization and why it matters • Understand the complexities of the current globalization, recognizing not all countries are the same • Evaluate the effects of international trade regulations on international business • Evaluate when and why companies operate as multinationals This course is part of Gies College of Business’ suite of online programs, including the iMBA and iMSM. Learn more about admission into these programs and explore how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into a degree program at https://degrees.giesbusiness.illinois.edu/idegrees/.

Syllabus

Course Orientation

You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.

Module 1: How Did We Get Here? Why Does It Matter?

The current global world is not unique nor is it stable. The world has been more globally integrated in the past than in the present times. Many emerging economies are actually re-emerging from a not-so-distant past when they dominated the global economy. An understanding of these processes will allow us to conduct sophisticated analyses of the global economy that take into account political and economic issues as well as historical processes.

Module 2: The Big Disappointment: The World Did Not Converge

During the 1990s, many analysts forecasted a global cultural, economic, and political convergence. Reality shows that this did not happen. Business people engaged in global activities need to understand how to analyze the differences between countries. This module provides tools for this type of analysis and ways to determine how they affect businesses.

Module 3: Why We Trade and How We Do It

The most basic way by which corporations develop international operations is through trade. These operations are determined by the way nations arrange trade with each other. In this section we explore what determines what and how countries trade with each other, the mechanisms regulating this trade, and the way corporations adapt to them.

Module 4: Why Do We Have Multinationals? What Determines the Type of Multinational?

You don’t need to be a multinational to succeed in the business world. In fact, not all successful firms become multinational and not all multinationals are successful. This module explains what the main elements are in determining whether firms become multinational or not, what characteristics they exploit when going abroad, and where their competitive advantage is.