European Business Strategy: Building and sustaining competitive advantage in the European Union IB 596-MD Summer Session I 2013, Madrid, Spain Monday, May 20 th, 2013 Saturday, May 25 th, 2013 Professor: Office: Phone: email: Dr. Hadi Alhorr Madrid TBD Madrid TBD halhorr@slu.edu REQUIRED MATERIALS Readings and cases as assigned and as scheduled. In the interest of being sustainably proactive, all class material is posted on moodle.com. To access moodle, go to www.jcsbmoodle.com, create a new account. After you confirm you new account, search all courses for IB 596 MD European Business Strategy. COURSE OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES The EU is the most integrated of the world's "common markets" and indeed may someday come to resemble the US federal system. In 2008 the EU expanded to 27 countries which created enormous risks and opportunities in terms of shared vision, new markets, immigration, and employment gained and lost outsourcing, etc. As Europe moves towards a stronger economically integrated region, there is an emphatic need among managers of multinational firms to understand the competitive dynamics of this changing European competitive arena. With new challenges and opportunities for multinational firms, the European market presents a highly competitive market for strategic managers to assess, understand, and tap into. This course is designed to introduce the student to a number of issues and problems managers must consider when competing in Europe, and to examine strategic choices that enables multinational firms build and sustain their competitive advantage. We will review these trends and observe how firms are adapting to this new reality. The course focuses on multinational strategies that firms implement within an array of EU countries such as France, Spain, England, and the emerging economies of Eastern Europe. Case studies, student presentations, guest speakers and local company visits and cultural visits are the foundations of the course. Therefore, this two-week intensive summer course offers students an outstanding academic experience enhanced with a real-world European cultural experience COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING General Perspective You should prepare the reading and case assignments prior to class meetings. Come to class with questions about the readings and cases since your input will help
determine the topics selected for class discussion. Cases, company visits and guest speakers will be very important vehicles for learning in the course. Also, at times, I will present supplementary material related to the topic being covered. Learning takes place through reading, discussing, and writing about the subject matter. Because of time constraints, you will read more assigned material than can be discussed in class. However, you should be able to use all of the assigned materials in preparing and understanding the case issues and analysis. Grading Your grade will be determined by you performance on the following assignments and tests. Assignments Points Team Case Analysis 35% Participation 15% Individual Reading 20% Individual Reflection Paper 20% Peer Evaluation 10% 100 CASE ANALYSIS Cases are used in this course for several purposes. One purpose is to provide a basic understanding of some of the major multinational organizations and industries, particularly organizations based within the European Market. Another purpose is to provide surrogate "learning from experience;" that is, to learn inductively from seeing the situations faced by organizations and managers, understanding what they did, and seeing some of the consequences of earlier actions. A third purpose is to provide opportunities to think through the application of theoretical material from the readings. The course readings provide background information for evaluating the cases. Presenting teams are responsible for using the relevant conceptual material developed in the course in the analysis of a case and justification for a recommended strategic alternative. This is a written assignment that will be after the trip, so you will have ample time to work on this assignment as a team. After the trip, the class will meet one more time to discuss case presentations and submit the reflection paper and the written case report. The specific case scenarios are posted on moodle and you will be assigned to teams during the orientation session. The written report should include an executive summary, identification and an analysis of the main strategic issue in the case, a suggested course of action. ***You are encouraged to start working on this presentation with your team prior to leaving for Spain ***
CLASS PARTICIPATION Contribution in class and asking questions to guest lecturers, or field trips to businesses or cultural sites is absolutely, positively essential for your success in this course. You must be prepared for active contribution during each and every class session (whether discussing assignments or asking questions to a guest speaker) or field trip. This will include involvement in class discussion, thorough preparation for case analysis and discussion, and ongoing engagement with your classmates on discussion topics. In addition, as this course contains several cultural visits, your participation in these cultural visits is a required part of the course. Thorough preparation of required cases and readings is essential. You will be asked to share your thoughts on the assigned readings with your classmates. You will also be asking presenting teams insightful and penetrating questions of their case analysis this will require an in-depth understanding on your part of the case issues, facts, and quantitative evidence. INDIVIDUAL READING Each student will be responsible for ONE article presentation during the trip in Madrid. For the reading assigned, the student will be the main facilitator of the reading. You should provide a 15 20 minute presentation highlighting the key aspects/issues and implication of particular interest in the reading, the key takeaway, then, ask questions of other students about the reading, and facilitate discussion of the reading. Provide copies of a detailed outline for class members and feel free to use PowerPoint slides if it helps you in this task. *** The easiest way to assign articles and dates is alphabetically** INDIVIDUAL REFLECTION PAPER Course material, Guest Lecturers, Company Visits, and Cultural Visits: In addition to the in-class activities and lectures, two guest speakers and three or two company visits will be scheduled throughout the two weeks. In addition, there will be two cultural visits as part of the class This is intended to add to the international experience of the course. For this assignment, each student will write a reflection paper that summarizes the key learning experiences and concepts from the guest speakers and the company visits and the cultural visits and tie these learning experiences to the theoretical concepts that will be discussed in class. This assignment should be between 10-12 pages. There is no specific structure that you have to abide to for this assignment. In addition, a reflection paper should include a section that summaries the student s overall experience during the two week period and offer suggestions to improve this overall international experience. The due date for this assignment will be after the trip and will be determined based on the students work schedules. PEER EVALUATIONS Teams will select their own members, subject to the constraints imposed by the instructor. Important criteria for team success include: compatibility, cultural and skill diversity.
Because teamwork is important, there is a mandatory peer evaluation of "teamwork." During the last regular class period, each student is to submit an evaluation of each of his/her team members contribution to the group's work as a whole and a detailed justification for the assessments. If peer evaluations demonstrate that your work was not up to par, it will have a significant negative impact on your grade. No one will receive credit for teamwork unless he or she submits the peer of teamwork. CLASS SCHEDULE Please note that this schedule and the assigned readings are not final since I have not received final words on company visits and guest lecturers from Spain Campus. GENERAL SCHEDULE: The class will meet one time before the trip as an orientation and a boot camp for trip. The Exact date for this meeting will be determined later. ( For students from other universities, teleconferencing or direct one-on-one contact with the professor will be arranged) In Madrid, we will meet everyday from 9:00.m. till 12:00 p.m.; lunch is from 12:00 p.m. till 1:30p.m., then from 1:30 p.m. till 4:00 p.m. During the week in Madrid, we will cover at least one cultural site and 2 company visits. After the trip, the class will meet for final case presentations and project submission (For students from other universities, teleconferencing or direct one-on-one contact with the professor will be arranged) Section 1: Introduction: business and economy in the new Europe and the EU The purpose is to understand business and economy in the new Europe, and how the EU political system works with special reference to business relations. 1. Boot camp, TBD: Business and economy in the new Europe The Creation of the European Union Scheduled Events : Orientation: 9:30 a.m. till 10:30 a.m. Logistics: 10:30-11:30
Section 2: The new European business environment The purpose is to gain insight in the new European business environment. The focus is on the Internal Market, the Euro currency, Competition policy, the European workforce and the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe 2. Monday, May 20: Understanding the European Union A basic understanding of the EU Institutions and how they work. 1- The European Union in the 21 st Century 2- European Integration: Meeting the Comp. Challenge Scheduled Events: Orientation: 9:30 a.m. till 10:30 a.m. Logistics: 10:30-11:30 Potential Company Visit: Dole Europe Mitigating Laws and Hedging against Challenges in European Union 3. Tuesday, May 21: Understanding the European Union The Euro a currency for Europe Scheduled Events : 1- European Financial Integration 2- Managing in the Euro Zone Potential Company Visit: US Commerical Services Office in Madrid Benefits of Partnering with Government Agencies Abroad
4. Wednesday, May 22: The Transition Economies: Central and Eastern Europe Understanding the opportunities and challenges of the integration of CEE from a business perspective. 1- Latvia: Economic Strategy after EU Accession Scheduled Events: 2- Italy: If Not Now, When? Potential Company Visit: Dole Europe Mitigating Laws and Hedging against Challenges in European Union 5. Thursday, May 23: The European Union: Cultural Diversity, Current Situation and the Future Prospects 1- Turkey: Securing Stability in a Rough Neighborhood Section 3: Strategy and competition within the new European business environment The purpose is to learn how companies adjust their strategies in order to compete and gain competitive advantage in this changing European Market 6. Friday, May 24: Strategy and the single European Market 1- Chiquita Brands International 2- Amazon.com s European Distribution Strategy
7. Saturday, May 25: Managing Cultural Diversity 1- Shurgard self storage: Expansion to Europe---Aisha Vintes Scheduled Events : Potential Cultural Dinner Flamenco Dinner and Show 8. Final Case Presentations (TBD) Written Reports, Reflection Papers and Peer Evaluations are due Possible Cultural Visits: 1- Royal Palace 2- El Prado Museum Possible Extra Curricular Activities: 1- Town of Toledo 2- El Teleferico & La Rosaleda ( Metro Stop: Arguelles) 3- Parque Del Bueno Retiro 4- Bull Fight ( Arena: Las Ventas) Shopping & Dining 1- Gran Via 2- Sol 3- Calle de Fuencarral 4- Plaza Del Angel 5- Plaza Mayor