Responsible International Management in the Digital Age

About

This course is part of the July Undergraduate Program of the International Summer University 2023 at WU (ISU WU).

Course leader

Dr. Michal Lemanski

Target group

Undergraduate

Course aim

This intensive undergraduate course provides an in-depth understanding of several contemporary challenges managers face in multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in the increasingly digitised global economy. Students learn about the nature of international management and specific themes related to globalisation, the impact of technology and digitisation on international business, coordination and control of foreign operations, headquarters-subsidiary relations, innovation and entrepreneurship, leadership, as well as talent, diversity, and cross-cultural management. Each topic is considered together with related ethical dilemmas and the impact of managerial decisions on the social and environmental performance of the firm. Students are trained to understand both respective managerial perspectives and conceptual, theoretical approaches. Utilizing a teaching method that systematically combines lectures, analytical exercises, class discussions, group workshops, and simulations, students learn about key concepts of international management and their applications to ethical dilemmas and sustainability challenges in the contemporary economy. A considerable proportion of activities require analysis of data and are of experiential nature. Therefore, students are put into the manager’s seat, letting them experience being a decision-maker solving problems of multinational companies. Overall, the course is managerial, incorporates multiple perspectives, and is contemporary. It is managerial in that it looks at topics of international management through the lens of managers of multinational enterprises (MNEs). It incorporates multiple perspectives as it considers a variety of different management topics. The course is contemporary in that it incorporates and touches upon up-to-date challenges and managerial responses.