Status of the Course: Advanced specialization studies. International Business MSc program: compulsory (either this course or 26E00600 Capstone)
International Business minor: Elective
CEMS course
Learning Outcomes: The course seeks to illustrate the underlying drivers of global competition, including prosperity, productivity and innovation. The framework of the course serves as the foundation of the Business Competitiveness Index by the World Economic Forum.
Content: The course probes the ultimate determinants of a nation’s or region’s productivity, rooted in the strategies and operating practices of locallybased firms, the vitality of clusters, and the quality of the business environment in which competition takes place. The course is based on materials initially developed by Professor Michael E. Porter (Harvard Business School). Tailored for the Finnish context and taught by Visiting Professor Dan Steinbock, it highlights issues of economic development, sophistication of companies, and attractiveness of business environments. Particular attention is paid to issues of competitiveness, innovation and globalization in advanced and emerging economies. The basic modules focus on industry competition, strategy, and location; competing across borders; diamond model; clusters and competitiveness; internationalization of firms; and economic strategy. The course provides a sufficient foundation in industry competition and competitive strategy to allow students without management training to grasp course concepts. The course is taught with the Harvard Business School case method, together with readings and lectures. It involves a major team project on the competitive assessment of a particular country and cluster, with basic resources provided by the course platform.