Prof John Sutton

This course is available on the MSc in Economics and Management. This course is not available as an outside option.

The course studies the strategies of multinational corporations in an international context, with reference to make or buy, organization, and location choices. It studies current developments in the global economy with a focus on the key decisions that multinationals make in framing their global strategies:

1. Economic analysis of globalization process. Assessing the growth of Chinese and Indian manufacturing, 1990-2010. Evidence from benchmarking studies.
2. Production: What determines the strategies multinationals adopt - product range; generic strategies.
3. Location: Competitive advantage of different countries; growth in outsourcing and Offshoring; particularly emphasizing India and China and analyzing their increasing role in the global economy.
4. Organization: how multinationals combine the necessary local adaptation with the need to standardize to achieve efficiency.
5. The Globalization Debate.
6. The Prospects for sub-Saharan Africa.

20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the WT.

Students are required to make two class presentations and submit written reports on selected case studies

A reading list will be provided at the start of the course.

Exam (100%, duration: 3 hours) in the spring exam period.