The Transnational Leader

The overarching aim of the course is to educate and thereby empower you (as a future manager) to lead a rapid, multi-cultural and Transnational process of change.

During the course, you will develop a broader understanding of the importance of social, political, ethical and environmental change in a Transnational context in addition to a truly integrative learning experience based on leading North American business education approaches.

You will be equipped to thrive in and contribute to the transformation of your region, in doing so, not only furthering your career aspirations but making a positive broader contribution to the societies in which you will be doing business.

By explicitly integrating across subject areas and with functional courses within the MBA core module offering, you will receive a valuable, innovative and integrated learning experience.

The course modules are as follows:

Module 1: Legal, Political and Policy Environment of the Market (2.5cr)

This module examines the pervasive impact governments have on the decision-making processes and strategies of companies. The course will examine the role of trade policy, regulatory policy and broader government intervention in influencing, directing and informing business decision-making.

Module 2: The International Legal Environment

The course is designed to offer a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of private and commercial law from the perspective of both, Germano-Romanic (civilian) and common law legal families. Where appropriate mention will be made of related developments or peculiarities from other parts of the world, in particular with respect to Central and Eastern Europe.

Module 3: Critical Thinking

Business organizations realize that critical thinking can significantly enhance business potential. Today's business leaders must use a variety of thinking methodologies and creative ways of problem solving. This course seeks to emphasize your skills as a critical thinker and problem solver.

Module 4: The Transnational Business Context

This part of the Signature course is about the Transnational business environment (global - macro – meso – and micro level) in which the main economic players operate and have to achieve their economic objectives (efficiency, competitiveness, growth, stability, etc).

This module is a combination of knowledge deepening/transfer (disseminating new information through readings, reports, surveys) and personal skills development. As a result students will be empowered with the analytical skills and the knowledge required to make a comparative analysis that is needed to define the best strategies in a global economy.

Module 5: The Ethical Leader and Responsible Business

This is the key module aimed at discussing the importance of ethical behavior and the responsibility of modern corporations to society in the Transnational business environment in which leaders and firms operate. Students will develop skills to link leadership issues to ethical problems and critically appraise the contributions and limitations of business to society. The course will help students to supplement their own analysis of the common business problems by ethical considerations, and arrive to conclusions more relevant to modern businesses in a globalized world. The course is based on a range of interactive teaching styles (lecture, seminar discussion, case study analysis, small team debating, video presentation) to highlight the key issues. Case study analysis is the central part of the course work in order to facilitate appreciation and understanding of ethical issues within a specific and applied context.

Module 6: Transnational Negotiation

How do successful leaders handle negotiations across borders? What strategies do they use to achieve their objectives? This module aims to lay the groundwork for general negotiation skills and to build on them, creating a framework for preparation and execution in cross-cultural situations.

Module 7: Creativity without Borders

This course will explore the social and business context for innovation and creativity and is intended to cut across disciplines – from the arts to social sciences and management with an emphasis the creative process, invention and entrepreneurship in a Transnational context. The module will involve guest presentations by individuals who have made important contributions in the areas of science, music, art, and business.

Module 8: Transnational Strategy

This is a capstone module in strategy aimed at emphasizing the relationship between strategy and the Transnational business environment in which the manager and firm operate. Based around the extensive use of case studies, the course will be concerned with the choice of goals as well as the organization and management of scarce resources to pursue these goals within the context of an imperfect, changing, and competitive world. The module leverages consolidation of skills and knowledge from a variety of disciplines gained in the core subject areas in the MBA program including management, finance, marketing, and ethics.

Boardroom Simulation

The Board Executive Exercise (BEE) is designed to place students in a real-world scenario, where they can try various roles and apply foundation issues studied in core courses. The approach is based on the idea of students forming a Corporate (For-Profit) Board and concentrating on strategy building for a pre-defined organization, while also evaluating current process-related problems. The BEE is aiming to introduce a vertical and horizontal integration both through the Transnational Leader course and core modules and organizational/management layers. It would expose students to the need of transformational and system-wide, process oriented thinking and enable the inclusion of Transnational business issues.

Emerging Regions Courses

Having gained a comprehensive understanding of the Transnational business environment, you will be required to specialize in an emerging region of the world economy. You can choose a course taught by regional experts in the following areas: China, Middle East/North Africa or Central and East Europe/Former Soviet Union.

Adult Education Registration Number: 01-0516-04

Institutional Accreditation Registration Number: AL-0515