Guía docente de Global Challenges and European Firms: Innovation, Internationalization, and Sustainability Strategies (MQ1/56/1/13)

• Overview of Global Challenges
• The Role of European Firms in the Global Economy
• Internationalization Strategies for European Firms
• Case Studies on Successful Internationalization Practices
• Exploring Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in European Firms
• Strategic Models for Balancing Economic, Social, and Environmental Goals
• Circular Economy Business Practices
• Case Studies on Successful Sustainability Practices
• Ethical Considerations in Business Sustainability
• Innovative Approaches to Address Global Challenges
• Role of Innovation in Enhancing Corporate Sustainability and Competitiveness

If AI tools are used for course preparation and/or assignments, students must adopt an ethical and responsible approach. They must follow the recommendations contained in the document Recommendations for the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the UGR, which can be found here: https://ceprud.ugr.es/formacion-tic/inteligencia-artificial/recomendaciones-ia#contenido0.

The main objectives are as follows:

1. To enable students to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge that allows them to analyze and understand the impact of global challenges on European firms, their internationalization processes, and sustainability strategies, within the context of the current global economic and environmental landscape. Emphasis is placed on the role of innovation in developing effective and sustainable business practices, highlighting how new technologies and creative approaches can drive positive change.
2. To develop students' ability to construct, present, and defend strategic business arguments related to internationalization and sustainability in an ethical, honest, and coherent manner, demonstrating intellectual independence, analytical rigor, and a critical commitment to sustainable and responsible business practices, while integrating innovative solutions to address complex challenges.

THEORETICAL SYLLABUS

Unit 1: Overview of Global Challenges and the Role of International Businesses

• Identification of Key Global Challenges (and SDGs)
• International Business and Global Societal Impact
• Innovative Case Studies by Firms

Unit 2: International Strategic Management

• Internationalization: Key Concepts
• Strategic Analysis
• Strategic Formulation
• Strategic Implementation
• Innovative Case Studies by Firms

Unit 3: MNEs’ solutions to Grand Challenges

• Solutions to environmental Grand Challenges
• Solutions to societal Grand Challenges
• Solutions to economic Grand Challenges
• Innovative Case Studies by Firms

Unit 4: Exploring Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

• Sustainability
• The Concept of CSR
• Dimensions and Practices of CSR
• Arguments and Counterarguments Regarding CSR
• Benefits and Costs of CSR
• Communication and Initiatives for CSR Implementation 
• Global Environmental Issues and the Environmental Dimension of CSR

Unit 5: Strategic Models for Balancing Economic, Social, and Environmental Goals

• Strategic Environmental Management
• Developing Sustainable Business Models

Unit 6: Tools of Corporate Environmental Management

• Environmental Management Systems and Eco-Control
• Eco-Marketing
• Sustainable Supply Chain Management

• Seminars/Workshops
• Group Projects
• Individual/Group Tasks
• Case studies

• Asmussen, C. G., Hashai, N., & Minbaeva, D. (Eds.). (2024). Encyclopedia of International Strategic Management. Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Feybi  A.  G.,  Abdoulmohammad  G.  C.,  Zohreh  E.  O.,  Jiří  J.  K.  ,Mehdi  D.,  Abbas  M.  (2021).  Sustainable business model: A review and framework development. Clean Technologies  and Environmental Policy, 23:889–897 
• Ginsberg, J. M., & Bloom, P. N. (2004). Choosing the Right Green Marketing Strategy. MIT Sloan  Management Review, 46(1), 79–84. 
• Montiel, I., Cuervo-Cazurra, A., Park, J., Antolín-López, R., & Husted, B. W. (2021). Implementing the United Nations’ sustainable development goals in international business. Journal of International Business Studies, 52(5), 999-1030. 
• Morschett, D., Schramm-Klein, H., Zentes, J., & Bader, B. (2025). Strategic international management: Text and cases (4th ed.). Springer. Available in the electronic library of the University of Granada [VPN connection required for access: https://csirc.ugr.es/informacion/presentacion/tutoriales/vpn] 
• Schaltegger, S., Burritt, R., & Petersen, H. (2003). An introduction to corporate environmental management: Striving for sustainability. Greenleaf Publishing. Available in the electronic library of the University of Granada [VPN connection required for access: https://csirc.ugr.es/informacion/presentacion/tutoriales/vpn]
• Wong, C. W. Y., Wong, C. Y., & Boon-itt, S. (2016). Environmental management practices with supply chain efforts. In Environmental management: The supply chain perspective (pp. 29–67). SpringerBriefs in Applied Sciences and Technology. Springer. Available in the electronic library of the University of Granada [VPN connection required for access: https://csirc.ugr.es/informacion/presentacion/tutoriales/vpn]

• Christina W.Y. Wong, Kee-hung Lai Y.H. Venus Lun & T.C.E. Cheng (2016): Environmental Management. The Supply Chain Perspective. Springer, Nueva York.
• Cuervo-Cazurra, A., George, G., Santangelo, G. D., Tihanyi, L., Ma, X., & Senbet, L. (2022). Multinationals’ solutions to grand challenges. Call for Papers for a Special Issue of Journal of International Business Studies. Retrieved July 13, 2023: https://resource-cms.springernature.com/springer-cms/rest/v1/content/23399332/data/v1 
• Doh, J. P., Eden, L., Tsui, A. S., & Zaheer, S. (2023). Developing international business scholarship for global societal impact. Journal of International Business Studies, 54(5), 757-767: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41267-023-00603-4 
• Ortiz Perez, A., Mellado Garcia, E. & Ortiz de Mandojana, N.(2022): Sustainability Practices for Enhancing Supply Chain Resilience. International Series in Operations Research and Management Science (Springer), pp. 143-158
• Sun, P., Doh, J. P., Rajwani, T., & Siegel, D. (2021). Navigating cross-border institutional complexity: A review and assessment of multinational nonmarket strategy research. Journal of International Business Studies, 52(9), 1818-1853: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41267-021-00438-x 
• United Nations. 2015. Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld

• Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison-tool 
• GLOBE Project: https://globeproject.com/ 
• World Values Survey: https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/wvs.jsp 
• ISO
• EMAS - Environment
• NBS - Network for Business Sustainability
• https://www.miteco.gob.es/content/dam/miteco/es/calidad-y-evaluacion-ambiental/temas/economia-circular/fichas-bpec-i-en-web_def_tcm30-525011.pdf
• RRBM (Responsible Research in Business & Management): https://www.rrbm.network/

ORDINARY ASSESSMENT SESSION

Article 17 of the UGR Assessment Policy and Regulations establishes that the ordinary assessment session (convocatoria ordinaria) will preferably be based on the continuous assessment of students, except for those who have been granted the right to a single final assessment (evaluación única final), which is an assessment method that only takes a final exam into account.

The continuous assessment will comprise:

• Theoretical Exams: 40% (Obtaining a minimum score of five points out of ten in each written exam is a mandatory requirement to pass this course):
  • Exam 1: Units 1-3 (20%)
  • Exam 2: Units 4-6 (20%)
• Continuous Assessment of Acquired Knowledge: 30% 
  • Test Unit 1: 5%
  • Test Unit 2: 5%
  • Test Unit 3: 5%
  • Test Unit 4: 5%
  • Test Unit 5: 5%
  • Test Unit 6: 5%
• Assessment of Group Supervised Works: 30%

Article 19 of the UGR Assessment Policy and Regulations establishes that students who have not passed a course in the ordinary assessment session (convocatoria ordinaria) will have access to an extraordinary assessment session (convocatoria extraordinaria). All students may participate in this extraordinary assessment session, regardless of whether or not they have followed continuous assessment activities. In this way, students who have not carried out continuous assessment activities will have the opportunity to obtain 100% of their mark through a written exam concerning the entire theoretical-practical syllabus (100%)

Article 8 of the UGR Assessment Policy and Regulations establishes that students who are unable to follow continuous assessment methods due to justifiable reasons shall have recourse to a single final assessment (evaluación única final), which is an assessment method that only takes a final exam into account.

To opt for a single final assessment (evaluación única final), students must send a request, using the corresponding online procedure, to the Coordinator of the Master’s Programme, in the first two weeks of the course or the two weeks following their enrolment (if the enrolment has taken place after the classes have already begun). The coordinator will communicate this information to the relevant teaching staff members, citing and verifying the reasons why the student is unable to follow the continuous assessment system.

In this case, students will have the opportunity to obtain 100% of their mark through a written exam concerning the entire theoretical-practical syllabus (100%).

Información de interés para estudiantado con discapacidad y/o Necesidades Específicas de Apoyo Educativo (NEAE): Gestión de servicios y apoyos (https://ve.ugr.es/servicios/atencion-social/estudiantes-con-discapacidad).