Faculty of Economics and Business Administration

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Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
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MSc International Business -Strategy and
Innovation

• Dr. Wim Swaan
• 21 May, 2008

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Who are you?

• Where did you study?
• UM / elsewhere
• What did you study?
• Business / Economics / Other
• Why the UM is a great place

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Overview

• Very brief intro
• Strategic Management
• Innovation Management
• Our Courses
• The Thesis
• Connection to earlier studies
• Job Opportunities
• Q A
• Continued afterwards
• Here and at the information market
• Feel free to interrupt earlier

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What was Strategic Management again?

• Goal sustained competitive advantage
• Connection between
• the firms internal sources (resources and
  capabilities) and
• the external environment (markets, regulation,
  institutions)
• Issues
• business product portfoliodiversification
• acquisitions alliances
• entry barriers imitation
• etc.

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Innovation Management

• Competitive advantage increasingly comes from
  innovation.

STRATEGIC CONTEXT
INNOVATIVE ORGANIZATION
LEARNING
TIME
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Courses MasterSTRATEGY AND INNOVATION

• International Business Research
• International Competitive Analysis and Strategy
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Alliances and MAs
• Business Innovation and Sustainable Development
• Elective and Thesis

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International Business Research(1st 3rd block)

• Compulsory for all students IB MSc
• Research Methodology
• 1/3 Theoretical Background
• 2/3 Critical Reading of Academic Articles from a
  methodological perspective

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International Competitive Analysis and
Strategy(1st block)

• Economic principles underlying industry structure
  and strategy formulation
• Analyzing drivers of the competitive environment
• Identifying sound corporate strategies
• Apply theory to real world cases

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Entrepreneurship and Innovation (2nd block)

• Entrepreneurship theory
• Innovation management and the relationship to a
  firms strategy
• Innovation in smaller firms
• types of innovation,
• the role of clusters,
• networks and alliances,
• the influence of universities and institutions
• Corporate entrepreneurship

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Alliances and MAs(3rd block)

• Different theoretical perspectives
• Differences between developed and developing
  economies
• Strategic management of inter-firm relationships
  and MAs
• Inter-firm networks

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Business Innovation and Sustainable Development
(4th block)

• Business innovation in societal context
• Social, political and natural context
• Sustainable development
• Meeting present needs
• without undermining the possibilities for
  future generations
• Opportunities for business
• Entrepreneurship as Social Activism
• Integrating sustainable development in core
  activities

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Elective(2nd or 4th block)

• When?
• 2nd block (if you start in September)
• 4th block (if you start in February)
• What?
• Any course from the IB curriculum in that block
  (excl. Marketing)
• Recommended
• 2nd block Managing Organisational Learning
• 4th block Manager _at_ Work

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Examination of the various courses

• Combination of
• written exam
• writing assignments
• cases
• presentations (team and individual)
• participation (not for all courses)
• Similar to BSc courses at UM
• but now on a MSc level ?

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The Thesis

• Combination of
• literature research and
• empirical research in firms
• to be set up and executed by yourself
• An example of an interesting thesis topic
• The Impact of the ICT Revolution on Knowledge
  Spillovers, Location Decisions and Cluster
  Perseverance in the German Automotive Industry

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Thesis topics

• Some (!) more examples of interesting thesis
  topics
• Mergers and acquisitions in the Pharmaceutical
  industry Conditions of MAs that foster post-MA
  innovative performance
• Young SMEs' capital sources and constraints on
  innovative strength
• The Influence of Governmental Social
  Responsibility on Companies Perceived Scope of
  Corporate Social Responsibility

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Connection to earlier studies

• Do I need a bachelor in business?
• No
• Excellent combination with, for instance, Health
  Sciences, Engineering etc.
• Do I need a major or minor in Strategy in my
  bachelors?
• No.
• It is an excellent combination with majors in,
  for instance
• Marketing, Logistics or Organization
• Finance or Accounting
• Provides a broader perspective to these
  specializations continued

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Connection to earlier studies

• Will I be bored if I did a major in Strategy in
  the BSc?
• Not at all.
• The MSc provides thorough deepening (e.g. course
  on MAs) and broadening (e.g. Innovation and
  Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Development)
• Be prepared for a steep learning curve
• As can be expected from high quality education

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Job Opportunities

• Excellent background for a wide range of
• opportunities
• Consultant
• Leading positions in Small and Medium Sized firms
• Fast track career in big firms
• A career in innovative / hi-tech firms (small and
  big)
• Management trainee
• Policy advisor, project or account manager

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Employers of Alumni

• Ernst Young, Delta Lloyd, ING, Adidas, DSM,
  KPN, Ahold, Shell, Henkel, Philips, Logica CMG,
  Daimler Chrysler, SAP, BP, Vodafone, Vendex KBB,
  Capgemini, Ministry of Economics Affairs

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How to get there?Which MSc to choose?The main
lessons of strategic thinking

• Strategic thinking is about analysis and
  intuition
• Different ways of decision making
• (cf. Mintzberg Westley, Sloan Management Review
  2001,
• reprinted in De Wit Meyer 2004)
• Thinking first
• Seeing first
• Talking first
• Doing first
• Choose the MSc IB Strategy and Innovation

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Questions?