Implementing company internationalization plans across borders

Project Summary:

Students from DePaul University (in the US) and the University of Caxias (in Brazil) worked together along ten weeks in a Global Learning Experience project destined to leverage their ability to work in a multicultural teams. During this time, they elaborated a project for the international expansion for a company of their choice. For that, they had to chose two countries, other than Brazil and USA, to suggest an internationalization plan considering cultural, macro and microenvoirnmental factors in both countries.

The students worked collaboratively on 3 papers, a power point presentation, and wrote 2 journals: at the beginning and at the end of the collaboration.

Throughout the course, the two professors conducted classes to complement students’ work with the proper theoretical background and analytical tools. With the intent to assess the results of this experience, they measured the development of intercultural competence in these students and compared their results with others who did not work in multicultural teams. Preliminary results will be presented by both professors at an upcoming conference, and after repeating the project, the final results are being prepared for publication in the following year.

Project Length:

Ten weeks

Technology tools used:

WhatsApp
GoogleDocs
Skype
Zoom

Interaction mode:

Synchronous
Asynchronous

Learning Outcomes:

Distinguish between the cultural, political, economic, and environmental complexities of management in multinational environment;
Examine management issues and conflicts experienced by global enterprises from a business and cultural perspective;
Analyze and conduct country-level analysis of global corporate management components and issues;
Describe the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) of a globally competent manager‐leader;
Evaluate the impact of economic, political, legal, and technological forces on international management, including the implications of current world developments and events;
Critically examine the ethical considerations and pressures confronting global companies;
Evaluate the influence of national culture and organizational culture on international management;
Evaluate an international expansion plans and assess the potential for success;
Apply theories of culture and management to address the challenges of managing individuals, groups and organizations in an increasingly diverse global context;
Integrate and apply the basic elements of international strategic management, including the pressures and cost/benefits of strategies that emphasize global integration versus local adaptation;
Evaluate the specialized strategies required for emerging economies and for international new ventures;
Compare and evaluate practices related to the management, motivation and leading of employees in an international and cross-cultural context;
Understand the different challenges business face when they operate in an international environment;
Develop insight into the management implications of international business strategy and operations.
Critically analyze the drivers and consequences of globalization, its impact on specific regions and the emerging concerns about its influences on countries around the world;
Evaluate the need for ethics and social responsibility in international management, and the growing pressures on firms to act in an ethically and socially responsible manner in their global business operations;
Compare different theoretical approaches to the concept of culture and implications of these differences for international and cross-cultural managers;
Apply theories of culture and management to address the challenges of managing individuals, groups and organizations in an increasingly diverse global context;
Evaluate the need for ethics and social responsibility in international management, and the growing pressures on firms to act in an ethically and social responsible manner in their global business operations;
Gain first-hand experience in working in a global virtual team and how to address and overcome cross-cultural differences.

Reflection Component:

Two journalism assignments were incorporated: the first one was mid-term, and students reflected on their experience and interactions; the second one was at the end of the term, after all project work was completed, with the objective to reflect what more students learned and describe their experiences as they advanced through the course and had to work on their major projects.