Bachelor 2021/2022

Managing Global Operations

Type: Elective course (Business Administration)

Area of studies: Management

Delivered by: Department of Operations Management and Logistics

Where: Graduate School of Business

When: 4 year, 3 module

Mode of studies: offline

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Mikhail Akim

Language: English

ECTS credits: 3

Contact hours: 30

Course Syllabus

Abstract

There are many reasons why companies go global in their operations: growth (finding new, available markets for the company existing products and businesses), efficiency (looking for economies of scale or economies of scope, using lower cost resources, utilizing most modern manufacturing facilities), knowledge (getting skilled labor and talent in other countries, acquiring technologies), competition (grasping first mover advantage in the new markets), etc. The trend towards globalization usually occurs at selected stages of the value chain. Either the company decides to enter a new market in a different country and start by opening a representative office, sales, service branch, project office or a distribution center, or it decides to procure its products and services internationally and sets up a purchasing unit in closer to the new suppliers, or decides to outsource part of the production and services. But if the company is successful in its growth strategy it will likely end up having to strategize on managing operations in a global context. The course will leverage on the fact that it is emerging economies influence new global operations structure. We will explore global operations issues both for Western companies operating in emerging countries and for companies from emerging countries going to Europe or America. You will have the opportunity to learn, based on practical cases, about companies based in those areas. Special focus of the course is dedicated to opportunities, limitations and challenges of linear value and supply chain systems and development of business process and models on transformation toward circular supply chains and regenerative resource management as a basis for sustainability in business.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the key concepts and issues of managing operations in a global context, both for manufacturing and service companies. Explore the global trends, challenges and strategies of different companies based on relevant cases; learn about decisions of their leaders and outcomes after applying some of these strategies. Study about emerging trends and challenges.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• The students will understand the changing trends of globalization and de-globalization of operations in companies around the world, having a working knowledge of how to analyze a decision to move globally or stay local, the rate of change, the need to re-localize some operations, etc.
• The students will be familiar with and able to contribute to the management of operating facilities in different cultural environments; to lead the change in integrating operations into global environment
• The students will understand the environmental, decarbonization, circularity trends and challenges and its impact on the global supply chain

Course Contents

• Global supply chains
• Supply chain risks and trends
• Green transformation of industrial sector and its impact on the development of the energy sector
• Unique competitive advantage and government approaches in the EU, US, China and Russia in the global operations.
• Global dynamics and key trends
• Globalization of the Russian companies – trends and challenges
• Development of business process and models on transformation toward circular supply chain

Assessment Elements

• Assignment2 & peer review
  10% — moderated average peer-review score for your written answers Assignment 2 10% — moderated average peer-review score for your video defense Assignment 2 10% — for the quality of your review of the written assignments Assignment 2 10% — for the quality of your review of the video assignments Assignment 2 Each student would be assigned to analyze the company from S&P 500 or Expert 400. To draft recommendation(s) for the given company in a form of a short written assignment 500 words on WHAT they would recommend and then a 1 min video pitching these recommendations to the board of the company explaining WHY they should act according to these recommendations. Assignment 2: what steps should be taken for realigning global operations by the management towards circular economy; what issues and problems you might anticipate, considering specificity of the business of the given company?
• class activity
  class discussions, cases, home work study
• Assignment 1 & peer review
  Each student would be assigned to analyze the company from S&P 500 or Expert 400. To draft recommendation(s) for the given company in a form of a short written assignment 500 words on WHAT they would recommend and then a 1 min video pitching these recommendations to the board of the company explaining WHY they should act according to these recommendations. Assignment 1: what is the implication of decarbonization and energy transition for major businesses of the company and its position in the global supply chain? 10% — moderated average peer-review score for your written answers Assignment 1 10% — moderated average peer-review score for your video defense Assignment 1 10% — for the quality of your review of the written assignments Assignment 1 10% — for the quality of your review of the video assignments Assignment 1
• 0.00

Interim Assessment

• 2021/2022 3rd module
  0.2 * class activity + 0.4 * Assignment 1 & peer review + 0.4 * Assignment2 & peer review

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Farrell, D. (2006). Smarter Offshoring. Harvard Business Review, 84(6), 84–92.
• Huei-Ting Tsai, & Eisingerich, A. B. (2010). Internationalization Strategies of Emerging Markets Firms. California Management Review, 53(1), 114–135. https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2010.53.1.114
• Malik, Y., Niemeyer, A., & Ruwadi, B. (2011). Building the supply chain of the future. McKinsey Quarterly, 1, 62–71.
• Ming-Hui Huang. (2006). Eliminate the Middleman? Harvard Business Review, 84(3), 33–37.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• DE MEYER, A., & VEREECKE, A. (2009). How to optimize knowledge sharing in a factory network.
• SIMCHI-LEVI, D., SCHMIDT, W., & YEHUA WEI. (2014). From Superstorms to Factory Fires. Harvard Business Review, 92(1/2), 96–101.
• Wolfgang Lehmacher. (2017). The Global Supply Chain : How Technology and Circular Thinking Transform Our Future. Springer.

Presentation

• This course will focus on the operational sustainability and environmental challenges involved in managing activities of multinational companies across borders in a dynamic global environment. Particular focus of the course is on ESG, i.e. influence of environmental and circular economy trends on global strategy of the future.

Authors

• AKIM MIKHAIL EDUARDOVICH