BUILDING INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS MSc International Business: a case study ROBIN JOHN London South Bank University Department of Marketing & Strategy johnra@lsbu. ac. uk
MSc IB Background • Origins in 1990 as MAIB; a small, part time evening course • Now built to be one of the largest postgraduate Masters in the University with 150 student entry across the international network • International collaboration is a part franchise where the four semester one units; International Trade, International Strategy, Analytical techniques & Management of International Firms are delivered by local staff at foreign partner.
Partner Network • International collaboration evolution • 1994 Assumption University Bangkok, Thailand • 1999 Loyola College Chennai India, Mainz Fachhochschule Germany, Beijing Institute of Technology, China • 2002 IBA Denmark • 2008 Leonardo Da Vinci Business School, Paris, France • 2009 + PACE University New York, In. Holland University, Netherlands
How Unit collaboration works • LSBU units; same unit guides, learning outcomes and assessment methods • LSBU unit coordinators send unit materials, lecture PPT slides, case studies, DVDs, assessment materials to partner UC either as CD or email attachments • Partner access to LSBU unit Black. Board sites and electronic materials • Adaptation /Localisation of eg the lecture materials for delivery in eg China is encouraged by LSBU course team
How Unit collaboration works • Coursework marked by partner and moderated by LSBU, exam papers set and marked by LSBU • QA includes LSBU student/staff induction at partner, mid semester teaching visit, external examiner scrutiny of CW and exam samples, unit reports and programme monitoring reports
Issues 1 • Do we know the e-materials are getting through in good time and that BB is accessible? Some partner unit coordinators always send emails to acknowledge receipt and regularly ask questions, some only if non receipt occurs, others rarely. • Some tendency (inherent in part franchise) towards HQ/ branch relationship. How much collaborative dialogue and joint development of learning & teaching materials takes place? How much adaptation and localisation of materials?
Issues 2 • Possible power and cultural differences; Asian partner coordinators tend to be the most passive, European eg Mainz Germany most active (Hofstede’s power/distance!). Importance of physically meeting the partner unit coordinators. • Employment issues; some Asian partner unit coordinators are temporary visiting lecturers employed to deliver the unit, not paid to engage in curriculum development. Quite rapid turnover of partner unit coordinators limits scope to develop long term relationship
Issues 3 • Are the partners themselves going to be satisfied playing an “under-labourer” role long term? • LSBU staff have deliberately sought to avoid L & T materials being Eurocentric eg RJ’s Sony case • BUT given the changing geopolitics of international business, important opportunities exist for developing Asian oriented case studies and other teaching materials eg Haier, Tata, etc
Issues 4 • Proposal developed with Loyola College Chennai for annual video conference/ colloquium of partners re; L & T • EG use of good MSc. IB dissertation students to help develop materials eg Asian budget airlines, Tata cars, Shanghai Auto, Lenovo, Haier, etc.
Issues 5 • A classic international business dilemma in terms of degree of global standardisation vs local adaptation • Issue of partner staff turnover – need for regular staff induction • Importance of ongoing physical contacts between staff involved • Are there limits to long term use of the part franchise – are articulation agreements or offshoring better long term?
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