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International Business Masterclasses

Henley workshop 1

The Henley International Business Masterclasses are an initiative developed in the International Business and Strategy unit at Henley Business School. The masterclasses are delivered in two sets each academic year, in the Autumn and Spring session. The Spring session 2023/2024 will consist of three masterclasses which will be taught in hybrid mode from 8 April to 11 April 2024 (see details below). The courses have been designed for face-to-face delivery, and participants are encouraged to attend in-person to benefit from face-to-face interactions, but those who are unable to travel to Reading will be able to attend the live sessions online via MS Teams. The masterclasses are offered to PhD students and post-doctoral researchers.

Spring term Masterclasses 2023/2024 Application process

Participants can either attend as formally enrolled students or as non-enrolled attendees.

  • Formally enrolled students will get formal recognition in the form of credits. Participants will be awarded 10 credits per module, an equivalent of 5 ECTS credits, upon the positive evaluation of coursework and payment of a tuition fee (£230 for Home and £460 for International students per module).
  • Non-enrolled attendance will be non-credit bearing (participants will only receive a certificate of attendance) and subject to a registration fee of £100 for one module, and £150 for two modules and £200 for three modules.

On 12-13 April 2024, the Dunning Centre for International Business hosts the 9th Reading IB Conference. The Conference main theme builds upon the following question: ‘Can capitalism ever be inclusive and equitable, and can MNEs really help?’. Over the two conference days we will follow the traditional Reading Conference approach of open-ended debates with an explicit focus on conceptual and theoretical developments. We will also have competitive paper sessions in all areas of international business. Masterclass participants are welcome to register for the conference and submit their extended abstracts/paper.

To apply for the masterclasses, please complete an online application form, and email the following supporting documents to Jana Oslejova:
  • a CV
  • an academic reference supporting the application

The Spring term 2023/2024 Masterclasses application deadline is 29th January 2024.

Funding

Funding contributing towards costs of travel and accommodation for the duration of the masterclasses is available for a limited number of participants thanks to the support of the Society for the Advancement of Management Studies (SAMS) and the Alan Rugman Memorial Fund.

The recipients of the funding are selected via a formal process with nominations coming from PhD supervisors or other academic referees. Each applicant for the funding needs to complete an application form, and email the following supporting documents to Jana Oslejova:

  • a CV
  • an academic letter of reference

This funding is limited and we strongly encourage everyone to seek their own financial support from their institution or government.

Spring Masterclass Modules Overview:

This is an advanced PhD course focusing on the key academic debates with regard to understanding of cross-national differences in human resource management (HRM) and the issues in managing human resources in the multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating across national borders.

The course will address the following topics:

• Intersection between IHRM and IB

• Relevance of context in international IHRM

• Global mobility post Covid-19 pandemic

• Global IHRM strategy

• Transfer of IHRM practices in MNEs

• Management of internationally mobile workers

• Process issues, field boundaries, and publication issues in IHRM

SYLLABUS (Inc. reading list)

This module is intended to provide an introduction to the role multinational enterprises (MNEs) can play in development, and how governments are able to influence the positive and negative outcomes associated with this interaction. The module will focus on issues relating to the role of MNEs in the process of industrialization and economic development. It will review the theory and evidence relating to how foreign direct investment affects economic structure and industrial development in host countries, taking special interest in developing countries, but also drawing on the experience of the developed world. The focus will be potential policies that governments can and do apply to optimize the impact of MNEs at the national and international level.

Guest Speakers:

MODULE OVERVIEW

READING LIST (coming soon)

This course addresses the complex relations between innovation, IB and Economic Geography, by providing a state-of-the-art critical overview of conceptual and empirical research organized around the following topics:

  1. Agglomeration, Connectivity and MNEs Location Strategy (D. Castellani)
  2. Digitalization and Globalization (R. Mudambi)
  3. Complexity in knowledge creation and resilience vs. sustainability trade-offs (L. Piscitello)

Guest Speakers:

SYLLABUS (Inc. reading list)