Global Strategy & Sustainable Business

Introduction

In today’s economy, most businesses face global challenges either through direct global activities or through global suppliers, customers or partners. In this course, we focus on strategic challenges that arise from cross-border business activities and the development of successful global strategies as businesses and societies transition towards a more sustainable future.

This course provides you with the tools and skills to grow your business internationally and navigate the complexities of your external surroundings to compete sustainably.

We help you critically assess your organization and environment before making important business decisions. Which strategy is most suitable for your organization in a complex and changing world? Will the transition towards a more sustainable world require strategic changes? How can you become more agile and flexible? Do cultural and institutional differences matter for your business? How are successful companies balancing the demands of ongoing operations and future needs? The program provides a rich overview of strategic challenges facing global organizations and the tools available to assess the situation and make sound business decisions.

The course is grounded in global strategy thinking. We cover theories and frameworks to help you develop a sound and sustainable global strategy. Topics that we cover include, but are not limited to: business decisions in a global context; global strategies; understanding the changing demands as businesses and societies transition towards an increasingly sustainable world, increasing organizational agility and flexibility; building global competitiveness; knowledge-transfer; and collaborative efforts.

The program will mix digital content with five in-class modules. Our fourth module is a study-trip to Canada's energy capital Calgary where we examine sustainability challenges such as the energy transition and aligning needs of businesses and indigenous populations. Throughout the modules, the sessions are highly interactive with in-class discussions, a focus on practical applications, and a dialogue with corporations.

All classes will be conducted in English (the term paper may be written in Norwegian).

Who is this program for?
This program is suited for business professionals who are focused on understanding the global business context and developing global strategies as businesses and societies transition towards a more sustainable world. We focus both on small and large firms and therefore welcome participants who are focused on new business development as well as those interested in developing sustainable global strategies for established corporations.

Course content

1st course module
Understanding strategy in a global context. Identifying challenges and opportunities as businesses and societies transition towards a sustainable world

2nd course module
Do global strategy decisions differ for sustainable business?

3rd course module
Building competitive and agile global organizations 

4th course module
Global strategy in practice: Study-trip abroad with a focus on global strategy in transitioning companies 

5th course module
Sustainability at the forefront of global strategy (themes include impact investing and reaching the UNs sustainable development goals).