• How social, political, economic and institutional factors define the business environment of countries
• What role history and leadership play in shaping the environment
• How companies’ strategies are affected by the environment
• How the rules of the game set by global institutions, such as the WTO, affect business and human welfare, for example, through the pricing of AIDS drugs in developing countries like South Africa
• How diverse stakeholders, including NGOs, shape the business environment and affect company strategies
• How companies and NGOs create value at the bottom of the pyramid

The course will be three weeks long. The different weeks will focus on the following:
 
Week 1

• In-depth analysis of Japan’s social, political, economic and institutional environment
• The contextual underpinning of the economic bubble and how it burst and led to Japan’s Lost Decade of the nineties
• Aspects of the historical context, such as Japan’s relations with China, and how that defines contemporary relations between the two countries
• The role of charismatic leaders, such as former Prime Minister Koizumi, in changing institutions
• The role played by diverse stakeholders, including the mafia
• Challenges faced by contemporary Japan, such as the ageing population, redefining the role of women, stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship, and meeting skill shortages, possibly through immigration
• Prime Minister Abe’s strategy to put Japan on a path of sustainable growth with the three arrows of “Abenomics”

 
Week 2

• Framework for country analysis
• Brief review at the South Korean environment after the Second World War and the crisis during the late nineties
• Brief glimpses of the environments of Singapore, Chile and Turkey
• The strategy of a successful global company, McDonald’s, for addressing challenges when entering a turbulent and unfamiliar environment, that of the former Soviet Union

 
Week 3

• Company strategies for addressing opportunities and challenges in complex environments
• Case of ITC in rural India
• Case of pricing of AIDS drugs in South Africa
• The role of the WTO and important stakeholders, like NGOs, in shaping the global rules of the game and affecting company strategies and human welfare
• Wrap up