Skip to main content
 

BUSI4BE15: Business Environment in Emerging Economy

Type Tied
Level 4
Credits 15
Availability Available in 2025/2026
Module Cap None.
Location Durham
Department Management and Marketing

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To enable students to comprehensively engage with the complexities of doing business in emerging economies.
  • To provide students with the opportunity to critically understand the differences between emerging and developed economies.
  • To make students reflect on the particularities of the internationalisation of EMNEs.

Content

  • The lectures and practical classes within this module will be organised around the following themes/topics:
  • Economic, political, and legal systems in Emerging Economies
  • Institutional Voids
  • Decolonisation of International Business literature
  • Cultural environment in emerging economies
  • The internationalisation of EMNEs
  • Market opportunity assessment in emerging markets.
  • Entry modes the challenges and opportunities in emerging economies.
  • The future of emerging economies.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Upon successful completion of the module, the students will have:
  • Understand how businesses operate in emerging markets.
  • Understand the difference between companies from emerging and developed countries.
  • Understand the differences between emerging and developed economies, particularly institutional voids, and their impact on international firms.
  • Understand why certain international business frameworks do not fit the reality of emerging economies.
  • Understand the different types of entry modes for emerging economies.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • By the end of the module students should be able to:
  • Put the organisational theory into practice.
  • Critically assess the recent changes in international business and the differences between emerging and developing economies.
  • Critically assess the influence of globalisation, the emergence of new players, and its influence on EMNEs.
  • Critically assess the literature in international business and the importance of the context.

Key Skills:

  • Develop critical thinking.
  • Building and developing teams.
  • Effective written communication skills.
  • Planning, organising and time management skills.
  • Problem-solving and analytical skills.
  • Advanced skills in the interpretation of data.
  • Planning, organisation and time management.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • The learning outcomes will be met through a combination of lectures, guided reading and discussion of case studies. The module includes an international business simulation. In the international business simulation, students will collaborate in groups of 7 to 8 during scheduled teaching blocks. Their task involves making strategic decisions within a simulated emerging context, encompassing internationalisation strategies, international market opportunity assessment in emerging markets, entry modes, and strategies pertinent to a simulated company they will manage. The simulation employs web-based software overseen by the module leader.
  • This experiential learning approach integrates realism and fosters critical thinking in the lecture room. Students gain insights from their own decision-making experiences, allowing them to experiment with diverse management strategies. Moreover, this hands-on simulation provides a platform for students to practically apply the theoretical concepts discussed throughout the module, enhancing their understanding and proficiency in international business management.
  • The assessment of the module, by group written assignment based on the simulation, is designed to test the acquisition and articulation of knowledge, conceptual understanding and evaluation of the literature learned in class.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures10Weekly2 hours20 
Seminars4Fornightly1 hour4Yes
Preparation and Reading126 
Total150 

Summative Assessment

Component: Group AssignmentComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Report1,500 word (maximum1001,500 word individual case study

Formative Assessment

Group discussion

More information

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our Help page. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the Help page, or a query about the on-line Postgraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.