1. To develop an understanding of international mergers and acquisitions (M&As) as instruments to create economic value for the firm.

2. To explain the challenge of ‘management biases’ when contemplating M&As, and the possibility of pursuing potentially superior alternatives that focus on developing and profitably exploiting FSAs.

3. To describe the challenges of effective governance in the post-acquisition process.

4. To support a reflection on the barriers to success and the common mistakes in M&A implementation processes.

5. To describe the process of integrating extant FSAs of the acquirer with the FSAs of the acquired company in international M&As.

1. To describe the four main dimensions of ‘distance’ (cultural, administrative, geographic, and economic) in the context of host country location advantages.

2. To link these various dimensions of ‘distance’ to bounded rationality problems faced by MNEs.

3. To develop an understanding of the alternative perspective of ‘distance’ as an opportunity, rather than a problem.

4. To highlight the importance of paying sufficient attention to the attractiveness and opportunities associated with some high-distance markets, for example, developed economy MNEs targeting rural markets in comparatively less wealthy countries.

5. To identify the managerial implications of ‘distance’ on the international transferability of FSAs.

1. To explain the significance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the MNE context.

2. To illustrate the linkages between strategy and CSR in contemporary MNE business practice.

3. To examine how CSR applied by MNEs can improve labour standards.

4. To develop an understanding of the trade-off between maximizing MNE profits in the short run and fulfilling obligations to society.

5. To clarify that there is no ‘one size fits all’ CSR approach across all types of economies (developed, emerging, and least-developed) and all types of MNE administrative heritage, and that there can be various patterns of CSR capability building.

1. To describe the changes in the international business environment leading to new roles assigned to international factories.

2. To explain the two key parameters underlying the roles of foreign manufacturing plants and to highlight the six generic factory roles.

3. To explain the benefits and challenges of reshoring as a source of new firm-specific advantages for MNEs, as they bring offshored production activities back to their home country.

4. To develop an understanding of the locational impacts of technological advances, such as additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing, on MNEs’ international sourcing and production activities.

5. To identify the limitations of a strategy aimed at upgrading foreign manufacturing plants.

1. To identify best practices in managing expatriates and to outline the roles of these managers in FSA development and transfer processes.

2. To examine the main pitfalls when managing expatriates.

3. To describe how to craft effective organizational change in the MNE through following a rigorous eight-step process.

4. To explain how modern human resources management (HRM) practices in a digital MNE can be nurtured, building on a global community of employees and contributors.

5. To show how successful MNEs can improve their organization-wide capacity to integrate interdependent international operations through ‘managing managers’.