Market Entry Strategies - European Dimension

The course is offered under the financing of the European Jean Monnet Program within the framework of the Jean Monnet Module "International Business - Strategies for Integrated Europe" (620581-EPP-1-2020-1-AT-EPPJMO-MODULE). 

The course is concerned with the market entry decision of firms. In particular, such fundamental questions as where, when, and how to enter a foreign market become the focal points in the theoretical discussion.

The theoretical foundation and the empirical applications of the following market entry modes are discussed within the course: direct and indirect exporting, licensing, strategic alliances (non-equity and equity arrangements), franchising, FDI (brownfield investments, greenfield investments, etc.) as well as mergers & acquisitions. For this specific course this theoretical frame is complimented by the strong orientation towards the policies and practices implemented by the companies in the EU.

Thus, we will discuss the most pressing issues faced by international firms in the EU, including the decisions about outsourcing and offshoring, as well as the challenges of balancing the interests of multiple groups of stakeholders and the role of Corporate Social Responsibility it this process.

In all discussions the students are encouraged to think about the complexity of cultural and political environments in encountered by the European firms in the process of their regional and global expansion.

As a result, by the end of the course the students are expected to be able to evaluate the advantages and drawbacks related to different modes of market entry. They should be able to provide a coherent proposition for the European firms in terms of which country / region, when and how they should enter in order to build and utilise their competitive advantage.

Assessment and permitted materials

The course is delivered primarily through online lectures and online team-based presentations.

There are up to two on-site meetings planned, apart from the introductory class and an exam which are also planned to be held in class. This is subject to the further changes of the COVID-related situation and consequently the requirements imposed by the University of Vienna. In case of increasing risk of infections, the whole course will be held exclusively online.

If the attendance of the on-site sessions is not possible for the reasons related to the student's situation, this should be communicated to the instructor before the session.

Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in online discussions. Attendance is registered via an online tool and the participation is evaluated through the public chat function in the webinar tool. The participation is an important part of evaluation.

Students are strongly advised to read the assigned material from the reference books and articles, and to express opinions, comments, and insights relative to the discussion topic.

The overall level of students' knowledge is tested at an open-questions exam taking part at the end of the semester.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

15% - Participation in in-class sessions and webinars

25% - Home Assignments

30% - Case Study

30% - Final Exam

The attendance and participation in the webinars are mandatory and evaluated via the tools integrated in Moodle. Technical problems can be taken into account, but only if they are timely communicated to the instructor and if all effort is exerted on the side of the student to resolve the issue.

Examination topics

The exam includes open-end questions covering all main topics of the course.

The requirements for the assignments are going to be discussed in detail during the first session.

Reading list

Required Readings:

CAVUSGIL, S. T., KNIGHT, G., & RIESENBERGER, J. R. (2014). International business: The new realities. Harlow, Pearson Education Limited.

JOHNSON, D., & TURNER, C. (2016). European business. London: Routledge.

MANDL, I., & PATRINI, V. (2018). European born globals: job creation in young international businesses. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Additional Readings:

WALL, S., MINOCHA, S., & REES, B. (2015). International business. Harlow, England, Pearson.

WORLD BANK. Annual World Development Reports. Washington, DC: World Bank.

UNITED NATIONS. (2015). Millennium development goals report 2015. [S.l.], United Nations Pubns. Other Materials: Other class materials such as lecture slides are to be made available before the actual start of the classes.

students' FEEDBACK

SS23

I highly enjoyed all the topics - especially the way they were introduced and structured, leading from more general, macroeconomic understanding to the more detailed microeconomic market entry strategies that might be best in a given case, when considering the earlier discussed macroeconomic factors as well as the individual firm´s strengths and weaknesses. 

The course provided a very good, accessible and comprehensive understanding of the topic of market entry strategies and thanks to the positivity and energy of the instructor did so in a way that was very engaging and fun!


The course was quite interesting and even entertaining to my surprise. The instructor was really charismatic and explained every topic well so that even students who came from other fields of study (like me for example) could understand the information. In addition to theory great examples were provided as well as work in groups that I don’t often see in other lectures. I believe group discussions/games were a great way to deliver information and motivate students to participate. 

I had no experience in field of business and was very nervous about that at first, but the course topics are well explained and the course is very interactive (if one wants to be interactive). I also enjoyed doing something different from a presentation namely the wiki pages.


Honestly, it was the best course I've ever participated in University. The Teacher was always prepared, had a deep knowledge with even a high disseminative capacity. The teacher was alwas very motivated so that I enjoyed the class in a way that I never experienced befor in any other university courses. I've learned a lot about the different strategies of how companies can enter a foreign market.


The course is really great and interesting. The lecturer always keeps the course interesting by getting the class involved. At last, active participation feels genuinely rewarded which motivates the participant. 

WS22

I want to work in international relations and more specifically in import-export, and this subject (which is only studied in France from the second year of the master's degree) has enabled me to affirm my desire to work in this field. I think the part I liked best in this course was the internationalisation and exporting, which showed me the different possibilities and strategies I could adopt depending on the sector and the institution or company I would be working in. I really liked the cultural and political part of the market entry strategies. 


I think all in all the course was really interesting and showed me aspects of markets I didn't know about before. Im definitely finishing this course with way more knowledge than before and learned a lot that could be very useful to me in the future. A three hour course is quite exhausting, but throughout these three hours I am constantly engaged and most of the time, it feels like the time flies by. The structure of the course is also very well designed, starting off with some general topics (globalization, culture etc.) and then on that basis going on to the more difficult topics of MaEStra.


This was the best course I had this semester. It was exceptionally interesting and interactive at the same time. 


Despite the fact that this is my first experience of studying marketing, I am very glad that I started with this particular course. A completely unfamiliar subject was presented in such an interesting and clear way that the study time passed very quickly. I really liked the structure of the course, a lot of information and all material is presented clearly and with practical examples. Working with tables and much interactive material was very helpful in remembering important topics. I also really liked the pace of the class, not once did I get bored. Editing a web-page was also quite an unusual experience both in receiving and analysing information and in designing it for a large audience. Even though it was difficult for me to participate in the discussions, I really liked how carefully the professor integrated student comments into the class topic and it looked like a very good script. 

Once again the course was skilfully run with concise explanations and good content. The assignments were fun to do. The international aspect of the course and the class is a plus.


The comfortable environment in which a student does not feel judged for not knowing something, but purely encouraged to learn was why I was happy to take part in the class each Wednesday. Every question would be answered understandably in detail by a person whose knowledge is admired by all students within the class. Clear description of course expectations. Truly learning about systems, strategies which influence the world each day.


The course was overall very interesting. Even though I probably didn't prepare enough for the exam, it still was a very enjoyable course with interesting lessons. Would recommend, even if you don't have any business focus.


This course was very informative. The variety of interactive and traditional teaching always made me look forward to the next class. Thank you for making complex topics so understandable.


VK Market entry strategies was my favorite course this semester. Thank you for your effort you put in every single lesson. I like that the presentations are filled only with necessary information, the examples are relevant and up-to-date. Moreover, the course makes you think and ask questions.


I had no oppotunities of taking classes about business in English at my Japanese university, so it was hard for me to raise my hand in the beginning, but I was influenced by diligent collegues and thanks to your support, I attended class actively as much as possible. I got to compare business strategies between Japan and Europe and I'd like to make my own business beyond borders like exporting somthing Japanese to Europe and selling real estates in Europe to Japanese customers. 


WS21

I really liked the structure of the course a lot. I feel like this was by far one of the courses where I learned the most AND also brought me the most fun. 


Many contents of this course helped me with another course.

I must say since COVID 19 it was best organised course.


I must say that it was one of the most interesting courses among EC which I've chosen. For someone who has nothing to do with the management, this course gave me a lot to learn and introduced me to the basics. The structure of the course, the presentation of the course material, content - everything was really interesting and useful. Thank you very much!


SS21

I found this course very interesting. 


Everything was very interesting and useful. I really happy that have learned this course.

The wiki project was a very cool idea. 

First of all, I really enjoyed doing the group project because I love it when there is something at the end, where I can see what I have worked for in the last weeks. And the result was a wiki page designed by ourselves :) All in all, I really enjoyed attending [the] class and I am sure that I took valuable information with me after this course. 

WS20

I think the course organization is already very effective and there is not something I would change except maybe connecting the presentations with the theory learned that day.

The open-book exam was great, I had much more time to think about the questions asked and am sure I took away more from this format than from a short and stressful exam.

The lectures were very well organised and the discussions were also quite active. 

I liked receiving the anonymous comments of classmates afterwards [after presentations], those were very helpful.