SOI-114 International Business Innovation and Expansion

This course show students how to analyze the different options for start-ups
and innovative business to craft an international growth strategy.
The course will help future managers or entrepreneurs get an understanding
of some of the fundamentals management tools and key levers for growth,
innovation and new ventures development in an international setting,
combining theory with real life examples.

Innovative companies and startups often explore the oportunity to expand
internationally, and face a number of different possibilities to do it: organic
growth, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures or alliances…
In this 12 modules course, students will learn about the theory behind
international expansion and then put it into practice:
 Introduction: start-ups and growth
 Going international: keys for success
 – Group work: understand your sector
 Idea generation, testing and validation
 Impact of Regulation

– Group work: choose a company

 Strategic partnerships and other corporate alliances
 Crucial concepts: KPI’s, B2C, B2B, churn rate
– Group work: analyse organic growth options

 Financial projections and modelling
 Mergers and acquisitions

– Group work: explore inorganic growth

 Practical case: Xiaomi – entering international markets
 ESG and sustainability

– Group work: select and value all options, structure presentation

 Groups’ presentations and conclusions to the course
 Post assignment: individual work

Lectures, cases, class debate, teamwork and group presentations.
Students will form groups and present a Business Idea for internationalisation
of a company at the end of the course. The process will begin by each group
choosing a sector and a company to help it expand internationally.

 Serious Creativity, Using the Power of Lateral Thinking to Create New
Ideas – Edward De Bono
 Ingenious – Tina Seelig
 The Lean Start up – Eric Ries