IESEG School of Management
IESEG School of Management – Ecole de Commerce Post Bac
IESEG School of Management

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Core Courses

The MIB students must validate 60 ECTS credits according to the programme plan. Each course requires a minimum grade of 10/20.

The MIB programme offers a set of EIGHT core courses that are crucial to achieve programme objectives.

  1. Skills and Behaviour

    skillsbehaviourThis course develops over the entire programme, and serves to provide students with the fundamental tools for the personal and professional development.The contents of the course are therefore delivered through a balanced approach between theory and practice, using a variety of pedagogical methods and tools (front lectures, case studies, exercises, presentations, simulations, role plays, distance learning, business games). All these methods and tools intend to enhance simultaneously the capability of working in teams towards a group performance but also the sense of individual responsibility of the students towards an individual performance.

    At the end of the course, students should be able to manage and develop themselves in a professional manner, to adapt at speed to changing circumstances, to work collaboratively in a multicultural context, to exercise leadership, to manage their own scarce resources (time, energy, conflicting interests), to give and receive feedback in an open and frank manner and to be focused on results, performance, quality and people issues.

    Course content

    • Communication skills, working with others (inter-personal skills and self-auditing)
    • Cultural awareness
    • Managing scarce resources and dissonance
    • Leadership
    • Creative team working

  2. International Economics

    This course analyzes the determinants and consequences of the increasing international integration of markets. Understanding the dynamics of contemporary international markets is critical for the majority of high profile managers. The purpose of this course is, therefore, to build a framework of analysis that enables students to understand the challenges of international trade and investment and to master the opportunities they represent by formulating strategies that will enable businesses to succeed in the international business environment. Upon completion of the course, the student will have an appreciation and understanding of the general nature of globalization, and its impact on countries, firms and individuals.

    Course content

    • Introduction to the global environment
    • Causes and consequences of international trade
    • The fragmentation of the value chain: foreign direct investment, international outsourcing
    • The regulation of international trade: trade policy instruments, domestic government and the WTO
    • Regional economic integration

  3. International Human Resources Management

    This course aims to transfer the main logic and methodologies of the principal HRM tools through an international perspective: planning, recruitment and selection, training, appraisal systems and bonuses. The organizational development policies and practices are explained and discussed crosswise in relation to the development of each HRM tool.

    Course content

    - Planning & Staffing
    - Information system for HR management Recruiting & Outplacement (the international rules)
    - Traditional research system
    - Internet recruiting
    • Skills system
    - Training: ways to improve your skills
    - Evaluation & Incentive: The 3 P system applications in different countries
    - Industrial relation in Europe and USA: Trade Unions and labour rights
    - Creating Value with People and creating value for people: Employment Branding - Human Capital Evaluation

  4. Inter-Cultural Management

    Inter-cultural management is a multidisciplinary approach to the communicating problems encountered in interactions between individuals and society/organizations, as well as individuals/organizations interacting with global communities. The ability to communicate appropriately is a crucial competence in all interactions. The process of European integration and creation of trading blocks around the world, as well as the increase of interaction between nations and countries brought about by globalization of trade and tourism, introduce new and unpredicted communication difficulties between individuals, organizations, and nations which have different behavioral patterns and cultural values. In this subject, an examination is made of theories and research advanced by behavioral sciences in relation to the understanding of cross-cultural communication. The main aim is to fully explore cultural factors and their impacts on global communication especially within the context of Asian versus Western cultural dimensions including managerial practices. Furthermore, this subject aims to provide students with strategy, style, awareness and observation skills needed to succeed in any cross-cultural interaction and negotiation worldwide. This subject complements other management and marketing disciplines in developing cross-cultural management skills and knowledge essential for graduates entering managerial careers in increasingly globalised economies around the world.

    Course content

    • Communication and Culture
    • Cultural Impacts on International Business
    • Cross-cultural learning
    • Theories of Inter-cultural Communication
    • Personality and Culture
    • Culture and Management
    • Inter-cultural relationships and Organizational Conflict and Conflict Resolution
    • Inter-cultural Negotiation
    • Communicating Decision across Cultures
    • Cross-cultural Nonverbal Communication
    • Culture and ethics
    • Cross-cultural Motivation
    • Skills for Cross-cultural Management and Leadership

  5. International Marketing

    The subject will be taught using a variety of teaching and learning techniques including lectures, case studies, research projects and group tasks. Students are expected to do the reading for each seminar and to be prepared to participate in discussions on selected topics.

    Students are therefore expected to take responsibility for their own learning and manage their time accordingly. For group-based activities, the onus is on the group to attempt to resolve any conflict before consulting the subject coordinator. The subject aims to develop students' understanding of marketing in an international context, concentrating on the additional complexities that differentiate it from domestic marketing. The subject will also explore the opportunities and challenges encountered by international marketers relating to the changing political, legal, economic and cultural environments. In addition, the implications of the changes for international marketers in information technology will be discussed.

    Course content

    • Introduction to international Marketing
    • The International Economic/Financial Environment
    • The Political/Legal Environment
    • The International Cultural Environment
    • International Marketing research
    • Market selection and entry strategies
    • International Products/Services
    • International Marketing Communication
    • International Logistics. Export and Import management
    • International Pricing

  6. Global Finance

    The objectives of this module are to develop a systematic understanding of financial management decisions in an international setting, in conjunction with a depth study of varied economic environments and market conditions in which firms function in foreign exchange markets, risk management and international investment strategies.

    Course content

    • Foreign Exchange Fundamentals
    - Foreign Exchange Markets and Foreign Exchange Rates
    - Exchange Rate Regimes and the International Monetary System
    • Parity Conditions in International Finance
    - Purchasing Power Parity
    - Covered Interest Rate Parity
    - Expectations and Uncovered Interest Rate Parity
    - International Fisher Effect

    Course objectives

    • Gain practical knowledge in the function of foreign exchange markets
    • Understand theoretically and assess empirically international parity conditions and their relevance and implications in international financial management and the management of multinational corporations
    • Understand international flow of funds and international links between nations
    • Gain analytical skills in foreign exchange risk management
    • Be able to evaluate critically different international investment strategies under various assumptions and circumstances

    • Foreign Exchange Risk Management and Strategies
    - Currency Derivatives
    - Measuring Foreign Exchange Exposure
    - Managing Transaction Exposure
    - Managing Economic and Translation Exposure
    • Foreign Investment Strategies and Analysis
    - Sovereign Risk and Country Risk Analysis
    - International Portfolio Investment and Direct Foreign Investment

  7. International Business Strategy

    This course on International Business Strategy is intended to provide an overview of the theories and principles of global strategy that have considerable implications on modern enterprises operating in an increasingly global economy.

    Course content

    • Cross-Border Management: Motivations and Mentalities
    • Responding to Conflicting Demands: The Environmental Challenge
    • Building Strategic Capabilities: The Competitive Challenge
    • Managing Across Boundaries: The Collaborative Challenge
    • Developing Coordination & Control: The Organizational Challenge
    • Creating & Leveraging Knowledge: The Worldwide Learning Challenge
    • Building Transnational Capabilities: The Management Challenge
    • Preparing for the Future: Transnational Evolution

    Course objectives

    • Critically review developments in the globalization of business in recent decades
    • Show how the increase in world trade results in intense competition and greater complexity in doing business
    • Examine emerging trends emerging from globalization and their implications for corporate strategy
    • Describe global strategic intent, its mission and explain their value in responding to international business
    • Gain knowledge of international business and strategic management processes

  8. Research Methods for Business

    Course content

    • Descriptive Statistics
    - Data types
    - Cross-sectional univariate data: Tables, Graphs, Parameters
    - Time-series data: Graphs, Parameters, Indices, Seasonality
    - Cross-sectional multivariate data: Tables, Graphs, Regressions
    • Inferential Statistics
    - Normal distribution
    - Other distributions
    - Hypothesis testing

    Course objectives

    • Select, calculate and interpret the indicators that best summarize a cross-section of data.
    • Select, construct and interpret the graphs that best represent a cross-section or a time-series of data.
    • Understand the underlying intuition of hypothesis testing.
    • Identify the appropriate hypothesis tests to carry out in different situations.
    • Understand the results of statistical analyses carried out in academic papers.