This course introduces the analytical tools of macroeconomics and applies them extensively to Asia. The course begins with the analysis of business cycles and the role of stabilization policy. It then moves on to the open economy. Key issues covered include: the determination of exchange rate in the short- and long-run, how currency risk can be hedged, how economic “shocks” are transmitted internationally and what policy can achieve in response. Additional topics include: determinants of economic growth in the long run with lessons from Asia, challenges facing the Chinese economy, and perspectives on financial crises and financial regulation.

Managerial Economics as an EMBA core course aims to explore how microeconomic analytical tools can be applied to business practices. The course focuses on analyzing the functioning of markets, the economic behavior of firms and other economic agents and their economic/managerial implications through a selected set of topics that are motivated by real-world observations of business operations. Topics covered include: fundamental market forces, consumer and firm behaviour under various market structures, sophisticated pricing strategies with market power, decision makings under uncertainty/risk/information asymmetry, strategic interactions in game-theoretic situations and a variety of behavioural insights.

Corporate Governance (CG) has been defined “as a set of relationships between a company’s management, its board, shareholders, the community at large, as well as other stakeholders, providing the structure through which the objectives for the company are set, and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance are determined” (paraphrasing OECD Principles of Corporate Governance, 2004).The objective of this course is to provide a solid understanding of CG from an international perspective –with focus on Asia – drawing from insights of academia, regulators and practitioners.

International Business & Internationalisation looks at the process for a firm to become international in its operations and sales, as well as the subsequent management challenges associated with operating in multiple geographic markets. The course complements the macro-economic principles covered in BME5050 in its analytical focus on other elements of business environments, such as the political, regulatory and social environments, that shape the nature and conduct of business in Asia and in the world. The course will further extend these core analytical elements through a consideration of the role of multilateral institutions (e.g., IMF, Asian Development Bank) and prominent national institutions on internationalisation strategy and multinational management.

The strategy course focuses on the concept of strategy, and examines how firms achieve, sustain, and renew competitive advantage, and what roles managers play in this process. The course covers the basic frameworks and decision making tools, which lay the foundations of strategic change and renewal. Strategy is shaped not only by the underlying market and competitive conditions that prevail in an industry, but also by the resources as well as by the firm’s internal structure, systems, and culture. This integration of the external and internal perspectives provides the basic framework for strategic thinking, and opens the door for more strategic analysis in a variety of context.

Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship The objectives of this course is to provide senior managers with the analytic tools to analyse and anticipate the opportunities, threats and risks created by technological and business model innovation, the organisational challenges of incumbent firms facing disruptive innovation, and the entrepreneurial mind-set and change-maker skill-set needed to make innovation happen. The course will be structured around the following four (1) Understanding Innovation Opportunities, Threats and Risks; (2) Formulating Technological & Business Model Innovation Strategy (3) Managing the Innovation Process in Existing Organisations: Critical Functional Roles & Intrapreneurship, and (4) the Lean StartUp approach and Entrepreneurial New Firm Formation process.

Topics offered under this course will address one or more contemporary issues in business management or discuss current business affairs that is not covered in the core curriculum.

Topics offered under this course will address one or more contemporary issues in business management or discuss current business affairs that is not covered in the core curriculum.

Topics offered under this course will address one or more contemporary issues in business management or discuss current business affairs that is not covered in the core curriculum.

Sustainability reporting increases shareholder value by heightening an organization’s awareness to remain robust and resilient through deployment of sustainable and efficient processes. ESG Investing has grown almost tenfold in just 3 years as investors realize that a strong ESG proposition can safeguard a company’s long-term success. There is a clear link that the financial performance of companies correlates to how well they handle ESG risks. While ESG investing is not a miracle cure, this is the right thing for you to do, the smart thing to do, and the time to do so is now.

Today, emerging markets account for 36% of the global GDP. Some estimates indicate they will represent a US$30 trillion opportunity by 2025. By that time India, China and other Asian countries will represent the lion’s share of global middle-class consumption, leaving the EU, the US and Japan trailing behind. It is where growth is going to come from and where some of the most important innovations and competitors will emerge. Yet most MNCs are currently doing a poor job exploiting these opportunities and earn just 17% of their total revenue from these markets. Why is this? What obstacles are preventing MNCs from growing their business in emerging markets and what can be done to convert these challenges into opportunities?

All companies operating in emerging markets face two major hurdles: low purchasing power and a high number of institutional voids (e.g. poor infrastructure, limited access to health and education, pollution, lack of transparency and a weak regulatory framework). Succeeding in such an environment requires addressing both issues simultaneously. These organizations have to learn how to serve customers with very different purchasing power and needs. Offering high value at a low price requires the difficult task of combining product innovations with innovative ways of reconfiguring the delivery system. Given the importance of governments and regulators in many of these economies, an understanding of how to navigate through regulatory minefields is also critical for sustaining competitive advantage in these markets.

Family firms play an important role in all economies, but especially so in Asia, where family firms not just dominate the small firm category but also constitute the majority of companies listed on most Asian stock exchanges. This course provides students the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of family firms across Asia. Aside from a focus on how to sustain a family firm from the perspective of the family, the course will also analyze family firms from an outsider’s perspective, including investors, partners, executives, and policy makers.

The first half of the course is a non-technical introduction to artificial intelligence (AI), its most relevant business applications as well as approaches to governance and regulation. The second half of the course considers the future of AI and data. First we look at quantum computing: What is it, what can it do, how can it help to overcome the limitations of contemporary AI? Second, we turn to data as an AI input factor. Starting from the argument that data should be understood as an intangible corporate asset, we evaluate recent ideas and frameworks on data valuation and data sharing.

This course helps senior executives take a longer view of their business, create greater resilience for their companies and build a forward looking innovation mindset within their teams. We live in times of continuous change with economic, political and social upheaval mirroring the vast changes in technology brought about by mobile devices, the Internet of things, customer experience technologies, real-time data and generative AI. Despite these changes, many organisations are stuck in short-term and siloed thinking and this module will disrupt that through immersive hands-on exploration of the future providing insights from many disciplines from both the West and from Asia.