Masters Programs Course Syllabus

2356 Sustainable International Business

2014-2015, 1st semester 2nd half

TEACHING STAFF
INSTRUCTOR: Daniel Traa;

CONTACT: daniel.traca@novasbe.pt

Daniel Traa is Professor of Sustainable International Business at NOVA School of Business &
Economics, in Lisbon. Previously, he was Assistant Professor at INSEAD, in France and Singapore, and
held the Marie et Alain Philippson Chair in Managing for Sustainable Human Development, at the
Solvay Business School, Brussels. He has worked as a consultant for the World Bank and the
European Commission. He obtained his PhD from Columbia University, New York, and has published
in several leading international academic journals.
GRADER: Lus Fonseca

CONTACT: luis.fonseca@novasbe.pt

OFFICE HOURS: By request.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND CONTENT

This course is intended to provide future managers, expecting to work in or with developing
countries, with an understanding of the current economic reality and future prospects of these
nations. The course will address several developmental challenges faced by poor nations, focusing
on the role of the private sector and business managers, and stressing the implications for corporate
performance. It will not cover in detail the internal operational challenges of corporations in these
markets.

LEARNING GOALS
By the end of the course, students will have a broad knowledge of the interactions between
businesses, institutions and the developmental challenges faced by poor nations. Students will have
strongly improved their writing and analytical skills, as they are expected to synthesise complex
ideas and to display both depth and clarity of thought.

COURSE STRUCTURE
Session 1 - Global Development: An Historical Overview

The modern growth model

The main drivers of development: institutions, policies or geography
The effectiveness of Development Aid

Session 2 - Policy for top-down development

The Washington Consensus and the results of its implementation

The impact of privatization and the role of institutions
Public-Private Partnerships

Masters Programs Course Syllabus

Session 3 - Institutions and Governance

The success of East Asian Countries

The role of Governance and Institutions in Development
The Natural Resource Curse

Session 4 - Poverty, Child Labor and Education

The economy of the poor: bottom-up development

The drivers of Child Labour and the role of Education
Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation
Bottom of the Pyramid strategies

Session 5 - From entrepreneurship to private-sector jobs

The Microcredit Revolution and its impact

Entrepreneurship and the fight against poverty
The constraints for SME development in developing countries
Private equity and emerging markets

Session 6 - Multinationals and Foreign Investment

How can developing countries compete for foreign investment?

The benefits of foreign direct investment in developing countries
How can MNCs expand their development impact?

TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

Classes will use case discussions and constant interaction with students. Attendance is mandatory.
Active and thoughtful participation is encouraged. Students are absolutely required to read the
must read before class bibliography and are advised to do the remaining class readings before
each class to be able to participate.

ASSESSMENT
To pass the course, a student must obtain a minimum of 8 points in each of the three main
components and a weighted average higher than 9.5 points.
Individual Flash Essays (35%): Students must present two flash essays (FE), individually. At the end
of sessions 2, 3, 4 and 5 a topic related to the class and currently on the news will be given. Students
should research the topic, including sources on the web, and prepare an essay, simulating the role of
an advisor to a high-level personality. All sources should be listed with the report. The report is due
one week after the end of each class respectively, and it is limited to 2 double-spaced pages.
Students must deliver one essay of their choosing between FEs 1 and 2 and another between FEs 3
and 4. These will be judged by their originality and innovation, organization, clarity of writing and
depth of the analysis and recommendations.

Masters Programs Course Syllabus

Individual Final Exam (35%): A short final exam, lasting for one hour and a half, covers all topics in
the course. It assumes that all readings have been done and class handouts have been thoroughly
scrutinized.
Group Case-Study (30%): In groups of 3 to 4, students can prepare a case-study on any topic broadly
related to the course. The group, topic and a short outline must be communicated to the course
grader by the end of session 4. The final report is due before the last session and is limited to 12
double-spaced pages. It will be judged by their originality and innovation, the use of tools developed
in the course and other resources and, above all, the quality of the analysis and recommendations.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND OTHER RESOURCES

Session 1 - Global Development: An Historical Overview
Must read before class:
Aid, Debt Relief and Trade: An Agenda for Fighting World Poverty HBS 2007
Class Readings:
Why are Countries Poor? Ch. 1 in Institutions and Development, Mary M. Shirley, Edward Elgar
2010
Aid and Growth Steven Radelet, Michael Clemens and Rikhil Bhavnani, Finance & Development,
Sept 2005 42(3)
Think Again, Again Chapter 1 in Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global
Poverty, Duflo and Banerjee, MIT Press 2011
Session 2 - Policy for top-down development
Must read before class:
Cancun, Mexico: Water System Privatization, Kennedy School of Government, 2000
Class Readings:
"Rethinking Growth" Finance & Development, Mar 2006
The Insider: What I learned at the world economic crisis Joseph Stiglitz, The New Republic, April
17, 2000
Meeting the Infrastructure Challenge with Public-Private Partnerships Boston Consulting Group,
Feb 2013
Leasing the Rain William Finnegan, The New Yorker, April 8, 2002
Session 3 - Institutions and Governance
Must read before class:
Chads Billion-Barrel Oilfield: From Rags to Riches? INSEAD, 1999
Class Readings:
Governance Unbundled Finance & Development, Jun 2014, Shikha Jha and Juzhong Zhuang
What Happened?" Finance & Development, June 2006
Sustained, High Growth in the Postwar Period The Growth Report (Part 1), The Growth
Commission 2008
Africa's Missing Ingredients by Abdoulaye Bio-Tchan and Etienne B. Yehoue, Finance &
Development 44(4) Dec 2007
Reverse the curse: Maximizing the potential of resource-driven economies McKinsey Global
Institute, Executive Summary, December 2013

Masters Programs Course Syllabus

Additional Readings:
An African Success Story: Botswana Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, James A. Robinson
Toward a well-governed Africa McKinsey Quarterly June 2010
Managing Oil Wealth B. Eifert, A. Gelb and N. BorjeTallroth, Finance & Development, Mar 03
Session 4 - Poverty, Child Labor and Education
Must read before class:
Ikeas Global Sourcing Challenge; Indian Rugs and Child Labor Harvard Business Publishing (2006)
Pratham Every Child in School and Learning Well Harvard Business School (2010)
Class Readings:
Business and Child Labour: A Management Primer Shell International Limited (SI), 2000
Making the Grade Finance & Development, March 2012
READ INDIA: helping primary school students in India acquire basic reading and math skills
www.povertyactionlab.org, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
Strategy for Aid Is Replaced By One with A Business Bent Sarah Murray, FT.com 15 Oct 2012
Every Which Way We Can Dean Karlan, Finance & Development, Dec. 2012
Learning Laboratory J. Gregory Dees, Finance & Development, December 2012
Additional Readings:
The Power of Social Business. Lessons from Corporate Engagements with Grameen Boston
Consulting Group, 2013
Doing Development Better DaniRodrik, Project Syndicate, 11 May 2012
The politics of corporate responsibility and child labour in the Bangladeshi garment industry
Nielsen, M. International Affairs 81 (3) 2005
Conditional Cash Transfers: Reducing Present and Future Poverty; Overview The World Bank
2009
Session 5 - From entrepreneurship to private-sector jobs
Must read before class:
The Compartamos Debate and the Battle for the Soul of Microfinance INSEAD 2009
Case-Study: KZ Noir Ltd (Rwanda) Emerging Market Private Equity Association, May 2013
Class Readings:
Microfinance: Small loan, big snag Amy Kazmin, FT.com, 1 Dec 2010
The Next 4 Billion: Market Size and Business Strategy at the Base of the Pyramid: Executive
Summary International Finance Corporation (WB) and World Resources Institute
Big Ideas: Small is still beautiful. by Alan Patricof and Julie Sunderland, The Milken Institute
Review. Second Quarter 2005
Private Equity Pioneer International Financing Review Special Report, September 2011
Helping Africans to jump-start their industries McKinsey Quarterly, June 2010
Additional Readings:
Emerging Markets, Emerging Models A. Karamchandani, M. Kubzansky and P. Frandano, Monitor
Group 2009
Promoting Small and Medium Enterprises for Sustainable Development World Business Council
for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) 2007
Walk, don't run Justin Lin, The Economist Jul 9th 2009

Masters Programs Course Syllabus

Session 6 - Multinationals and Foreign Investment

Must read before class:
Intels Site Selection Decision in Latin America Thunderbird Case Series 1999
Enticing Investors Calvin McDonald, Volker Treichel, and Hans Weisfeld, Finance & Development,
December 2006 43 (4)
Class Readings:
The Truth about Foreign Direct Investment in Emerging Markets" D. Farrell, J. Remes and H.
Schulz, McKinsey Quarterly, 2004 N.1
Exploring the Links Between International Business and Poverty Reduction: A Case Study of
Unilever in Indonesia J. Clay, Oxfam Publishing 2005
A Capital Story Thomas Dorsey, Finance & Development, June 2008
Creating partnerships for sustainability McKinsey, July 2014
Additional Readings:
The Impact of Inward FDI on Host Countries: Why Such Different Answers? R.Lipsey and F.
Sjholm in Does FDI promote Development?,IIE May 2005
Convergence Economy: Rethinking International Development in a Converging World Gib
Bulloch, Peter Lacy and Chris Jurgens, Accenture 2011
Making the Most of Corporate Social Responsibility McKinsey Quarterly, December 2009

Suggested books
The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists' Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics, by William
Easterly, 2002
Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty, by Daron Acemoglu and James A
Robinson, 2013
Post-crisis Growth in the Developing World: A Special Report of the Commission on Growth and
Development on the Implications of the 2008 Financial Crisis, by Commission on Growth and
Development, 2008
Economic Growth in the 1990s: Learning from a Decade of Reform (Lessons from Experience), by
World Bank, 2005
In Search of Prosperity: Analytic Narratives on Economic Growth by Dani Rodrik, 2003
One Economics, Many Recipes: Globalization, Institutions, and Economic Growth by Dani Rodrik,
2008
Poor Economics, by Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee and Esther Duflo, 2011
The Bottom Billion, by Paul Collier, 2008