Mini MBA in Global Business Leadership Training Course

Participants can assess how international relations influence trade, investment and corporate decisions.

• States, international institutions and non-state actors influencing business conditions
• Realism, liberalism and constructivism as lenses for international relations
• Trade agreements, tariffs and non-tariff barriers affecting market access
• Foreign direct investment policies, incentives and national security screening
• Economic nationalism, industrial policy and strategic sector restrictions
• Reading political signals from elections, diplomacy and government policy statements

Participants can produce a structured country assessment for an international business decision.

• PESTLE analysis separating material signals from background country information
• Country attractiveness scorecards weighted against strategic business criteria
• GDP, inflation, demographics and income data interpreted for demand potential
• Institutional quality indicators: rule of law, corruption and contract enforcement
• Porter's Five Forces applied to national and regional industry structures
• SWOT and TOWS matrices converting country evidence into strategic options

Participants can identify distance factors that affect international strategy and operating choices.

• CAGE Distance Framework assessing cultural, administrative, geographic and economic differences
• Cultural intelligence dimensions: drive, knowledge, strategy and action
• High-context and low-context communication patterns in business relationships
• Power distance, hierarchy and decision authority across national cultures
• Adapting management communication without stereotyping national or individual behaviour
• Cultural due diligence for customer engagement, partnerships and workforce integration

Participants can formulate strategic choices for competing across international markets.

• Integration-responsiveness framework selecting global, local and transnational strategic priorities
• Value proposition testing against local customer needs and competitor offerings
• Core competence analysis identifying capabilities transferable across national markets
• Standardisation versus adaptation decisions for products, services and operating processes
• Strategic group mapping of international competitors, challengers and local incumbents
• Corporate parenting roles in allocating capital, talent and strategic control

Participants can recommend a market-entry mode supported by commercial and risk criteria.

• Market-entry screening using attractiveness, feasibility and strategic-fit criteria
• Exporting, licensing, franchising and distribution agreement selection factors
• Joint ventures, acquisitions and greenfield investments compared systematically
• Partner due diligence covering ownership, capability, reputation and political exposure
• Entry sequencing through beachhead markets, pilots and phased investment
• Market-entry business cases linking assumptions, costs, risks and milestones

Participants can adapt customer and channel strategies for target international markets.

• Segmentation variables combining customer needs, purchasing power and market access
• Global brand architecture: masterbrand, endorsed brand and local brand choices
• Marketing mix adaptation across product, price, place and promotion
• Pricing decisions under tariffs, currency volatility and local purchasing power
• Route-to-market design using distributors, agents, digital channels and direct sales
• Customer insight methods: interviews, observation, secondary research and test campaigns

Participants can interpret the principal financial implications of international business decisions.

• Exchange-rate quotations, appreciation, depreciation and transaction exposure explained
• Currency risk responses: invoicing currency, natural hedges and forward contracts
• International payment terms: advance payment, open account and letters of credit
• Working-capital implications of cross-border inventory, receivables and supplier terms
• Country-risk premiums and discount rates in international investment appraisal
• Transfer pricing, withholding tax and tax treaty considerations for managers

Participants can assess international supply-chain design choices and operational vulnerabilities.

• End-to-end supply-chain mapping from source materials to final customer delivery
• Make-buy-location decisions using cost, capability, resilience and control criteria
• Incoterms 2020 allocation of transport, insurance, customs and delivery responsibilities
• Supplier segmentation using spend, criticality, substitutability and geopolitical exposure
• Nearshoring, reshoring and regionalisation responses to supply disruption
• Business continuity plans for border closures, port delays and supplier failure

Participants can develop scenarios and response actions for geopolitical uncertainty.

• Geopolitical risk categories: conflict, expropriation, sanctions and civil unrest
• Early-warning indicators drawn from policy, security, economic and social developments
• Scenario planning using driving forces, critical uncertainties and plausible futures
• Impact-probability risk matrices prioritising exposures requiring management action
• Risk registers assigning owners, controls, triggers and contingency responses
• Board reporting formats for material country and geopolitical risk exposure

Participants can recognise major trade-compliance obligations and escalation requirements.

• Sanctions screening of customers, suppliers, owners and transaction counterparties
• Export controls, dual-use goods and end-user due diligence requirements
• Anti-bribery controls under UK Bribery Act and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
• Third-party risk assessments for agents, distributors and customs intermediaries
• Human rights due diligence within global sourcing and investment decisions
• Escalation protocols when commercial opportunities conflict with legal obligations

Participants can prepare and conduct cross-border negotiations with greater discipline and awareness.

• BATNA analysis defining alternatives, reservation points and negotiation power
• Interests, positions and objective criteria in international commercial negotiations
• Stakeholder mapping for government officials, partners, communities and regulators
• Concession planning using trade-offs, packages and conditional proposals
• Relationship-building protocols across formal, informal and protocol-driven business cultures
• Negotiation debriefs capturing commitments, ambiguities, risks and follow-up actions

Participants can establish working practices for geographically dispersed and culturally diverse teams.

• Team charters defining purpose, roles, decision rights and operating norms
• RACI matrices clarifying accountability across headquarters, regions and countries
• Inclusive meeting design across time zones, languages and communication preferences
• Psychological safety practices for surfacing concerns and challenging assumptions
• Conflict resolution using interests, facts, process and relationship diagnosis
• Performance conversations balancing global standards with local employment expectations

Participants can design governance arrangements that balance control, speed and local accountability.

• Decision-rights mapping for strategy, investment, pricing and risk approvals
• Global, regional and country structures matched to business complexity
• Matrix management challenges: dual reporting, priority conflicts and accountability gaps
• Delegated authorities controlling commitments, expenditure and contract approvals
• Management information packs combining commercial, operational and risk indicators
• Internal control frameworks using COSO principles and assurance responsibilities

Participants can structure and manage international partnerships with clear mutual commitments.

• Alliance objectives defining strategic rationale, expected value and contribution requirements
• Partner selection criteria covering capabilities, market access and governance compatibility
• Memoranda of understanding distinguishing intent from binding contractual obligations
• Joint governance boards defining representation, voting rights and escalation routes
• Performance scorecards tracking revenues, service levels, compliance and relationship health
• Exit provisions addressing underperformance, ownership changes and reputational risk

Participants can plan international change initiatives with realistic stakeholder and delivery controls.

• Programme charters defining scope, benefits, governance and critical success factors
• Stakeholder engagement plans tailored to country influence and readiness levels
• Kotter's eight-step process applied to cross-border organisational change
• Work breakdown structures linking deliverables, dependencies, resources and owners
• Change-impact assessments identifying process, technology, role and cultural effects
• Benefits-realisation plans measuring adoption, performance and strategic value

Participants can incorporate environmental, social and stakeholder considerations into international decisions.

• Materiality assessments identifying environmental, social and governance priorities
• United Nations Sustainable Development Goals linked to business strategy choices
• Social licence to operate among communities, regulators and civil-society groups
• Responsible sourcing standards addressing labour conditions, traceability and supplier conduct
• Community engagement plans setting consultation methods, commitments and grievance channels
• Impact measurement using outputs, outcomes, indicators and evidence sources

Participants can present international decisions using evidence, assumptions and clear escalation logic.

• Decision framing distinguishing reversible choices from high-commitment strategic decisions
• Assumption logs documenting evidence gaps, confidence levels and validation actions
• Sensitivity analysis testing exchange rates, demand, costs and implementation delays
• Pre-mortem analysis identifying likely failure modes before investment approval
• Executive papers structured around recommendation, rationale, risks and decisions required
• Board-level presentations communicating uncertainty without obscuring accountability

Participants can integrate market, financial, operational and stakeholder analysis into a practical plan.

• Problem statements defining the international opportunity, constraint and decision required
• Evidence packs combining country data, customer insight and competitor intelligence
• Strategic options compared through value, feasibility, risk and organisational fit
• Implementation roadmaps sequencing approvals, resources, partnerships and market actions
• Key performance indicators covering commercial results, compliance and stakeholder outcomes
• Presentation storylines linking analysis, recommendation, risk response and next steps

Participants can build, review and present a complete Global Business Leadership Plan for an international business challenge.

• Country assessment consolidating PESTLE, CAGE, market evidence and strategic implications
• Market-entry recommendation specifying mode, partners, investment and localisation choices
• Geopolitical risk register with scenarios, triggers, mitigations and accountable owners
• Stakeholder strategy covering regulators, partners, customers, employees and communities
• Financial assumptions addressing revenue, costs, currency exposure and investment returns
• Implementation roadmap assigning milestones, governance, resources and performance measures