This course examines contemporary debates in international business, entrepreneurship, and innovation within emerging economies. Given their role as primary drivers of the global economy, emerging markets represent a critical frontier for sustainable business. The course focuses on how firms, start-ups, and social enterprises navigate distinctive institutional environments, institutional gaps, resource constraints, and sustainability challenges, and on the strategies they use to create commercial and social value. This elective course advances the broad international business principles introduced in the first semester, enabling students to critically evaluate specialised business models and sustainable strategies tailored the dynamic environments of emerging economies.

Through collaborative case analysis, students work on an entrepreneurial or social enterprise in an emerging economy to evaluate its strategy, scaling potential, and sustainability impact. They then build on this work in an independent analysis to develop evidence-based strategic recommendations for the case organisation. This progression strengthens specialised knowledge in international business and entrepreneurship alongside graduate attributes in research, critical thinking, teamwork, professional communication, and awareness of sustainable development principles.

5 x 2 hour lectures 

2 x 2 hour tutorials

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1. Report; Individual; 1,300 words; 75%; ILOs 1-4.

2. Oral assessment & presentation; Group; 15 minutes (10-min presentation plus 5-min Q&A); 25%; ILOs 2-4.

The course aims to:

■ Critically evaluate the unique institutional environments and sustainability challenges that distinguish emerging economies from developed markets.

■ Analyse the strategic trade-offs, constraints, and growth trajectories of firms operating within emerging economies.

■ Appraise how entrepreneurial and social enterprises address local sustainability challenges and what factors influence their impact.

■ Foster graduate attributes in evidence-based case analysis, effective team dynamics, independent thinking, and persuasive oral and written communication.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Critically discuss core theories and current debates in international business, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the context of emerging economies.

2. Evaluate emerging market environments, with particular attention to how institutional conditions and entrepreneurial ecosystems shape distinctive commercial opportunities, operational constraints, and sustainability challenges.

3. Assess the scaling, growth, and internationalisation strategies used by emerging market multinationals, start-ups, and social enterprises to create commercial and social value.

4. Formulate evidence-based strategic recommendations that demonstrate how emerging market firms build internal capabilities to enhance global competitiveness while addressing sustainable development principles.