International Strategy – Managing companies in the global economic system

The EU*Asia Institute is glad to announce the publication of International Strategy – Managing Companies in the Global Economic System, a textbook co-edited by Stefano Valdemarin and Maria Giuseppina Lucia.

Research for management practice

This textbook offers readers an innovative and detailed content to understand the international development of companies and their challenges, especially in a rapidly changing world. Edited as a textbook, International Strategy is intended not only for teachers and students in universities and business schools, but is also designed as a tool for managers seeking guidance and practical tools to internationalise their company.

The book covers a wide range of topics in detail, from in-depth analyses of international players, environments and systems, to reviewing all the possibilities for internationalising companies and providing the keys to success for business beyond their own borders; this is achieved through a multi-disciplinary approach combining management, strategy and economic geography. Many experts in these fields have contributed to the book, thus providing a comprehensive view of the broad topic of International Business and Strategy.

We asked Professor Valdemarin a few questions to better understand this project, in particular from the editor’s point of view.

1. Professor Valdemarin, congratulations for the publication of your book! This project has involved many contributors; how complex is it exactly to edit such a multidisciplinary book?

Thank you for your question. Indeed, this book was developed as an ambitious project, offering an overview of international business development strategies in a global shifting world both from a theoretical and practical viewpoint. Thus, my co-editor and I needed to gather together a dream team of experts in a number of fields. And once the team was ready, we needed to coordinate and contribute to the project. The whole process, from conception to publication, lasted 3 years. However, it was a pleasure to work together with our contributors as we learned a lot from each other and achieved our goal of shaping an innovative textbook offering the reader not only a set of theoretical concepts but also a range of practical tools to shape company strategy and to manage international issues.

2. It is not the first time that you have collaborated with Maria Giuseppina Lucia to publish a book. What are the keys for a successful, long-lasting collaboration?

Professor Lucia and I started our cooperation several years ago, and I am happy about the way we manage common projects. It is now the third book we have co-authored or coordinated and it will not be the last one, since we are already working together on two brand-new books. I think that the key element for a long-lasting collaboration is our complementarity in terms of profiles and approaches. We learn a lot from each other and we have a common goal: to write books that people want to read and to explain concepts in an intuitive and innovative way.

3. Now that the book is out, are there any new steps for you to take? Perhaps its promotion, or future work and presentations based on its contents?

This textbook was developed to answer a specific need: to offer our students a practical tool to understand international strategy. At ESSCA, the book can help with the development of the course of ‘International Management’ in the new PGE programme. In this context, it is important to underline the fact that several colleagues have provided excellent contributions to this volume thanks to their teaching and research experience. In the same way, many contributors will use the textbook as a support for their courses. Concerning promotion, we plan to present it in several universities, business schools and professional contexts and we aim to organise a conference at the international book fair in Turin.