Course description

The course explores determinants of industrial competitiveness and successful economic development viewed from a bottom-up, microeconomic perspective. While sound macroeconomic policies and stable legal and political institutions create potential for industrial competitiveness, wealth is actually created at the microeconomic and firm levels. The sophistication and productivity of firms, the vitality of industrial clusters, and the quality of the business environment are the ultimate determinants of the productivity and innovation capacity of nations, regions and industries.

This course examines both advanced and developing economies and addresses competitiveness at multiple levels – nations, subnational units such as states or provinces, particular clusters, and neighboring countries. The course is concerned not only with government policy but also with the roles that firms, industry associations, universities, and other institutions play in competitiveness. In modern competition, each of these institutions has an important and evolving role in economic development.

The course explores not only theory and policy but also the organizational structures, institutional structures, and change processes required for sustained improvements in competitiveness

The Microeconomics of Competitiveness is a distinctive graduate course offered in cooperation with prof. M. Porter and a team of his colleagues at Harvard Business School (HBS). It is designed to be taught to second year MBA students at HBS and affiliates of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School (http://www.isc.hbs.edu/moc.htm).

Learning outcomes

During this course, you will:

• Analyse and evaluate the major elements of competitiveness
• Analyse, compare and evaluate the role of clusters.
• Analyse and evaluate the interaction between the micro level (entrepreneurial activity), meso level (regional clusters) and macro level (national policy).
• Analyse the complex relationship between government activity and business activity within institutions for collaboration.
• Apply knowledge in the framework of a concrete research project for a concrete country and cluster.

Annotation
Welfare economics is a branch of economics that focuses on the optimal allocation of resources and goods. This course integrates discussions relating economic theories to different notions of social justice and historical developments of welfare state. Welfare state theories and concepts are discussed during the course not only in terms of equity reasons but in efficiency terms also. The course introduces crucial debates about the borderline between state and market. Various aspects of welfare state are analysed with help of two broad questions: what are the aims of policy and by what methods those aims are best achieved? Each society faces questions related to scope of redistribution (of wealth, income, power etc. and how much of it should be there) and methods that are employed to organise economic activities (market, central planning, mixed economy) in order to achieve societal economic and social goals. Those two broad sets of questions are the main axis for discussions during the course. In order to enhance such discussions the course examines origins and dissemination of welfare state, two main social welfare traditions (Bismarckian and Beveridgean) as well as comparative welfare state typologies (liberal, conservative and social-democratic). Basic principles of social insurance, role of private and public sector in social insurance provision are covered during the course. The course examines in detail retirement pensions and their financing mechanisms (pay as you go and funded), social assistance principles, its organisational aspects and main types of benefits. Special attention during the course is paid to income inequality, poverty and social exclusion, their measurement methods. International aspects of social security regulation are also discussed.

Aim of the course

Aim of this course is to enable students to develop a basic understanding of main topics in the economics of welfare state in democratic market economies. Students are expected to be able to define central concepts and apply these in basic discussions about the role of the state and the individual in provision of welfare (in terms of efficiency, social justice and equality) and some of the major issues in the design and financing of welfare state provisions. Moreover it is important for the students to be able to apply concepts and theories to practical policy debates both domestic and global.

Learning outcomes

• Analyse and discuss main features and failures of market economy and public policies.
• Compare and discuss arguments utilised in favor/against state intervention in different schools of economic thought.
• Apply basic concepts, terminology and organisational principles of welfare.
• Evaluate and compare different methods of welfare financing.
• Overview and compare structure of welfare state and social security in particular in different countries.
• Compare and discuss relationship of economic and social policies.
• Compare and discuss welfare state theoretical models and analyse real welfare systems.
• Analyse and compare different welfare provisions among countries: retirement pensions, health care, social assistance systems.
• Analyse and discuss main principles of measuring income inequality, poverty and social exclusion.
• Overview international aspects of welfare/social security regulation.
• Work in teams, present work results both in writing and orally, provide argumentation.

Kaip kurti vertę organizacijai ir visuomenei? Kaip išlaikyti konkurencingą verslą pandemijos metu? Kokios priemonės tinka ekonomikos skatinimui naujoje realybėje?

„Šis neapibrėžtumo laikotarpis aiškiai parodė, kad ekonomika yra ne tik apie priežastis ir pasekmes, bet ir apie vertybes. Mes rinkų “neatrandame” kaip duotybės, mes jas patys kuriame. Kokias rinkas ir kokį verslą kursime ateityje? Kaip suderinti iš pirmo žvilgsnio nederančius tikslus – būti pelningais ir kurti vertę ne tik sau, bet ir visuomenei? Šio modulio metu analizuosime įvairius verslo atvejus ir diskutuosime, kaip ši neeilinė pandemijos situacija gali atverti galimybes verslui“

– Modulio vadovė Doc. dr. Virginija Poškutė

Organizacijų pažangumą ir konkurencingumą lemia ne tik vidiniai resursai, tačiau ir aplinka, kurioje įmonės veikia bei vyraujančios rinkos tendencijos. Gebėjimas suprasti supančią aplinką, atpažinti kritinius veiksnius ir analizuoti ekonominę, socialinę bei politinę informaciją vadovams leidžia priimti racionalius, konkurencinį pranašumą nulemiančius sprendimus.

Šiuolaikiniam lyderiui svarbu suprasti ne tik vartotojų ir organizacijų elgseną, bet ir gebėti interpretuoti makroekonominę aplinką. Makroekonominių rodiklių pokyčiai atveria naujas verslo galimybes ir kuria iššūkius konkurencingumo strategijai.

Modulyje analizuojamos konkurencingumo aktualijos paremtos Harvardo verslo mokyklos (JAV) Strategijos ir konkurencingumo instituto, steigėjo – prof. Michael Porter, parengta medžiaga. ISM Vadybos ekonomikos universitetas – pirmasis ir kol kas vienintelis universitetas Lietuvoje, kuriam suteikta teisė integruoti šią medžiagą į savo dėstomas disciplinas.

Temos, nagrinėjamos modulio metu, padės suprasti, kada ir kaip šalys ir verslai gali tapti konkurencingais, kas apsprendžia konkurencingumą XXI a. Modulio užsiėmimų metu diskutuosite kartu su ekspertais, kurie turi skirtingus požiūrius į ekonomiką, valstybės ir verslo santykius, verslo vaidmenį visuomenėje.

Baigę modulį išmoksite kritiškai analizuoti šalies, regiono ar verslo konkurencingumą, diskutuoti ir vertinti skirtingų ekonominės minties mokyklų požiūrius į valstybės ir verslo vaidmenis kuriant asmens ir šalies gerovę. Suprasite, kokias naujas verslo galimybes atveria gebėjimas reaguoti į socialines problemas visuomenėje ir ribų tarp privataus ir valstybinio sektoriaus bei civilinės bendruomenės nykimas.

PILNAS MODULIO APRAŠYMAS

Modulio vadovė | Doc. dr. Virginija Poškutė

Doc. dr. Virginija Poškutė, ISM Vadybos ir ekonomikos universiteto dėstytoja. Vilniaus universitete studijavo ekonominę kibernetiką, Europos socialinės politikos analizės magistro laipsnį jungtinių studijų metu įgijo Roskildės universitete (angl. Roskilde University) Danijoje ir Bath universitete (angl. University of Bath) Jungtinėje Karalystėje. Socialinių mokslų (ekonomikos) daktaro laipsnio studijos vyko Vilniaus universitete ir Tilburgo universitete (angl. Tilburg University) Nyderlanduose.

Doc. dr. Virginija Poškutė stažavosi ilgalaikėje mokslinėje Fulbright stažuotėje verslo etikos ir socialinės atsakomybės tematika. Taip pat stažavosi Harvardo verslo mokykloje (angl. Harvard Business School), Londono ekonomikos mokykloje (angl. London School of Economics), Fudano universitete (angl. Fudan University), Singapūro vadybos universitete (angl. Singapore Management University), Lorange verslo institute (angl. Lorange Institute of Business Zurich), Bledo vadybos mokykloje (angl. Bled School of Management).

Mokslininkė yra sukaupusi didelę tarptautinio darbo (Jungtinių Tautų vystymo programa, Leuveno universitetas, CEPS/INSTEAD institutas Liuksemburge, kitų tarptautinių organizacijų projektai) ir dėstymo patirtį. Docentės interesų sritys: gerovės ekonomika, konkurencingumas, socialinė politika, verslo ir valstybės bendradarbiavimas, verslo etika ir socialinė atsakomybė.

Studentų atsiliepimai 

Eglė Karčiauskaitė | VĮ „Lietuvos oro uostai“ Projektų vadovė

„Studijas ISM vadovų magistrantūroje pasirinkau dėl noro tobulėti ne tik darbinėje aplinkoje. Didelę įtaką modulio pasirinkimui turėjo dėstytojai ir nuomonės lyderiai, kurių komentarus ir straipsnius sekiau viešojoje erdvėje, tačiau nemažiau  maloniai nustebino universitete sutikta akademinė aplinka – studentai, turintys ilgametę, unikalią patirtį skirtinguose sektoriuose. Sinergija tarp studentų ir dėstytojų  motyvuoja, įkvepia ir  suteikia neįkainojamą galimybę pažvelgti į praktines situacijas kitomis akimis.“

Jurgita Vaičiulionienė | UAB „Fondia Lietuva“ Direktorė

„Kokia gerovės valstybė kuriama Lietuvoje? Kuo naudinga privataus ir viešojo sektoriaus partnerystė? Kaip įgyti ir išsaugoti konkurencinį pranašumą? Modulis – itin praplečiantis akiratį, suteikiantis galimybę susipažinti ne tik su įvairiomis patirtimis – valstybių, verslų, lektorių, kolegų, bet ir ateities tendencijomis. Lengviau skirtingais pjūviais vertinti gaunamą informaciją, ypač viešąją, šiandien šalyje ir pasaulyje vykstančius procesus. O tai lemia kokybiškesnių sprendimų priėmimą.“

THE AIM OF THE COURSE:

Social context in which business operates in XXI century is very complex and uncertain. Businesses are expected and asked to be responsible more and more nowadays for a welfare of a society, engage in the pursuit of public value, make positive impact not only on economic performance but also on social development of a country. Thus roles and responsibilities of a business in a global economy and society are changing. Furthermore, the relationship between business and society is becoming even more complex in an economy that is increasingly integrated and interdependent. The globalisation of business, the emergence and strengthening of civil society organisations around the world, development of information technologies, increasing governmental regulations and international agreements add additional challenges to managers and their strategic decision-making.

The course aims at raising awareness and enabling future entrepreneurs and leaders from private and public sectors to see the unique obstacles and challenges of business as opportunities. Business competences of dealing with its stakeholders, sensitivity to its ecosystem and abilities to address creatively existing challenges might inspire sustainable business practices and enable it to identify sources of competitiveness. In discussing changing roles of and opportunities for business, framework of creating shared value (CSV) is applied: policies and practices that enhance the competitive advantage and profitability of a company while simultaneously addressing societal needs and challenges. Shared value is not corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, or even sustainability, but a new way to achieve economic success. When businesses act as businesses – not as charitable donors – they can improve profitability while also improving environmental performance, public health and nutrition, affordable housing and financial security, and other key measures of societal wellbeing. Only business can create economic prosperity by meeting needs and making a profit, creating infinitely scalable and self-sustaining solutions.

The course is about framework of thinking: theories and academic readings are analysed with help of case studies and real life situations. The cases of the course illustrate various challenges and opportunities for businesses from different industries and different countries.

Learning outcomes:

• To analyse and evaluate changing roles of business in a global economy and society
• To analyze and evaluate the role of stakeholders in sustainable business development and apply stakeholder theories in practice
•  To identify and evaluate sources of competitiveness and opportunities to make an impact in society in creating economic and social value
• To understand and develop sustainable profitable business with social dimension in its strategy
• To understand and challenge discussion on relationship between business, state, civil society and others who impact and inspire sustainable business practices
• To develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• To apply the knowledge in a team project