International management is a newer special business administration discipline that deals with the management problems of companies that want to operate in different national environments (markets, cultures, legal systems, etc.) or are already active there. In contrast to international business administration, which focuses on problem areas in the individual functional areas such as international production or procurement, international management is more concerned with the question of the "management" of such internationalization processes. Which foreign markets are attractive for companies? How can you enter them? Should companies initially only export or can subsidiaries be established? Why is the American market so important for many companies? In what chronological order can market entries take place in different countries? Why can a foreign company have a competitive advantage over a possibly long-established local competitor? What activities should companies allocate in different countries? Should products be standardized on a global scale or adapted to local needs? How do companies need to adapt their organizational structures or human resources systems when they internationalize? What role does culture play in international management? These and other questions are an expression of the management of international companies that we deal with. A strategic perspective dominates here.

The "strategic" perspective has a long tradition in management research. It goes back to the 1960s, when the term "corporate policy" was used to focus on the importance of decisions and actions that affect the company as a whole. Today, the core of strategy is often considered to be positioning the company in markets in such a way that long-term competitive advantages or potential for success can be realized. The view is held that strategic decisions are poorly structured, i.e. the problems regarded as "strategic" must initially be defined by the actors involved themselves and no algorithms can be used to solve them, as is often possible for operational problems. Furthermore, strategic decisions are strongly influenced by the values and attitudes of the decision-makers.

The perspectives briefly outlined above are likewise integrated into our lectures and represent the key pillars of our research. The various problem areas associated with this are not only examined theoretically, but are also investigated through numerous empirical studies and sophisticated qualitative case study analyses.