Business of up to 2500 words (excluding references); there is a nominal 10 per cent allowance. The coursework should be submitted on line (via turnitin) (no physical copy required) by midnight on the 12th November 2021. Marks will be released by 3rd November 2021.
Acting as a consultant for a leading multi-national consumer goods company, you are requested to prepare a briefing report on the conditions for business in ONE of the following states:
1) Georgia
2) Denmark
3) Canada
4) Rwanda
5) Bangladesh
6) Peru
The report should use appropriate strategic frameworks (these should inform structure and as such do not need to be described) to offer a perspective (as opposed to a retrospective) analysis on the risks and opportunities from operating in your chosen market. This should cover (though not exclusively) political, economic, operational and social issues. The information regarding these issues will be gained from publicly available material (see below). The essay is focused on practice thus theory will at best inform rather than be focus of work.
In assessing the report, the main criteria used will be:
- Coherence of argument
- Critical interpretation of material utilised
- The rigour of the research
- Depth and breadth of material used to underpin validity of conclusions
- Utilisation and evaluation of data to offer insights
- Clear and consistent conclusions
The assignment should be presented in the format of a business report.
Have a look at the text below as a guide – it is available on line from the library
Managing Country Risk in an Age of Globalization A Practical Guide to Overcoming Challenges in a Complex World / by Michel Henry Bouchet, Charles A. Fishkin, Amaury Goguel.
Useful web resources
The following is a non-exhaustive list of material that could utilised in the writing of this report:
- wef.org – look especially at World Competitiveness Report but there is other material.
- unctad.org – look at unctad stat (http://unctadstat.unctad.org/) which has a good set of raw data on key measures. There is also other useful material that can be used.
- cia.gov – focus on CIA Factbook – again good raw data
- worldbank.org – this is good for data (https://data.worldbank.org/) and country reports
- oecd.org – this is good for developed state information
- doingbusiness.org – this is good for data on ease of doing business in a state
- imf.org – has good raw data and also country reports
- transparency.org/ - this offers a measure of corruption within a state
- gemconsortium.org/ - measures entrepreneurship in an economy
- https://lpi.worldbank.org/ - logistics performance index – useful data set
- https://www.globalinnovationindex.org/ - useful measure of innovation in an economy
- https://www.prosperity.com/ - The Legatum Institute’s Prosperity Index
- https://www.dpdhl.com/en/media-relations/specials/global-connectedness-index.html - DHL Connectedness Index – How well a state is connected into global economy
The full list of links is available via canvas via the following link
https://canvas.hw.ac.uk/courses/3890/pages/assignment-1-assorted-web-material?module_item_id=249845
These can be supported by other information from national/regional bodies as well as other bodies.
Have a look at the text below as a guide – it is available on line from the library
Managing Country Risk in an Age of Globalization A Practical Guide to Overcoming Challenges in a Complex World / by Michel Henry Bouchet, Charles A. Fishkin, Amaury Goguel.
Advice on the structure of the report
The report should include the following.
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- Introduction – terms of reference, a summary of the structure of what is contained in the report, and a short outline of how the research for the report was done.
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- The main body of the text – this should be well structured and build towards your recommendations and conclusions.
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- Recommendations. There should be a separate section for each area, which puts the case for the various options and provides an argument back by analysis and evidence for the recommended option.
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- Reference list - full references for sources used in the report. NB There should not be a bibliography. All the material in the reference list should be referred to in the text of the report.
- Appendices - data (as defined above used in the report)
Assessment criteria for Coursework:
The written report will be assessed using the criteria outlined below.
70% +
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- Extensive use of material that originates from a good understanding of relevant and up-to-date literature and that demonstrates that the student has made a critical appraisal of the literature in terms of its usefulness and applicability to answer the question.
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- A well-structured answer that clearly follows the brief for the report and demonstrates that the student understands and has reflected on the appropriate theoretical and empirical literature.
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- No analytical mistakes or confusion in the answer.
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- Excellent marks will be awarded (80% +) for work with the above characteristics and where there is evidence of original and/or creative thought that brings new and innovative approaches to the topic.
- –69%
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- Use of material that originates from a good understanding of relevant and up-to-date literature and that demonstrates that the student has made an assessment of the literature in terms of its usefulness and applicability to answer the questions.
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- The material should be structured to clearly follow the requirements of the brief for the assessment and shows evidence that the student understands the appropriate theoretical and empirical literature.
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- There must be no major analytical mistakes or confusion in the report.
50 – 59%
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- Use of material that originates from an understanding of relevant and up-to-date literature and that demonstrates that the student has selected literature that it appropriate to effectively answer the questions.
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- A structured answer that provides an answer to the questions and shows evidence that the student understands the major appropriate theoretical and empirical literature.
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- Analytical mistakes or confusion in the work must not lead to failure to adequately answer the questions.
Less than 50%
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- Material that does not originate from relevant and up-to-date literature and/or makes use of inappropriate and/or out-of-date literature.
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- Poor structure that does not answer the questions and with significant analytical mistakes and confusion.
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- No or inappropriate use of empirical evidence
The examination is of three hours’ duration and will contain six questions. You must answer three questions in total.
Further details about the exam will be discussed during the review session of the module. Due to the constraints of social distancing, it is likely that the exam will be on-line. However this will be confirmed in due course.
Past exam papers are available on vision.
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Procedures for Accommodating Students with Disabilities |
Please contact the module co-ordinator if you have a disability and require assistance. If assessment and teaching disadvantages are experienced because of the disability it is essential that you contact the module coordinator so that alternative options or adjustments can be provided.
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E Essential Reading |
Core Texts:
Johnson, D and Turner, C (2007), International Business, London: Routledge
Dicken P. (2010) `Global Shift: Mapping the Contours of the World Economy’, Sage.
Teaching and assessment will draw significantly from these texts, and it is important that you have regular access to it. Numerous copies of the text will be placed in the library on 3 hour short loan, and the University bookshop has copies to purchase – both new and second-hand.
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Other Recommended Reading |
Most texts on International Management, International Marketing and International Business will contain relevant material. This list is extensive and students should check with Library catalogue for full and extensive list of texts on International Business.
Journal List
In addition to a wide range of business and social science journals generally,
the following journals are specifically appropriate to the module and contain
further articles which you may find helpful:
- International Business Review
- Journal of International Business Studies
- Journal of World Business
- Multinational Business Review
- Thunderbird International Business Review
- Transnational Corporations
- The Economist
- The Financial Times
Websites
You will find these Web sites helpful for the module and are advised to
consult them regularly. You may discover other Websites which are also helpful.
International business resources on the web :http://globaledge.msu.edu/ibrd/ibrd.asp
The International Monetary Fund: http://www.imf.org
The OECD: http://www.oecd.org
UNCTAD http://www.unctad.org
The United Nations http://www.un.org
The World Bank http://www.worldbank.org
The World Trade Organisation http://www.wto.org
Other Sources:
The range of references and resources available throughout the University Library is increasing constantly on a daily basis. The list above should be thought of as an opening into the literature. You are strongly encouraged to browse through the stock and to pay particular attention to the New Periodicals shelves..
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