International Business
You will work with a case study from Harvard Business School, which makes the capstone project for this class. Based on your insights gained during the course you will analyze a real-world issue related to International Business. You will state the facts of the case, identify relevant issues and decision points, and provide analysis and resolution.
Download and go through the power point presentation as an introduction. Read the slides and the instructions that you will find in the comments to each of the slides.
And here are the main hints in order to be successful with this assignment:
1. In your paper, apply the structure suggested in the power point slides (address the six sections mentioned there). This way we make sure you do not forget anything substantial.
2. Identify concepts that you have learned during the course (e.g., ethnocentrism, cultural value preferences, international strategies, organizational design, etc.). IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU NAME THE CONCEPTS AND DISCUSS THEM IN YOUR PAPER. This is an International Business (IB) class. So, show me IB concepts that are relevant to the case.
I expect ten pages, in Times New Roman, 12-font, double spaced, 1" margins. Cover pages, content tables, quotations, images, and reference pages are not required and will not count against the minimum page requirement if provided. Your paper must be of professional quality and style (not necessarily APA/MLA). I will look at spelling and grammar. Criteria include the application of the concepts learned during the course, and resolution of the problem. There is not one golden way of solving the problems mentioned in the case, thus I am not expecting that you are congruent with my way of solving it. As long as you can justify your approach, you will be fine. Work with the power point slides available for download in this module, they will teach you how to reduce the complexity of the case into manageable units.
Also, make sure to address the nine G/I objectives mentioned in the syllabus, as far as they are relevant to the case.
Your presentation must include the following sections:
1) Introduction
2) Problem Definition and Analysis
3) Possible Solutions
4) Recommendation
5) Action Plan
Introduction to Case Studies IND (Week 15).pdf
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Introduction to Case Studies
PLEASE READ THE COMMENTS ON EACH SINGLE SLIDE IN THIS SLIDE
SHOW. IT WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO MY EXPECTATIONS TOWARDS THE
PAPER THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO PRODUCE AS A RESULT OF THIS
CASE STUDY.
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Lea i g Objec i e
Apply your knowledge.
Effective learning by participating in real-life scenarios.
Develop practical cross-cultural communication skills.
Consider different perspectives towards reality.
Learn to make decisions under uncertainty.
Learn to justify your decisions.
Wh do ou ha e to ork ith a case stud at this point of the course? There are a
couple of reasons that ans ers this question.
1.The case stud ill allo ou to appl the kno ledge that ou ha e gained
throughout the course. B orking ith this kno ledge, our
ain ill be
able to make connections bet een concepts and the result ill be better
etention of and accessibilit to the material.
2.You ill ha e the opportunit to get immersed into a real business scenario.
Real-life situations in business are er comple . In this case stud ou ill
get a fla or of that. But I ill also gi e ou the kno ho of ho to ork ith
comple situations. This is a skill that ou ill need a lot later on, on the job,
so let s practice it!
3.You ill ha e to de elop and appl our communication skills. As future
managers, this is the number one skill that ou ill need later on in the
orkplace. You ill frequentl be asked to speak in public or to gi e ritten
eports to our superiors or gi e orientation to follo ers. In this case stud
ou ill ha e the opportunit to hone our riting skills, because ou ill
ha e to articulate our anal sis and solution in a co
esponding paper.
4.At some point in time ou ill ha e to decide ho to sol e the problem that
is described in the case stud . There is no golden a to sol e the case, so,
ou ha e to make a decision in a situation of uncertaint , and con ince our
audience.
5. In order to con ince our audience, ou must justif our decision and
problem-sol ing approach.
Again, all this is something ou need to practice in order to get prepared for the real
ork life.
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General G ideline
Print the case study so you have a physical object in front of you
that you can work with (e.g. highlighting, underlining, writing
comments on it). (I provide a link to the text near the end of this
slide show.)
Give the case one quick read in order to get an overview. Then,
ead it again thoroughly, and highlight and/or take notes that help
you understand the scenario. Read as many times as necessary.
Avoid premature judgments during the read.
Identify and verify the facts.
What is relevant?
Differentiate fact from opinion. Identify stereotypes.
All action makes sense to the actor, so: try to understand.
Create summaries or flowcharts, if needed for your understanding
or that of the listene
eader.
H i h a Ca e S d
Make sure ou appl the suggestions mentioned on this slide.
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Ha a d B i e Ca e
The presentation must consist of analysis and resolution of the organization’s
issues.
Your presentation m st include the following sections:
1) Introduction
2) Problem Definition and Analysis
3) Possible Solutions
4) Recommendation
5) Action Plan
A a e, dec de, ac ...
MAKE SURE TO USE (AND ADDRESS) THESE HEADLINES IN YOUR PAPER!!!
The follo ing slides ill tell ou ho to ork ith these sections in more detail.
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Introd ction
Tell the reader:
Who is the organization?
Where is the organization located?
What size is the organization?
Which industry is the organization operating in?
What are the products?
Who are the customers?
H i h a Ca e S d
The first chapter in our paper should be the introduction. Please use the term
Introduction as the headline.
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Problem Definition & Anal sis
Identify the status quo: financial situation, business model,
organizational culture, timelines, strategy (competitive, staffing),
etc.
Analyze the environment: geographical, political, legal, financial,
competitive, demographic, cultural…
What is/are the relevant problem/s? State the problem/s!
Identify and state the root cause/s of the problem. State them!
Who is affected by the problem? Identify the stakeholders
(stakeholders are all parties affected by the operations of a
usiness).
H i h a Ca e S d
The second chapter in our paper should be the problem definition and anal sis.
Please use the Problem Definition and Anal sis as the headline.
E plain:
The status quo, meaning: describe the
financial situation, strateg , business
model, organi ational culture, timelines
that are rele ant to the case, other rele ant
data that help the reader understand the
organi ation s situation.
S a e e plici l : What is the problem?
Identif and state the root cause of the
problem.
Who is affected b the problem? Identif
the stakeholders. (The ans er to this
questions helps ou finding solutions.)
What is the difference bet een a problem and its root cause(s)? Let me e plain in an
e ample: ou ma ha e identified a lack of profitabilit as the problem. Well, at first
sight, this can ha e at least t o causes: too little re enue, or too high costs. But ou
can drill do n further: ma be ou are fine on the re enue side, but costs are too high.
In this case ou can find out in hich department the costs are too high, ho/ hat is
esponsible, and so on. This a ou can get to the root cause of the problem. And
as soon as ou ha e identified the root problem ou can address it. The root cause
informs our solution, a solution that is tailored to the root cause of the problem, or in
other ords: ou can find a cure, not onl a medicine that hides s mptoms.
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Possible sol tions
What would be the ideal outcome?
Brainstorm, use imagination.
Become the CEO, the person in charge.
What can be changed:
Organizational culture, management style, methods,
standards, policies, strategies, product, design,
features, packaging, structure, incentives, resources
(personnel, time, money, relations), PR, hardware,
software, equipment, behavior, education of
workers...
Suggest a list of possible solutions (solutions are ways of
how to fix the problem) with their pros a d c .
Compare and weigh the alternatives!
H i h a Ca e S d
The third chapter in our paper should be about a list of alternati e, possible
solutions. Please use Possible Solutions as the headline.
The possible solutions chapter should offer a list of different a s to sol e the
problem/s. At least ou should identif the different options that are mentioned in the
case stud , but ou can also come up ith o n ideas of ho to sol e the case. In
an case, ith our list of possible solutions ou must also e plain the pros and
cons of each option to the reader.
State hat the ideal outcome ould be. Wh ? Because that a ou get a another
hint concerning the possible solutions of the problem.
One er important point to keep in mind hen tr ing to find solutions: don t forget
the cons. When ou come up ith possible solutions (or a s of ho to fi things),
don t forget hat the risks are, in other ords, the cons.
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Recommendation
Select a solution and state why: how does