Assessment information
Imagine that you are employed by an international company and that you have been charged with the task of producing a report for your CEO to aid in the formulation of the internationalisation strategy of the company. The company need not be a real company. Given the requirement to relate your report to the background of the company and its strategic objectives (see section on background below), it will normally be easier to use a fictitious company rather than try to find a real company that fits in with the background conditions.
Overall, the purpose of the assignment is for you to demonstrate your practical understanding of the topics covered in the module as well as to develop your skills in preparing reports. You are advised to read the notes carefully and follow the recommendations made. Failure to comply with the guidelines may lead to a reduction in grades.
Background requirements for your chosen company
· The company can be from any market, and should wish to expand in another continent.
· The company operates in either the manufacturing or service sector.
· The most important strategic goal of your company is that it plans to enter an international market for market-seeking purposes – in essence, it wishes to sell products to the chosen market.
· Your chosen organisation can be of any size – but you must consider how the size of the organisation would affect market entry mode, given resource availability and any other relevant considerations.
You must select an industry in which the firm is located and clearly identify all the major industry-specific factors which may affect the selection of the country chosen for entry. You must also consider any institutional and cultural factors which affect the selected industry, and the impact of any industry-specific factors on organisational structures and control strategies.
Report contents
The assignment should not be more than 2,000 words and the report appendices must not exceed 15 pages. It should be written in report form and be word-processed (including all tables). It must follow standard academic writing conventions in terms of referencing. The report should include the following main task:
Proposed internationalisation strategy
1. Advice on which country should be selected for entry.
2. Advice on dealing with institutional and cultural differences in your chosen market.
3. Advice on the entry mode that your company will use.
4. Advice on the best organisational structures and control strategies.
5. Advice on relevant CSR issues that may be applicable in the chosen industry and market.
The advice given should be based on the academic literature and the theory and evidence of factors relevant to this case and in the context of the background information previously provided. Material from relevant websites should also be useful to provide information and frameworks from which to base the advice offered in your report. Detailed data (statistics, and material that defines or explains the meanings of terms used in the report, etc.) used to support your advice should be put in appendices. These appendices will not count towards the 2,000 word limit. However, appendices cannot be used to overcome the word limit by including material that should be in the body of the report.
The organisation that you focus on need not be real. It is unlikely that your chosen firm will be real, as this will require gathering information that is likely to be commercially sensitive. You do not have the time or the resources to gather this type of data, so you can use a fictitious firm in an existing industry and from an existing country. If in doubt, you should contact your module tutor for advice.
Elements to be included in the report
Advice on country selected
Your report should provide advice on which country should be selected for entry; this should be based on an argument (backed by analysis and evidence) for the selection of a particular country. You should choose a country that is most likely to offer the best location to meet the major objectives of the company. Remember to keep in mind the prime strategic objective of the organisation, and any industry-specific factors that might influence the institutional and cultural differences. It may even be possible for you to identify regions or city-regions within your selected country that provide the best location(s).
Advice on dealing with institutional and cultural differences
The report needs to assess the institutional and cultural differences between the home location of the parent company and the chosen market. Therefore, you need to advise on what the major institutional and cultural differences that are likely to affect the organisation’s ability to do business in the chosen market. You need to provide advice on how to deal with these differences. The organisational structures and control strategies you select may provide some options for dealing with institutional and cultural differences. Therefore, you may have to link your advice in this section to the advice you give in the section on organisational structures and control strategies.
Advice on the entry mode
The report should advise on the entry mode that your company will use to enter your chosen country. You have various options: a greenfield wholly-owned subsidiary, a joint venture, an acquisition or a merger. You will need to justify the entry mode choice. Consider the institutional and cultural differences from the previous section and also the objectives of your parent company when you make the choice.
Advice on the best organisational structures and control strategies
The report should advise on the entry mode that your company will use to enter your chosen country. You have various options: non-equity modes such as exporting, licensing, or franchising, or equity modes which include a greenfield wholly-owned subsidiary, a joint venture, an acquisition or a merger. You will need to justify the entry mode choice. Consider the institutional and cultural differences from the previous section and also the resources of the organisation when you make the choice.
Advice on managing corporate responsibility issues
The report should also provide some advice on how the company could manage corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues or concerns which it may have to resolve in relation to the new company. You should
iefly examine
oad ethical issues identified in relation to your chosen industry as well as strategies that the company could adopt to manage these ethical concerns globally.
The report should be referenced and contain a reference list. There should not be a bibliography, only a reference list. See next pages for advice about how to reference when using only a reference list.
In the next sections you will find some specific guidelines and notes, which should assist in the report writing process. Additional support can be sought from your module tutor via e-mail.
Writing the report
The following notes give you guidance on writing a management report.
The report should contain relevant examples of business practices within the selected industry wherever possible. The main thrust is to analyse the strategic challenge, and not to merely describe strategies being employed. Therefore, this is not simply an information gathering exercise. It is a critical analysis of the strategic challenges facing organisations and the way in which firms in the industry may best address the challenges faced.
The report should contain the following:
· A short executive summary of no more than 100 words that highlights what the report is about and the main issues that are raised. The executive summary does not count towards the assignment word limit.
· A table of contents (does not count towards the word limit).
· An introduction that outlines the background to the report.
· Sections that analyse the issues that you were asked to consider. These sections should include theoretical and empirical evidence to support the arguments that are made.
· A conclusion section that summarises the main arguments and recommendations.
· A reference list (does not count towards the word limit).
· Any appendices that you have used – these also do not count towards your word limit.
Choosing an industry
You are required to pick a single industry in which the firm operates. This can be any industry in either the manufacturing or services sectors.
Something interesting
The study requires in-depth analysis. As a result, you are advised to choose an industry which interests you. The following guidelines may be useful.
1. Consider your long-term career goals. Studying an industry in which you might seek future employment will raise the relevance of the study and may provide you with additional knowledge which could prove useful in an interview situation.
2. Pick an industry based on general interest. This will help maintain your interest and motivation.
3. Choose an industry with high global profile if possible. This will mean there is more information to hand – although do remember this is not just an information gathering exercise!
4. Do not choose industries just because your friends/tutor group colleagues do! If it is not interesting to you, there is a strong likelihood you will get bored.
Something possible
It is possible to study practically any industry, both in the manufacturing and service sectors. However, make sure that you choose a na
owly defined industry. The more specific your industry is, the easier it will be to write your report. For instance, ‘mobile phone manufacturing’ is a much better choice than ’telecommunications’ which covers too
oad an area.
The amount of documentation on specific industries varies enormously. There are sectors such as the car industry, pharmaceuticals and telecommunications, which are well served in terms of financial data and research information. Others, such as international news or the international film industry have received far less attention. This does not mean that the latter are not appropriate for study – simply that the report will require you to think more creatively about the application of the conceptual issues to the industry in question.
Background research
Li
ary and internet sources should provide a sufficient foundation for material for the assignment. Engaging in the discussion forums and the research and reflect activities set out in each unit will also help you to find the necessary data to write your assignment. While it may be interesting to contact firms and discuss their international business dealings, you must not approach individual organisations. Relations between firms and academics take time to develop and great effort to nurture and there is simply no scope within this assignment to build and manage such relations or to provide the necessary supervision to ensure that contacts are made in the right way without jeopardising the credibility of the student or the University of Bradford. Therefore, stick to what is available in the li
ary and on the internet. Of course, where relevant, you are allowed (and even encouraged) to use information gathered during your own work experience.
Remember this is not an information gathering exercise. Relevant sources of information are important to shape arguments and give a clear picture of the industry but don’t overwhelm yourself with a mountain or articles and research papers... many of which will probably yield much of the same information anyway. Be selective in your search process.
The online database facilities in the li
ary are likely to provide the starting point for finding relevant industry articles and most of you will wish to consult one or more of the following databases: Euromonitor Passport, Business Monitor International and Marketline Advantage (the research and reflect activity assists you in finding relevant industry and country data from the online li
ary). You can access these through the li
ary website: Li
ary > Subject Support > Management and Law > International Business > Market Research Information.
Aside from this you are advised to look at:
· Recent press articles and cuttings. The Financial Times regularly runs articles on specific industries.
· Journal articles and magazines. The Economist has run several special editions on various global industries. Other journals in the field of international business and management may also be useful in finding industry-specific reports.
· As indicated above, the internet may offer relevant information on many industries/companies, as well as background research.
Scope of the report
One of the main tasks facing you is choosing which strategic issues (and possibly theories and concepts) are relevant in your discussion. To a great extent this will be shaped by institutional and cultural conditions in home and host countries and industry-specific factors. Therefore, the analysis of the selected home and host locations and the selected industry provides an important background to your advice. It is also important to understand the interconnections between entry mode, institutional and cultural factors, organisational structures and control strategies and ethical concerns in the context of industry-specific factors and the prime objectives of the organisation.
Planning
Planning the process of writing the report is very important. This means using time management and organisational skills. It is worth pointing out that failure to manage your time effectively will inevitably undermine the quality of work delivered.
Organisation of the management report
One of the challenges of the project is to present a well-written and concise management report. Although some of you will have had some experience of writing reports, for others it might be a relatively new challenge. The exercise therefore provides an opportunity for you to improve your skills in report writing.
A good management report is concise, easy to follow and easy to read. Key points should be highlighted and the presentation of material should be such that arguments are clearly developed and conclusions drawn.
Headings and sections
Management reports should be succinct and clear. Critical to report writing, therefore, is the use of clear headings and subheadings and the incorporation of short paragraphs, each one expressing a specific strand of thinking. Organising the material in this way enables managers to identify the main points without having to read every word included in the report. Remember to keep focused on what you are trying to say and avoid filling up your sections with lengthy details.
Numbering helps to orientate readers and, through the provision of a clear contents list, enables easy and rapid selection of material. Although it is possible to subdivide sections as many times as you wish, you are advised to restrict