Assignment Template 

Assessment Submission (for student information)

eSubmission is the approved method for your programme of study. You must hand in your assessed Assignment(s), for all modules that you are taking during the 2023/24 Academic Year using the Canvas system. Submission of a printed copy is NOT allowed. You should submit via the Assignments menu item on the relevant module Canvas site.

Assignments must be submitted by the date and time stipulated. Deadlines will be strictly adhered to. Students submitting late, and who do not have additional considerations approved by the Additional Consideration Committee, will be subject to penalties for late submission specified by the University. Please note that Saturday and Sunday are treated as “working days” for the purposes of the late submission policy.

Penalties for late submission

Please be aware that the University has in place a standard system of penalties for work that is submitted late (after the submission deadline). Please see the ‘Assessment Procedures’ section in the Student Handbook for details.

What to do if you cannot submit assignments on time

Students who are granted an extension or given a longer period to complete their work due to ‘additional consideration’, and who submit their work according to the new deadline, will not have their work penalised as late.

Please see your module and programme Canvas site for up-to-date guidance about these processes and for links to documents you will need to complete.

NOTE: extensions cannot be granted for assessments held on fixed dates such as examinations.

Assignment Title – International Business Project Report

Context

Imagine yourself in the role of a professional working for an organisation that is contemplating expanding its operations into a foreign country or engaging in international business ventures. The top management team needs to decide on a potential international destination to enter. Your task is to evaluate the likely benefits and challenges of doing business in your chosen market and explain which host market you favour and why. You should also suggest the most suitable entry method for the organisation`s expansion.

Note: Your organisation in question should offer either new or existing products/services within the chosen target market. If your chosen organisation already has established businesses in the target market, then you must find an alternative new country or diversify the business by expanding the organisation’s operation into new and potentially unrelated product categories, services or industries within that market.

Format, Lengths and Guidance Brief

Indicative Structure

The Title of the Project Report (outside of word count)

Executive Summary (max. 300 words): Provide a summary of the key points of your project, including:

• Organisation (products/services)
• Theoretical concepts/framework
• Market characteristics
• Entry mechanism

1. Background (approx. 200 words): Begin by selecting ONE organisation from the following categories:

• An existing for-profit organisation (e.g., multinational enterprise, small or medium- sized enterprise, state-owned enterprise, start-up firm, or family business)
  • An existing non-profit or non-governmental organisation (NGO or NPO)
  • An existing governmental organisation

Within this section, provide a concise overview of your chosen organisation`s historical background, the location where it was originally founded, and the range of products/services it currently offers. Emphasize how these products/services contribute to the betterment of the host/recipient economy. Furthermore, identify and discuss key competitors of the chosen organisation in the home and/or host markets, highlighting the organisation`s distinctive strengths and potential weaknesses.

To locate suitable organisations for your assignment, feel free to utilize publicly accessible resources.These resources may include the World Investment Reports by UNCTAD, Forbes` Global 2000 for the year 2022, the Fortune Global 500, or the FT`s Africa`s fastest-growing private companies.You have the flexibility to select any organisation beyond these listed resources.

1. Product/Service/Target Overseas Location (approx. 200 words): Present a succinct description of your chosen new or existing product/service, highlighting its potential to contribute to increased profits or returns for your organisation through international expansion. This offering could either represent an entirely novel venture or an extension of existing product lines, strategically positioned within the context of a new market or host economy.

Furthermore, it is essential to provide a well-founded justification for your selection of the specific overseas country for international expansion. The chosen destination or target market must be located outside of your organisation`s home country. While articulating this rationale, your response should also reflect your global-mindedness and intercultural sensitivity, considering key factors that make the chosen destination suitable. This section can be merged with the Background section 1

1. Theoretical Concepts/Literature Reviews (approx. 1000 words): In this section, your task is to thoroughly interpret, critique, evaluate and/or synthesise pertinent international business concepts, theories, frameworks, and/or models. Place your focus on literature that directly relates to your chosen context and is applicable to the subsequent sections of your assignment. It`s important to draw from a range of sources, including older seminal works and academic journal articles published within the past five years.

The content in this section can be integrated with sections 4 and/or 5 of your assignment, ensuring a coherent and well-structured presentation of your theoretical foundation.

1. Analysis of the Host Country and Industry Characteristics (approx. 1000 words): In this section, evaluate the potential benefits and drawbacks associated with your chosen destination. Your analysis should be in-depth covering key formal and informal institutional factors. To ensure the relevance of your analysis, it`s crucial to tie it directly to specific lines of business activities. Consider such as

a. Formal Institutional Factors:

• Economic systems and infrastructures: Patterns and trends in economic development, including GDP, GDP per capita, GDP growth rate, income levels, income distribution, the size of the labour force, education levels of the labour force, labour costs, industry characteristics, trade statistics (imports and exports), major trading partners, inflation, ease of doing business, infrastructure and logistics (including metrics such as internet penetration, quality of ports, airports, availability of rail services, and distribution networks).
• Political and legal systems, including assessments of political risks and freedoms, government policies and regulations, property rights, intellectual property protection, and other pertinent indicators.

b. Informal Institutional Factors:

• demographic characteristics, cultural norms, social responsibilities, environmental considerations, ethical practices, religious influences, linguistic diversity, consumer preferences and behaviours, prevailing attitudes, shared values, beliefs, and considerations related to bribery and corruption.

Be selective and evaluative, focusing on key factors that are most relevant to your context.

1. Entry Mechanism (approx. 1000 words): Suggest the most suitable market entry mode (e.g., export, licensing, franchising, management contract, joint venture, wholly owned subsidiary, etc.). If you advocate for a partnership with another host country organisation, then provide a comprehensive blueprint of how this partnership should be established.

1. Recommendation or Conclusion (approx. 300 words): Suggest how the organisation should manage various strategic issues related to seizing opportunities and managing risks in the chosen market. Discuss wider issues related to diversity and inclusivity

in the decision-making process of international operations, hiring practices, international investment and trade, business ethics, or any other important considerations. Include theoretical implications.

References (outside of word count): Include full references using the Harvard referencing system. Sort the list of end references alphabetically by the last name of authors or publishers. Incorporate important tables, figures, diagrams, graphs, and charts directly into the main body of the report and avoid appendices and footnotes. (Note: Examiners are not obligated to read appendices and footnotes, which are outside the marking scheme.)

Using AI/LLM (Large Language Models) in this Assignment

• New ideas, original thinking and your analysis are required for this assignment, which will not be found through AI Generative tools/LLMs (Large Language Models) such as ChatGPT, so it is recommended that these are avoided.
• If you do use such tools, you need to verify the accuracy and reference the use of the LLM as a source.

• A full record of the entire discussion must be included in the Appendix, labelled as AI discussion transcript.

• Since LLMs generate ‘original text’, then for the purposes of fair use, we will treat ChatGPT or Bard, or any other AI as an original author. However, you are only allowed to use only direct quotations from LLMs at this stage, present them within direct quotation marks “….” and include the corresponding page number from the AI discussion transcript.

Example text: Regional integration creates winners and losers within countries, necessitating inclusive policies. Countries may have different preferences regarding integration priorities due to connectivity gaps, economic geography, or sovereignty concerns. Evaluating the impact on trade, investment, growth, and income distribution can be complex. Lack of complementary policies and institutions may lead to inefficient outcomes. (ChatGPT, p.4). You will then need to find evidence to verify that

with academic references.

• AI-systems are prone to hallucinations. Augment the AI-output by at least one additional academic or industry resource, ideally more than one so that you can approach the argument from various perspectives.

• Finally, do not over-use AI-generated text, follow the instructions above.

• Like any other source, unreferenced use of AI to create content for an assignment is academic misconduct