SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (2)

This document contains all details for the second summative assessment: Individual Report, please
read through the whole document carefully. Summative assessment is used to check the level of
learning at the end of the course. Itis summative because it is based on accumulated learning during the
course. The pointis to ensure that students have met the learning outcomes for the course and are at the
appropriate level. It is the summative assessment that determines the grade that you areawarded for the
module
ASSESSMENT 2: Individual Report (70% of total grades): 3500 (+/-10%) Words
The table below specifies the associated deadlines:
Summative
assessment

Weighting Deadline Feedback

Individual
coursework

70% 7

th April 2023 at 9pm Within 15 working

days

Before you submit your work for final grading, please ensure that you have accurately referenced
the work. It is your responsibility to check the spelling and grammar. If you have submitted a
formative or draft assessment (to your seminar tutor ), you will receive feedback but no grade.The
comments should inform you about how well you have done or tell you about the areas for
improvement. All assignments should be submitted online unless specified in assessment briefs.

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)
2.1 Assessment brief:
Imagining that you are the global/international business strategy advisor appointed by global/ International
Company (e.g. Apple INC. Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Nike, H&M, etc.) to provide a business report for its
company on one of its existing host country ( its subsidiaries) markets.
1) analyze the internal and the external strategic environments,
2) discuss entry strategy in the host country (it is the new chapter for the cohort this Year)
3) review the company’s performance so far in the host country market,
4) forecast further development potential in the host country market in next 5-10 years,
5) and advise the company on its future investment strategies in the global market.
2.2 Specifications (structure and format) for report submission
• Report should be developed up to a professional standard. The following specifications
are necessary:
2.2.1 Structure

o Table of contents (with Chapter headings and page number)
o Table of figures and/or tables (if applicable, with the heading and page number
-Figures and tables should be labelled (on the of Figures and tables) and referenced (on
the bottom of Figures and tables)
o A maximum of 3500(+/-10%) words (excluding reference list and appendix)
o Word processed on A4 paper with a font size of 12 Times New Roman
o Leave 2.5cm (1 inch) margin on both the right and the left side of the page
o Use 1.5-line space
o Number pages continuously
o Label all tables, figures, and so on
o You should use the Harvard System of Referencing (in alphabetical order of
author) for your references. For information on this please refer for example to (a
copy of this file can also be found in My Learning):
https://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/business/referencing;
http://ezproxy.mdx.ac.uk/login?url=http://www.citethemrightonline.com

2.2.2 Format

The Front/Cover page must conform to the standard format
o Make sure you have a cover page on your individual report with the following

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)

Information
1) Middlesex University Business School
2) The module title and code
3) Your individual report titles (e. g. Analysis Apple global business
strategy in Chinese Market)
4) Student Number only (please do not include student names)
5) Your seminar Tutor’s name: e.g. Dr Qiuping Li
6) Your module Leader
7) Date of submission

2.3 Individual Report Guidelines
2.3.1 Topic:
Imagining that you are the global / international business strategy advisor appointed by global/ International
Company (e.g. Apple INC. Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Nike, H&M, etc.) to provide a business report for its
company on one of its existing host countries (its subsidiaries) markets. how COVID-19 is affecting the
company business. You are asked to 1) analyze the internal and the external strategic environments, 2) discuss
entry strategy in the host country, 3) review the company’s performance so far in the host country market, 4)
forecast further development potential in the host country market for next 2-5-10 years, and 5) advise the
company on its future investment strategies in the global market.
2.3.2 The below is selected company name list for MGT3123 individual coursework (but not
limited to the following companies)
Mobile Phones / Networks
Samsung
Apple Inc.
Huawei
Vodafone
Technology
Amazon
Alibaba
Microsoft
Hair
Packaged Food
Unilever
Nestlé SA

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)
Mondelez International Inc.
Mars Incorporated
Soft Drinks + Bottled Water
Coca-Cola

Fast Food and Coffee Shops
McDonald’s Corporation
Yum! Brands, Inc. (Pizza Hut, Kentucky chicken)
Domino’s Pizza
Starbucks
Mixed Retailers / Department stores / Home and Garden
Ikea
Marks &Spencer (10% international)
Retail: Clothing / Apparel / Footwear / Sportswear
Nike
Adidas
Next
Industria de DiseñoTextil, S.A [Inditex (Zara)]
Hennes & Mauritz AB (H & M)
ASOS
Retail: Grocery / Supermarkets
Wal-mart
Tesco PLC
Aldi
Carrefour
Beauty and personal care / Perfume and Cosmetics
L’Oreal
Estee Lauder
Coty
Consumer Health / Pharmaceuticals
GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK)
Johnson & Johnson Inc (Consumer Health)
Pfizer Inc

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)

Airlines
Air France
British Airways / International Airlines Group
Deutsche Lufthansa AG
Easyjet
Ryanair Holdings
Tourism / Travel / Travel Intermediaries
TUI Travel Ltd (Thomson)
Thomas Cook
Hotels / Lodging /Travel and Tourism
InterContinental Hotels Group Plc
Accor UK Ltd
Hilton Worldwide
2.3.3. Asian companies covered in library databases
https://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/business/industry

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)
2.4 VERY IMPORTANT: Your Individual Report follow this brief: (You need to follow this
requirement and our feedback is based on this sector)
Cover page
Table of context
Abstract
Chapter 1. Introduction
Summaries the whole report in terms of its purpose, data collection methods, major
findings, suggestions/conclusion, limitations, and report structure.
Chapter 2. Company and Host Country Strategic Environment Analysis, how COVID-19 is
affecting the business environment
You will have three main tasks in this chapter:
2. 1) critically evaluate different internal and external strategic environment analytical
tools*.
2. 2) Analyse the company’s internal environment by using proper internal strategic
environment analytical tool(s).
2. 3) Select a host country for the Company’s (you can find a list of the host countries in the
company’s website; you can choose any country in this list except for Home country, which is
the home country in this case). Analyse this country’s contemporary strategic environment
for the Company’s by using proper external strategic environment analytical tool(s). When
you choose a country, you need to consider the availability of the data that you need for the
analysis.

*(This is the page with links to the business and industry databases:
http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/business/industry ,students would first need to log into MyUnihub to gain access )
*(For literature on analytical tools, you may find the following chapters useful, referring to Learning Resources
section of this Module Handbook: Lasserre’s book Chapter 6, Parboteeah and Cullen’s book Chapter 5 and 6.
For further reading: Richard Lynch’s book Chapter 3)
*Students can choose from the analytical tools below (can be one, or combination of two or more).
however, not limited to the following tools, please see analysis tools
– Analytical tools for EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS ( HOST COUNTRY LEVEL):

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)

1) Institutional perspective (including formal institutions and informal Institutions)
➢ Understand the significance of formal institutions (political, legal and economic systems) on
(international) business
➢ An understanding of local informal institutions (Culture, religion and languages) are
important in international companies/ to the company’s success in international business
2) General evaluation: market size, growth and share
3) Degree of turbulence
4) Factors affecting many industries: PESTLE (political, economic, social, technological, legal and
environmental) analysis
5) Growth: Life-cycle analysis
6) Factors specific to the industry: Key factors for success
7) Factors specific to competition: Five Forces analysis
8) Factors specific to co-operation: Four Links analysis
9) Factors specific to immediate competitors
10) Customer analysis: demand, segmentation and positioning

– Analytical tools for internal and external environment analysis of THE COMPANY ( FIRM- LEVEL ): SWOT
(strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. It involves looking at the strengths and weaknesses of your
business’ capabilities, and any opportunities and threats to your business.

• capitalise on your strengths
• minimise the effects of your weaknesses
• make the most of any opportunities
• reduce the impact of any threats
A SWOT analysis gives you a better insight into your internal and external business environment.

-Analytical tools for internal environment analysis of the company

1) Foreign Direct Investment: An eclectic paradigm, also known as the ownership, location, internalization
(OLI) model or OLI framework.

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)
2) Motives for internationalization: Dunning introduced a model of internationalization motives including four
different categories of motives. These categories are market seeking, resource seeking, efficiency seeking
and strategic resource seeking motives.
3) local optimizer strategy: is a strategic tool used by emerging market MNEs
4) The resource-based view (RBV) and VRIO framework
One of such tools that analyze firm’s internal resources is VRIO analysis. The resource-based view (RBV) is
a model that sees resources as key to superior firm performance. If a resource exhibits VRIO attributes, the
resource enables the firm to gain and sustain competitive advantage. Barney (1991) has identified VRIN
framework that examines if resources are valuable, rare, costly to imitate and non-substitutable. The
framework was later improved from VRIN to VRIO by adding the following question: “Is a company
organized to exploit these resources?” A resource or capability that meets all four requirements can bring
sustained competitive advantage for the company

Rothaermel’s (2013) ‘Strategic Management’, p.91

5) Value chain analysis (VCA) is a process where a firm identifies its primary and support activities that add
value to its final product and then analyze these activities to reduce costs or increase differentiation.
6) Growth-share matrix is a business tool, which uses relative market share and industry growth rate factors
to evaluate the potential of business brand portfolio and suggest further investment strategies.

Chapter 3. Entry Strategy in the Host Country (NEW chapter for this year)
.
In this chapter, you will need to complete the following two main tasks:

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)
3.1. Identify the initial market entry mode(s) that the company used when it firstly entered the
host country). You should be able to find such information in the company’s website.
3.2. Explain why the company chose such entry mode(s). To do this, you will find the following
two sorts of information useful
3.2.1) the advantages and the disadvantages of the entry modes.
3.2.2) the internal and the external environment of the company during the time when the
company firstly entered the host country. Here, you will only need to outline the key influential
factors in the internal and / or the external environments in host country market that you believe
influenced the company’s entry mode decision at that time. DO NOT writes another strategic
environment analysis here.
(For literature on market entry modes, you may find the following chapter 5 useful, referring to
Learning Resources section of this Module Handbook: Core book)
Chapter 4. Company Performance Review, how COVID-19 is affecting the company
performance.
In this chapter, you will need to review the company’s performance in the host country.
4.1 Ideally, you should review the company’s performance from the year it entered the host
country to the present based on the data availability. To complete this chapter, you will need to
find factual based information to support your evaluation. Thus, you should search different
databases to find out relevant data on the company’s performance, do a proper data analysis,
and then draw a conclusion on the company’s performance so far. You will find the following
one or two of the types of information helpful: 1) financial performance,2) market share, 3)
sales, and 4) corporate social responsibility, and etc.
4.2 Considering how COVID-19 is affecting the company performance.
4.3. To do the analysis, you can consider the company’s annual growth on the above aspects, as
well as compare the company’s performance on the above aspect/s you selected with its major
competitors’ or the industrial average in the host country during the same period of time.
(The workshops will help you on data search and analysis)

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)
5. Company Development Forecast in the Host Country Market in the next 5 or 10 years
To complete this chapter, you will need to use the information from chapter 2and 3. The
information from chapter 2 ,3 and 4 should have provided you with enough knowledge on the
host country market as well as its future development trend; with this information you should be
able to make a judgement on the company’s future growth in the host country market.
To complete this chapter, you will need to forecast the company’s development in the host
country market in the next 5 or 10 years; again, you can discuss one or two from its financial
performance, market share, sales, corporate social responsibility, and etc. in the host country
which you have done in Chapter 4

Furthermore, realizing new opportunities post – Coved the company business recovery in the
host country.

6. Recommendation on Business Strategy in the Global Market
Based on your discussion in chapter 2, 3, 4 and 5 provide some proper recommendations on
the company’s current business strategy in the global market.
This can be, for instance, increase or withdrew the investment in certain countries; develop
new market, new product, new strategic alliance, and etc. You should always explain why you
give certain recommendations (that means your recommendation should be reasonable)
Moreover, how do you expect the international business to change in a post COVID-19 landscape
.
(For implementation planning suggestions, you may find the following chapters useful,
referring to Learning Resources section of this Module Handbook: Lasserre’s book Chapter 2,
8, 9, 11. 12 and 16. Parboteeah and Cullen’s book Chapter 7, 8 and 9)

References (in alphabetical order of author using the Harvard Referencing System)
Appendix (if you have any)

2.5 Submission Deadline:
Each student needs to be submitted your individual coursework in word file (file name : MGT3123 –

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)
your student number: M000xxxx1233) via TurnitIn in My Learning. Please do NOT email the submission
to the tutor. The deadlineis 7

th April. 2023 at 9.00pm.

You will receive the Turnitin confirmation that you have successfully submitted your
coursework. Please be aware that Turnitin can get very busy near the submission time, so try to
aim to submit your work earlier.
If you have difficult circumstances meet an assessment deadline or affect your performance, These are
known as extenuating circumstances or ‘ECs’. however, you will have to apply for “ECs”, please

see link for further information and guidelines: https://unihub.mdx.ac.uk/your-study/assessment-and-
regulations/extenuating-circumstances

2.6 Key reading and learning resources
Essential core textbook
Module core textbook is: Lasserre, P. (2018). Global Strategic Management. (4th Ed.). Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan. Chapter 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 16
Other recommended books

Parboteeah, K.P. & Cullen, J.B. (2011). Strategic international management. (5th ed.). South-
Western, Cengage Learning. Chapter 5.

Johnson G., Whittington R., and Scholes, K. (2017). Exploring Strategy: Text & Cases. (1st ed.).
Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Pp.665-668
Deresky, H. (2016). International Management: Managing Across Borders and Cultures (Texts and
Cases). (9th ed). London: Pearson.
Czinkota, M., Ronkainen, I., Moffett, M., Marinova, S., & Marinov, M. (2009). International
Business – European Edition. West Sussex: Wiley.
Lynch, R. (2011). Strategic management (6th ed.). Essex: Pearson Education. Chapter 1, 3, 4, 6, 8,
9, and 10.
This is the page with links to the Business and industry databases:
http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/business/industry
Students would first need to log into MyUnihub to gain access.

Other reading materials are provided in the electronic reading list online.

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)
Academic Journals
The following are very useful journals, which you should consult regularly. They are generally
available through accessing the library’s learning resource website:
➢ Academy of Management Review
➢ Global Strategy Journal
➢ Journal of World Business
➢ Long Range Planning
➢ Organization Studies
➢ Journal of International Business Studies
➢ International Business Research
➢ Management and organization review
➢ Management international review
➢ European Journal of Management
➢ Journal of Small Business Management
➢ Harvard Business Review

In addition, please also consult the of relevant articles, also available through accessing the library’s
learning resource website:
➢ EBSCO Business Source Complete
➢ Emerald
➢ Science Direct Freedom Collection

Newspapers & Periodicals
You are expected to keep abreast of contemporary issues in business by reading a quality daily
newspaper and / or weekly periodical. In particular, the following publications are recommended:
➢ The Financial Times
➢ The Economist
➢ Management Today
➢ The Guardian
➢ The Times
➢ The Telegraph

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MGT3123 Assessment 2: individual Report (70% of total grades)
➢ The Mckinsey Quarterly
➢ The Business Week
In addition, please also consult the following database of relevant newspaper articles, also available
through accessing the library’s learning resource website:
➢ BoB (Box of Broadcasts)

Web Sites
There is a significant amount of data on the web on the majority of major UK firms, and indeed on
all firms allocated as PLC’s in the project work. Company web sites usually include information on
products, financial performance and profitability, recent achievements, breaking news and an outline
of company aims, objectives and strategies. Many web sites also provide links to trade associations
and other useful sites. Most leading newspapers and journals have Internet sites such as the Financial
Times, Business Week, and Fortune magazine. Useful site references include:
➢ www.FT.com
➢ FAME (can be accessed through library’s electronic databases)
➢ www.nasdaq.com/
➢ europe.wsj.com/home-page
➢ www.Businessweek.com/
➢ www.pathfinder.com/fortune/
➢ www.dnb.co.uk/

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