Globalization and International Business

ESSAY TOPICS FOR IBM, AY2012-13
Example for group discussion: “The study of international business is fine if you are going to work in a large multinational enterprise, but it has no relevance for individuals who are going to work in small firms.” Evaluate this statement. Choose ONE essay question (or topic) below, and answer it carefully: 1. Conduct a PESTAL analysis for the airline industry, focusing on Europe. 2. What are the advantages of a joint-venture entry mode for Starbucks over entering through wholly owned subsidiaries? 3. British Petroleum (BP) operates in over 100 countries worldwide. What factors might be considered when grouping countries into regions? 4. Do you think it is correct for the European Commission to restrict mergers between American companies that do business in Europe? 5. What do you see as the main organizational problems that are likely to be associated with implementation of a transnational strategy? 6. Licensing proprietary technology to foreign operations is the best way to give up a firm’s competitive advantage. Discuss. 7. Explain how an efficient logistics function can help an international business compete more effectively in the global marketplace. 8. Within 20 years, we will have seen the emergence of enormous global markets for standardized consumer products. Do you agree with this statement? Justify your answer. 9. What is the link between an international business’s strategy and its human resource management policies, particularly with regard to the use of expatriate employees and their pay scale? 10. Should traditional companies separate out or integrate their e-commerce business? What ate the arguments for and against such decisions? * Sources: Hill, C. (2008) Global Business Today (New York: McGraw) & Kelly, P. (2009) International Business and Management (Bath: Cengage) The deadline for this essay is 5pm, Friday 24th May 2013, Please submit TWO hard copies of your essay to Registry Office, and you will need to use the SII coursework/essay cover sheet for both of your hard copies submitted. There are fixed requirements on the format of your business plan submitted: Use A4 page, single side print-out, do not change the original page margin setting given by WORD or equivalent software, use up to three layers of headings,

TITLE, Arial 16pt, bold

Heading 1, Arial 14pt, bold

Heading 2, Arial 12 pt, bold Heading 3, Times New Roman, 12 pt, Italic Main Content, Times New Roman, 12pt, 1.5 spaces between lines, and 1 line between paragraphs. Tables/Figures/footnotes, Arial 10pt, single space between lines Appendices, Times New Roman, 12pt, single or 1.5 spaces between lines. Good referencing is required, if you don’ t know how to give references properly, one of safest methods is to use HARVARD style of referencing. You can check how to use it online. Two of useful websites, for instance: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/library/training/referencing/harvard.htm http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm?harvard_id_remove=29#29