Students

BUS 804 – International Business Strategy

2014 – S2 External

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer-in-charge
Yue Wang
yue.wang@mq.edu.au
Contact via (02) 9850 8513
E4A, room 642, FBE
3-5 pm Friday
Credit points Credit points
4
Prerequisites Prerequisites
4cp at 800 level and ((BUS651 or MKTG696) or (admission to MIntRel or admission to MCom or MIntBus or MEc or MActPrac prior to 2011))
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit draws upon concepts and theoretical frameworks from interdisciplinary sources as well as practical industry and firm-level case studies and experiential exercises in order to examine various issues relevant to conducting business across national borders. The unit addresses not only the economic dimension of the international business environment, but also its political, cultural and technological dimensions, all of which interact in complex ways to generate opportunities and threats at the firm level. It will introduce students to vital matters in strategic decision making in the global markets to provide insights on the practices and policies used by competing businesses worldwide for developing strategies for competitive advantage. It explores the challenges, dynamics and processes involved in managing a multi-national company.
The underpinning of this unit is the practical real-life, real-time knowledge gained by students through experiential learning. This unit is taught through lectures, discussions and experiential exercises. This unit will examine critical issues from the perspective of senior executives and managers in charge of these operations. Concepts developed in the unit will be applied to the solution of 'real world' problems through the use of the latest case studies, and other learning strategies throughout the semester.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Develop a deep understanding of the key theories and concepts in strategic management and their implications for international business
  • Critically apply relevant theories, concepts and techniques to analyse strategic issues in international business
  • Demonstrate the ability to work as part of a team in discussing and analysing international business issues
  • Develop capabilities to make effective recommendations for successful strategy implementation
  • Design new conceptual models and frameworks for strategy analysis and implementation based on the theoretical principles introduced in the course

General Assessment Information

WARNING on late submission:

NO extensions will be granted except for cases in which an application for Special Consideration (also known as Disruptions to Studies in the university policy) is made and approved. Students who have not submitted assignments prior to deadlines will be awarded a mark of ZERO

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Individual Assignment (A) 30% Week 5
Group Assignment 30% 5 pm 24 October (week 10)
Individual Assignment (B) 40% 5 pm 14 November (week 13)

Individual Assignment (A)

Due: Week 5
Weighting: 30%

Word limit: 2000 words (excluding bibliography)

Format: essay

 

There are two individual assignments for this online unit. For Individual Assignment (A), each student will need to prepare a 2000-word (excluding bibliography) critical literature review on the concept of 'psychic distance' (covered in week 3) and explain to what extent do you think the concept help us to understand firms' strategies towards engaging international business activities?

To provide a rigorous review and critique, you are expected to read widely and incorporate at least 20 different references from academic articles. A separate Individual Assignment Document detailing the submission guideline and marking criteria will be uploaded to the iLearn.

 

Research and Practice

The assignment requires students to conduct original research, which involves the collection, review and critique of the relevant articles from a range of academic journals. The titles below are indicative only for such academic journals and students are expected to search a wider range of sources than the list below.

 

Academy of Management Journal

Academy of Management Review

Academy of Management Perspectives

Asia Pacific Journal of Management

International Business Review

Journal of International Business Studies

Journal of International Management

Journal of Management

Journal of Management Studies

Journal of World Business

Management International Review

Strategic Management Journal

Thunderbird International Business Review

 

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop a deep understanding of the key theories and concepts in strategic management and their implications for international business
  • Critically apply relevant theories, concepts and techniques to analyse strategic issues in international business

Group Assignment

Due: 5 pm 24 October (week 10)
Weighting: 30%

Word limit: 2000 words (excluding bibliography)

Format: essay

 

By week 2 or 3, each student will be required to join a group (of no more than four, preferably three) and the group will need to prepare a written assignment – a 2,000 word (excluding bibliography) essay on a case study. A separate Group Assignment Document detailing the assignment topic, submission guideline and marking criteria will be uploaded to iLearn in week 2 or 3. Note that the Group Assignment Document provides only a basic background and case questions, students are expected to search the additional and/or updated information (e.g. from newspapers and other media outlets) relevant to the case and address the case questions through the application of most relevant concepts and frameworks introduced in the unit. Your lecturer will also discuss some specific issues on assignment preparation on the discussion forum on iLearn.

 

Research and Practice

The assignment requires students to conduct original research, which involves the collection and analysis of information from a range of sources. Students may find it useful to look at the following academic journals and periodicals.

 

Academic Journals:

Asia Pacific Journal of Management

Asian Business and Management

Industry and Corporate Change

Journal of Business Research

Long Range Planning

Thunderbird International Business Review

 

Periodicals:

Business Week (Asian edition)

Harvard Business Review

The Wall Street Journal

The Economist

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop a deep understanding of the key theories and concepts in strategic management and their implications for international business
  • Critically apply relevant theories, concepts and techniques to analyse strategic issues in international business
  • Demonstrate the ability to work as part of a team in discussing and analysing international business issues
  • Develop capabilities to make effective recommendations for successful strategy implementation

Individual Assignment (B)

Due: 5 pm 14 November (week 13)
Weighting: 40%

Word limit: 2500 words (excluding bibliography)

Format: report (please include an executive summary)

 

For Individual Assignment (B), each student will need to develop a case report by combining empirical research on a real world case study with one or more theoretical perspectives introduced in the unit. Specifically, you will need to select a real world company (could be a well known Fortune Global 500 company or a small-to-medium enterprise based in your local area), identify one or a few key international business issues or challenges the company is facing, and use one or multiple theoretical concepts and frameworks introduced in the unit (including synthesising multiple concepts and frameworks into new models) to make recommendations to the company for addressing the issues/challenges. In developing the report, you need to first introduce the company background and identify the key IB issues/challenges, and then use relevant concepts and frameworks to recommend solutions to the issues/challenges. A separate Individual Assignment Document detailing the submission guideline and marking criteria etc. will be uploaded to iLearn.

 

Research and Practice

The assignment requires students to conduct original research, which involves the collection and analysis of information from a range of sources. Apart from academic journals and periodicals listed above for the other two assignments, students may find it useful to look at the following sources.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Develop a deep understanding of the key theories and concepts in strategic management and their implications for international business
  • Critically apply relevant theories, concepts and techniques to analyse strategic issues in international business
  • Develop capabilities to make effective recommendations for successful strategy implementation
  • Design new conceptual models and frameworks for strategy analysis and implementation based on the theoretical principles introduced in the course

Delivery and Resources

Weekly Readings

There is no prescribed textbook for this unit.  Your weekly set of readings is detailed in the lecture program and copies will be uploaded each week on iLearn. Note that links to some weekly readings may be deleted after 1-2 weeks of their appearance on iLearn to comply with copyright laws.

 

Recommended books

To enhance your knowledge, students may want to look at the following textbooks or their more recent editions.

 

Besanko, D., Dranove, D., S. Schaefer, and M. Shanley, 2013. Economics of Strategy, 6th edition, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Johnson, G., K. Scholes and R. Whitting, 2010. Exploring Corporate Strategy, 8th edition, London: Prentice Hall.

Peng, M., 2009. Global Strategy, Mason, Ohio: Thomson South-Western.

 

What is required to complete the unit satisfactory? Students must make attempts for all assessment tasks and achieve a composite mark of 50.

The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/

Changes from the last offering. New assignment topics have been designed

Technology Used and Required Access to a personal computer is required in order to access iLearn; students are required to use word processing and Turnitin for submitting assignments. The web page for this unit can be found at: iLearn http://ilearn.mq.edu.au

 

 

Unit Schedule

Topic

Key readings

1. Competitive advantage
  • Porter, M. E., 2008. ‘The five competitive forces that shape strategy’, Harvard Business Review, January: 78-93.

 

  • Barney, J. B., 1995. ‘Looking inside for competitive advantage’, Academy of Management Executive, 9 (4): 49-61.

 

  • Chapters 2 & 3 - Peng, M. (2009) Global Strategy 2e, South-Western Cengage Learning.

2. The focal firm – MNEs, SMEs & INV/BGs
  • Chapter 2 & 11 -  Rugman, A & Collinson, S (2012) International Business 6th edition, Pearson Education UK

 

  • Chapter 1 - Dunning, J. H., & Lundan, S., (2008) Multinational enterprises and the global economy, Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar

3. Understanding global markets – global market opportunity assessment
  • Chapter 13 - Cavusgil, S. Tamer, Knight, G., & Riesenberger, J. R., (2013) International business: the new realities, 3rd Edition, Upper saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall

 

  • Brewer, P. (2007) Psychic distance and Australian export market selection, Australian Journal of Management, 32 (1): 73-94

 

  • Liesch, P.W., Welch, L. S.,& Buckley, P.J. (2011) Risk and Uncertainty in Internationalisation and International Entrepreneurship Studies, Management International Review, 50 (6): 851-873

4. Organisational participants in the internationalisation process

  • Chapter 3 - Cavusgil, S. Tamer, Knight, G., & Riesenberger, J. R., (2013) International business: the new realities, 3rd Edition, Upper saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall

5. Firm boundary: export vs. FDI
  • Chapter 3 – Besanko et al. (2013). Economics of Strategy, 6th edition, Wiley.

6. Firm boundary: tapered integration and relational contracts
  • Chapter 4 – Besanko et al. (2013). Economics of Strategy, 6th edition, Wiley.

 

  • Chapter 15 – Hill C. (2013). International Business, 9th edition, McGraw-Hill

7. IT and IB strategy

  • Weigelt, C. (2013). ‘Leveraging supplier capabilities: the role of locus of capability deployment’, Strategic Management Journal, 34: 1-21.

 

  • Kotabe, M., Mol, M. J., & Murray, J. Y. (2008). ‘Outsourcing, performance, and the role of e-commerce: A dynamic perspective’, Industrial Marketing Management, 37: 37-45.

 

  • Teo, T. S. H. & Yu, Y. (2005). ‘Online buying behaviour: A transaction cost economics perspective’, Omega, 33: 451-465.

 

 

8. Alternative routes to internationalization

  • Lessard, D., Lucea, R., & Vives, L., 2012. ‘Building your company’s capabilities through global expansion’, MIT Sloan Management Review, Winter: 1-7.

 

  • Sammartino, A. & Van Ruth, F, 2007. ‘The Westfield group’, in Dick. H. and Merret, D. (eds.), The internationalization strategies of small-country firms: the Australian experience of globalization, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK: 308 - 318.

9. MNE strategy, structure, and subsidiary roles
  • Matusitz, J. 2011. ‘Disney’s successful adaptation in Hong Kong: A glocalization perspective’, Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 28: 667-681.

 

  • Chapter 13 – Hill C. (2013). International Business, 9th edition, McGraw-Hill

 

  • Chapter 14 – Hill C. (2013). International Business, 9th edition, McGraw-Hill

10. Global sourcing and operations management
  • Chapter 17 - Griffin, R.W. & Pustay, M.W, (2013) International Business, 7th edition, Pearson Education UK

 

  • Chapter 17 - Cavusgil, S. Tamer, Knight, G., & Riesenberger, J. R., (2013) International business: the new realities, 3rd Edition, Upper saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall

11. Emerging markets and The ‘new’ global players - emerging market MNEs
  • Chapter 10 - Cavusgil, S. Tamer, Knight, G., & Riesenberger, J. R., (2013) International business: the new realities, 3rd Edition, Upper saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall

 

  • Cuervo-Cazurra A (2007) Sequence of value-added activities in the multinationalization of developing country firms.  Journal of International Management 13(3): 258-277.

 

  • Luo Y & Tung R (2007) International expansion of emerging market enterprises: A springboard perspective.  Journal of International Business Studies 38(4): 481-498.

 

  • Mathews J (2006) Dragon multinationals: New players in 21st century globalization. Asia-Pacific Journal of Management 23(1): 5-27

12. Global services and service firm international strategies

  • Chapter 17 – Fletcher, R (2013) International Marketing: An Asian Pacific Perspective, 6th edition, Pearson Education

13 Revision and review
  • No readings

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

PG - Discipline Knowledge and Skills

Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Develop a deep understanding of the key theories and concepts in strategic management and their implications for international business
  • Critically apply relevant theories, concepts and techniques to analyse strategic issues in international business
  • Develop capabilities to make effective recommendations for successful strategy implementation
  • Design new conceptual models and frameworks for strategy analysis and implementation based on the theoretical principles introduced in the course

Assessment tasks

  • Individual Assignment (A)
  • Group Assignment
  • Individual Assignment (B)

PG - Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Develop a deep understanding of the key theories and concepts in strategic management and their implications for international business
  • Critically apply relevant theories, concepts and techniques to analyse strategic issues in international business
  • Develop capabilities to make effective recommendations for successful strategy implementation
  • Design new conceptual models and frameworks for strategy analysis and implementation based on the theoretical principles introduced in the course

Assessment tasks

  • Individual Assignment (A)
  • Group Assignment
  • Individual Assignment (B)

PG - Research and Problem Solving Capability

Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Critically apply relevant theories, concepts and techniques to analyse strategic issues in international business
  • Demonstrate the ability to work as part of a team in discussing and analysing international business issues
  • Develop capabilities to make effective recommendations for successful strategy implementation
  • Design new conceptual models and frameworks for strategy analysis and implementation based on the theoretical principles introduced in the course

Assessment tasks

  • Individual Assignment (A)
  • Group Assignment
  • Individual Assignment (B)

Changes since First Published

Date Description
28/02/2014 The Description was updated.