Assessment Task 3 – Individual Essay (50%)

 Assignment type: Individual

 Value: 50%
 Link to CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4
 Word limit: 2,500 words (excluding the title page and the reference list, 10% more or
less is allowed)
 Due date: Friday, October 25, 23:55

The purpose of this assignment is to ensure students have a broad understanding of the
theories covered in the course and they meet the necessary academic requirements in
terms of conducting effective research, application of theories and concepts, problem
solving skills and academic writing.

For this assignment, you need to choose one multinational enterprise (MNE) from the
Fortune Global 500 list (2019) operating in one of the following industries*.
 Apparel
 Computers / Office Equipment
 Electronics / Electronic equipment
 Food consumer products
 Pharmaceuticals
 Telecommunication

*The most recent Fortune Global 500 list is available from

https://fortune.com/global500/2019/. Use the categorisation of companies by industries
available at https://fortune.com/global500/2019/search/ for choosing an MNE from one
of the industries listed above.

N.B. You are encouraged to conduct preliminary data search about the potential MNE to
ensure that you can obtain relevant and recent information enabling you to conduct
well-supported analysis.

Based on the choice of your MNE, answer the following questions.

Part 1: Background and competitiveness of your chosen MNE (approx. 800 words)
Q 1. Provide a brief profile of your MNE. Information such as its country of origin, company
history, its main products/services, countries of operation etc., should be included.
Q 2. What are core resources and capabilities of your chosen MNE? Which resources and
capabilities do you think provide the source of competitive advantage for the company?
Part 2: Host country analysis (approx. 600 words)
For this part, you need to select one foreign market (host country) your chosen MNE is
operating in. You may not choose the same country you selected for the Group Project
assignment of this course.

Q 3. Analyse the current political situation of your selected host country. What
opportunities and challenges does the current political situation create for your chosen
MNE’s operation in the country?

Part 3: MNE’s strategy in the host country (approx. 1,100 words)

Q 4. Based on your understanding of the course topics, Strategy and Structure of MNEs and
Entering Foreign Markets, analyse strategy and entry mode choices your MNE adopted as it
entered and operates in the host country. Evaluate the benefits and pitfalls of the
company’s decisions. If you were given the responsibility of managing your chosen MNE’s
operations in your selected host country, what additional or alternative actions would you
undertake? Provide justifications for your answer.

Guidelines
 This is an academic writing assignment. You need to demonstrate your ability to
investigate IB issues from real world situations, and present your analysis and
arguments based on evidence. For this, it is important that relevant theories and
concepts, and examples from the case are integrated in your analysis.
 You need to demonstrate critical thinking skills. Being descriptive is not appropriate for
this assignment.
 You are expected to consult newspapers and popular press, and grey literature such as
trade/industry/government reports and periodicals. You also need to use academic
journals as sources for your analysis. Your essay should have at least six academic
journal references to inform your key ideas.

Format
Your essay must be formatted as per the requirements below:
 Use 12pt font
 1.5 line or double spacing
 Leave a line between each paragraph
 Use Harvard method for referencing
 Clearly indicate the question numbers. Use headings and subheadings where
appropriate, but do not include the full questions in your essay as it will distort
the word count.
 There is no need to include an introduction and a conclusion (i.e. you only need
to answer the questions in Parts 1-3).
 The title page and the reference list are excluded from the word count.