MAN304 Issues in International Business

To undertake an individual International Market Analysis by developing a report to apply a range of international business analytical approaches within a global market context.
Assessment Description
To complete this assessment, you will need to select one firm. The firm can be a private or a public company based anywhere in the world. A good criterion for the choice of a firm is the availability of public information about its products and services, corporate background and market reputation. Be careful in selecting your firm as further analysis of your chosen firm will be carried out in Assessment 3. You should discuss your choice of firm with your lecturer. Do this early and consult with your lecturer about the firm if in doubt.You are required to select two (2) countries (Country A and Country B) as potential destinations for the firm to conduct its international business operations. You can choose, any two countries other than the country of origin of the firm. The firm must not have any existing operations in either of the countries you select.
The purpose is to develop a report with recommendations to be presented to the Board of Directors of your chosen firm.
1. Conduct research into each country and produce a comparative analysis of the two countries. The headings below are an indication of the type of information you may need to be able to collect and use:
a. The ease with which international firms report being able to do business in each country. You can find information about this from a range of sources including business news, official government websites or other online and offline sources.
b. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Inflation Rate, Interest Rates
c. Education levels and the labour force skills available
d. Current interest rates
e. Current value of the local currency against the United States (US) dollar
f. Employment rate and average income per person per year
2. Use the following headings in developing your report.
a. Introduction to your chosen firm and its background
b. What are the commercial implications for your firm wishing to engage in an international business venture?
c. Provide an overview of products or services that your firm is seeking to use to expand into the two new countries that you have selected (their entry strategies).
d. What are the key factors/reasons that support the introduction of these new products/services and why do you think that their introduction will be successful.
e. Make a clear recommendation to the Board of Directors of your firm about which country they should consider opening up a new market in and the product/service.
3. The analysis does not require an executive summary.