Reference no: EM133534171

Global Business Environment

Assessment: Continuous Activities

Overview

This assessment item comprises of two activities that spread across this study period. These activities are designed to allow students to apply course-related concepts to real-world settings and are equally weighted in the overall assessment value. It is essential to show your understanding of the course principles and to practice critical analyses via these activities.

For each of the two activities, course-related questions are asked, and you need to upload your responses to the Learnonline site. Due dates are specified in the Course Outline.

Basic requirements

When answering the question, you shall demonstrate:
• An understanding of the course material and/or other credible reference material relevant to the issue the question is addressing.
• The extent to which you have considered this reference material within the context of the question, and to which you propose creative, reflective, and insightful thoughts specific to the question being asked.
• The word count for your answers to each question is 1,000 words (excluding reference list). It is fine to have 10% more or less, but going beyond or below this word limit will result in deduction of possible marks.

A good academic essay
• should answer a question or task.
• should have a thesis statement (answer to the question) and an argument.
• should present or discuss something: develop a thesis via a set of closely related points by reasoning and evidence.
• should include relevant examples, supporting evidence and information from academic texts or credible sources.

Tasks of the continuous activities

Activity 1. Diversification and Decoupling

After then, write a short essay to discuss: How can companies respond to questions about diversification and decoupling?

Activity 2. Opportunity and Risk

After then, write a short essay to delineate: How can Australian companies maintain a winning position in China, the largest emerging economy in Asia?

Structure (format)

• Introduction (100~150 words)
- to show your understanding of the issue
- to identify the different elements
- to specify terms to be defined and concepts to be explained
- to outline how the argument will be presented
- to be lucid and concise
• Development (700~800 words)
- to follow the structure outlined in the introduction
- to make a critical appraisal of both theories and evidence include your own opinion
- to follow proper referencing as per the UniSA policy
• Conclusion (100~150 words)
- to draw together the threads of the argument (e.g., your own assessment, aspects for further consideration and research)
- NOT to introduce new material

Assessment 2: Major Project Case Analysis

Overview

There are TWO components in this assessment item:
1. Oral presentation by a team of up to 4 students (i.e., one to four students).
2. A final report submitted by the team, if being completed and presented by a team, or by the student if being completed and presented by him or her.

Both components of this assignment are related to a case study. Students are required to assess the case by identifying key issues as per knowledge learned in this course and to prepare a report to the company's top management team including CEO and other executives. In the assignment, you may identify yourself as either an internal consultant (i.e., an employee who works in a consulting department of the company) or an external consultant (i.e., a consultant of a consulting company which provides consulting services to the chosen company). Please indicate who you are in your submission.

The assignment may be based on one case selected from the following list:
• Penfold
• TikTok
• Tata
• Pfizer
• Fuyao
• Spotify
• Huawei
• Infosys
• Transsion

• Your own choice of a case:
You are allowed to use a case that you are more interested than those listed above, so long as (1) the case is relevant to this course, (2) has matters of strategic importance suited to the nature of this assignment, and (3) you have access to relevant information to undertake the assignment. If you wish to take up this option, please contact the course coordinator and obtain approval before proceeding.

For each of the cases, one theme or multiple themes should be identified with strategic importance to the company and relevant to knowledge covered in this course.

In general, your task is to:
• Identify key issue(s).
• Assess the issues by applying concepts from the course.
• Prepare a report to be submitted to the organisation's top management team, showing:
o key issues that the organisation faces about the identified theme/s.
o outcomes that the organisation should seek to achieve concerning the identified theme/s.
o recommendations on what the organisation should do in order to address the issues and to achieve the outcomes you have proposed.

The audience of the presentation and the report is the company's top management team. As such, your report needs to be prepared accordingly and has to cover strategic issues at the top management level. The report should also avoid the use of jargon from the course material - the report needs to be written in a style that is suited to the audience. What we want to see is that you can write a report in a real- world setting and with rigorous analyses. The report should deliver real-world objectives with academic evidence.

Oral presentation

Students need to form teams and develop an oral presentation on the selected case study. Students will present during the teaching period.

Students are expected to present their project in the class in person. If conditions do not allow for in- person presentations, students need to ask for the course coordinator's approval for making a presentation video and submitting it to the Learnonline site by the deadline.

The oral presentation will involve a comprehensive analysis in which the team/student will be expected to identify key issues, evaluate the issues, and make recommendations accordingly. It is essential that your team presents an in-depth diagnosis and recommends a realistic, workable plan of action. The presentation should demonstrate a systematic analysis of the case background and context, appropriately incorporating concepts from the readings, and propose specific, actionable recommendations.

In planning your presentation, your team should assume the role of a group of management consultants presenting their findings to the company's CEO. The rest of the class will assume the role of company executives.

In the presentation, you should report to the CEO: (a) a clear action agenda in which the company may engage, (b) commitments that the CEO needs to make to the Board of Directors, and (c) directives that your team would like to seek from the CEO.

You are encouraged to be more creative in your presentation, aiming at presenting your ideas in a professional and interesting way. For example, you do not have to use normal aids such as PowerPoint slides, but use handwriting with a projector or perform a scenario discussion.

You may consider bringing some hard copies of presentation slides or a one-page introduction if you think hand-outs may help your audience understand your opinions. However, you do not have to do so, if you believe hand-outs may distract your audience.

Each member of the team (if in a team setting) must contribute equally, not only in preparation for the presentation but also in the actual class presentation and the question-and-answer period. Students are encouraged to fill in the Peer Evaluation Form (Appendix 1) if you wish to comment on the teamwork.

Final report

Based on the contents included in your oral presentation, all students are required to turn their teamwork on the chosen case study into a 3000-word written report. It is fine to have 10% more or less. The word count does not include references but includes the executive summary, tables and figures. Each half-page table counts 200 words, so does each half-page figure. The maximum number of figures and tables is two, respectively.

This final report must be developed from the essential work of the team, but shall be submitted by one (and only one) representative of the team. Do NOT submit duplicates.

The report should offer a detailed understanding of the nature of the case. A good case analysis should reflect the following:

1) Core problems are identified with implications for today's global business environment.
2) Detailed theoretical applications to the problems.
3) Good rationale for the choice of problems (i.e., sound logic and justification on the choice of solutions and recommendations).
4) Feasibility and practicability of recommendations and solutions.

Please note that the Final Report will involve a comprehensive case analysis in which you will be expected to identify the key issue(s), evaluate the issues, and make recommendations accordingly. Students must present an in-depth diagnosis and recommend a realistic and workable plan of actions.

A recommended structure of the report
(i) Executive summary
(ii) Table of contents
(iii) Introduction
(iv) Key issue(s) identification
(v) Desired outcomes
(vi) Recommendations
(vii) Conclusion
(viii) References
(ix) Appendix

Road to the success of good essay writing:
• Arguments With Evidence Or Examples
• Literature Review
• Avoiding One-Sided Arguments
• Critical Reading And Research
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Proper Referencing
• Keeping The Balance
• Submitting On Time
• Logic, Analysis And Coherence

The final report has three main components, each of which should receive approximately equal weight, although the recommendation section includes consideration of risks and tends to be more important than other sections:
• The key issues facing the organisation about the identified theme(s).
• The outcomes that the organisation should seek to achieve in relation to the identified theme/s.
• Your recommendations on what the organisation should do in order to address the issues and achieve the outcomes you have proposed.