Assessment “Walk Through”

Document Aim:           To give students an understanding of the structure and content of the submissions for this module.

Please note: the order of the sections is at your discretion, except for the introduction, conclusion and reference list.

TASK: Individual Report contributing 70% of the total marks for the course.

This report (using double space and one-inch margins) choose a well-known organisation operating internationally.

Using the learning from the Mars corporation’s operations in Poland and the theories developed and discussed as part of the course, critically evaluate the international management attributes of one of the following successful international organisations: Amazon, Coca-Cola, Google, I.B.M and Microsoft.

In developing this report recognition will be given for a clear well-structured and focussed reports where the analysis is based on ideas and theories developed in the course

2000-2200 words

Section 1: Introduction

You should start with an introduction which should include:

• An overview of the organisation.
• Key business statistics, sales revenue, profits, global “reach”.
  • All data sources should be referenced please.
• What is the methodology of your analysis?

Section 2: Management of National Culture

You should consider including the following in your critical analysis of national culture:

• What are the main drivers of national culture influencing organisational culture?
• What academic models/tools can be employed to assess national cultural differences?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of such models/tools?
• How have national cultural differences manifest in the organisation you are analysing?

How does this compare/contrast to the Mars case study?

Section 3: Competitive Strategy

You should consider including the following in your critical analysis of competitive strategy:

• What types of strategy do international business managers need to consider (there are more than one)? Collis, D. (2014) International Strategy. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.: Chichester. (Page 121)
• What is the purpose of strategy?
• How has the company being analysed developed its strategy?
• What are the advantages/disadvantages?

How does this compare/contrast with the Mars Case Study?

Section 4: Corporate Culture & Organisational Culture

You should consider the following in your analysis of Corporate and Organisational Culture:

• What models/theory underpin Corporate and Organisational Culture?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of using these models/theories?
• Is corporate and organisational culture manifest the same globally?
• How do leaders and managers develop/maintain them?

How does this compare/contrast with the Mars Case Study?

Section 5: Leadership/Management:

You should consider the following in your analysis of Leadership/Management:

• What models/theory underpin Leadership/Management?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of using these models/theories?
• Is Leadership/Management manifest the same globally?
• How do leaders and managers develop/maintain them?

How does this compare/contrast with the Mars Case Study?

Section 6: Sustainability, Growth and Competitiveness

You should consider the following in your analysis of sustainability, growth and competitiveness:

• What models/theory underpin sustainability, growth and competitiveness?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of using these models/theories?
• How can the Global Competiveness Index be used to aide understanding in this area?
• How do leaders/manager develop and maintain sustainability, growth and competitiveness?

How does this compare/contrast with the Mars Case Study?

Section 7: Conclusion:

Given your analysis above can you draw any conclusions about the organisation?

• Where is succeeding?
• What is its sustainable competitive advantage?
• Where has it not succeeded in delivering its strategy?
• What role has leadership played in this?
• What are the limitations of your analysis?

How does this compare/contrast with the Mars Case Study?

Section 8: References

Please ensure that you use a wide range of academic references for your work, as a “rule of thumb” I would expect around one reference per 100 words, so in a 2000-word report I would be looking for around 20 references.

There are numerous journal and textbooks listed on the course page and these can and should be included. Use this and the assessment briefing guide to guide you.