Strategic framework and cultural context in international management, Assignment, NU, Singapore

Instructions on Assessment:

The module assessment comprises of an INDIVIDUAL research-based assignment that requires you to write an essay that represents 100% of the module mark. You are required to produce a report covering all four tasks of the assessment.

Focussing on a company of your choice that has an international presence, and assuming that the company is considering further international expansion, conduct a research-based strategic analysis addressing the following tasks.

1) Applying the CAGE framework, identify similarities/differences between the home country of the company and two potential host countries (each in two continents that are different from the home country of the company). Discuss the strategic implications of those CAGE similarities/differences, and recommend one of the two countries for the company to Invest in.

2) Using Porter’s National Diamond (PND) framework, evaluate the competitiveness of the recommended country focusing on the relevant Industry the company is interested in, and summarise the strategic implications of the findings from the PND analysis for the company

3) Based on the findings of the above analyses, identify what should be the relatively most important strategy out of the AAA (Arbitrage, Adaptation or Aggregation) strategies to focus on for the company to create value in the recommended host country to start with, and justify your recommendation. Reflect on how this strategy may shift over time as the firm continues to operate in the recommended country.

4) Drawing on the above analyses and supported with other relevant sources, briefly discuss THREE cross-border challenges in operating in the recommended country that should be considered by the company. Make your strategic recommendations for the company that could be useful in coping with those challenges.

Assignment Guidance Notes:

The word limit for the overall assignment is 3000 words.

• Write your analysis as a piece of business communication in report style, using headings and subheadings that are numbered. All the figures, charts and tables should be numbered and titled, and they should be referred to and used in the report.
• There should be no first-person references (1, we, us) in the report. If self-reference is required, you may refer to yourself as “the author” or “this report”.
• Assignments require you to demonstrate that you understand, and you are able to apply theoretical concepts, models and frameworks, studied on the module, in your analysis in the report. Detailed descriptions of the frameworks that you use are not necessary.