Undertake research and write a report that addresses the following question:
Analyse a MNE of your choice regarding international management issues based on
relevant international business theories and show how international business challenges
are dealt within this context.
The analysis should include:
• an in-depth analysis of THREE of the international business challenges faced by
your selected MNE such as competitive, innovation, collaborative, organizational and
managerial challenges in your chosen host country.
• provide recommendations to address the challenges identified from the aspects of
international management functions (finance, research and development, marketing,
production, human resources, etc.).
Word limit: 3,000 words (±10%)
Context
You can consider yourself as an international business analyst, who are asked to advise on the
international management issues. This task is achieved by examining the potential
international business challenges faced by your selected MNE’s in one of its existing host
countries of your interest.
How to write your essay
• Put emphasis on explaining your reasoning, using examples and references to the
relevant IB theories, analytical frameworks and concepts covered in this module
2
and/or previous IB modules. NB: The use of these IB theories should be limited to
those that have a direct bearing on the topic being addressed.
• Use a good mix of at least 24 high quality academic and non-academic references.
• Organise your essay with an introduction, a section on each coursework question
(three international business challenges) and a conclusion.
• For the analysis of each coursework question, please focus on the CURRENT
challenges and their impacts on your selected MNE’s operations in the chosen host
country in 2024.
• In your conclusion, summarise the key international business challenges identified
and recommendations on how your selected MNE can navigate and overcome these
challenges in your chosen host country. Do you see these challenges as threats or
opportunities for your chosen MNE, and why?
• Please make use of a variety of data sources to substantiate your analysis, not simply
intuitive reasoning.
• You are encouraged to use figures and tables (excluded from the limit) to illustrate
your ideas and/or substantiate your opinions wherever possible.
• If you choose to examine managerial challenges, please focus on the challenges faced
by your chosen MNE in (i) building new management capabilities and/or (ii) shaping
the transnational future. Both (i) and (ii) are considered as TWO independent
challenges.
Selecting the MNE to study
• You must choose ONE MNE and ANY of its existing HOST countries to focus on.
Specifically, your chosen HOST country can be NEITHER hypothetical NOR
existed in the past (in other words, your chosen MNE no longer operates in that host
country in 2024).
• You can choose either a different or the same host country to investigate each of the
three challenges. Alternatively, you could use a combination of both (e.g. you could
use one host country to examine the first two challenges and select another host
country to analyse the third challenge or vice versa).
General notes
• Word limit: 3,000 words (±10%), excluding Tables, Appendices and References.
• The individual essay should be in Regular 12 point front, Times New Roman, 1.5
line spacing, justified alignment with Normal page margins (1 inch top, bottom,
left and right) and page numbers in the bottom right.
• The references should be formatted in the Harvard Referencing Style
