INSTITUTIONS AND FIRMS’ INTERNATIONALIZATION
STRATEGIES (BMAN73172)
Group Case Study Report and Individual Assignment (2024-25)
This course is assessed through a group project report (30%) and an individual
assignment (70%).
Group project report (30%):
Twelve groups (4-5 students per group) are allocated to analyze a total of six business
cases. That is, two groups will share one business case. The cases and the associated
discussion questions are shown below:
1.
BP’s Macondo: Spill and Response (HBS 9-711-021)
Discussion Questions:
a) What were the underlying causes of this spill?
b) Evaluate the political and economic logic of the $20 billion fund from both
President Obama and BP’s point of view.
c) Will this spill have a significant effect on the U.S. government’s involvement
in offshore drilling? Should it?
2.
Carlsberg Breweries A/S: Facing Political Risk in Russia (Ivey Publishing,
W28541)
Discussion Questions:
a) What was Carlsberg’s strategy with respect to the former Soviet Union in the
1990s and early 2000s?
b) What kinds of political risks did Carlsberg face in Russia in the early 2000s?
How did Carlsberg protect itself?
c) How did the Crimean annexation in 2014 change the business environment for
Carlsberg? Did it adjust its risk management appropriately?
d) How should Carlsberg react to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022?
If you argue for downsizing or divestment, explain how this should be achieved.
3.
Winds of Change at Hero Honda (A08-22-0006)
Discussion Questions:
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a)
b)
c)
d)
4.
Why was Hero Honda formed? What were the partner objectives?
Why was the joint venture terminated? Was the JV a failure?
Why did Hero MotoCorp do well after the JV termination?
What can be learned from Hero MotoCorp’s success after the JV termination?
How can this learning be applied to JVs in emerging economies?
Shein: An-Ultra-Fast-Fashion Retailer’s Digital Strategies (323-0156-1)
Discussion Questions:
a) What are Shein’s core competencies? How did the company build them?
b) Could Shein have succeeded in the Chinese market?
c) Does Shein have a problem with its products being made in China? Why?
d) How urgent is it that Shein try to clean up its image? What strategic changes
does Shein have to adopt to make the company sustainable in the future?
5.
Turbulent Times for TikTok’s Platform Strategy (Ivey Publishing, W24908)
Discussion Questions:
a) How successful has TikTok been in the global media market?
b) Describe and evaluate the available opportunities in the global short video
market. How did TikTok compete against and gain market share over
Facebook and other global social media giants?
c) Identify some key challenges facing TikTok and discuss options that TikTok
should consider. How should TikTok move forward from the current point?
6.
Uber: Competing Globally (HBS 9-720-404)
Discussion Questions:
a) What is the competitive advantage of Uber? Is it sustainable in the long run?
b) What factors determine whether a market is particularly attractive for Uber to
enter? How transferrable is its competitive advantage to different markets in
the world?
c) How would you describe Uber’s launch strategies and their effectiveness in
different markets?
d) In which geographies has Uber been most successful or less successful? Why?
2
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Each group will submit a report (maximum 4,000 words in four-person groups or
5,000 words in five-person groups, excluding references and tables) on one of the
case studies allocated. The report will enable groups to critically analyze the case
study questions through applying their theoretical perspectives into the real life
examples. Groups are expected to use the concepts and theories to support their
arguments and also develop a critical discussion of extended body of literature. The
reports should also demonstrate a good application of academic thought.
⚫
Case project reports must be submitted by 2PM, 9th May 2025. Submission must
be made via Blackboard/Turnitin in digital format.
⚫
The assessment must not exceed the word length by more than 10%. Failure to do
so, marking will be adjusted accordingly.
⚫
Unless granted a formal extension for submitting coursework by AMBS’s Student
Support Team, a mark penalty will apply in the case of late submission of an
assignment. The mark awarded will reduce by 10% of the maximum amount
available per 24 hours.
Individual assignment (70%):
Students need to choose ONE of the following three questions as the topic of their
individual assignments
1. Identify a developed-country-based multinational enterprise (MNE) that has over
time developed its business activities in an emerging market. Discuss its entry
strategy and post-entry strategies (e.g., management of headquarter-subsidiary
relations, innovation strategy, nonmarket strategy) in relation to its long-term
performance (broadly defined and measured if concrete subsidiary-level data are
lacking) in the host country market. Examine how the entry strategy is shaped by
host country institutions and how the post-entry strategies need to be adjusted to the
evolution of the emerging economy’s business and institutional environments.
2. Select two MNEs from different countries that compete in a host country where
they both operate. Document the commonalities and differences of the two MNEs
in navigating host country institutions and developing their business activities. To
what extent do their home-country institutional contexts and firm-specific
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resources/capabilities affect their strategies in terms of foreign entry mode and postentry operations? If possible, explore the potential links between their strategic
approaches and their performance (broadly defined and measured if concrete
subsidiary-level data are lacking) in the host country market.
3. Identify an MNE that operates its business activities in two different foreign
markets. Document the commonalities and differences of the strategies used by the
focal MNE in navigating the two markets with different institutional and business
environments. What is the role, if any, of the MNE’s home country institutional
contexts in shaping the different strategic approaches in the two host markets? If
possible, explore the potential links between its strategic approaches and its
performance (broadly defined and measured if concrete subsidiary-level data are
lacking) in the two host country markets.
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Word Limit: 3,000 words (excluding references and tables)
⚫
Submission deadline: By 2PM, 9th May 2025. Please note that assessed essays can
only be submitted via Blackboard/Turnitin.
⚫
The assessment must not exceed the word length by more than 10%. Failure to do
so, marking will be adjusted accordingly.
⚫
Unless granted a formal extension for submitting coursework by AMBS’s Student
Support Team, a mark penalty will apply in the case of late submission of an
assignment. The mark awarded will reduce by 10% of the maximum amount
available per 24 hours.
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