Assignment:
Short-answer questions
All questions must be answered as far as possible in relation to your chosen organization as defined in your ‘organization profile'. (200-300 words)
All answer must include:
1) Introduction
2) Main Body
3) Conclusion
The marking scheme awards marks for relevance, application, quality and originality so give your best answer avoiding irrelevance, generality and unoriginality.
Globalization
1. What is meant by the term ‘globalization'? Illustrate your answer with references to your chosen organization or industry.
2. Recent rapid increases in world trade are a major indicator of globalization. To what extent is this reflected in the trade statistics for your chosen industry?
3. Recent rapid increases in foreign direct investment (F.D.I.) are a major indicator of globalization. To what has F.D.I. affected your chosen organization and/or its industry?
4. Briefly explain what are some of the main drivers of globalization. Illustrate your answer with references to your own chosen organization, industry and/or country.
5. Political and regulatory liberalization are a major driver of globalization. With references to your own chosen organization and or industry briefly explain how this is so.
6. Economic factors are a major driver of globalization. With references to your own chosen organization and or industry briefly explain how this is so.
7. Technological change is a major driver of globalization. With references to your own chosen organization and or industry briefly explain how this is so.
8. Briefly explain what are some of the main barriers to globalization. Illustrate your answer with references to your own chosen organization, industry and/or country.
9. MNCs/TNCs are major actors in the globalization process. How do the activities of MNCs/TNCs relate to your organization and or industry?
10. The main aim of the World Trade Organization is to encourage the expansion of international free-trade. How have the activities of the WTO affected your chosen organization and/or a firm(s) in your chosen industry sector?
11. Give a brief explanation of the role of a regional trade agreement or regional trading bloc and how it affects your chosen organization, firms in your chosen industry sector or the country in which your chosen firm or chosen industry is based or trades.
12. When considering barriers to trade we make a distinction between tariff barriers and non-tariff barriers. Explain what is meant by non-tariff barriers and how they apply or could apply to your chosen organization.
13. Globalization has resulted in increased migration and yet restrictions on immigration are generally stricter than before. Briefly explain in relation to a country in which your organization or industry operates how it has been affected by migration pressures and restrictions on immigration.
Political Environment
1. Outline the political system of the main countries that your chosen organization operates.
2. How does your chosen country score in terms of democracy and how does this affect your chosen organization?
3. How is your chosen organization affected by the political system within the countries they operate?
4. How does your chosen country rank in terms of "ease of doing business" and how does this affect your chosen organization?
5. The ability to enforce property rights including intellectual property rights are an important factor in the ‘ease of doing business'. How does this affect your chosen organization and/or firms in your chosen industry?
6. How does the existence of, or the absence of, monopoly and/or oligopoly market power affect your chosen organization and/or in your chosen industry?
7. These are great differences between the wealth and income of people living in the richest and poorest countries of the world. How do these differences affect your chosen organization and/or firms in your chosen industry?
8. Within countries there are often great differences of wealth and income. How do these differences affect your chosen organization and/or firms in your chosen industry?
9. Countries can be characterized as "eastern" or "western". How do these differences affect your chosen organization and/or firms in your chosen industry?
10. With increasingly integrated world economy world political organization are increasingly important. Consider one of these (examples:UN, G8, G20, WTO) and explain its importance.
11. With increasingly integrated world economy regional political organization are increasingly important. Consider one of these (example:EU, NAFTA, ASEAN) and explain its importance.
12. Consider two foreign countries that your chosen firm or a firm from your chosen industry might want to invest in. Compare the two countries in terms of economic and political attractiveness.
Legal Environment
1. Briefly describe the main features of the legal system in your chosen country.
2. Briefly explain why knowledge of different legal system is useful for firms involved in international trade and investment. Gives example related to your chosen organization.
3. For a country in which your chosen organization or industry operates, what are some of the most important areas of legislation for your chosen organization.
4. In relation to your chosen organization operating across national boundaries consider which laws are most important.
5. Consider how membership of, or dealings with, a regional trade organization (examples:ASEAN, NAFTA, EU) affect your chosen organization.
6. What are the main rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and how might they affect your organization?
7. What are the main features of European Union competition laws and how might they affect your organization?
8. Health&Safety (H&S) laws are important for all business. How do H&S laws affect your chosen organization or industry?
9. Contract law is an important area of business law. Consider how the requirements of contract law affect your chosen organization
10. Property rights including intellectual property rights are an important area of business law. Outline how intellectual or physical property rights laws affect your chosen organization.
11. What are the main forms of intellectual property and how can they be protected? What is the importance of intellectual property protection for your chosen organization?
12. Employment rights laws are important for all business. How do these laws affect your chosen organization?
13. If dispute arise across national boundaries about the interpretation and/or implementation of contracts how can they be resolved?
14. Bribery and corruption can have damaging effects on international trade. What are some of the national and international laws that are most relevant in this area?
15. Product safety laws are important for many businesses. How do they affect your chosen organization?
16. Data protection and Internet security are increasingly important. How are they relevant to your chosen organization?
17. What are the main distinctions between contract law, tort, criminal law and international law? Give examples relating to your chosen organization.
Competitive Environment
1. The terms ‘industry' and ‘market' are often use inter-changeably but are also often used to make a distinction between an ‘industry' and a ‘market'. Explain this distinction using example and illustrations from your own chosen industry or market.
2. Which market structure (‘perfect competition', ‘monopoly', 'oligopoly', ‘monopolistic competition' or other) best applies to your chosen organization or industry? Explain
3. What firms exist in your chosen industry/market and which of them are your firm's closet competitors'? Which other more distant competitors' could give useful information and ideas for future development in your own industry/market?
4. Give an outline of Porter's Five Forces Analysis based on your chosen organization or a firm in your chosen industry.
5. Within the context of Porter's Five Forces Analysis and in relation to your chosen organization or industry explain one of the following forces: Competitive rivalry, customer power, buyer power, threat of new entrants, and threat of substitutes.
6. Porter's Five Forces Analysis identifies five major forces, which affect the competitive environment. What other important force could be included and how do they affect your chosen organization or industry/market.
7. What are differences between the Concentration Ratio(CR) and the Herfindahl Hirschman Index(HHI) methods of measuring industry/market concentration? How would this different measure give different results for your chosen industry?