1. International businesses look to locate foreign operations in countries which are politically stable. Outline and critically discuss the criteria by which a company may judge whether or not a country is stable. Justify your arguments by reference to particular countries/companies.
2. For a global company from a western economy contemplating a joint venture with a foreign partner in China what are the cultural difficulties likely to be encountered? By applying the work of Hofstede and Trompennars, explain your recommendations to enable the joint venture to have the best chance to succeed?
3. Compare and contrast various internationalisation strategies of businesses. Explain with company examples the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
4. Identify a country which is a member of a particular trading bloc of your choice. Examine the positive and negative aspects of membership of this bloc from the viewpoint of the country's ability to engage in free trade.
5. To what extent is Research and Development {R& D} becoming ‘globalised'? In what ways may developing countries reap R& D advantages which could spill over into their domestic companies?
6. Identify, for one particular country of your choice, the key macroeconomic problems it has been experiencing in the recent past. Consider the range of macroeconomic policy instruments that the government of your chosen country had at its disposal, giving evidence of how it deployed them, and providing data by which its success may be judged.