Introduction The assignment is an important part of this module assessment scheme. It accounts for 70% of the overall mark. You are required to read carefully the case study provided and come up with a sound analysis and recommendations for the company's International Business. In order to prepare your assignment, other than the information provided in the case study, you should read the material provided in class, additional reference books, as well as articles and other information from the web. Assignments are individual pieces of work that should reflect your own opinion. You should therefore refrain from getting outside assistance or copying and pasting material from the internet or other sources in order to construct your arguments. Assignments are checked for plagiarism as part of the submission process. Background We have selected a case from the Harvard Business School titled "Haier: Taking a Chinese Company Global in 2011", by Tarun Khanna, Krishna G. Palepu and Phillip Andrews (May 15, 2012). "In 2011, Haier, China's leading appliance manufacturer, had over $20 billion in worldwide sales and had just been named the leading refrigerator manufacturer worldwide. This case describes Haier's rise over three decades, from a defunct refrigerator factory in China's Shandong province to an international player with $5.5 billion in overseas sales. Haier had followed a nontraditional expansion strategy of entering the developed markets of Europe and the United States as a niche player before venturing into Middle Eastern and neighboring Asian markets. Looking ahead to the next decade, Haier CEO Zhang Ruimin saw opportunities for Haier to grow through product diversification and additional market penetration in both developed and emerging markets. He and his colleagues would depend on their experience of acquiring numerous companies, entering and retaining new markets, restructuring the organization, and managing hundreds of subsidiaries around the world. They would need to determine which of the lessons learned from Haier's international operations should be implemented in China and which skills learned at home could best be applied abroad" (HBS) Key Points Assume you are working as a consultant for Haier to help the CEO to decide what would be the next strategic move in his international expansion. 2 Your report should contain the following:  Analysis of Haier as an MNE and its international position using concepts learned in class (for example, CSA/FSA, Hofstede's model etc.) Discuss factors considered in developing their international business including the political environment, culture, economics etc. Why the specific mode of entry into different markets was used? What changes were made to HRM and the organizational structure and how they affected the current position? How was innovation successful in this case?  Discussion of issues/challenges the company currently faces and anticipated changes in direction. What happened since 2011 when the case study was written until today? Did the company make the right moves? Was it successful or not?  Conclusions and recommendations for medium and long term development and implementation. Are you in agreement with the current strategy of the company or would you recommend anything different? Learning Objectives The objective of this case is to help students analyse a specific company and its history in International Business. This analysis should deepen their understanding of the choices available to MNEs as they expand internationally and the factors that could lead to success or failure. Marking Criteria The marking criteria for this assignment are below: Issues Marks (%) Company analyses and application of theories 25 Current issues and challenges 10 Recommendations and implementation options 15 Extra reading and research 10 Report organization, clarity, spelling, presentation, punctuation, page numbers, references, etc. 10 TOTAL 70 Submission and Deadlines Assignments plus cover sheets must be submitted on line in accordance with the deadlines and rules set up in this effect. Any questions contact the MBA Registrar. Length The written report should be at least 2500 words and maximum 3500 words (font size 12, Times New Roman font, 1.5 line spacing, and 2.54 cm margins) 3 The number of words in the report includes headings and the body of the report. References, annexes, tables, charts and other additional elements should be counted in addition to that. Assignment Format The assignment should be written in a business-style report format rather than a typical academic essay format. This assignment should reflect good strategic thinking and recommendations based on sound/logical business arguments as well as the contents delivered in class. Evidence on the use of references or bibliography should be present. As this module is part of a Business Programme, students are expected to use tables, charts and other visual elements to support their views and analyses, since this is common practice in the business environment. It is best to include the visuals within the text rather than in the annex for better understanding and ease of reading. Writing the Assignment The assignment should contain at least the following important parts:  Introduction  Your Objectives  Analyses  Discussion of current situation and issues  Recommendations and implementation  Conclusions References or Bibliography Most professional business reports also include an executive summary at the very beginning highlighting the main points in the report. However, since this assignment is quite short (2500 to 3500 words), such part should be skipped. At the very end, if necessary, annexes can be added. Tables and charts can be inserted within the main text. MY comments: 1- Please follow exactly (Key Points) above in drafting the assignment. 2- Please make sure to priorities and link all information as per the Learning Objectives and Marking Criteria above. 3- The assignment should cover all topics related to the following : a. Introduction to the Business world and International Business Environment b. Multinational Business Strategies c. International Production Strategies and International Marketing Strategies d. International Financial Management. 4- Essential Reading: a. 2012 International Business, 6THEdition, FT-Prentice Hall. 4 5- Recommended reading: a. John S. Hill (2004) World Business: Globalization, Strategy and Analysis, Thomson b. Hill CWL ( 2010) International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace, 8THEdition, McGraw-Hill c. Daniels J, Radebaugh L., and Sullivan D( 2011) International Business: Environments and Operations, 13TH Edition, Pearson d. Dicken P (2010) Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the Global Economy, 6th Edition, Sage e. Czinkota M, Ronkainen I and Moffett M. (2010) International Business. 8th Edition, Wiley f. Gupta AK, Govindarajan V and Wang H (2008) the Quest for Global Dominance, 2nd Edition, Jossey Bass g. Morrison J (2009) International Business: Challenges in a Changing World, Palgrave Macmillan h. Cavusgill ST, Knight G and Riesenberger JR (2007) International Business: Strategy, Management and the New Realities. Pearson Education i. Cheol E, Bruce R (2011) International Financial Management, 6th edition, Mcgrawhill(ISBN-13: 978-0078034657) j. Jeff M (2011) International Financial Management, 11th edition, South Western College (ISBN-13: 978-0538482967) 5- The Assignment and its content should be within in a business-style report format. 6- This assignment should be supported with some diagrams and / or statistics if possible. 7- You can reference and mention clearly the reference details (Bibliography references) and stick to the reading recommendations in point 4 and 5 above. 8- Ensure quality and prevent any type of copy and paste due to the fact that the entire assignment will be evaluated using Turin-tin system. 9- Please provide Turin-tin report and make sure that the similarity is lower than 6%. 10- A deadline is 10th Dec 2015. And appreciate if I can get it before the deadline. 11- Total assignment words should be between 3000 – 3500