MPM735/935
International Business Management
Trimester 1, 2017
Extra Information for Assignment 3 – Entry Strategy
Assignment 3: Entry Strategy
Type: individual formal written assignment
Due date: 2359 (11:59 pm) on Sunday, 4 June 2017, by online submission
Word limit: 3000-3500 words, definitely NO MORE (word count excludes only reference list and appendices, includes all else)
Value: 45% of the total marks for this Unit
Format: Written report
Hurdle requirement: None
Most of the information for Assignment 3 is contained in Lecture 8, which will be delivered on Friday, May 5, 2017, and will be available online late in that day on the echo system.
This document provides some extra information about the assignment.
Marking Rubric
A copy of the marking rubric will be posted online. You may use this to help you prepare your report. The rubric will be used to assess and provide feedback on your work. Please note all assessment tasks are scored out of 100, and are then scaled to the percentage value of each assessment. Assignment 3 is worth 45% of the marks for the Unit.
Assignment 3 Checklist
A list of all the points you may need to consider in completing Assignment 3 is provided below.
This list is quite comprehensive: you may dismiss some of these points as not being important for the company and the country, but you should at least briefly think about them all. Your objective should be to give clear guidance to the company on how they should enter this country market.
Without this analysis you will NOT get good marks.
Executive summary Yes No
Provides key findings on most sections (i.e. industry, market, competitor, SWOT, strategy, entry mode, structure, controls and key functional strategies) in the assignment, summarises the report and provides an overall recommendation in no more than one page.
Introduction
Company profile
Scope/parameters of the report
Methodology used
Limitations of report
Industry Analysis
Identifies the industry that the company is in
Provides statistics on the size and growth of the industry
Identifies the key locations for the industry in the target country
Identifies segments/divisions within the industry
Market Analysis
A brief market analysis is provided
Identifies relevant segments
Items include: what market the company is trying to reach; size of the market; whether it is saturated or not; whether the market growing, stable or volatile; the importance of one segment over another (if applicable)
Competitor Analysis
Identifies the key competitors in the industry/market relevant to the company
Provides a description of those competitors including their size, location, products/services, strategy, focus, opportunities and threats to the company
Identifies the level of competition in the market
Identifies whether the industry and market are attractive for making a profit
SWOT
Conducts a SWOT analysis
Identifies 3 to 5 internal key strengths and 3 to 5 weaknesses
Identifies 3 to 5 external opportunities and 3 to 5 threats
Draws conclusions from this analysis
Strategy
From the SWOT analysis develops a strategy and achievable goals
What - Identifies the strategy chosen
Clearly identifies which strategy the company will pursue in the target country including location
Why – Explains choice of the strategy using:
- Environmental data from factors of Assignment 2
- Industry/market and competitor data from Assignment 3
How- Articulates tactics to achieve those goals
Entry Mode
How - Clearly chooses an entry mode(s), justifies the choice and very briefly articulates why other modes were not chosen
Explains the entry mode and how it works for the company
Explains the resources and timeframe needed for implementation of the chosen entry mode
Structure
Clearly identifies the structure that the company will need to achieve its strategy
Provides a diagram / chart of what this structure looks like for the company
Forecast
Identifies and explains the strategy the company might want to follow in the next five years
Recommendations & Conclusions
All data presented in the report is analysed and evaluated, which leads to key recommendations for the company.
The report concludes appropriately, and is coherent and logical.
Overall
The report is practical (while being carefully based on theory) and can be implemented if environmental conditions are favorable.
Assignment 3 links to Assignment 2 (Assignment 2 is used to inform the strategy creation for Assignment 3).
Submission file named Group # - MPM735 – Assignment 3 FINAL
* * * *
Dr Murray Frazer May 2017