BUS371 End-of-Course Assessment Doing Business with China Plagiarism and Collusion Plagiarism and collusion are forms of cheating and are not acceptable in any form in a student’s work, including this ECA. Plagiarism and collusion are taking work done by others or work done together with others respectively and passing it off as your own. You can avoid plagiarism by giving appropriate references when you use other people’s ideas, words or pictures (including diagrams). Refer to the APA Manual if you need reminding about quoting and referencing. You can avoid collusion by ensuring that your submission is based on your own individual effort. The electronic submission of your ECA will be screened by plagiarism detection software. For more information about plagiarism and collusion, you should refer to the Student Handbook (Section 5.2.1.3). You are reminded that SUSS takes a tough stance against plagiarism or collusion. Serious cases will normally result in the student being referred to SUSS’s Student Disciplinary Group. For other cases, significant mark penalties or expulsion from the course will be imposed. Relevant Resources: You might want to refer to reports on China by global consulting firms such as McKinsey and Company (http://www.mckinseychina.com/), Bain and Company (http://www.bain.com/china/), and PricewaterhouseCoopers (http://www.pwccn.com/home/eng/index.html), to name a few. You might also want to refer to the Harvard Business Review for articles on China (https://hbr.org/). SECTION A (Total 65 marks) Background: China’s GDP has experienced phenomenal annual growth for much of its post-1978 economic development. However, China’s GDP growth has slowed considerably in recent years and officials have termed this trend the “new normal”. From a macro perspective, the Chinese government is moving away from an export- and investment-driven model to one that is more reliant on services and domestic consumption. Assume that you are a risk management consultant in a multinational corporation, which is planning to enter China’s market to provide logistics service. Note: This assignment will require you to use and apply the knowledge acquired in BUS371, as well as conduct research using the internet and/or the library. Question 1 State clearly and describe in detail the type of service that your company will provide in China. What exactly is your company going to provide? (E.g. logistics or retail services for what type(s) of goods?) (3 marks) Examine the feasibility of providing the service in China, taking into account ALL of the following factors: Domestic, regional and global market trends. Include some descriptive statistics and graphs. Geographical location(s) in China where the service will be provided. Explain your choice(s). Current consumer behaviour and trends in China. Include some descriptive statistics and graphs. Main competitors Availability of manpower and talent in China Infrastructure requirements (E.g. do you need high-tech equipment to run the service that you are proposing? If so, are those equipment readily available?) Government restrictions and regulation Intellectual property. State and explain whether this is applicable. (16 marks) Given rising internet consumerism, you are also considering leveraging e-commerce to springboard your service in China. Analyse the practice and state of Chinese e-commerce in the service industry that you have chosen. You should pay attention to the following prompts to help you answer this question: Is the use of e-commerce still in its nascent stages for the sector in question? Are competitors leveraging e-commerce? Why or why not? What is the trend like? (8 marks) Critically evaluate how you would use e-commerce to enhance the service that your company is providing in China. (10 marks) Question 2 Discuss one (1) cultural norm that might be relevant to the service industry that you have chosen in Q1(a). Assess the resulting challenges for your company operating in China. (3 marks) Predict and critically examine how consumer preferences for the service your company provides will change in the year 2026, focusing mainly on sociological, economic and political trends in China. (8 marks) Question 3 Note: This question is not linked to the previous questions. Supply chain management strategies are predominantly concerned with cost efficiency. However, having a reliable supply chain is also important for the sustainability of businesses. As the world’s largest manufacturer of goods, China has a vested interest in supply chain sustainability. Moreover, with major disruptions in recent years ranging from the global recession in 2007/08 to natural disasters to domestic labour strikes, China seeks to improve its supply chain management strategies and build resilience. Assume that you are an economic strategist at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) of Singapore. Given the long-standing warm bilateral relations between Singapore and China, you have been tasked by the Singapore government to provide some analysis to our Chinese counterpart on how to improve their supply chain resilience. Focusing on an industry of your choice, assess how China can improve its supply chain resilience by considering ALL of the following: The nature of the supply chain, examining whether or not the supply chain consists of multiple suppliers and the resulting extent of supply chain disruption Critical supply chain hubs and their locations (also consider chances of labour strikes and/or natural disasters in these locations) Reliance on foreign suppliers Level of government regulation in China Political corruption in China Logistics and inventory measures (17 marks) SECTION B (Total 25 marks) Note: Refer to your answers in questions 1 and 2. The senior management of the firm is asking for a presentation to summarise the feasibility of entering China’s market. Prepare a short script of the presentation. The presentation should address the following issues: What type of service will be provided in China? Briefly explain why. Who are the target customers in China? What are the operations that the firm needs to set up in China? How viable is your proposal? Is your proposal realistic? From Q1b, select four points that you think are the most important and summarise your analysis. (25 marks) ----- END OF ECA PAPER -----