Political Economy of International Business

Assessment Task Case Study of Major international business Theory - Individual Essay 

Assessment name: The Multinational Enterprise in Global Production and Trade Networks

Assignment due date:

Friday, 6 May 23.59 (Week 9)

Length: 3,000 words (Individual) (+/- 10%)

Feedback mode: 

Feedback will be provided by/using Turnitin.

Your Assignment 2 rubric is provided below and will be discussed in class as we wish to engage with you in face-to-face mode.

Details: 

The world of international business is complex and contested. It is also changing rapidly. These changes apply to international business as a whole, the frameworks and structures of businesses themselves, and the way we understand them.

Your task is to write a referenced essay in response to one of the two questions below.

General advice:

Before listing the essay questions, consider this general advice, which relates to the marking rubric and is relevant to all of the essay questions. For more detailed advice on essay writing, see the course writing modules and consult your tutor.

· All essays must have an argument. It is up to you to decide exactly what you will argue in your essay, but it must speak directly to the question.

· Each essay must refer to one or more of the theories discusses in weeks 5 and 6 of the course. Take the time to read widely on the theory (or theories) relevant to your question before you start forming your analysis and argument.

· Each essay question relates to the historical development of a contemporary outcome. Good essays must show an awareness of these trends.

· Essays must cover a sufficient amount of scholarly literature on the topic. This should involve a minimum of 10 scholarly sources - but remember that the quality of your analysis of these sources is as important as the number of them used. In addition to these scholarly sources you can also use data from industry sources and other reliable non-scholarly sources.  

· Remember what we discussed in our first writing module: the accuracy of business theory is not the same things as the effectiveness of business strategy. Avoid writing about what firms should and shouldn’t do for their own benefit and think about the bigger picture of how businesses are structured and their relationship with social/political context.

· Essays must be referenced consistently in the Harvard in-text system.

· It is your responsibility to avoid plagiarism. You will receive a copy of the Turnitin originality report as a guide - note that the numerical "score" of this report is not what we use to judge for plagiarism.  

Structure advice

Each essay question will have its own structure, but the following basic form applies to all. More detail on the structure of an essay can be found in the writing modules.

· (Do not include a table of contents or an executive summary)

· Start with an introduction

· Include a section addressing the theory (or theories) relevant to the question

· Include a section applying this theoretical understanding to your selected industry

· A conclusion

· A reference section

Questions:

Choose one of the following two questions:

Question 1:

Advocates of GVC development claim that developing country firms and industries can "upgrade" into higher value activities within value chains. Is this actually possible? Explain why/why not, focusing on a case industry of your choice. 

Further guidance for this question:

· This question relates to the content of week 5: global value chains. Before researching a response, make sure you've viewed this lecture and read the essential materials. 

· It is crucial that you show that you understand what GVCs are, and how they are different from other forms of multinational business. 

· Pick a case industry that has clearly embraced GVC .production patterns. 

· The question refers specifically to the prospects of "upgrading". You should search for this term in the GVC literature and develop an argument as to whether it is possible or not. Your essay should look for examples where upgrading by developing country firms/industry has taken place, or where it is not. 

· Follow all of the "general advice" and "structure advice" stated above, and discussed in the writing modules.

 

Question 2:

Is the "platform economy" political stable? Answer in reference to one industry 

Further guidance for this question:

· This question relates what we looked at in week 6: intangible capital, platform businesses and the growing political movements against them. Before researching a response, make sure you've viewed this lecture and read the essential materials. 

· Answers must assess the potential threats posed to platforms by political movements which seek to reduce their power. 

· The question asks for a case industry, but if that industry is monopolised by one major platform firm, you may end up focusing mainly on that one firm

· Your essay's argument must respond directly to the question: is the risk from this political environment a threat to these firms or not? To make this argument, make sure that you find a lot of examples of politics risk in both the past and present.

· Follow all of the "general advice" and "structure advice" stated above, and discussed in the writing modules.