International Business Country Analysis Assignment

Assignment # 2 – Business Report: Company Analysis

You are an analyst in the Industry Department of the government of a developing nation (for this

assignment, the particular country is not important). Like many developing nations, the majority of your

workforce is unskilled to semi-skilled, and your country is trying to develop an industrial base which

will provide jobs and help raise the standard of living of the population. However, your government is

wary of letting foreign companies set up operations in your country that might harm, or treat unfairly,

the county, its people, or its resources. Several companies have recently petitioned your government for

permission to set up operations in your country (see list of companies provided). You have been asked

by the Minister of Industry to analyse your choice of any one of the companies on the list provided.

The Minister is a very busy person, so it is important that the report be written in a clear and concise

manner. It will be judged on the factual information it contains, the clarity of your argument and the

depth of your analysis. Please note that you should not try to gather data that supports only one side or

the other of whether or not to give the company permission to proceed. Rather, you should gather all the

pertinent data and let your analysis guide you to the best recommendation.

The report is to be a maximum of 10 pages (doubled spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font, 2.54

cm margins) plus title page, table of content, references, and appendices. The title page must contain

your name, student number, name of course and professor, date, and the company you have chosen from

the list provided. The first half page (maximum) of the report will be an executive summary of the

report’s highlights, including your recommendation. The remainder of the ten pages will cover the

material noted in the rubric below with marks allocated as shown. Please number the pages and use the

items listed in the rubric as headings in your report.

Only the first 10 pages in your report will be read and graded. Two or more relevant appendices are

expected. You may include relevant appendices at the end of the ten-page report (Appendices go after

the list of references. You must mention them in the body of your report).

The report must cite at least 6 different sources. Information sources could include the company’s

own website and annual reports, and from business journals, business newspapers, business websites,

etc. Be wary of relying too heavily on any one source, especially a company’s own website as they will

most certainly put a positive spin on all of the company’s activities. Do not use Wikipedia. Ensure that

all data is cited. In this report, there should be few, if any, quotes. If you do use a quote, ensure that it

is in quotation marks and properly cited. Keep in mind that if a quote is not in quotation marks and

properly cited, it is considered plagiarism.

Please note that Carleton University offers a Writing Tutorial Service through the Centre for Student

Academic Support (CSAS) that provides writing consultations, 1-on-1 learning support sessions, and

online workshops to help you with your writing. This may be especially helpful for those for whom

English is a second language. Information can be attained on their website (https://carleton.ca/csas/).

Late submissions will not be accepted.

No in-text citations = zero on the assignment.

Assignment #2 Rubric

Items

Item %

of

Grade

Description

Executive Summary

10 This should be a concise and very well written summation of the whole report.

Approximately 0.5 page*

Company Description

10 The industry or industries the company operates in, the size of the company in annual

revenue and workforce size, where the company is headquartered, where the company

has operations, the types of goods and services the company provides, how stable and

successful the company seems to be, and any major news stories about the company over

the last few years. Other relevant information. ~ 1.5 page*

Company’s

International Strategy

15 The company’s strategy (e.g., global, transnational…), particular regions in which it

concentrates, where it does research and development activities (R&D) and why you

think it chooses these regions/countries. Who the company’s competitors are and what

the company’s major strengths and weaknesses seem to be. Your views on their strategy

for the short as well as the long terms. ~ 1.5 page*

Company’s Marketing

Approach

15 Where the company sells its products and why you think it chooses these

regions/countries, product/service marketing strategies especially with respect to the

level of standardization or customization of products/services, distribution channels and

communications methodologies the company uses in different countries. ~ 1.5 page*

Company’s Logistics

Approach

10 Where it produces goods and services and why you think it chooses these

regions/countries based on country factors, technological factors, and product factors.

~ 1.25 page*

Company’s Human

Resource Management

(HMR) Approach

10 Any information relative to the company’s approach to HRM in international settings

and how this may affect its impact on operations in your country. ~ 1.25 page*

Analysis

15 An analysis of the risks and benefits inherent in allowing the company to do business in

your country. This section must be a logical distillation of most important facets of the

previous sections. ~ 2 pages*

Recommendation and

Conclusion

5 Your recommendation regarding allowing the company to set up operations in your

country. This section must be a logical follow-on from the summary of risks and

benefits. ~ 0.5 page*

Presentation and

appendices

5 Structure (e.g., headings), format, spelling, grammar, and clarity of writing. Quality and

relevance of appendices.

References

5 Use of at least 6 sources. Accurate use of academic style: in-text citations and references

list.

100

Asterisk (*) indicates recommended page length for each section.