Portfolio Assignment

INTB 300 Portfolio Assignment

INTB 300 Assignment: Article Portfolio

Grade: 20% of final grade

Portfolio Objectives

The purpose of this project is to enable students to demonstrate their knowledge of important

international business concepts and apply research, analytical, and communication skills. Students

will demonstrate their ability to choose relevant sources, summarize key information, provide a

critical analysis, and use proper citation in their portfolio consisting of topics concerning one or more

of the international business issues presented in the textbook.

Students will be expected to show development of research and critical thinking skills by completing an

analysis of articles related to course content. Each portfolio must include 5 essays based on articles related

to topics in international business, with no more than 2 articles relating to any one chapter in the textbook.

Each essay of the portfolio should include a short summary of the article, a thesis statement, and a short

analysis demonstrating how the article relates to specific issues in international business.

For the portfolio, a minimum of 2 different sources must be used. Any print, audio, or audiovisual source

will be accepted. Students must describe articles that are not print-based in detail – for example, if you

include an interview, you must describe the circumstances under which the interview took place. Include a

copy of each article. NOTE: Reviews that only summarize an article and do not provide any critical

analysis will be given a mark of 0.

Steps: 1. Choose a recent article (less than 6 months old) from any source 2. Read the article 3. Consider how the article is related to current topics in Int’l Business 4. Summarize the article (approx 250 words) 5. Create a thesis/position/direction for the analysis based on Step 3. 6. Write the essay 7. Follow steps 1 – 6 for 5 different articles

Details:

The first paragraph of each essay should be a brief summary of the article. The last sentence of this

introductory summary should be your thesis – one sentence which introduces/states the approach you are

taking in the analysis.

The primary result of an analysis should be to inform readers fully about differences, options, drawbacks,

or challenges so that they can make an informed decision about the issue. A critical analysis should be clear

and concise; it should reveal the writer’s thinking about the items undergoing analysis; it should

demonstrate that the writer has provided supporting evidence for each position or option. For example, if you agree with the premise of the article, you might want to write your views giving reasons for your

support, and, if possible, include data (facts/figures) from outside sources. Each critical review should be

between 1 – 2 pages, double spaced, depending on the size/length of the article.

Note – each article analysis is a stand-alone essay. The full assignment consists of 5 article analyses.

INTB 300 Portfolio Assignment

Example: Analysis

Product Safety October 31, 2008, 9:09AM EST Nestlé Combats China Food Scandals

The Swiss food giant opens a $10.2 million R&D center in Beijing, as multinationals take steps to assure Chinese consumers their products are

safe

By Dexter Roberts

As the food safety crisis in China escalates—the latest news reports suggest that fish, pork, and chicken, along with milk and eggs, could be

contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, which has already sickened tens of thousands and killed at least four (BusinessWeek.com,

9/26/08)—multinationals are beginning to realize that simple reassurances are no longer sufficient. Indeed, in an effort to calm ever more skittish

consumers, companies are now starting to trumpet what they call major measures aimed at ensuring food safety.

So on Oct. 28, Wal-Mart (WMT) rushed to pull Hanwei-brand Chinese eggs off its shelves in China following reports that they might be tainted

(BusinessWeek.com, 10/30/08). This followed its Oct. 22 announcement of a major overhaul of its mainland supply system (Wal-Mart sources

almost $10 billion annually from China), aimed in part at better ensuring the safety of its products. "Cheating on the quality of products is the same

as cheating on customers. We will not tolerate that at Wal-Mart," said Chief Executive H. Lee Scott in Beijing on Oct. 22 (BusinessWeek.com,

10/24/08).

Now one of the biggest moves to date: On Oct. 31 the head of Swiss food products giant Nestlé (NESR.DE) announced the opening of a $10.2

million Beijing research and development center, complete with advanced product testing machines that can detect chemicals including melamine

(melamine has been used to fake higher levels of protein in Chinese dairy products). "The safety of consumers is quite clearly our top priority,"

said Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke, whose company has invested about $1 billion in Greater China over the last 20 years. "This center will serve as the

base and the reference in food safety for Nestlé in Greater China."

Protecting a Key Market

It's no surprise Nestlé is now at the forefront of talking up efforts to ensure food quality. Despite its insistence that it’s mainland-made products—

including powdered milk, Kit Kat chocolate bars, and Nestlé ice cream—are safe, there are widespread fears in China that use of melamine may

affect much more of the dairy and meat industry than so far has been revealed. And China is a key export manufacturing base as well as market for

Nestlé, the world's largest food company. The Swiss giant last year had revenues of close to $2 billion in Greater China. Earlier this month, Taiwan

authorities banned sales of China-made Nestlé infant formula and powdered milk after reportedly finding traces of melamine in the products.

(Nestlé insists that all its China-made products are safe.)

Nestlé's new center, which along with a second one in Shanghai brings total China R&D spending up to more than $16 million, will be key in

ensuring mainland-produced dairy products are safe, the company says. (The Beijing center also will do traditional product research and

development.) "Two highly sophisticated analytical tools for detecting trace amounts of residues and undesirable compounds like melamine or

veterinary drugs or natural toxins are currently in operation here at R&D Beijing," Nestlé Chief Technology Officer Werner Bauer said in Beijing.

At the center's opening, Nestlé also announced that since the milk crisis broke, it has sent 20 specialists from its Swiss headquarters to 5 of its 20

China plants to strengthen chemical testing for dangerous substances like melamine.

Consumer Confidence Collapsing

Despite the latest corporate measures, confidence in the mainland food industry is hardly growing. Besides Taiwan's recent move against Nestlé

products, over the last month the Hong Kong government has banned baby food and wafer crackers made by Heinz (HNZ), British candy maker

Cadbury (CBY) has pulled its chocolate off mainland shelves, and on Oct. 30 the Financial Times reported that the Indonesian government

destroyed 2,000 boxes of China-produced Mars, Snickers, and M&M chocolates. In all cases, there were fears the food products had been

contaminated with melamine.

The latest news reports that the melamine problems could affect China's entire meat, fish, and poultry market are sure to shatter already fragile

consumer confidence. In response to the reports, the Shanghai government has begun inspecting more than 100 fish farming operations in that city.

"The feed industry seems to have acquiesced to agree on using the chemical [melamine] to reduce production costs while maintaining the protein

count for quality inspections," the official English-language China Daily wrote in an Oct. 31 editorial.

"We cannot say for sure if the same chemical has made its way into other types of food. We hope it has not. But if fodder can be confirmed as the

source of contamination for eggs and milk, action must be taken to check how widespread the use of this chemical is."

Roberts is BusinessWeek's Asia News Editor and China bureau chief.

INTB 300 Portfolio Assignment

Reference Roberts, Dexter. (2008) FULL REFERENCE REQUIRED

Last Name, First Initial, INTB 300(xxx) 1

Nestlé Combats China Food Scandals

by Dexter Roberts Business Week October 31, 2008

-1-

The article, “Nestle Combats China Food Scandal,” attempts to examines the link

between the 2008 food safety scare in China and drastic actions multinationals have taken in

an effort to calm skittish consumers. China, with a population of roughly 1.3 billion, is a key

market for major international players such as Wal-Mart, Nestle, Heinz and Cadbury. Certain

foods contaminated with an industrial chemical called Melamine, had these companies pulling

different food off their shelves, recalling shipments and even going as far as dumping millions

into research and development facilities. This analysis will demonstrate the need for

companies to revamp global strategies to recreate value for consumers when the business

climate becomes volatile.

A Global Strategy can be defined as “an organization's strategic guide to globalization.”

Source information required for quotations! This type of strategy is typically linked to a goal to

maximize long-time profitability for a company. A crucial part of achieving the strategy set out by

managers is to create value for the consumers talk about the China case – use examples of how Nestle attempted to maximize

long-term profit – use details, facts, figures.and add related info.

Ultimately, to recreate value and re-establish trust among Asian consumers these companies

will be required to actively demonstrate the precautions and improvement they are initiating. This paragraph

should continue with information about Nestle (and others) …. …give more details, facts & figures related to precautions & improvements and

the importance and or effects of revamping this particular strategy..

It is inevitable that international companies dealing with food and non-perishable items will

have to deal with issues regarding the safety and quality of their products This paragraph should continue with

information about the case or cases presented in the article. …

Article name and

reference info

1st paragraph

summarizes article

Last line (thesis)

introduces

direction of

analysis

You should use as

many paragraphs as

it takes to express

your views clearly

and thoroughly.

In lieu of Running Head: Last name, first initial, course and section number

Concluding

paragraph which

summarizes key

points.

Page numbers

Proper reference using APA format. All 5 articles and any additional sources including the textbook should be reported on a

separate Reference Page –the last page of the report.

Most students write essays between 1 ½ and 2 pages for each article. The purpose of the assignment is for you to assess/analyze

different perspectives of international business and articulate your position clearly and concisely on those perspectives. Ultimately,

this assignment allows you to practice & improve your writing skills.

INTB 300 Portfolio Assignment

Portfolio Assignment FAQs

Q: Do I use APA format for the report? A: Yes. You should use APA format for the report (title page, running head, page format, etc.), for all in-

text citations, and for the reference page.

Q: Can I use older articles.

A: The Portfolio Assignment is an overview of “current” events and for that reason you should choose

articles that are no more than 6 months old. If you would like to use an article that explores an issue or

event that occurred more than 6 months ago, you should discuss it with your instructor.

Q: Do I have to submit the articles?

A: Yes. You should include copies of the articles in the assignment.

Q: Should the articles I choose be related to each other? A: No. You should not choose more than 2 articles on the same subject, nor should you choose more than

2 article from the same source.

Q: Can I write one long report instead of 5 separate essays? A: No.

Q: How long is the assignment? A: The assignment consists of 5 individual essays. Each essay should be about 500 words, no more than

750 words (2 pages, maximum 3 pages); in total the written part of the assignment should be 2500 – 3000

words (10 – 12 pages, excluding cover page, table of contents, reference page, and printed articles).

Q: Will I be graded on my grammar?

A: Yes. The Portfolio Assignment is a writing assignment and as such is intended to give you practice in

specific areas of writing: summarizing clearly and concisely, expressing a position or taking a stance

(evidenced in the development and presentation of a clear thesis statement), demonstrating logical

organization, coherence, and adequate development of main and supporting points, using information

gained in the textbook, the classroom, and from secondary sources to support your ideas, and most of all,

articulating your views in professional manner using appropriate and correct grammatical constructs,

sentences structure, spelling, and punctuation.

INTB 300 Portfolio Assignment

Portfolio Writing and Submission Guidelines

Following APA Guidelines, your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5" x

11") with 1" margins on all sides. You should use a clear serif font that is highly readable. APA

recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font. Include a your first name, last initial and the course

number and section as the page header (also known as the "running head") at the top of every page, left

justified. Page numbers should be at the top of the page, right justified.

 Your portfolio should be submitted as one document, hard copy, in class

 Include the following:

o A title page (include your name, course number and section) o A table of contents o Individual article analyses, each with its own title/heading, as per the guidelines example o A copy of each article, as per the guidelines example o A reference page which indicates ALL sources referenced. Use APA format

Note: failure to include any of the above components will result in a grade deduction.

EXAMPLE CRITERIA FOR GRADING/EVALUATION

Criteria 4 3 2 or 1 0 Pts Thesis/Position

Statement Position is

clearly stated

and consistently maintained.

Clear references to

the issue(s) are stated.

Position is clearly stated and consistently

maintained. References to the issue(s) at hand are

missing.

Position is stated, but is not

maintained consistently

throughout work.

Statement of position cannot

be determined

Supporting Information

Evidence clearly supports the

position;

evidence is sufficient.

Evidence clearly supports the position; but there is not enough evidence.

Argument is supported by limited

evidence.

Evidence is unrelated to

argument.

Organization Structure of work is clearly

developed.

Structure developed reasonably well, but lacks

clarity.

Some attempt to structure the

argument has been made, but the

structure is poorly developed.

There is a total lack of

structure.

Sentence Structure

Sentence structure is

correct.

Sentence structure is generally correct. Some awkward sentences do

appear.

Work contains structural

weaknesses and grammatical errors.

Work pays little attention

to proper sentence

structure and grammar.

Spelling & Word Usage

Spelling and word usage are

correct.

There are few/small errors in spelling and/or word usage that do not affect

comprehension

There are many errors in spelling

and/or word usage which limits reading

comprehension of the material.

There are four or more errors

in punctuation and/or

capitalization