Further information about general assessment criteria, ARTA regulations, referencing and plagiarism can be found on the module’s site on the e-Learning Portal.  Students are advised to read and follow this information.

Instructions on Assessment:

The module assessment comprises of an INDIVIDUAL research-based assignment that requires you to write an essay that represents 100% of the module mark. You are required to produce a report covering all four tasks of the assessment.

Focussing on a company of your choice that has some international presence, and assuming that the company is considering further international expansion into new countries, conduct a research-based strategic analysis addressing the following tasks.

1)   Applying the CAGE framework, identify similarities/differences between the home country of the company and two potential host countries (each in two continents that are different from the home   country   of   the   company).   Discuss   the   strategic   implications   of   those   CAGE similarities/differences, and recommend one of the two countries for the company to invest in. (30 marks, 900 words maximum)

2)   Using  Porter’s  National  Diamond  (PND)  framework,  evaluate  the  competitiveness  of  the recommended country focusing on the relevant industry the company is interested in, and summarise the strategic implications of the findings from the PND analysis for the company (25 marks, 750 words maximum)

3)   Based  on  the  findings  of the  above analyses,  identify what  should  be the  relatively  most important strategy out of the AAA (Adaptation, Aggregation or Arbitrage) strategies to focus on for the company to create value in the recommended host country to start with, and justify your recommendation. Reflect on how this strategy may shift over time as the firm continues to operate in the recommended country. (25 marks, 750 words maximum)

4)   Drawing  on  the above analyses and supported with other relevant sources, briefly discuss THREE cross-border challenges  in operating  in the  recommended  country that should  be considered by the company. Make your strategic recommendations for the company that could be useful in coping with those challenges. (20 marks, 600 words maximum)

Assignment Guidance Notes:

The word limit for the overall assignment is 3000 words.

Write a report addressing the assigned tasks. Use numbered headings and subheadings under each task. All the figures, charts and tables should be numbered and titled, and they should be referred to and used in the report.

There should be no first-person references (I, we, us) in the report.  If self-reference is required, you may refer to yourself as "the author" or "this report".

Assignments  require you to demonstrate that you  understand,  and you are able to apply theoretical concepts, models and frameworks, studied on the module, in your analysis in the report. Detailed descriptions of the frameworks that you use are not necessary.

This is a research-based assignment. Your analytical discussion must be supported by relevant sources of information (using in-text citations).

Clarity and concision are encouraged and will be rewarded. You should be thorough and detailed in your analysis, and all the points should be fully explained and justified. You could present the discussions under each question  in the body of the report and  include relevant tables, charts, graphs, and any other supporting evidence in the appendices. Do NOT clutter the tables with text. Use concise text/data to  make sure the table  is easy to understand.

The reports should have the following structure:

Cover page (with the module code, title, word count, your programme, and student ID)

Table of contents (with the page numbers)

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

List of references

Appendices

Appendices may be used only if they are necessary to support your discussion. The appendices should be properly organised and there should be in-text references to all the appendices.

The work must be word-processed and saved in PDF format for final submission. Line spacing 1.5, font size 12 and font type Arial should be used in the body of the report.

Do NOT mention your name, or tutor’s name anywhere on your assignment. Insert the page numbers and your student ID in the header or footer of every page of the report.

Badly written, badly organised and/or badly presented work will attract a low grade.

DO NOT copy text from any sources!   Use the information to produce your own analysis. Please familiarise yourself with what constitutes plagiarism and academic misconduct. For further information on plagiarism, see the Referencing and Plagiarism related topics on Skills Plus (www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus). Use only high quality and reliable sources.

You should use the APA (7th ed.) referencing style. Quick guide to Referencing APA 7th  ed on

Skills  Plus (https://cragside.northumbria.ac.uk/Everyone/skillsplus/database_uploads/55389635.pdf.) The official APA website:https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples.The official APA style. guide is

available in print to borrow from the library: American Psychological Association (2020) Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: the official guide to APA style, 7th  ed. (Located at 808.06615 PUB).

Please ensure that all the materials and sources used in your work are properly referenced!

Where to find additional assessment support:

Please see the assessment and submission folder and other relevant resources that can be accessed through the module Blackboard site. More details will be provided in the assessment briefing session and  during  weekly  seminars.  There  will  also  be  an  assignment  surgery.  A  discussion  board  for assessment related Q&As will be available on the module Blackboard site.

General notes:

If the assignment is within +10% of the word limit, no penalty will apply.

The word count is to be declared on the front page of your assignment and the assignment cover sheet.  The word count does not include:

Title and Contents page

List of References

Appendices

Appropriate tables, figures, and illustrations

Glossary

Bibliography

Quotes from interviews and focus groups.

Please  note,  in  text  citations  [e.g.  (Smith,  2011)]  and  direct  secondary  quotations  [e.g.  “dib-dab nonsense analysis” (Smith, 2011 p.123)] are INCLUDED in the word count.

If this word count is falsified, students are reminded that under ARTA page 11 Section 1.13.2 this will be regarded as academic misconduct.

If the word limit of the full assignment exceeds the +10% limit, 10% of the total marks available for the assignment (i.e., 100 x 10% = 10) shall be deducted from the assignment mark.  For example: An assignment which would have scored 70% but that has a word count greater than 10% of the prescribed word limit will be allocated 60% (i.e., 70 -10 = 60).