MNB3701 Assignment 2 (ANSWERS) Semester 2 2024 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED

Well-structured MNB3701 Assignment 2 (ANSWERS) Semester 2 2024 - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED. (DETAILED ANSWERS - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED!)..... Executive summary Important: • Your report should start with an executive summary. • An executive summary should summarise the key points of the report (maximum 300 words). • The key elements of the executive summary must include the following elements (1) the purpose of the report, (2) objectives that you aim to accomplish in your report, (3) key findings, (4) conclusions drawn, and (5) recommendations. • Note you will only indicate the conclusions drawn from your evaluation in reports 1, 2, and 3, and NOT make any recommendations for future management action in the first report. MNB3701/PORTFOLIO OF WORK/SEMESTER 2/2024 10 • Note recommendations, covering the entire report are only to be made in the final report. • Write the executive summary only once you have completed all the other required sections of the first report. (5 marks) 6.3.3 Literature search • Write a brief and concise description of the literature search you have undertaken (maximum 200 words). • It must be a brief description of how you went about doing the literature search. It is not merely a list of the elements of your literature search undertaken. • Note your literature search should focus on scholarly literature related to the topics of your assignment. • In terms of the key elements that must be included in the description of your literature search: (1) You must indicate the period considered in your literature search (for example the period from 2010 to 2022), (2) search terms used, which may indicate inclusion or exclusion criteria used (3) the databases and search engines used, (4) the results of your search, (5) number of articles that you read (for example abstracts that you have read) and (6) how many of these sources did you consider and useful in completing the first report. • This literature description should be presented as a paragraph and not as a bullet point statement. • Then indicate the sources you have decided to use in writing up your report. Reference these sources in-text and the bibliography at the end of your report. • Note that in-text references and the bibliography should align. • You may add a table at the end of your report as an annexure to give an overview of the articles considered in writing your report. This will help to meet the word limit for the literature section. Do not include a list of sources in the literature section. The list of sources used must be included in the literature section. • You must reference at least 10 sources that you have used that are reputable and/or scholarly in writing your first report. • Note sources or articles already cited in the online learning units should not form part of the 10 references/sources you have decided to use. These sources must be added if used in addition to the required ten sources. MNB3701/PORTFOLIO OF WORK/SEMESTER 2/2024 11 • It is advised to read the required article readings, in each of the learning units, before starting your literature search, as these articles are a useful starting point to do your literature search. • Websites constructed by anonymous authors and “wiki-like” pages are not considered reputable scholarly sources. These sources have not been peer-reviewed. Hence, careful discernment is required in the sources used to write up your report. (5 Marks) 6.3.4 Background • In this section of your report write a brief and concise description that will give the reader sufficient background to the MNE’s path to internationalisation (maximum 500 words). • Include in the background section aspects such as the: (1) historical path the organisation has taken to become an MNE and (2) key decisions or the role of decision makers/leaders played in becoming an MNE. (3) It is also important to indicate the motivation for expanding operations into Africa and the product markets served by the MNE. • Conclude the background section by stating the objectives set by the MNE’s management (review section 2.2) that you will address in the first report. (10 Marks) 6.3.5 Formal institutional frameworks Important: • The first objective that you must accomplish in writing all three of the reports is to identify and evaluate the determinants of the success or failure of operating the MNE in the African context. • The second objective to accomplish is to draw conclusions from your evaluation. In other words, what implications for management action are drawn from your evaluation of the determinants of the success or failure of operating the MNE that you picked? • Note the institutions-based perspective is a useful theoretical perspective to identify, evaluate, and explain what determines the success or failure of an MNE operating in different locations internationally. • Required article readings are as follows: MNB3701/PORTFOLIO OF WORK/SEMESTER 2/2024 12 • Peng, MW, Wang, DY & Jiang, Y. 2008. An institution-based view of international business strategy: a focus on emerging economies. Journal of International Business Studies 39(5):920–936. • Brandenburger, AM & Nalebuff, BJ. 1995. The right game: use game theory to shape strategy (volume 76). Chicago: Harvard Business Review:57–71. • It is important to understand the two propositions made in the institutions-based view and then make a judgment based on facts found which one of these two propositions applies to the MNE you are reporting on. • DO NOT merely describe institutional workings, considerations, or theory. You must use the theory to evaluate which one of the propositions applies to the MNE you have picked. Guidelines for preparing and writing up the section on formal institutional frameworks (maximum 1000 words): • In preparing to write your report, you should have done the required readings and your homework first on the formal institutional frameworks in the host country. This will be crucial to develop a thorough understanding of how the workings of formal institutions govern the behavior of the MNE. • Only then evaluate which aspects of the workings of formal institutions are key to the success or failure of the MNE’s operations. This may include current issues or debates on the workings of institutions that are affecting the current operations or future direct investments by the MNE in the host country. • Finally, given your evaluation of formal institutions: what key implications did you draw from your evaluation for management action? (20 Marks) 6.3.6 Informal Institutional Frameworks Important: • The second proposition in the institutions-based view is that formal and informal institutions combine to govern MNEs behavior, but in contexts where formal institutions’ constraints are not clear or inadequate (meaning the rules of the game), then informal constraints will play a much larger role in reducing uncertainty and provide constancy operating the MNE. (20 Marks) MNB3701/PORTFOLIO OF WORK/SEMESTER 2/2024 13 Guidelines for preparing and writing up the section on formal institutional frameworks (maximum 1000 words): • In preparing to write this section of your report, you should have done your homework on the informal institutional frameworks of the host country. This will be crucial to developing a thorough understanding of how the workings of informal institutions govern the behavior of MNEs and will include reading up on the concept of contextual intelligence. • Required article reading: Khanna, T. 2014. Contextual intelligence. Harvard Business Review 92(9):58–68. • Then evaluate which aspects of the workings of informal institutions are key to the success or failure of the MNE. • Your evaluation should also focus on whether the MNE is acting culturally intelligent or needs to develop cultural intelligence. • You should also consider in your evaluation issues and debates provoked by informal institutions such as culture, ethics, and norms in the host country. • Finally, given your evaluation of informal institutions: what key implications did you draw from your evaluation of informal institutional workings for management action? 6.3.7 Conclusions • In writing the conclusions section (maximum 500 words), you must show how the management problem identified in section 2.1 connects to the conclusions drawn from your evaluation and derived from your evidence presented in the report (as opposed to personal interpretations, is required). In other words, you must connect what you investigated with the facts found (and not your personal interpretations) about the management problem identified. • The conclusions should close the “circle” of your report by connecting to the management problem you were initially presented with.