THE BUSINESS GLOBALIZATION PROJECT
The purpose of this assignment is to help you understand and apply text principles to real-world organizations. We have covered in the course business fundamentals, global environments, and generic global strategies. You will conduct research that demonstrates how firms deal with global shifts. In other words, you will build a systemic view of your selected organization's relationship with a global world. The project report consists of individual components and a group component; the individual component accounts for 20 marks and the group component accounts for 10 marks. In total, the project report accounts for 30 marks (the project presentation accounts for additional 15 marks).
1. Select Your Industry and Firms
Each group is to identify an industry and each member is to study a firm in the industry. Ordinarily there will be no more than four people studying firms in the same industry.
2. Prepare the Individual paper (20%)
Use library and credible electronic sources to find information suitable for answering a)–c) below. This is a research paper; you must consult multiple sources beyond those generated by the organization itself. See information below for guidelines on the number of references required, and the balance between company publications and more objective sources. When writing, think of yourself as an analyst rather than a reporter. This means that when you describe a business activity, you also need to explain how that description advances some points you are making. Your audience is a business reader interested in working for or investing in the firm and part of your job is to help the reader evaluate this firm.
3. Individual Paper Content
a) Introduction to the firm
i. Provide a brief introduction to the firm
Bring us up to date with the company and events affecting it. If the enterprise has a long history, review it briefly, putting major emphasis on events most relevant to the firm’s global activities. ii. Describe the firm today
Outline the businesses in the company portfolio and explain what percentage of its revenues/profits comes from the business that represents the industry you are to study. In some cases, e.g., McDonald’s, the portfolio is comprised of a limited range of products. In other cases, e.g., General Electric, the parent company owns a huge number of businesses in different industries ranging from white goods (appliances) to consumer and industrial products.
b) Explain how the firm meets common global challenges (global environment)
This is the main part of the individual component. Show the success and failure of your company in the globalization process and try to summarize the reasons behind this. Try to 1

organize your materials according to the business functions we have learned in the course. Provide two concrete examples from your readings to show how your organization is affected by one or more of the common challenges.
c) References
There are two good reasons to reference. First, referencing acknowledges that ideas are the intellectual property of others. Second, referencing helps readers begin where the researcher stopped rather than begin at the same place as the researcher began. The details of referencing can sometimes be challenging. What you want to bear in mind is this: any information in the paper (other than your original thoughts) must be acknowledged by means of a parenthetical citation in the body of the paper, e.g., (Parker, 1998). Direct quotes should include quote marks and page numbers.
4. Details for Preparing Your Individual Paper
Organizing the Paper
The papers should be organized as follows:
1. Put the firm name in the first page, followed by your name and student ID.
2. In the body of the paper provide headings and subheadings reflective of assigned categories shown above. Headings and subheadings are useful to the reader and help the writer to ensure all assigned topics are covered.
3. Single spaced.
4. Number the pages.
5. Prepare a minimum of 2–3 paragraphs on each topic; 1⁄2–1 page on history alone; references are found at the end.
6. Page limit: a maximum of 4 pages exclude references and appendix.
5. The Group Project (10%)
The group project is an analysis of how firms in the selected industry are coping with/adapting to the global environment. Its purpose is to help each person gain greater insight into a specific global industry and into the managerial adaptations occurring in the industry. As a group you need to think about and plan for how individual research can help you meet group goals.
Content for the Group Project/Paper i. Introduction
Introduce us to the industry, if needed, by describing identified segments of the industry, and the one(s) you are studying. For example, in the airline manufacturing industry, segments include large, medium, and small jet production, and divisions might include commercial or defense buyers. Then provide a brief introduction to the firms you’ve studied, indicating to what extent these firms represent the industry. For example, in the music business, the top five producers issue about 90% of music. In the steel industry, the top five producers represent only about 12% of the industry. Obviously, if your group has studied about 90% of production you can make
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 more definitive statements about the industry than if you've studied only 12% of producers. Be aware of that. Additionally, this introduction should introduce summary points such as what the paper is going to show about globalization and its effects on firms in the industry. ii. The global environments and reaction strategies
Provide headings for the global environments we have studied and provide text to demonstrate organizational responses to globalization in each environment. Put particular emphasis on showing how firms are adapting to operate in these various global environments. Preferably, provide examples from different firms in each global environment studied (these need not be only from the firms you have specifically studied). Create summary statements for each section to explain how the examples you’ve chosen are reflective of or atypical for the industry. iii. Conclusion
Provide a conclusion of 1–2 pages to summarize your industry findings and outlook to the future. In particular, summarize in what ways firms in this industry are adapting to survive and succeed at a global level. Use evidence you’ve provided in your papers (or that you've acquired from readings for this class) to describe anticipated changes for firms in this industry as globalization continues. For example, how is the rapid pace of change likely to affect firms you've studied? Additionally, use this newly acquired knowledge to describe the types of activities you believe are necessary for firms to succeed in this industry over the longer run.
As you did in your individual papers, cite references using parenthetical style. Provide a separate “References” page for the paper.
6. Details for Preparing Your Group Project Report
Organizing the report
The report should be organized as follows:
1. Put the industry name in the first page, followed by your group ID, student ID and name.
2. In the body of the paper provide headings and subheadings reflective of assigned categories shown above. Headings and subheadings are useful to the reader and help the writer to ensure all assigned topics are covered.
3. Single spaced.
4. Number the pages.
5. Prepare a minimum of 2–3 paragraphs on each topic. References are found at the end.
6. Page limit: a maximum of 12 pages exclude references and appendix.
Challenges to consider: avoid grammar/style differences that demonstrate you did not coordinate when preparing the paper. Additionally, try to avoid uneven references that demonstrate lack of coordination.
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7. Submission Channel and Deadline
Both individual reports and group report will be due on 2 May, 2013 by 22:00 (i.e. 10:00pm). Each team member has to turn in your individual report via Blackboard assignment. Teams are required to appoint a team representative and submit the group report and presentation materials via Blackboard assignment before the deadline. No hard copies are required.
Note: Assignment submission through email is strictly prohibited. Any late submission will incur a penalty of 10% deduction of marks for every day or part of a day that it remains not submitted.
8. Group Presentation (15%)
The group presentation will be held during lecture class on week 13 at G4302. The maximum durations of time allowed for each presentation team are 15 minutes.
Due to time constraint, no overrun of presentation is allowed. You will be asked to stop once the time limits are reached. Each team member has to take turns to present about the contents of their individual paper. Teams shall appoint one or two representatives to report your findings on the group project.
Formal dress code is required for each presenter. English is the only media for the presentation talk and presentation materials. Other teams are optional and welcome to attend for the presentation as observers; however, you should be absolutely quiet; no chatting or discussion is allowed during presentation.
Free riders
Free-riders are strictly prohibited or will be penalized once they are identified. If this is the case, the affected team members have the obligations to report it to me via email on or before week 12. When it is deemed appropriate, all members within the team will be asked to perform a self and peers’ evaluation individually. Disciplinary actions such as marks / grades adjustment might be made to the free-rider(s) once the case is substantiated.
Good luck! Sandy
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