EC221 – Assessment Brief 2017 – 2018
Version 2: 9th September 2017
• EC221 is assessed 100% by coursework.
• Be careful when selecting your group; you will be working together for the entire year.
• Going solo or changing group later is not an option.
• Your group must be formed with students from your own seminar class.
• Groups must contain 4 or 5 members and be setup on StudentCentral.
• Your seminar tutor must approve your group and industry choice.
Part 1 – Group presentation (25%)
• This presentation is worth 25% of the module.
Your employer is a UK-based multinational enterprise (MNE) looking to invest overseas. Your
employer has assigned you the task of researching your chosen global industry. You are required to
present on the structure and state of your industry, and on the macroeconomic health of one key
economy.
Instructions:
• Form a group of 4 or 5 students get it approved and registered on StudentCentral.
• Select a global industry: either one from the list below, or your own choice get it approved.
• Conduct an industry analysis, similar to that shown in Lecture 7 Multinationals, industries and
strategy.
• Select one consumer market (country) in your chosen industry and carry out an assessment
of its macroeconomic performance. You should select either the largest market or the fastest
growing market. It is recommended you make use of the key macroeconomic variables used
in Lecture 5 Economic Performance, and make use of benchmarking and comparisons (with
the other 3-4 consumer markets of the chosen industry).
• You must deliver a presentation consisting of the following:
• Global industry analysis (approx. 9 minutes) 60% of marks;
• Individual macroeconomic analysis of your chosen country (approx. 6
minutes) 40% of marks
• Allowed presentation time is 15 minutes. You will be penalised for exceeding, or failing to
reach, your allotted time. However, plus/minus 1-minute error is allowed.
• Presentations will take place in the Central Media TV Studio in weeks commencing 15th
January and 21st January.
• You must use Microsoft PowerPoint to produce your slides.
• Submission deadline for your presentation slides is 23:59 on Saturday 13th January 2018,
after which no changes can be made to your presentation. Effectively, the clock stops on your
analysis at this point. Remember – only online submission needed, and one per group.
• Presentations are checked for plagiarism – on-slide referencing is mandatory.
• On the day, bring your presentation on a USB drive and your tutor a colour printout of your
presentation.
• Ordering of presentations will be at your tutor’s discretion.
Pre-approved Global industries (whole industry or subsection thereof)
• Automobiles
• Textiles
• Smartphones
• Mining
• Oil & gas
• Telecommunications
• Aerospace and defence
• Pharmaceuticals
Part 2 – Group written report (25%)
• This report is worth 25% of the module.
Your employer was intrigued by your industry analysis and macroeconomic presentation and wants
to know more with the view of making an overseas investment. You are now assigned the task of
reporting on three key aspects of a potential overseas investment into your industry. These three
aspects are critical success factors of international ventures; be sure to report accurately from reliable
sources.
Instructions:
In your existing groups, keeping the same global industry as in Part 1, you must write a report on the
three aspects of an international investment into your chosen industry:
• Mode of entry
• Political factors
• Ethics in international business
Mode of entry
What is the most appropriate mode of entry for an international investment into your chosen industry?
Why is it the most appropriate mode? Discuss advantages and disadvantages. What investments risk
will your employer be exposed to?
Political factors
What political obstacles lie in your way? How can they be effectively dealt with? Is corruption an issue
to contend with? Might bribes need to be paid? Is this acceptable? Are we at the bottom of the pecking-
order? Do we have, or do we need, inside contacts? Is there a threat of war or expropriation of assets
in the country?
Ethics in international business
Which, if any, of the divergent approaches to business ethics is most suitable for an investment into
your chosen industry? Why might some approaches be unethical or inappropriate? Could we adopt a
hybrid approach?
Further information
• You may find it useful to focus on your analysis on your chosen economy from the
presentation – however, this is not a requirement.
• You absolutely must justify- and back-up your arguments using credible and reliable sources.
Examples of credible and reliable sources can be found in all your EC221 lectures and on EC221
Student Central pages.
• Your word limit is 1500 words; so that’s approximately 400 words per topic, leaving a few
hundred for a brief introduction and concise conclusion.
• Use footnotes with caution, and remember that appendices are not marked.
• You can exceed the word limit by 10% – that is Business School policy – but go over 110% and
you will be penalised.
• A report submitted with 1200 words is less likely to get a high grade than one with 1500 – you
need to use every single word available to you. Equally, it is a good skill to be able to meet the
word limit (1500 words) and not push to the upper limit.
• You are required to submit your report on Student Central, on the EC221 Assignment page.
No paper copy is required. Your work will be checked for plagiarism using Turnitin before
being marked online by your tutor. Feedback will be given through Turnitin.
• Submission deadline is Monday 5th February 2018.
Part 3 – Individual report (50%)
You will hear more about Part 3 once you have completed Parts 1 and 2. In short, it is a 2000-word
individual corporate financial analysis from your chosen global industry (same industry as in Part 1
and 2).
