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International Business / Global Strategy
2,500 words
Global Business (NBS-7088X) — Summative Report: Home-Country Institutions and Culture in an Emerging-Market MNE's CSR, Structure and Foreign Entry Strategy
This Level 7 summative report answers a single contested question: in 2026, do a multinational enterprise's home-country formal institutions and culture still carry real implications for how it behaves abroad? The analysis is written from the position of a regional executive or international business analyst advising on the institutional environment facing a chosen firm, and it is deliberately argumentative rather than descriptive — the brief rewards a position taken and defended. One MNE is selected under firm constraints: its home country must be an emerging or developing economy and its host country an advanced one, which puts institutional distance at the centre of the case. That asymmetry matters, because the firm is carrying the governance norms, regulatory habits and cultural expectations of a weaker-institution origin into a market with stronger and differently configured rules. The report then works through three domains. On corporate social responsibility, it examines how home-country regulation, enforcement capacity and societal expectation shaped the firm's CSR orientation, and whether what it does in the host market reflects genuine institutional transmission or adaptation to host pressure — distinguishing substantive practice from legitimacy-seeking signalling. On organisational structure, it analyses how home-country ownership patterns, family or state involvement, hierarchy norms and control preferences shaped the configuration of subsidiaries, the degree of autonomy granted, and where real decision rights sit. On foreign entry strategy, both components demanded by the brief are examined: the entry mode selected — acquisition, greenfield, joint venture or alliance — with the institutional and cultural reasoning behind that choice, and the broader internationalisation strategy, assessed through the established frameworks of global, multidomestic, international and transnational orientation. Each domain closes with the critical turn the brief specifically requires: whether the conclusion reached actually generalises to all firms originating from that same home country. At least one further company example from the same origin is introduced to test the claim, and in practice this is where the strongest marks lie, since firm-level variation in ownership, sector and international experience frequently cuts against a purely institutional explanation. Theory is applied throughout rather than recited, drawing on institutional theory, cultural distance frameworks and the emerging-market multinational literature, supported by academic sources alongside company filings and credible market reporting. The submission carries an executive summary that stands alone as a condensed account of findings and conclusions, follows the prescribed formatting, and places supporting material in unmarked appendices.
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International Business / Strategic Management
200 words
Individual Reflection on Tencent’s Strategic Reorganisation and International Business Strategy
This International Business Strategy assessment is an individual reflective exercise based on a case-study discussion undertaken during Weeks 5–8 of the module. Its purpose is to develop students’ ability to critically reflect on learning experiences and use that reflection to improve future academic and professional performance. Students participate in approximately 30-minute seminar discussions in which theoretical concepts from the module are applied to real-world business cases with tutors and peers. IBS-0901-2025-+Reflection2-Ref For this entry, the selected case is Tencent: “third time lucky?”. The case examines how Tencent evolved from a Chinese instant-messaging company into a major technology group spanning messaging, gaming, entertainment, investment and cloud services. It focuses particularly on three major organisational reorganisations undertaken in 2005, 2012 and 2018 as the company attempted to address increasing organisational complexity, coordination problems, changing technologies and new strategic priorities. The 2005 restructuring responded to Tencent’s growing scale by dividing the organisation into major business and platform-development groups. By 2012, further growth and the success of products such as WeChat had created new organisational complexity, leading to a structure organised around seven distinct business groups. The case highlights that this arrangement subsequently contributed to a “silo culture”, creating difficulties in sharing ideas, data, code and customers across business units. The 2018 reorganisation responded to a strategic shift toward the “industrial internet”, including greater emphasis on cloud services, business-to-business solutions and digital transformation. Tencent reorganised around six major groups, including Cloud and Smart Industries, Platforms and Content, Interactive Entertainment, Corporate Development, WeChat, and Technology and Engineering, while also establishing a technical committee intended to improve internal coordination and data sharing. The case asks students to consider both the strategic rationale for each restructuring and whether the 2018 changes adequately addressed Tencent’s organisational challenges. The reflection itself must be between 150 and 250 words. Students should explain what the week’s topic and case study were about, what they learned from the discussion, how the conversation helped them apply theory to their final report, and what key insights they gained. They should also reflect on what went well, what challenges were encountered and what they would change if repeating the session. At least one reflective framework, such as Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle or Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle, must be applied. IBS-0901-2025-+Reflection2-Ref The wider learning outcomes emphasise strategic management theory, internationalisation, internal and external environmental influences, critical analysis of international organisations and the use of analytical tools to evaluate strategic options. The task therefore combines strategic thinking, international business analysis and reflective professional development. IBS-0901-2025-+Reflection2-Ref The accompanying Tencent case specifically asks students to consider why each major reorganisation occurred, whether the 2018 restructuring adequately addressed Tencent’s challenges, and what additional “hard” and “soft” implementation measures might have been necessary. Case+study+7
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People Practice / Human Resource Management
2,500 words
Business, Culture and Change in Context: Organisational Acquisition Case Study
This CIPD Level 3 assessment examines how the external business environment, organisational culture and planned change influence organisations and their people. The assessment is based on a case study involving Best Pharmacy Ever (BPE), a small group of local pharmacies considering the acquisition of Emrosu, a much larger national pharmacy chain with approximately 100 stores and an established online pharmacy operation. The acquisition creates significant implications for organisational structure, culture, technology, people practices and change management. Learners are required to provide written responses to nine case-based questions. The assessment begins by examining external factors that may affect the acquisition and identifying appropriate post-acquisition business goals. It also requires consideration of the organisations' products, services and customers and the ways technology could support people professionals, improve working practices and strengthen collaboration following organisational growth. A central component of the assessment concerns organisational culture. Learners must explain the meaning and importance of culture, consider organisations as interconnected systems, and assess how the actions of people professionals can influence wider organisational outcomes. The final questions focus on planned organisational change, the contribution people professionals can make during periods of transition and the potential impact of significant change on employees. The unit therefore develops understanding of environmental analysis, organisational systems, workplace culture, technology and effective change management from a people-practice perspective. Written answers should make clear and consistent use of the case study and demonstrate application of relevant people-practice concepts rather than providing generic theoretical descriptions. The required submission is approximately 2,500 words, with a permitted variation of ±10%, subject to the CIPD word-count policy.
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Customer Experience / Business Management / Marketing
2,500 words
Customer Experience Strategy Analysis in the Global Quick-Service Restaurant Industry
This MSc assessment requires students to produce a 2,500-word business report critically analysing the customer experience (CX) strategy of a major organisation operating within the global quick-service restaurant industry. Students must select one company from Starbucks, McDonald’s or Chipotle Mexican Grill and focus their analysis on the organisation's customer experience strategy within one clearly identified country. The report is written from the perspective of a CX consultant and is intended for the chosen company's Board of Directors. The assessment first requires students to explain the concept and strategic importance of customer experience and evaluate how CX contributes to business success. This includes examining the mutually beneficial relationship between the organisation and its customers, assessing the impact of CX on business and financial performance, and using company-specific examples to demonstrate how customer experience can create competitive advantage. A major part of the report focuses on the organisation's ability to deliver a seamless omnichannel customer journey. Students must develop a research-informed customer persona covering customer profile, goals, pain points and motivations, and then construct a detailed customer journey map addressing stages, needs, activities, feelings, pain points and opportunities for improvement. The effectiveness of the organisation's existing customer journey must then be critically evaluated and practical areas for improvement identified. Students must also evaluate three customer experience metrics, examining their benefits, limitations and relevance to the selected brand. The final part of the report critically evaluates the organisation's customer-centric culture in the context of increasing digitalisation, with specific consideration of CX leadership, CX governance and one additional critical success factor such as people, organisational structure, strategy, process or innovation. The report must be presented in an academic business-report format with an automatic table of contents, page numbering, consistent formatting and 1.5 line spacing. Academic sources, figures, diagrams and independent research must be appropriately cited using the Harvard Referencing System. Important for the public library: because the brief allows three different companies and any country, keep the Reference Library title generic unless the uploaded past work is specifically based on one brand. If the actual completed assignment is on Starbucks, McDonald’s or Chipotle, I can give you a more specific title and key topics for that exact work.
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