BM023-3-2

Individual Assignment

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Learning Outcomes:
Understand a variety of international environmental influences on Business.
Analysis of the impact of uncertainty on International Business Behaviour.
Objectives of the Assignment:
To perform an environmental analysis of a country of your choice in comparison to
another country
To identify possible opportunities and threats
To analyse how the environmental factors in terms of political-legal, social,
economic and technological environment can affect the international operation
functions and decision-making of a business
To be able to perform a costs-benefits-risk assessment
To determine and evaluate the most appropriate market entry strategy
Background:
You are an executive working for a consulting firm called GLOBAL CONNECTION.
Your firm specialises in doing international market research and providing professional
advice on international business ventures to local small medium business entrepreneurs
and large companies that wish to expand their operation overseas.
Choose an industry (Examples: textile, food product, consumer electronics, shoes,
restaurant chain, agricultural product, Halal product).
You will be responsible for researching and giving comprehensive information of the
current environmental conditions of a foreign country chosen from the list below and how
they affect the prospects and feasibility of international business endeavours. The purpose
of your presentation is to create awareness of the possible benefits, costs and risks of
entering into International Business venture so these entrepreneurs or business managers
can make sound decision. You need to give recommendations and/or a summary of what
these entrepreneurs need to be aware of before choosing to enter into the country which
you chosen.
Choose any ONE (1) of the following countries, analyse their PEST environment and
explain how the environmental conditions of the country of your choice will affect an
international business venture .The country of your choice must not be the one that you
originate from.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Cambodia
Vietnam
South Korea
Hong Kong

5.
6.
7.
8.

Taiwan
Chile
Pakistan
Sri Lanka

The length of this written assignment is approximately 2,500 words to be submitted

together with a softcopy in CD format. Students need to use adequate references to
substantiate their research and report. (Often to obtain a credit or a distinction, students
are required to present 10 or more quality references)
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Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

BM023-3-2

Individual Assignment

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You are required to state the number of words (excluding the executive summary, content
page, references and bibliography) used on the cover of the assignment. Diagrams,
figures, references, bibliography and any appendices made in your report are not subjected
to any word penalty. A sliding scale of penalties for excess length will be imposed. The
penalties will be as follows:
2,001-2,200
2,201-2,400
2,401-2,600
2,601 and above

No penalty
10% reduction in the mark
20% reduction in the mark
The work will be capped at a pass i.e. 50%

Making References
You are not limited to use only International Business textbooks. Other related
textbooks such as International Business Communication, International
Management,
International
Human
Resource
Management
and
Global/International Marketing can be used.
However, you are recommended to use recent journals, reports, surveys, and newspaper
articles from credible sources (which can be online or offline materials) instead of only
textbooks and general information websites for your references in order to provide
more up-to-date information to support your writing. Students who fail to use any
journals, reports and surveys as sources of references will receive a lower mark in the
overall quality criterion.
Published information from specialty magazines such The Economist and Business
Week is highly recommended.
You can visit www.economist.com and
www.businessweek.com. Please refer to your librarian for backdated articles that
cannot be accessible online.
Another recommended website will be McKinsey Quarterly that is accessible at
https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/home.aspx.
Depending on the chosen country, you are encouraged to read Asia Future Shock
written by Michael Backman to aid you in this assignment.
Citations and References
You are required to use proper referencing methods for this assignment Harvard
Referencing System.
Ensure each citation has its reference and each reference needs to have a citation in the
document.
Numbering and bullets are not required for references.
References need to be presented in an ascending alphabetical order (i.e. from A to Z).

Suggested Structure and Format of Writing

Below is a suggested structure you can use for your report.
- Executive Summary identify the countries you will be focusing on, give brief
information in regards the country demography, economic profile and
Level 2

Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

BM023-3-2

Individual Assignment

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International Business opportunities (words in the executive summary is not

considered in your word count but it should not be more than ONE (1) page)
- Cover Page
- Contents
- Political-Legal Environment
- Economic Environment
- Social Environment
- Technological Environment
- Recommendations and summary
The report must follow the standard academic format.
Font
: Times New Roman
Font Size : Headings-16pts, Sub-headings-14pts, normal writing-12pts
Spacing : 1.5

Breakdown of marks:
Mark allocation
Criteria
Components
1.
Political-legal environment analysis and
recommendation
2.
Economic environment analysis and recommendation
3.
Socio-cultural environment analysis and
recommendation
4.
Technological environment analysis and
recommendation
5.
Overall quality of the document this takes into account
your presentation, executive summary, format, clarity of
writing, use of language, flow of information,
extensiveness of research, etc.
Total

Marks allocated
20
20
20
20
20

100

Note: Recommendation can be either written under each section of the PEST analysis or as
a separate section at the end of the assignment. However, the overall answer must give the
evidence or impression where the information presented in the PEST analysis is linked to
or utilised in the given recommendations. This to avoid having the overall work appears
fragmented.

Level 2

Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

BM023-3-2

Individual Assignment

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Miscellaneous
The following are some questions you need to ask in doing this written assignment.
IMPORTANT NOTE: PLEASE READ
Make Sense of Your Data
Do not merely copy the statistical information about a countrys economy or demography
and then paste it into your written assignment. You need to show how the statistical
numbers matter. Students may FAIL this assignment if they do substantial copying and
pasting of information but give little or no evidence to show how the data are relevant to the
targeted entrepreneurs or business managers of their country in their assessment of the
benefits, costs, and risks of possible international business ventures.
For example, many students will insert the population number of a country but fail to
explain how this is used to make decision whether to enter into the market or not. Is the size
of the population a determining factor of the market size? The more relevant data students
should obtain is not the size of the population but the size of the market related to a
particular good or service which an entrepreneur or a business organisation wants to sell.
Even if there is a large population living in a country, there may be limited number of
people interested or capable of buying the product.
Do Not Write Paragraph Answers in Tables
Avoid putting long paragraph information in tables just to circumvent the word count.
Information in the tables should be short and concise. Any attempt by students to insert
long descriptions, explanations or analysis in tables will have the words in them considered
towards the final word count.
Write Short Paragraphs
Do not write in a long paragraph. You need to present your writings in short paragraphs to
effectively differentiate the discussion or explanation of one idea from the other.
The following are some questions you could ask yourself when doing this assignment. It is
not necessary that you have to answer all the questions as they are merely guides to give
you some ideas of what information to look for.
Due to the word constraints, you will need to be selective of the information you want to
present and choose the salient points that matter to the chosen audience.

Level 2

Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

BM023-3-2

Individual Assignment

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Depending on your target audience, the following is a guide of critical questions you may
need to ask yourself in order to know what to put into your answer.
Political1. What are the influences of the political regime of the targeted country
Legal
to the prospect of International Business? Is it supportive of foreign
Environment
businesses?
Would the political systems be open to foreign
involvement into the local industry? Or would the political regime
create challenges to the operation and market entry of foreign
companies? Does the political regime favour some countries over the
others? Why is there such favouritism? Could this favouritism be
overcome by bilateral government interaction and negotiation? Is
there any effort made by your government to build political-economic
ties with the country of your choice? What evidence do you have to
show that such effort is made or being made?
2. Would the current political and legal system of a country lead to
corrupt practices among public officials who deals with foreign
direct investment and other form of market entry? Would this go
against a companys ethical policies? How would the management
decide in dealing with the corruption of the other country? If the
foreign business agreed to undertake the business endeavour and
accept the corrupt practice by public officials, will this lead to
substantial economic costs to the business?
3. What are the legal restrictions of the foreign country that may create
difficulty in international business endeavour?
4. What are the legislations in the foreign country of your choice that
serve to protect the interest of foreign business companies? Is there
sufficient enforcement being practiced?
5. How would the political condition of the foreign country influence the
decision on international business entry mode? Which mode of
entry would be most appropriate taking into account the political
consideration?
6. How is the current political climate of the country which you are
intended to enter? Are there any political uncertainties? Would there
be a political risk in establishing business operation in that foreign
country such as a possible change in government? What are the
possible implications of such political risks? Would the benefits
obtained from the prospective international business venture outweigh
the risks?
7. How does the political-legal climate of the country of your choice
affect the development of the local human capital?

Technological
Environment
Level 2

1. Is there adequate infrastructure in the foreign country that may affect

the operation of International Business?
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BM023-3-2

Individual Assignment

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and Local
2. Are there frequent disruptions and problems with quality in the
Infrastructure
provision of utility services (e.g. electricity, water, and
telecommunication) in the targeted country that may adversely affect
the International business operation?
3. Does the current infrastructure such as the countrys transportation
system adequately cover the targeted market area?
4. Would the countrys transportation system lead to logistic
complications which may lead to high operation costs? What
solutions can be provided to overcome this problem?
5. Is the population technologically literate to adopt new innovations in
the country if introduced? Would the populations be receptive of the
use of these new innovations?
6. Is there adequate skilled labour in the local market to provide the
needed manpower in handling high level of technological process?
SocioCultural
Environment

Level 2

1. How can language be a factor that affects the International Business

operation? Would a foreign country have preference in dealing with
another country which it shares the same language (For example, the
business relations of French speaking countries in Africa and the
French telecommunication company, Orange)?
2. Would religion or ethnic factors be relevant in International Business
dealings (for example, a Muslim country being more opened to a
foreign company coming from another Muslim country especially if
it deals with the trading of halal products)? Would the business and
market populations in the country be able to accept the business
dealings, products or services from a business organisation with
different religious and ethnic affiliation?
3. Would the differing values and norms of the countrys society result
in different consumer behaviour? Is there a need to design a
different marketing strategy to enter into the targeted foreign
market or can the marketing strategy be standardised to achieve
operational efficiency? For example, in the digital gaming industry,
American consumers often like violent games and virtual sports.
Germans are less receptive to games with high level of violence due
to parental influence whereas Japanese like games with cute sprites as
characters. Even if we examine the use of handphone across cultures,
different societies will have different motivations towards
handphone consumption which leads to different behavioural usage.
Would there be a need to adapt the product and promotional
design to suit the foreign market due to cultural differences? Or the
product and promotions be standardised?
4. If there is a need for adaptation, would this engender substantial
costs?
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BM023-3-2

Individual Assignment

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5. What is the attitude of the society in the foreign country towards

females? What are the implications of this in regards to the
International Business interaction? How would this affect Human
Resource Management?
Are there different practices in
communicating and managing male and female workers?
6. How does the culture of a society affect work behaviour? What are
the challenges that occur due to the intercultural differences?
7. Are the society members receptive to foreign products? Are they
patriotic and prefer to support locally made product? Does the local
population of the foreign country have a strong sense of
nationalism?
8. Does the culture of the country practice bribery? What is the form
of bribery? What are the ethical implications? Will this go against
the ethical policies of companies of your country?
9. How does the socio-cultural environment affect the creativity and
innovation of the targeted countrys human capital?
Economic
Environment

Level 2

1. How does the current international economic environment affect the

targeted countrys economic condition especially in light of the
aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis and current economic
recovery? Is the country in anyway protected against the negative
effects of the 2008 financial crisis? If yes, how is it protected? If no,
why is the country susceptible? Would the country be attractive for
International Business venture taking into consideration of its current
economic vulnerability and the negative global market sentiments? Is
the countrys economy recovering and if yes, to what extent? Discuss
whether the rate of recovery gives confidence for investment and
export or whether business managers and owners should wait for a
better time.
2. How is the Balance of Payment of the country? Would it create a
risk to the economic well-being of a country that may affect the
International Business endeavour?
3. How is the current country economic condition? Is it well? Is it
undergoing recession? Is it suffering from high rate of inflation?
How would this affect the prospects of International Business
endeavour? If the country economic condition is well, how long
would such condition remain? Managers have to take into account of
the economic cycle and be wary of possible recession or inflation.
They need to see into the future. Would the current and future
economic condition become an opportunity or a threat?
4. What is the current growth economic growth rate? Would it
improve in the near or long-term future? What evidence do you have
to indicate the economic trend of the country?
Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

BM023-3-2

Individual Assignment

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5. What is the countrys GDP? Is it a reliable figure for International

Business managers to make their decision on?
6. What are the current economic policies that exist in a country? Are
these policies supportive or restrictive of International Business? Is
there high degree of protectionism practice by the government to
safeguards it local businesses? Is it receptive of the foreign direct
investment and the import of foreign goods? What is the current
tariff and quota? Will it go down especially due to their
commitment to International Free Trade agreement?
7. Is there in existence a trading bloc that affects the International
Business trading? How will this influence the prospects of doing
business in the targeted country?
8. What is the purchasing power parity (PPP) and per capita
income? How does this affect International Business managers in
considering the choice of country to invest in or in the evaluation of a
country prospect? Are these figures reliable for international business
entrepreneurs and managers to be used in decision-making?
9. Is there commitment by the government to any international treaties
such as those made by WTO, IMF or trade regimes that may have
influence on the International Business ventures? Would these
influences be positive or negative to the investors and entrepreneurs
in your country wishing to enter into the foreign market?

Level 2

Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation

BM023-3-2

Individual Assignment

Page 9 of 9

Performance Criteria
Marks are awarded based on the following guidelines:
Grade
Assessment Guidelines
Analysis is superficial. Absence or limited use of concepts.
Irrelevant regurgitation of information.
Failure to show
relationships between ideas. Many key issues are ignored.
Fail (F)
Applications of concepts and language of the subject is
0%-40%
confusing. Limited or no referencing is made. Lack of clarity
in the report due to poor grammar. Several spelling mistakes
made in writing. No or very limited recommendations are
given.
Analysis is superficial. Use of concepts and language of the
subject are minimal.
Few learning outcomes are met.
Information presented in a routine, unimaginative and
Fail (F+)
sometimes unnecessarily long-winded fashion. Many key
40%-49%
issues are ignored.
Writing is undermined with many
grammatical and spelling errors. Limited recommendations are
given.
Proper understanding of the concepts and issues are shown.
Elements of an appropriate structure are present. Some reading
and research are evident in the report. Adequate references are
Pass (D to C)
made but not in required format. Analysis of the issues is
50%-65%
present but lacks depth. Some weakness in terms of relevancy.
Some parts of the assignment answer do not flow coherently.
Some recommendations are given.
Evidence of reading and research. Understanding of the
application of appropriate models and concepts is demonstrated.
Credit (B to B+)
Key issues are identified and analysed although this may be
66%-75%
limited at times. Sources of information are acknowledged in
the right referencing format following Harvard system.
Adequate recommendations are given.
Arguments are clear and convincing. Presentation of ideas is
well-organised in a coherent fashion. Successful integration of
theory and practices is demonstrated. Extensive reading and
Distinction (A to A+)
research is demonstrated in writing. Consistent referencing to
76%-above
sources using the Harvard system.
Coherent flow of
information is provided. Format used is highly consistent.
Good recommendations are given.

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Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation