Faculty of Business and Law
Assignment Brief 2019/20
Unit Title: International Business Theory
and Strategy
Unit Code:
Core:
International
Business
Level: 6
Assignment Title: Analysis of a multinational enterprise’s foreign direct investment strategy
Unit Leader:
Contact Details:
Submission Date: See date on
Moodle
Feedback Return Date: See Date on Moodle
Submission Instructions: via Turnitin instructions provided on the Moodle area
Feedback Return Information: via Turnitin
Assignment Task
Conduct an analysis of the foreign direct investment (FDI) strategy of a chosen multinational
enterprise (from the list below) based on Dunning’s eclectic (OLI) paradigm.
Unit Learning Outcomes Assessed.
1. Apply theory relating to strategy in the context of international organisations.
2. Critically evaluate theories relating to strategy, and recognise and assess their role in
contemporary international business practice
Assignment 1 Details and Instructions
Analysis of a multinational enterprise’s foreign direct investment strategy: 3000 words (+/- 10%
of the total word count)
The aim of this assignment is to conduct an analysis, based on Dunning’s eclectic (OLI) paradigm,
of a recent (from 2005 to date) FDI strategy of a multinational enterprise (from the list provided
below) into a host market of your choice.
Thus:
1. Select a multinational enterprise (MNE) from the list below and select one host market into
which it has directly invested since 2005 for your analysis;
2. Use Dunning’s eclectic paradigm to structure your report and critically analyse the strategy
that informed the investment. In this way, the report should explain the (O)wnership/Firmspecific
and (I)nternalization advantages of the selected MNE and the (L)ocation advantages of
the selected host country of the investment, based on both the theory associated with each
aspect of Dunning’s paradigm and empirical research on the selected case;
3. Based on this analysis, the report should assess whether the selected MNE made a viable
investment decision into the chosen host location.
This analytical report should be 3,000 words in length (+/- 10% of the total word count) and
should be fully referenced using the Harvard referencing system (see:
https://libguides.mmu.ac.uk/refguide/mmuharvard).
The report should abide by the University’s regulations on Academic Misconduct, with regard to
plagiarism: https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/student-case-management/guidance-forstudents/
academic-misconduct/what-classifies-as-academic-misconduct/
An MMU guide on how to avoid plagiarism may be found here:
https://moodle.mmu.ac.uk/mod/book/view.php?id=403468&chapterid=2110
Below is the list of MNEs to select from as a case study for this assignment:
Tesco
IKEA
Walmart
Zara
ALDI
Starbucks
Astra Zeneca
Tata Group
Lenovo
Tesla
Amazon
Early Career/ World Class Professional Skills (PLOs) being assessed or developed/assessed.
1. PLO 1 – Our graduates will apply critical thinking to practical and theoretical problems
2. PLO 3 – Our graduates will demonstrate ethical and sustainable awareness
3. PLO 5 – Our graduates will develop subject specific knowledge and skills in their
programme discipline
Recommended Reading
Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Scholes, K., Angwin, D., Regner, P. (2017). Exploring Strategy: Text
and Cases. London: Pearson Education/Prentice Hall.
Lasserre, P. (2018). Global Strategic Management. London: Palgrave MacMillan.
Buckley, P.J., Enderwick, P. and Cross, A.R. (2018). International Business. Oxford University
Press.
Peng, M. (2014). Global Strategic Management (3rd edition), CENGAGE Learning.
Cantwell, J. and Narula, R. (2001). ‘The Eclectic Paradigm in the Global Economy’, International
Journal of the Economics of Business, 8(2), 155-172.
Dunning, J. H. (1998). ‘Location and the multinational enterprise: A neglected factor?’ Journal of
International Business Studies, 29(1), 45–66.
Dunning, J.H. (2000). ‘The Eclectic Paradigm as an Envelope for Economic and Business Theories
of MNE Activity’, International Business Review, 9(2), 163-190.
Dunning, J. H. (2003). ‘The eclectic (OLI) paradigm of international production: past, present and
future’, in J. A. Cantwell and R. Narula (eds.), International Business and the Eclectic Paradigm:
Developing the OLI Framework, The Oxford Handbook of International Business, Oxford and New
York.
Dunning, J.H. (2008) ‘Location and the multinational enterprise: A neglected factor?’ Journal of
International Business Studies, 40(1), 5-19.
Dunning, J., and Lundan, S.M. (2008), Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy (2nd
ed.), Cheltenham: Edward Edgar Publishing Ltd.
Forsgren, M. (2008). Theories of the Multinational Firm: A Multidimensional Creature in the
Global Economy, Northampton: Edward Elgar.
Narula, R. (2010) ‘Keeping the eclectic paradigm simple’, Multinational Business Review, 18(2),
35-50.
Rugman, A.M. (2008). The Oxford Handbook of International Business, (2nd eds.) New York:
Oxford University Press.
Rugman, A. M., Verbeke, A. and Nguyen, Q. T. K. (2011) ‘Fifty Years of International Business
Theory and Beyond. Management International Review, 51(6), 755-786.
Porter, M. E. (1990) The Competitive Advantage of Nations. New York: Free Press.
Porter, M. E. (1985) The Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance.
NY: Free Press. (Republished with a new introduction, 1998)
Sources of Relevant Data
Passport (see the library website)
World Trade Organisation (WTO)
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
World Bank
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Sources for Theoretical Framework/Analysis
The Moodle area provides essential and further readings based on the resources identified below
for each lecture/topic.
Academic Journals (Journal of International Business Studies, International Business Review,
Journal of World Business, Long Range Planning, Strategic Management Journal, Strategic
Networks, Academy of Strategic Management Journal, MIT Sloan Management Review, Journal
of Management Studies, Journal of Business Research, Review of Industrial Organisation
International Journal of Emerging Markets, etc.)
Reports from reputable research, policy and financial organisations (e.g., European Commission,
OECD, WTO, NESTA, national government agencies, IMF, World Investment Report)
Commercial Research Organisations and Databases (Datamonitor, FAME, Osiris, MINTEL,
PASSPORT)
Periodical Magazines (reputable) (e.g., The Economist, Businessweek, New Statesman, Spectator,
Harvard Business Review)
Newspapers (reputable) (e.g., Financial Times, Guardian, Observer, Times)
Marking Criteria *
See the Marking Criteria Rubric below.
Group Work Guidelines (If applicable)
Unit Specification