STRAYER ITB300 ALL WEEK DISCUSSIONS [ WEEK 1 TO 11 ]

QuestionWEEK 1

“The Role of MNCs in International Business” Please respond to the following:

• Examine two (2) current trends in international business discussed in the text. Compare and contrast the chosen trends in terms of their suspected catalyst, their impact on their global economy, and their anticipated duration.
• From the e-Activity, analyze the potential benefit of McDonald’s global expansion to Vietnam. Predict key ways in which the new local brand of the McPork line of burgers may provide an advantage over other similar MNCs throughout Asia. Support your response with specific examples of such potential advantages for McDonald’s.

WEEK 2

“The Role of Technology on MNCs” Please respond to the following:

• Specify the fundamental manner in which the technological environment discussed in the text is compelling MNCs to explore outsourcing and offshoring opportunities. Provide at least two (2) examples of such exploration to support your response.
• Examine the primary manner in which the emergence of technology may result in greater integration and dependencies among economies, political systems, and financial markets. Formulate at least two (2) examples of such results to support your response.

WEEK 3

“The Role of Culture on International Business” Please respond to the following:

• Imagine you work for a U.S. based organization that is considering expansion into Saudi Arabia. Examine the different methods for assessing the cultural context of a society, such as Hofstede, Trompenaar, and others discussed in this week’s reading, and determine the method that you believe would be the most effective for your organization to apply. Justify your response.
• From the e-Activity, compare and contrast Renault’s and Nissan’s overall cultural environments. Specify key strategies that an auto company such as Renault-Nissan could use in order to transcend national culture and still operate across boundaries with the full integration of functions and with global economies of scale.

WEEK 4

“Cross-Cultural Negotiations” Please respond to the following:

• Analyze the main manner in which culture and communication may affect the negotiation process. Propose your own best practice for accommodating multiculturalism when negotiating internationally. Provide a rationale for your response.
• From the e-Activity, compare and contrast two (2) international regions or countries with respect to their different culture-specific characteristics, as well as their negotiation styles and tactics. Recommend the best method(s) to overcome potential barriers in order for successful negotiations to occur. Provide at least one (1) example that illustrates the effectiveness of your suggested method(s).

WEEK 5

“International Management Strategies” Please respond to the following:

• From the first e-Activity, explore the significant differences between the two (2) selected companies, specifically those differences that allowed one (1) company to be globalized immediately (i.e., “born global”), while the other required significant growth (i.e., expanded from domestic to global operations). Provide specific examples of each company’s business strategies to support your answer.
• From the first and second e-Activities, compare Walmart’s international strategy to the two (2) previously selected companies that you researched for Part 1 of this discussion. Differentiate between each of the international strategies that each company has applied, and examine at least one (1) implication of each strategy relative to global recognition. Provide a rationale for your response.

WEEK 6

“Entry Strategies of MNCs” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, compare and contrast the entry strategy and organizational structure of each selected MNC. Examine the degree to which organizational characteristics such as formalization, specialization, and centralization influence each MNC’s organizational structure and functions.
• From the e-Activity, analyze the different strategies that each MNC uses in order to mitigate political risks within its chosen foreign market. Assess the effectiveness of the integrative, protective, and defensive techniques that each MNC uses in an attempt to protect itself from government interference. Support your response with at least two (2) examples of such techniques.

WEEK 7

“The Impact of Management’s Control Processes” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, compare and contrast each selected company in terms of its controlling process (i.e., internal, external, direct or indirect controls) and quality performance measures. Classify the major differences in the fundamental ways that each MNC controls its operations.
• Examine the primary performance measures that each selected company uses in order to control international operations. Make at least one (1) recommendation for improvement. Provide at least two (2) examples that illustrate the benefits of your recommendation(s).

WEEK 8

“Motivation in Practice” Please respond to the following:

• Review the International Management in Action: “McDonald’s Latin Flavor” article, located on page 432 in the text. Suggest at least two (2) different ways that McDonald’s has applied theories of motivation within its initiatives in Latin American cultures to create motivation throughout the organization. Support your response with at least two (2) examples of the chosen motivational theories in action.
• Specify the most effective ways that McDonald’s could leverage the link between job design, motivation, and rewards. Make at least one (1) recommendation to improve McDonald’s Latin American initiatives. Provide at least two (2) examples that illustrate the benefits of your recommendation(s).

WEEK 9

“Leadership in the International Context ” Please respond to the following:

• From the e-Activity, compare and contrast the leadership styles of each MNC that you have researched. Analyze the primary manner in which each MNC is culturally sensitive and adaptable to a global environment. Support your response with specific examples of the leadership styles within each MNC.
• Imagine that you now occupy a leadership position within one (1) of the MNCs that you researched. Considering your own personality, work habits, leadership style, values, and cultural understanding, suggest the principal manner in which your leadership style would impact the selected MNC’s global strategy, in comparison to the leadership style in existence.

WEEK 10

“Preparation for International Assignments” Please respond to the following:

• Imagine that you work for a U.S. based organization that is considering sending you on a two-year international assignment to either New Delhi, India, or Madrid, Spain. From the e-Activity, speculate on your potential adaptability to cultural change for each country, and suggest the primary strategies that you would use for dealing with socio-cultural and psychological adjustments. Justify your response.
• Suggest to your management team the main reason(s) why you should undergo cross-cultural training, and give an example of at least one (1) type of training that could be effective for your international assignment. Specify the principal advantages of implementing a cultural assimilator as a training devise and learning technique for both you and your organization’s management. Provide a rationale for your response.

WEEK 11

“MNCs and the Environment” Please respond to the following:

• Analyze the significant manner in which the external environment affects the success of an MNC within a global market. Suggest two to three (2-3) actions that MNCs should take in order to be more socially and environmentally responsive to the problems of the emerging world. Justify your response.
• Using an example from a successful MNC discussed in class, prioritize the main opportunities and challenges facing the company in terms of the impact to the company and its position for future growth. Provide a rationale for your response.