Introduction to International Business – Summative Assessment
Assessment Summary
Burberry in China
This module is assessed through the submission of a written report aimed at addressing some key international business challenges facing Burberry, the British luxury fashion brand and their business in China.
The specific requirements of the report will be aligned to the Learning Outcomes and to several topics covered in this module.
Students will produce a report, fulfilling the criteria detailed below.
Assessment Details
a) Writing your report is an individual assignment.
b) The word limit for this assignment is 2,500 words. You must comply with the word count guidelines – any work which exceeds the 2,500 word limit will not be marked. The word limit does not include title page, contents page, references, bibliography or appendices.
Tables or business matrices and models such as PESTEL, Ansoff’s, Porter’s Five Forces, etc. are not included in the word count.
c) This coursework assignment carries 100% weighting for your overall mark in the Introduction to International Business module.
Task
Burberry, the luxury fashion house has made China a high priority market over the past few years. Recently however, sales in this region have declined. You have been commissioned by Burberry senior management to examine the company’s business in China (including Hong Kong) to ensure optimum management of the business in the region moving forward.
In carrying out this task, you will need to research and analyse the luxury fashion market in China to understand the challenges faced there by Burberry. You will need to use that understanding to make recommendations on future actions to ensure ongoing success.
You have been asked specifically to address the following in your report:
1) The Chinese market LO1 and LO2 (45 marks)
a) Explain why China is a high priority market for Burberry.
b) Critically analyse the macro environment factors that affect Burberry’s management of their business in China.
c) Make justified recommendations on how Burberry should address the key factors identified and analysed above.
2) Burberry value chain LO1, LO2, LO4, LO5 (30 marks)
a) Use Porter’s Value Chain model to identify areas of the Burberry business that are (or could be) standardised or adapted for the Chinese market.
b) Explain how these standardisations or local market adaptations deliver competitive advantage to Burberry.
3) Ethics LO3 (15 marks)
a) Identify the ethical challenges facing Burberry in China
b) Critically evaluate one of their CSR activities that address one of the challenges identified in question 3a.
4) Professional presentation and written style (10 marks)
Guidance
The assignment requires you to pick up on key topics from the syllabus, explore the concepts and frameworks behind those topics and apply them in a realistic situation. It will test your skills in a number of ways, for instance your:
1) Knowledge of the syllabus.
2) Ability to apply and integrate key concepts in a practical situation.
3) Understanding of the concepts behind international business expansion and management.
Attached is a case study on Burberry which contains some relevant information. You will need to carry out more extensive research in order to complete your assignment successfully. The case study does NOT include all the information you need. The additional sources of information you will use for your assignment will be of a “secondary” nature i.e. will be readily available from existing published sources such as the internet. You should not make direct enquiries to Burberry, related companies or competitors. The information you use for this assignment should come only from credible sources on the internet and published material.
Final written plan
Your report should be presented in a professional manner, using the correct (Harvard) referencing techniques and language that is appropriate for the audience you are addressing (in this case, senior Burberry managers).
There is no set format for writing your report but you are expected to pay careful attention to your structure and layout to make the document clear and compelling to read, with an obvious and logical flow of content and information. (Use of headings, sub-headings and numbering will be important for structure and use of charts, diagrams and models may be important for improving appearance and the effectiveness of communication).
Advice on plagiarism & collusion
Copying material i.e. plagiarism from any third party source is a serious offence and may result in your work not being accepted. Plagiarism involves presenting work as though it was your own and/or using ideas of another author without acknowledging the fact.
You have been asked to use Harvard referencing for this coursework assignment. Please ensure that you use this method correctly and that any material taken from third party sources is properly referenced.
Collusion takes place when two or more students submit work that is too similar – i.e. similar in words, content and style, such as might be put down to coincidence.
It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that they understand the guidelines in both of these areas and that they don’t transgress those guidelines. If in doubt, speak to your tutor.
Assessment criteria
IMPORTANT: Reports will be considered holistically*. The coursework will also be marked using the marking scheme below as guidance.
Marking Scheme Marks
1. Assessment of the Chinese market.
a. Has the student identified a number of factors that explain the attractiveness of China for Burberry and how well have they described and explained these factors? How well has the student discussed the strategic reasons for making this market a priority? 10
b. Has the student used the PESTEL framework correctly to carry out the analysis of macro environment in China? Have the key considerations and issues and their potential implications for Burberry been identified and considered holistically** 20
c. Has the student made clear recommendations for how Burberry can deal with the factors and potential implications identified above? How credibly and convincingly has the student provided a reasoned argument to support their recommendations? 10
d. Has the student used a variety of credible secondary sources of information in their research, analysis and recommendations? 5
2. Value Chain and standardisation vs. local adaptation.
a. Has the student correctly used Porter’s Value Chain model as it relates to the Burberry business in China and identified a number of areas of the business that are standardised or adapted for China? 10
b. How well has the student explained why parts of the business have been standardised and why other parts have been adapted for the Chinese market? How much evidence have they used to support their explanation and how well reasoned is their rationale? 5
c. At what level of detail and evidence has the student explained how these standardisations or local market adaptations deliver competitive advantages (or avoid competitive disadvantages) in China? 15
3. CSR and ethical challenges for Burberry in China.
a. Has the student identified and described various ethical issues facing Burberry in China and how well have they discussed the challenges these issues present? 10
b. Has the student correctly identified one of Burberry’s CSR activities in China and how well have they evaluated its effectiveness in meeting the associated challenge? 5
4. Presentation and Harvard Referencing
a. Clear structure and presentation of the report
b. Writing style: professional and concise
c. Correct application of Harvard referencing style
d. Evidence of wider reading 10
Total 100
*holistically – this means that the marking scheme provides the student (and the marker) with a basic framework for structuring/assessing the content of the report. However, the report will be considered in its entirety.
For example, if one particular section or sub-section of the report (according to the framework of this marking scheme) is considered weak but additional relevant discussion, observation, analysis, explanation or conclusion that falls outside of this framework has been provided by the student and improves their answers (according to the learning outcomes) then students will be rewarded for this.
In other words, the report is considered overall by the marker and not just section by section.
**holistically – using PESTEL correctly will result in the identification of separate and overlapping political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors.
However, once all these factors have been identified and analysed separately, they should then be examined in combination in order to identify links between them and assess the overall ‘big picture’. Almost invariably, there will be connections and overlap between external factors and you should attempt to understand what they are and assess the possible implications positive or negative) for the strategic direction of the business.