International Business
Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball
Instructor Guide to Module 9
28 Instructor’s Manual – Module 9 | Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball © 2016 by McGraw-Hill Education.
TEAM EXERCISES
These may be done individually or in groups or teams, either in or out of class, for later class
presentation. Some are also appropriate for use in hybrid/flipped classroom and online
courses.
1. We have had good response from students when we have asked them to analyze a
company, either of their own choice or one assigned to them, and to identify the company’s
international strategy and how it has evolved over time. You can assign this as a significant
graded project and also ask for a verbal report or presentation in class, to help stimulate
learning by peers as well as interesting comparisons (the latter can be particularly likely if
students are analyzing different firms from the same industry, for example; such as Apple and
Samsung). The material in this module is a good place to start their analyses.
2. Assign students to identify corporate objectives of one or several international
companies, including ones from other nations, and then try to identify how they are quantifying
these objectives. These analyses can be shared in class to help initiate a discussion on setting
and measuring the attainment of corporate objectives. An interesting alternative on this is to
have each team analyze 2 or 3 different firms that are from different nations but competing in
the same industry or segment, so that they can try and see how the companies might differ in
how they see the market or how they differ in their way of defining, competing within, or
capturing the market.
3. Scenario analysis is an interesting concept for students, but difficult in practice. One
technique we have used is to have the students conduct an analysis of a segment such as oil
extraction or smart phones. A discussion of the segment can be completed in class and then
individual teams can be asked to identify and develop different, nonoverlapping scenarios,
which can then be presented and discussed in class. We often ask each team to identify how
likely they think that their scenario will be to occur, and it is not uncommon that students will
feel that their scenario is quite likely to happen, perhaps due to their better understanding of
the factors and relationships associated with this scenario. The result is that, among 4 or 5
teams in a class for example, their combined “likelihood assessment” may exceed 200%! Since
this tendency to identify with one’s own alternative is something that also happens in the real
world, it is useful to explore with the students why and how this outcome tends to occur (e.g.,
groupthink), and what an organization can do to help prevent such bias within its strategic
planning efforts.
4. Many students enjoy discussion of socially responsible and values-based orientation by
leaders and companies, so we have found it interesting to have students identify one or several
instances where companies have encountered situations internationally (e.g., labor problems in
a supply chain, quality problems among products) and to analyze the evolution of the problem
and how companies dealt with it over time. For example, recent examples might include textile
companies’ use of subcontractors in Bangladesh, where substandard working conditions and
facilities led to tragic loss of life among workers; or Volkswagen’s activities with diesel engines
for automobiles, where the company used software to generate false emissions readings during
International Business
Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball
Instructor Guide to Module 9
environmental testing and thus to misrepresent the amount of pollutants being produced by
their vehicles. Sharing these analyses in class can produce a spirited discussion about how to
develop values statements and then to ensure that the company behaves in a manner
consistent with those values.
SUPPLEMENTAL ACTIVITIES
Case Studies
Case studies that focus on international strategy and international strategic planning are
available through Ivey Publishing and Harvard Business School. Ivey’s catalog is available for
browsing (www. iveycases.com); the cases are downloadable and pricing is in the U.S. $3.50
range. Harvard Business Publishing (https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/pages/home) requires
an account and offers free review copies for educators. The case prices begin in the $3.95 to $6
range.
“Philips versus Matsushita: The competitive battle continues,” examines the evolution of
international strategies and competencies of two firms battling in the same sector, showing
how each was able to develop and leverage capabilities to achieve international success
through different mixes of local responsiveness versus global standardization. This is a Harvard
Business School case.
“Globalization of CEMEX” describes how the Mexican company, CEMEX, has been able to grow
into a major international competitor in the cement business, earning higher profit levels than
other competitors from developed countries. It highlights how an international company can
position itself strategically so that it benefits from its broad portfolio of international
operations, serving as a valuable example of why firms will decide to pursue a strategy of
globalization. This Harvard Business School case.
“Unilever as a ‘Multi–local Multinational’ 1945-1979” provides a discussion about the
development of a global multinational through pursued of a multidomestic strategy, as well as
highlighting some of the political and commercial challenges that faced various country
subsidiaries. This is a Harvard Business School case.
CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES
1. Global Debate: The GLOBAL DEBATE: Google’s Values and Strategy versus
International Business
Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball
Instructor Guide to Module 9
Online and Hybrid: Virtual teams can be assigned questions and submit their work as a
group. Alternatively, virtual teams can be assigned to take different roles or perspectives to
argue for (or against) and these assignments can be submitted as a group and then opened up
to discussion and debate on an online class discussion site or blog, or presented and debated in
a face-to-face setting.
Face-to–Face: Students develop responses to the questions in class in teams/groups, or
else assign perspectives and conduct an in-class debate and discussion.
2. Discussion of whether scenario planning is a practical tool for international strategists
3. Current events for sources of culture controversy
International Business
Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball
Instructor Guide to Module 9
penalty allocated to non-performers. If there is time at the close of class, open up new
discussion for volunteers.
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
1. This chapter is a “big picture” chapter and students tend to feel comfortable with its
material. This is a good place to draw on what students may have learned in any earlier strategy
or related courses. At the same time, this is a conceptually complex chapter, so use of the
figures and examples is helpful. Examples of strategic challenges abound in current business
news. It can be useful to pick one or two recent events (e.g., rapid change in oil prices, currency
devaluations, unexpected technology-related failure) and then have students discuss whether
and how such events might impact the strategic planning efforts of an international company
operating in that industry or closely associated with the industry or activity.
2. Analyze the relationship between where certain types of decisions are made and the
overall business strategy. Then move to why decisions are best made where they are.
(Contrast, for example, retail level international banking with a retail clothing chain.)
3. Analyze an international corporation through Internet research to identify the company
strategy. Give examples of how strategy is being implemented.
4. Guest Lecturer possibilities: Some people who could contribute to the material in this
module would be:
a. Management faculty could speak on scenario analysis or various aspects of strategic
planning.
b. Executives from international businesses could describe their strategy-building
process.
c. Someone experienced in international business planning from the local business
community would be a good outside speaker.
CONNECT TOOLS FOR ASSESSEMENT OF LEARNING
Interactive Applications
Assigning Interactives
Consider assigning only 2 interactives per chapter. Interactive applications allow students to see
concepts in practice and assess higher order thinking skills. There are numerous exercises of
different types available. Click’n’drag, video cases, and case analysis are the types you will see
most frequently in this program.
International Business
Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball
Instructor Guide to Module 9
32 Instructor’s Manual – Module 9 | Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball © 2016 by McGraw-Hill Education.
• Instructors may want to give students unlimited or multiple attempts on the first few
assignments so the students have a chance to learn and navigate the system before
selecting the option for one attempt only.
• The value of each question should probably be relatively low, since multiple questions
are usually assigned for each chapter. A good rule of thumb would be to make “Quiz
Questions” worth 1 point each and “Interactives” worth 5-10 points each since these
require more time and thought.
• Feedback given to students is time flexible. Selecting feedback to be displayed after the
assignment due date helps to limit students from giving the correct answers to other
students while the interactive is still available.
International Business
Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball
Instructor Guide to Module 9
Connect Content Matrix
For every chapter, please refer to the Connect Content Matrix to see what application exercises
are available, what Learning Objectives they help reinforce/assess.
Mod
ule
Assignment
Type
Title
Learnin
g
Objecti
ve(s)
AACSB
Accredit
ation
Tagging
Bloom’s
Taxono
my
9
Comprehensi
on Case
Internati
onal
Strategi
c
Planning
Method
s
09-01;
09-04;
09–05
Analytic
al/
Reflectiv
e
thinking
Underst
and/
Analyze
9
Drag and
Drop
Internati
onal
Competi
tive
Strategi
es
09-01;
09-02;
09–03
Reflectiv
e
Thinking
Underst
and
9
Drag and
Drop
The
Global
Strategi
c
09-01;
09–02
Reflectiv
e
Thinking
Underst
and
International Business
Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball
Instructor Guide to Module 9
34 Instructor’s Manual – Module 9 | Geringer, McNett, Minor, Ball © 2016 by McGraw-Hill Education.
Planning
Process
9
Drag and
Drop
Global
Strategi
c
Planning
Steps
Analytic
al/
Reflectiv
e
thinking
Underst
and/
Analyze