15 references at least used in the context.

questions:

Topic 1: ‘Culture’ and International Business

Given that the concept of culture is contested, how is this concept relevant to international business? What are the various ways in which the notion of culture is seen to be significant to international business and where do tensions exist with respect to different approaches and frameworks for culture? Your essay should include coverage of different theoretical approaches to culture and how these relate to international business. Your essay should also consider the current international business environment and how geo-political events can affect international business. You may refer to specific social, cultural or business practices which are claimed to be divergent among different contexts.

Topic 2: ‘Culture’ and Ethics

Is insisting on ethical business behaviour simply an excuse for interfering in internal national affairs? Should the rules for ethical behaviour be the responsibility of each individual business and country? Should companies be banned from selling products or trading abroad due to geopolitics? You should use examples from MNCs or from a current situation to answer the question. You may refer to specific business practices which are claimed to be divergent among different contexts, to ethical beliefs which may influence the way business is conducted in different places or to current contexts where companies have been banned. Examples of global codes of conduct or global co-operatives and comments on their effectiveness will help to support your essay.

Topic 3: Moving Business Beyond the Hofstedian Legacy.

The collected work of Geert Hofstede has had a significant impact on how ‘culture’ is conceptualised and applied in international business. Many of Hofstede’s ideas have been expanded on by researchers such as Trompenaars, Lewis and the GLOBE study. However, other researchers such as McSweeney (2002) and Holliday (2011) have been very critical of the Hofstedian legacy. To what extent can Hofstede’s work still be seen as useful for understanding the role of culture in international business? What alternative approaches to understanding ‘culture’ and diversity are productive for international business?

Topic 4: The Importance of Language in International Business

Multiple issues arise in connection to language use in international business and in research into linguistic practices in international business. These include methodological approaches about how researchers should analyse language and which aspects should be studied in order to gain a better understanding of social interaction within a business environment (e.g. Schnurr & Zayts 2017). In this essay, please provide an overview which details the various considerations of language use in international business, the tensions which can arise over issues of language and how the analysis of language use can be a key to understanding the company culture. Please include specific examples of how decisions about language contribute to the success (or lack of success) of a business.

Topic 5: The Complexity of Localisation

Business products or services can often take on different meaning when moving across international borders and decisions about localisation are not always straightforward. International businesses have to decide to what extent their products should be localised and which specific aspects of those products need to be adapted to the local market. These adaptations can include both larger thematic (or theoretical) choices related to product narrative and technical aspects related to the specific packaging details and naming of the product. These are also not single, ‘one-time’ decisions. In this essay, please provide a framework for considerations regarding localisation with reference to a specific example of how a product (or brand) has been successfully (or unsuccessfully) localised.

Topic 6: Creating a Company Culture.

It is common for international businesses to create a strong company culture which has its own rules governing social interaction, appropriacy and rituals or traditions. Moreover, these may differ considerably from the stereotypical portrayal of the surrounding ‘national culture’. In this essay, focus on a specific company and detail how it has attempted to create a company culture. Please also consider the motivations behind the attempt to create a company culture and the extent to which it may have sought to distance itself from some of the perceived cultural practices which are believed to exist in a surrounding national culture.

Topic 7: A Critical Analysis of the Mobilisation of ‘Culture’ in Advertising and Marketing

In the attempt to create a product narrative, businesses frequently mobilise discourses of culture, language and stereotypes to sell their products. This takes many forms including the use of stereotypes, exoticism and notions of ‘authenticity’. For this essay, identify an advertisement and critically analyse how discourses of place, language and notions of culture are mobilised within the product narrative. Your analysis should include an evaluation of the effectiveness (or lack of effectiveness) of this advertising campaign. A link to the advertisement must be provided in the essay itself. Please avoid any possible repetition from your group project or a focus on KFC in China.

Requirements: 2000