- This assignment is a written strategic action report that your team (3 members), acting as consultants, will prepare for ThaiBev. This is the same company that you have studied as part of your first assignment (i.e. the individual case analysis).
In this assignment, you should assume that ThaiBev is NOT YET operating/doing business in Russia. This assignment will challenge your team’s capability to recommend whether the beer market in Russia is a market that ThaiBev should exploit, and if it is, be able to explain why and how.
This assignment is an opportunity for you to apply your knowledge of Global Strategy and International Management theories, concepts, models, frameworks and analytical tools in the context of an international company, ThaiBev. You will demonstrate your skills in systematic analysis of ThaiBev’s global business environment and its plan for internationalisation in Russia. You are expected to draw on our learning and teaching materials, the ThaiBev case and supporting document (i.e. the industry report – Russia Beer Market), online academic journal articles and research databases that are accessible through our Deakin library. In this assignment, your group is expected to engage in research work in order to present a well-written report for ThaiBev. In other words, you are expected to go beyond the two main documents (the case and industry report) as far as necessary to present well-argued recommendations. Refer to our CloudDeakin for more suggestions on which resources to use in your research project.
Your team’s task in this assignment is to work together in conducting research that will inform your report. There are specific questions that you will need to answer that will guide you in your task. A template is provided below. The maximum number of words is 4000 words. A critical factor in your preparation of the report is that all sections must be cohesive and integrated. In other words, all sections should be consistent and should build on one another.
Please use Times New Roman font, size 12, double space and 1 inch margin in all sides. If you cite any reference, the reference list is NOT counted in the maximum number of words. You are free to attach appendices (not included in the word count) to support your report. However, please use appendices sparingly and strategically because these will not be marked.
Structure of the Report:
Cover page/Front Page
Executive summary (max 200 words)
The competitive position of ThaiBev (800 words)
Key elements of the Russian institutional environment (800 words)
Strategic recommendation (1700 words)
How should ThaiBev enter the Russian beer market?
In your recommendation, be specific with your recommendation (e.g. what mode of entry). For example, if you recommend that ThaiBev should form a strategic alliance, specify how, what form of alliance, with which company/organisation, etc. This is where research is very important.
Be able to discuss the resource-based, industry-based and institution-based considerations/advantages/disadvantages of your recommendation.
Conclusion (200 words)
Reflection (300 words)
References
Appendices
The details of each section are discussed below.
Cover page/Front Page:
Please provide the following details in the cover page of your report:
Title of the group research report: You can simply say, Strategic Internationalisation Action Plan for ThaiBev. You may want to be creative and add a running title if your team wishes so.
Group Number and List of Team Members with their corresponding ID Numbers. Please INDICATE which member worked on (e.g. led or spearheaded) which section of the report.
Tutorial Session Day and Time and Campus. Please indicate the day and time of your tutorial session as well as Campus location. If off-campus/online, please indicate so.
Executive Summary
The executive summary should present what the report is all about and the highlights of the components of the report. By reading the executive summary, the reader should have an overview of what the report is all about and be enticed to read the rest of the report.
The competitive position of ThaiBev
This is the section where you will need to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the company relative to the competition. You need to anchor your analysis on relevant topics that we have covered in this unit. For example you may want to describe and evaluate in a systematic fashion the previous and current global strategies pursued by the firm, its resources and capabilities and how these impact on the value chain of the firm which eventually shape the firm’s competitive advantage (or competitive disadvantage!). Key to your analysis is a systematic approach that tells a cohesive story of the competitive position of ThaiBev as written in the case.
Your goal here is to articulate whether ThaiBev is strategically well-positioned to exploit the emerging opportunities in Russia (in item 3). If ThaiBev is not strategically-well placed, explain how it can become one.
Key elements of the Russian institutional environment (800 words)
The focus of this section is to highlight some key institution-based factors or conditions that will have significant impact on the competitive position of ThaiBev should it decide to venture into the Russian beer market. Draw on our topics to be able to tell a cohesive story that is full of convincing arguments about the opportunities and threats emanating from the formal and informal institutions that impact on the Russian beer market. This is another research intensive part of your project where you may need details about macro-environmental (e.g. PESTEL – political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, environmental, and legal factors) institutional conditions of/in Russia. Use the industry report as a spring board for your research to gather relevant data. Be mindful that there is an ocean of data out there. Focus on what you think is relevant to your analysis. This is a test of your critical- thinking and problem solving capabilities. You will find the World Bank’s Doing Business Reports helpful in this part of your analysis.
Strategic recommendation
The purpose of this section is for your team to make a recommendation on how ThaiBev should enter the Russian market.
In your recommendation, be specific with your recommendation (e.g. what mode of entry). For example, if you recommend that ThaiBev should form a strategic alliance, specify how, with which company/organisation, etc. This is where research is very important.
Be able to discuss the resource, based, industry-based and institution-based considerations/advantages/disadvantages of your recommendation.
Do not just explain and rely on research data to back up your recommendation. Make sure you anchor your arguments on our topics and the data/arguments that you have presented in the previous items (above).
Conclusion (200 words)
In this section you may want to include a brief summary or synthesis (key points/arguments) of your analysis. You can include a call for action for ThaiBev’s top management given the results of your research and recommendations.
Reflection (300 words)
The conclusion should present the project team’s insights, realisations, and lessons gained upon completion of the project. It should also include a brief narration of how the project team dealt with the challenges and difficulties that the team has encountered in the course of completing the project.
List of references
Appendices
You place here any supporting analyses/graphs, tables, etc. that you think will add value to the main points that you have presented in the report.
