Income inequality around the world
Students taking Edexcel GCSE Unit 3 need to briefly consider the implications of differing incomes and pay levels around the world (3.5 Economic issues affecting trade). The superb Gapminder World website is a terrific resource to enable students to conduct some interactive research into income inequality and pay levels. Highly recommended. Here is a link to a relevant example of the many fantastic data visualisations that students can produce on the website:
Income inequality: USA v China v Income Gapminder
Emerging markets fuel the fast-food growth for Yum! Brands
An excellent feature article in the Independent this week provides a rich source of information to help explain the international business strategy of a US-based fast food multinational.
read more...»The Marketing Mix Challenge in reaching the Muslim Market
A fantastic three minute video here which examines how businesses adapt their marketing mix to targeting the emerging global market for Muslim consumers. An ideal lesson starter video.
Rising industrial unrest in China
The news reports in the last weeks about the rising industrial unrest in China are very interesting, and raise all sorts of issues which could be used in A2 lessons. I recommend these two items from the BBC website to introduce them: ‘China’s factories hit by wave of strikes’ and ‘China official newspaper calls for workers’ pay rises’.
read more...»Alliances - benefits of scale without the risks?
Is there the potential for some firms to enjoy economies of scale and the benefits of size, without risking a potentially disastrous merger? The boss of Renault Nissan thinks so and is continuing to hype his alliance model as the way forward in the car industry. We’ve heard about ‘co-opetition’ before: how would it work out this business?
read more...»The Dark Side of the iPad and iPhone?
Here is a story that will really get students thinking about the products they buy and use…
read more...»Strategic planning in action - M&S clothing supplier looks to the long-term
This is a useful, short article which illustrates the importance of strategic planning. Dewhirst Group is a major supplier of clothing to M&S - indeed around 90% of its sales are for that retailer. Faced with increasing pressure on prtofit margins, Dewhirst went through a painful process a decade ago by closing down all of its UK clothing factories and offshoring its production in low-labour cost countries like Bangladesh. Some good, short insights here from the Dewhirst CEO on the importance of looking to the long-term, and on why the business decided not to invest in production facilities in China.
Corruption in Russia makes it a Tough Emerging Market for International Brands
This short BBC video highlights the issue of corruption in Russian business life - a potentially major concern for international businesses looking to enter and expand into a huge potental market.
View BBC video on Russian business corruption
Container shipping: the greatest business innovation of the 20th Century?
I was totally caught up in BBC4’s The Box That Changed Britain - an absolute must for business and economics students. This fantastic programme covered business costs, logistics, retail, business location, productive efficiency, human resource management, trade and globalisation. Nearly everyone is busy at the moment with revision, but if you want a pause for thought (or a resource for debate after the exams) this is it.
And I’m hard pressed to think of any other innovation that has had such a significant impact on business in the last 50 years. Ideas anyone?
Global branding in emerging markets - Ikea tolerates window shoppers
A big hat tip to Steve Storey for spotting this fantastic video from the FT on the Ikea store in Beijing. For those who you with an FT.com subscription which gets you past the paywall, this is one to show the students!
read more...»Strategic Planning and the World Economy – two great (free) data sources from The Economist
The thought provoking Economist World in 2010 magazine that you will have seen on the newsstands has two sections I always take a close interest in. They are world in figures: industries and world in figures: countries.
Very helpful if you’re looking into the strategic fortunes of a particular industry, or researching global markets in both the rich world and emerging economies.
Will outsourcing slow as the pound falls in value?
A good BBC video clip here, which poses an interesting question – how should firms respond to the falling value of sterling? One firm, Clippasafe in Nottingham, has reacted by shifting some of its production back to the UK from China.
read more...»BRICS - Economic Growth in the Emerging Markets (Interactive Guide)
This would look great on the IWB as a stimulus piece for interaction and discussion. A terrific interactive guide to the economic profiles of the BRICs here (Brazil, Russia, India & China).. Compare the progress of the Bric states’ gross domestic product over time alongside the major global economies and the “next 11” developing nations in the graphic provided.
Google in China: Business ethics, business sense or both?
A fascinating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issue for the internet titan Google, whose business mission statement is stated simply as ‘Don’t Be Evil’. China offers enormous potential as a profitable marketplace, and its poor human rights record shows some sign of gradual improvement as the country engages with the outside world. But the Chinese government has reminded all companies that they must abide strictly by state controls of the country’s cyberspace. Recent events have lead Google to say ‘no’, and they are threatening to pull out. Why?
read more...»Emerging Markets - How NOT to set up a business in China
This is hilarious - but also packed full with great insights for AQA (BUSS4) students or others wanting to learn more about the potential downsides and risks of setting up a business in China. The article describes the painful experiences of a UK entrepreneur who set out to make his fortune in China - making and then exporting scooters. Well worth a read, and a great source of discussion with students. Lots of scope for follow-up activities too - what could have been done differently?
Emerging Markets - China Motors to World No1
A significant stage in the rapid growth of the Chinese economy was reached at the end of 2009. Latest statistics suggest that China has overtaken the US and become the world’s largest manufacturer of cars…
read more...»Emerging Markets - Brazil - Jimmys Harvest
Many thanks to Colin Edwards for recommending Jimmy’s Harvest - a super 1 hour documentary on BBC iPlayer (30 days left to watch from today) that examines the structural changes taking place in the Brazilian agriculture sector.
Video case study - competition drives down prices in India
A great video here describing the effect on prices of intensive competition in the Indian mobile phone market. With over 500 million mobile phone users in India, there are now at least twelve mobile network operators, including UK-based multinationals like Vodafone. However, the effect of excess capacity and price wars in the market has been to drive down industry revenues, despite the growth in subscriber numbers. Only the strong will survive - but who will they be?
Watch BBC video on Indian Mobile Phone network.
Emerging markets drive demand for oil
A neat graphic on The Economist website this week helps illustrate the rapid economic growth of emerging markets such as India & China. It breaks down the historical demand for oil from the key economies, highlighting the changes between 1980 and the latest forecasts for 2030 by the International Energy Agency. The oil market is a good example to use when illustrating the dynamics of changing supply and demand on market prices. And there is a good discussion to have with students about why an emerging economy such as China, Malaysia or India would experience such a significant increase in demand for oil (rapid industrialisation; wider car ownership etc)
Beating the import threat - luxury furniture
I came across this super short case study in the FT (Oct 09) which is a great example to use to illustrate one strategy of dealing with cheap imports….
read more...»Emerging Markets - Lessons from Four Success Stories
The FT ran a series of four short articles in early 2009 (now behind their paywall) describing the experiences of four businesses who had successfully entered emerging international markets.
In this streamed revision presentation, we have highlighted some of the key learning points from those articles - factors to for businesses to consider as they evaluate the opportunities and threats, risks and rewards from investing in emerging markets such as Brazil, India and China.
Launch revision presentation on Lessons from Four Success Stories
Emerging Markets Case Study - Mothercare International Expansion
Its sometimes quite tricky finding well-resourced examples of international expansion - but this is a good one. Mothercare has quietly adopted a strategy of repositioning its group by focusing on expansion into emerging markets like India, Russia and China using its two “global brands” (Mothercare and Early Learning Centre). It has set itself an objective of opening at least 100 international stores every year, using the franchise model of operation.
This streamed revision presentation provides a collection of stimulus materials which students could use to discuss Mothercare’s strategy. I have brought together some materials from a variety of sources, including press cuttings, annual reports and analyst presentations.
Launch streamed presentation on Mothercare’s International Expansion Strategy
Survive and prosper - emerging markets in the global recession
The Economist Intelligence Unit has just published a report that seeks to examine the business opportunities within emerging markets in the context of the current economic climate. They have surveyed over 500 companies during July and August 2009 to identify the issues and concerns of businesses that either already operate in emerging markets, or are actively considering doing so.
read more...»Emerging Markets - Strategies for Doing Business in China
The UKTI service is a superb support for businesses looking to expand into international markets, and they’ve just released a detailed guide to Doing Business in China. Its quite a detailed, 45+ page document, but it includes some expert guidance on factors for businesses to consider - particularly if they are looking to invest in China for the first time…
read more...»Emerging Markets - China’s Growth in Charts
Here are a series of up-to-date charts which help illustrate the rapid economic growth in China and its effect on key consumer markets of interest to businesses in developed economies…
read more...»Emerging Markets - 10 Tips on Successful Market Entry Strategy
PA Consulting’s head of emerging markets Dean White has contributed a recent article to The Times Business Section on how to expand into emerging markets. The article gives a ten point guide on how to overcome the risks that come with trying to expand overseas…
read more...»Emerging Markets - Investing in Brazil 2009
Students preparing for BUSS4 Jan 2010 (Emerging Markets) may find today’s special feature in the FT really useful. The FT carries a print special edition (also available online) on the opportunities for investing in Brazil.
Revision Presentation - Globalisation & Business
This streamed revision presentation examines some of the key issues of globalisation in the context of business studies
Luxury brands invest in India despite the global slowdown
Luxury brands are continuing to invest in expanding their sales in India despite the short-term economic downturn in a key emerging market…
read more...»Strategy in action - Download Cadbury CEO’s Action Plan
Fighting off the recent takeover bid from Kraft Foods, the CEO of Cadbury has made a presentation to analysts today which details the corporate strategy that he hopes will persuade shareholders to keep the business independent. The slides from Todd Stitzer’s presentation are available to download in pdf format and I highly recommend them. They are a great example of an effective CEO presentation and also contain a wealth of material that stronger A2 students in particular would benefit from.
read more...»
