Assessment Information/Brief 2022/23

Module title International Strategic Management

53219 / 53221 (University of Salford)

CRN
January 2023 delivery (Robert Kennedy College)

Level 7

Assessment title Individual Assignment

Weighting within module This assessment is worth 100% of the overall module mark.

Submission deadline date and See OnlineCampus

time

Module Leader (University of Salford): Dr Adrian Monaghan

NB – students at Robert Kennedy College must contact their own module tutors regarding any
queries about this assignment or its submission; please do not contact Dr Adrian Monaghan.

How to submit : You must submit your report via OnlineCampus.

Assessment task details and instructions

You must structure your report in the same order as the weighted assignment tasks set out
below.

Word count
The word count for the report is 4000 words; NB Task 1 is quantitative and therefore not
included in the word count.

The word count also excludes the following:

- cover page
- contents page
- references
- tables
- diagrams
- appendices

Abstracts / executive summaries are not required and will not be marked if included.

Assessment Information/Brief
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 BACKGROUND TO ASSIGNMENT

The planet is becoming more urban. By 2030, more than five billion people — about 60 percent of the
world population — will live in cities.

We are also becoming more mobile and more connected. New technologies and business models are
pushing aside the privately-owned automobile and other less efficient modes of transportation.

Whether from autonomous vehicles, the electrification of transportation, shared networks of cars,
scooters and bicycles, or the advent of 5G wireless, the world of mobility is changing almost daily.

Nowhere will that transformation be felt more acutely in the coming decades than in the world’s major
cities where increased urban density and congestion make the tasks of creating and maintaining urban
transport systems ever more complex.

This is why developing and improving urban mobility is a top priority of cities around the globe. If a city
cannot move its people, goods and data efficiently, it is difficult to see how it thrives.

Three broad technological trends will be primarily responsible for reshaping urban mobility in every city
— digitization, automation and electrification. The sharing (or collaborative) economy, a fourth trend,
has led to new business models in which the mobility service provided is more important than its
ownership…

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SEAT, S.A. is a Spanish automobile manufacturer with its head office in Martorell (near Barcelona), Spain.
The firm has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Group since 1986.

The firm is strategically repositioning itself from a vehicle manufacturer to a provider of shared mobility
services (i.e. where users pay for transportation only when they need it, rather than owning a personal
vehicle that is not used most of the time), especially in increasingly crowded urban areas. As stated by
Luca De Meo, the firm’s Chairman:

“We are convinced that vehicles will become the second largest connected platform after the mobile
phone and we will have the chance to integrate them into a rich ecosystem. This transformation forces us
to innovate and move beyond the scope of being just a carmaker, stretching our value chain towards new
mobility services, platforms and data businesses”.

As part of this repositioning, SEAT has identified ‘compact urban mobility’ (i.e. short commutes less than
10 kilometres within the city environment, using a small vehicle) as a core area for strategic
development.

The firm unveiled its ‘Minimό’ concept vehicle at the 2019 Mobile World Congress to demonstrate
SEAT’s vision of the ‘compact urban mobility’ of tomorrow.

Integrating the fields of electrification, connectivity and shared mobility the ‘Minimό’ is a 2-passenger
quadricycle primarily intended for business-to-consumer free-floating carsharing providers* that has
been designed to:

 have a considerably smaller ecological footprint (3.1 square metres) than a normal car (7.2
square metres) while providing safe, agile travel and easy parking

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  release zero emissions due to its all-electric powertrain
 reduce the operating costs of carsharing providers by 50%, as the integrated battery-swap
system means the vehicle rarely needs to be taken to a recharging point
 provide a convenient and smooth digital user experience for users based on hyperconnectivity
with built-in 5-G technology
 allow the vehicle – in the future and subject to further development of autonomous
technologies - to pick up the user when requested, thereby solving one of the main carsharing
user pain points.

Delayed due to the global pandemic and global semiconductor chip shortage, the ‘Minimό’ will now
enter into production in February 2024, leaving the firm with only 12 months to decide which city from
across the globe will be most attractive for the product launch.

SEAT’s international strategy team have already undertaken some initial desktop research and have
identified Stockholm (Sweden) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates) as potentially attractive markets for
the product launch of the ‘Minimό’.

As an external consultant, you have been commissioned by the team to evaluate which of these 2
potential city-level markets is more attractive to launch the ‘Minimό’ vehicle into and to then analyse the
more attractive city-level market in greater detail.

* Two of the main types of business-to-consumer car-sharing models are:

Round-trip Station-based carsharing – the user only has the choice of a round trip, picking the car up at
Station A and returning it to Station A when they are finished. Those who plan trips ahead of time or are
looking for a car at a specific time would benefit from these services.
Free-floating carsharing (e.g. car2go, Gig or DriveNow) – the user can see which cars are available
within a set operating area on a mobile app and choose the one closest to them. Once the user is finished
using the car, they can drop off the car at any location within the set operating area, saving time and
avoiding unnecessary trips.  Those who are spontaneous and decide last-minute that they need a car
would benefit from these services. SEAT intends to sell its ‘Minimό’ vehicle to business-to-consumer free-
floating carsharing providers.

NB the differences between car-sharing, ride-sharing and ride-hailing:

Car-sharing = ‘I rent a car to drive now and park it when I’m finished; someone else will rent the same
car later and drive it’.
Ride-sharing = a customer (rider) shares a vehicle with other riders.  It is not personal transportation, as
the vehicle is shared with other riders and will make stops to pick up other riders.
Ride-hailing = when a rider “hails” or hires a personal driver to take them exactly where they need to go.
The vehicle is not shared with any other riders, nor does it make several stops along a route. The ride is
booked and paid for through a smartphone app with a transportation network company (TNC) such as
Uber.

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 ASSIGNMENT TASKS

Overview of assignment tasks:

Task Nature of Task Weightin Word Count

g
1 Comparative evaluation of 2 markets + identification 20% N/A – Quantitative
of most attractive market to enter
2 5-forces analysis of competition in the carsharing 20% 1000
industry in your chosen city
3 Identification of the company’s most relevant internal 20% 1000
value-adding activities to support entry into your
chosen city
4 Evaluation of relevant modes of entry into your 20% 1000
chosen city + recommendation of most suitable mode
of entry for the company
5 Evaluation of the potential for the SEAT ‘Minimό’ 20% 1000
vehicle to create Shared Value

Task requirements:

1. In order to identify which city is the most potentially attractive destination for the launch of the SEAT
‘Minimό’, you are required to undertake a comparative evaluation of what you believe to be the most
relevant country-level (i.e. macro-environmental) factors and city-level (i.e. socio-economic and urban
mobility readiness) factors for Stockholm (Sweden) and Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

 Task 1 must be presented in table format and must be no more than 8 pages in length.
 Your tutors will provide you with a template for the tables for Task 1; you must use this template
for Task 1.
 Country-level macro-environmental data should be recent, quantitative and obtained from
appropriate sources (your tutors will provide you with a list of Useful Data Sources).
 City-level socio-economic and urban mobility readiness data should be quantitative and
obtained from the Urban Mobility Readiness Index (your tutors will provide you with a list of
Useful Data Sources).
 A weighting and scoring system should be used for each factor for each country / city to show
whether each factor is more or less attractive for the company. These scores should then be
totalled for each country / city in order to arrive at a score of overall attractiveness for each
country / city.
 Also refer to the Assignment Task 1 Briefing slides and Task 1 Guidance Notes when preparing
this task.

- Worth 20% of the overall mark; not included in the word count

2. Apply the 5-Forces model to critically analyse the competitive environment of the carsharing industry
in your chosen city.

 Remember that you can present a summary of key points in a table or diagram.

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  A SWOT analysis is not acceptable.
 Refer to the Assignment Task 2 Briefing slides when preparing this task.

- Worth 20% of the overall mark; 1000 words

3. Using the Value Chain model as a point of reference, identify and discuss which of SEAT’s internal
value-adding activities will be most relevant in supporting SEAT to launch the ‘Minimό’ into your chosen
city.

 Remember that you can present a summary of key points in a table or diagram.
 A SWOT analysis is not acceptable.
 Refer to the Assignment Task 3 Briefing slides when preparing this task.

- Worth 20% of the overall mark; 1000 words

4. Critically evaluate the various modes of entry that are relevant to SEAT and recommend - with
justification – the most suitable mode of entry that will enable the product launch of the ‘Minimό’ into
your chosen city to be a success for the company.

 Remember that you can present a summary of key points in a table or diagram.
 Refer to the Assignment Task 4 Briefing slides when preparing this task.

- Worth 20% of the overall mark; 1000 words

5. Evaluate the extent to which you believe the SEAT ‘Minimό’ vehicle has the potential to create Shared
Value; support your answer with reference to relevant Shared Value concepts.

 Refer to the Assignment Task 5 Briefing slides when preparing this task.

- Worth 20% of the overall mark; 1000 words

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 Assessed Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the wider context of international strategy and the macro-
environment of international business.
2. Evaluate the relative attractiveness of one or more potential foreign markets to enter.
3. Strategically analyse the industrial and internal value-adding environments of firms.
4. Critically evaluate different modes of entry to expand into new foreign markets.
5. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the potential for firms to create shared value as part of their
international strategy.
Key Subject Specific Skills
1. Develop your self-awareness of the international environment of business and the potential
opportunities and challenges that may arise.
2. Apply theoretical models and frameworks to real-world situations.
3. Advance appropriate and justified recommendations on the basis of analysis and critical evaluation.
4. Reflect upon the wider role of business in society.

Module Aims
1. To provide contemporary insights into the wider context of international strategy and the macro-
environment of international business.
2. To develop the ability to evaluate the attractiveness of one or more potential foreign markets.
3. To develop the ability to undertake strategic analysis of the industrial and internal value-adding
environments of firms.
4. To develop the ability to critically evaluate different modes of entry to expand into new foreign
markets.
5. To develop a critical awareness of the potential for firms to create shared value as part of their
international strategy.

Feedback arrangements (University of Salford)

“The purpose of feedback is not to provide students with a benchmark between passing and failing but
to identify strengths and where there is room for improvement and development” (Assessment and
Feedback for Taught Awards Policy).
You can expect to receive the provisional mark and feedback for this assessment 15 working days after
submission. Feedback will be provided via OnlineCampus.
All marks will be ratified at the appropriate Board of Examiners following internal and external
moderation.
Please note that being dissatisfied with your results does not constitute grounds for an academic
appeal.

Support arrangements (University of Salford)

 You can obtain support for this assessment by attending the assignment briefing and
assignment Q&A sessions as detailed in the module delivery schedule on OnlineCampus.

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 askUS (University of Salford)
The University offers a range of support services for students through askUS.

Assessment Criteria (University of Salford / Robert Kennedy College)

The marking team will refer to the marking rubric for the assessment; this can be found at the end of
this document.

Academic Misconduct (University of Salford)

It is essential that you ensure that you observe and engage in good academic practice when
undertaking any piece of assessment on your programme.
The University takes a serious view of all acts of academic misconduct. Such acts are considered
dishonest and as attempts to gain unfair advantage. Acts of academic misconduct can take many
forms. They are likely to fall into one or more of the following categories:
 Plagiarism - taking the work of another person or source and using it as if it were one’s own
 Self-plagiarism (or double submission) – resubmitting previously submitted work on one or
more occasions (without proper acknowledgement) including work submitted at a previous
institution
 Collusion - working with others on tasks that should be carried out on an individual basis
 Falsifying experimental or other investigative results
 Contracting another person to produce a piece of assessed work
 Producing a piece of assessed work for another person
 Bribery
Suspected misconduct will be addressed in accordance with the University’s Academic Misconduct
Procedure:
https://www.salford.ac.uk/governance-and-management/student-facing-policies-and-procedures
If you are unsure as to what constitutes good academic practice, you are strongly advised to complete
the following following learning packages:
 What is academic integrity and why is it essential for your degree?
 Introduction to Referencing
 Creating References Using APA 7th Edition
 Demonstrating Good Academic Practice
All of these learning packages can be found at:
https://www.salford.ac.uk/skills/skills-e-learning/academic-integrity-referencing
Referencing your assessments properly is a requirement of the University and good practice in
referencing reduces the risk of committing academic misconduct. For all assignments in the Business
School, you must use the APA 7th (Harvard) style. Comprehensive guides to referencing at the
University of Salford are available at:
https://www.salford.ac.uk/skills/referencing/apa-7th-edition

Personal Mitigating Circumstances (University of Salford)

If personal mitigating circumstances may have affected your ability to complete this assessment, you
can find more information about the personal mitigating circumstances procedure here.

In Year Retrieval Scheme (University of Salford / Robert Kennedy College)

Your assessment is not eligible for in year retrieval.
Reassessment (University of Salford)
If you fail your assessment and are eligible for reassessment, you will be advised of the resubmission
date by the School Office.

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 For students with accepted personal mitigating circumstances, this will be your replacement
assessment attempt.
If you need to be reassessed, the reassessment will be the same as the original assessment.

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Marking Criteria (Rubric) for International Strategic Management Assignment

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