MANAGEMT 7234 - Managing Various Business Models Across Borders

North Terrace Campus - Summer - 2014

The American Business Model has undeniably dominated the whole Western world and many think that no other may be better. In reality other business models are emerging in other parts of the world and they might challenge the American business model very soon. It indeed appears that East asians and Americans of European descent emphasize different aspects of problems and think through problems differently. Each civilization's members display different strengths and weaknesses in their approaches to information processing. Asians emphasize perceived contexts and relationships in their information processing to a greater extent than Westerners do. Asians also accept the validity of weaker arguments, contradicting their own views, more than Westerners do. Additionally, whereas Asians favor experiential and empirical data and reasoning to explain their worlds, Westerners favor building models of explanatory rules and using formal logic to explain theirs. It is therefore highly important for a firm that wants to operate worldwide to be able to manage throughout these very different business models and develop the skills and the flexibility required to use them in an appropriate and efficient way.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code MANAGEMT 7234
    Course Managing Various Business Models Across Borders
    Coordinating Unit Adelaide Business School
    Term Summer
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Course Description The American Business Model has undeniably dominated the whole Western world and many think that no other may be better. In reality other business models are emerging in other parts of the world and they might challenge the American business model very soon.

    It indeed appears that East asians and Americans of European descent emphasize different aspects of problems and think through problems differently. Each civilization's members display different strengths and weaknesses in their approaches to information processing. Asians emphasize perceived contexts and relationships in their information processing to a greater extent than Westerners do. Asians also accept the validity of weaker arguments, contradicting their own views, more than Westerners do. Additionally, whereas Asians favor experiential and empirical data and reasoning to explain their worlds, Westerners favor building models of explanatory rules and using formal logic to explain theirs.

    It is therefore highly important for a firm that wants to operate worldwide to be able to manage throughout these very different business models and develop the skills and the flexibility required to use them in an appropriate and efficient way.
    Course Staff
    Name: Jean-Pierre UBAUD

    Dr Jean-Pierre UBAUD received his business degree from ESSEC and his PhD from the University Jean Moulin Lyon III. His research focuses on strategic alliances and creation of networks at the worlwidelevel.He is currently Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Lyon I and at ESC Clermont. He was Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at Austin from 1990 to 1996. Dr Ubaud addresses several conferences and seminars in the USA and Europe. From 1991 to 2011 Dr Ubaud was a member of the Business Development Committee at APAVE, a firm whose core activities are engineering and technical assistance. He was responsible for international operations.

    Email: .jean-pierre.ubaud@wanadoo.fr
    Course Website: www.myuni.adelaide.edu.au
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from the Course Planner at http://access.adelaide.edu.au/courses/search.asp?year=2014
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    This course is designed to …
    1. Understand the nature of business models and how they can lead to a strong competitive advantage
    2. Consider and understand the variations in building and implementing business models depending on the geographic area and the philosophy that is deeply enrooted in a country or region.
    3. Develop the skills and dynamic capabilities critical to international business operations to manage across various business models.
    4. Be able to articulate an agile strategy that has the capacity to respond to complex situations.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1
    The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 2
    An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 3-4
    A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 3
    A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. 4
    An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 2-3
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Text Books (s): No text-book required.

    Readings: A set of readings is provided in the course folder.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Students are expected to have completed, or be completing, other courses in the MBA, in particular in the areas of strategic management, finance, organization behavior, marketing and economics.

    The course outline provides the class schedule and questions for self-study for each topic. It is highly important to have read the articles in the folder before class. Analyzing the issues raised will help you to get aware of the complexity that organizations face when they need to manage various business models across borders. It will also help you to develop the skills and capabilities required to successfully deal with very different cultural and regional contexts.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Session 1 - 8 January
     
    The Power of Business Models

    Readings:
    • - “Business Models” from J.Rayport&B.Jaworski
    • “ Why business models matter” from J.Magretta
    Questions:
    • What are the components of a business model?
    • Do firms compete on value propositions or value clusters?
    • What is a successful,unique resource system? What are characteristics of good resource systems?
    • What are the revenue models available to firms?
    • In addition to customer value and relative positioning, what else is likely to impact a business model’s profitability?
    Session 2 - 9 January

    Need for challenging current business models

    Readings:
    • “ Reinventing your business model” from M. Johnson,C. Christensen, H.Kagerman
    • “ The age of progress is over” from G.Hamel
    • “ Learning to forget” from G.Hamel
    • “Why sustainability is now the key driver of innovation” from R. Nidumolu,C.K.    Prahalad&M.R.Rangaswami
    • “ Managing differences: the central challenge of global strategy” from P.Ghemawat
    • “ Cultural variations in strategic issue interpretation” from P.S Barr & M.A. Glynn
    • “ How to build risk into your business model”?fromK.Girotra&S.Netessine
    • “Reinvent your business model before it’s too late” from P.Nunes&T.Breene
    Questions:
    • What factors can make a business model obsolete? Are they predictable?
    • What’s about the consequences on the business organization?
    • How is the globalization process likely to interfere with a company’s business model?
    • Is a business model the result of a business philosophy?
    • If economic growth and expansion can no longer be based on consumer demand, what possible consequences on Western-type business models?

    Session 3 - 10 January

    The Chinese Tao:

    Readings:
    • “ China and India, the Power of Two” fromT.Kenna – Harvard Business Review, December 2007
    • “ “Sun Tzu: Identifying Opportunities” from Ong Hean-Tatt
    • “ “Economic and Ethical Roots of Chinese Strategy” from G.Haley, U.Haley,Ching Tiong Tan
    • “Offshoring, Running with Gazelles,Eating with Lions” from T.L Friedman
    • “Guanxi and Organizational dynamics” from Seung Ho Park &Yadong Luo
    • “Turnaround in East Asian firms” from G.Bruton, D.Ahlstrom, J.Wan
    • “Organizational structure, Context, customer Orientation and Performance: Lessons from Chinese state-owned enterprises” from X.Lin&R.Germain
    • “Product and Market Wisdom” from T.Sun
    • “Is it too late to enter China?” from E.Tse
    • “Antecedents to Customer Involvement in Product Development: Comparing US and Chinese Firms” from Xiao Lin &R.Germain
    • “What the West doesn’t get about China”? fromG.Stalk&D.Michael
    Questions:
    •  Is China powerful enough to impose a significant change in the western/US business model
    •  Is the enormousness of the Chinese market likely to lead to a complete redesign of the value proposition of Western firms?
    • What would the core attributes of this new value proposition be?
    • Is the State a key stakeholder to be taken into account when building this value proposition?

    Session 4 - 13 January


    The India Way

    Readings:
    • “Convergence III” from T.L.Friedman: The World is flat
    • “Competitive Advantage: Delivering the creative value proposition” from P.Capelli, H.Singh,J.Singh,M.Useem
    • “The Ethos of Indian Business Houses” from S.Jphansalkar ; Opportunities and strategies for Indian Businesses
       
    Questions:
    • What are the specificities of the Indian value proposition?
    • How is the Indian Way able to provide the poor with products that otherwise they could not afford?
    • What’s about counterintuitive thinking?
    • What is the impact of the holistic engagement of employees on the Indian companies’value proposition?
    • Would it be possible for Western MNCs to integrate the key elements of this value proposition into their business model? What could the reactions of the shareholders be?

    Session 5 - 14 January

    The Secrets of the Japanese Business Model

    Readings: 
    • M.Aoki: “ The Japanese Firm as a system of Attributes” from
    • “ The Japanese Firm- Sources of Competitive Strength”
    • Clarendon Paperbacks Oxford University Press 1996
    • B.Asanuma:” Coordination between production and distribution in a globalizing network of firms: Assessing flexibility achieved in the Japanese Automobile Industry” from “ The Japanese Firm- Sources of Competitive Strength” Oxford University Press 1996
    • R.Belderbos: “Entry mode, organizational learning, and R&D in foreign affiliates: evidence from Japanese firms” Strategic Management Journal Vol.24- 2003
    • G.Hundley, C Jacobson: The effects of the keiretsu on the export performance of Japanese companies: Help or hindrance? Strategic Management Journal, Vol.19- 1998
    • H.Takeuchi, E.Osowo, N.Shimizu: The contradictions that drive Toyota’s success- Harvard Business Review- June 2008
    • H.Schütte: Strategy and Organization: Challenges for European MNCs in Asia- European Management Journal, vol.15, August 1997
    • “The cataclysm this time” Business Week, 27 March 2011
    Questions: 
    • How can the physical characteristics of this country explain the specificities of their business model?
    • What elements in the value chain have the Japanese fundamentally rethought?
    • Is this model strong enough to be able to face the challenges of the current environment?
    • Is this business model easily transferable into other types of environments?
    • What posture should the Japanese adopt to cope with the rising power of the Chinese businesses?
     
    Session 6 - 15 January

    Developing Dynamic capabilities
     
    Readings:
    • S.Winter: Understanding dynamic capabilities – Strategic Management Journal Vol.24 October 2003
    • C.Helfat, M.Peteraf: The dynamic resource-based view: capability lifecycles. Strategic Management Journal Vol.24 October 2003
    • C.Zott: Dynamic capabilities and the emergence of intra-industry differential firm performance. Strategic Management Journal Vol.24 February 2003
    • P.M.Senge: Mental Patterns from “ The Fifth Discipline” Random House 2003
    • P.M.Senge: Localness from “ The Fifth Discipline” Random House 2003
    • A.Karamchandani, M.Kubzansky,N.Lalwani: Is the bottom of the pyramid really for you? Harvard Business review, March 2011
    • M.Reeves&M.Deimler: Adaptability: The new competitive advantage, Harvard Business Review, July 2011
    Questions:
    • Why and how are mental models likely to lead to some degree degree of inertia?
    • What are the benefits to be derived from ad hoc solving vs benefits to be derived from dynamic capabilities?
    • To what extent does the capability lifecycle explain the sources of heterogeneity for the firms in which the capabilities reside?
    • Do you think that organizational change capability is generic to all other dynamic capabilities?
    • How can localness ( concept used by P.Senge) help to better manage various business models across borders?
    • Do you think that Africa is a very promising market? If so, how should the Western business model be amended? What capabilities should Western businesses develop to cope with it?
    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment item
    Percentage of Total
    Relevant learning objective(s) Due or Scheduled date
    Individual Project 60% Understand the true nature of a business model and its correlation to a business philosophy January 24
    Group assignment 30% Understand how a company can build a successful business model and may have to adapt it January 15
    Class participation 10% Ability to contribute constructively to conceptual material presentations in-class discussions Every Class



    Assessment Detail

    No information currently available.

    Submission
    • Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.
    • Please attach an “Assignment Cover Sheet”, which is signed and dated by you before submission.
    • All group assignments must be attached to a “ Group Assignment Cover Sheet”, which must be signed and dated by all group members before submission. All team members are expected to contribute approximately equally to a group assignment.
    Lecturers can refuse to accept assignments which do not have a signed acknowledgment of the University’s policy on plagiarism.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

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