International Business Strategy & Ethics Assignment (BUSS 5034)

This assignment solution addresses key aspects of international business strategy and ethics. It begins by analyzing the resource-based view of corporate governance, emphasizing the significance of a competent management team and the role of the director board in achieving sustainable competitive advantage. The solution then explores two roles of responsible leadership: a visionary and a citizen, providing real-world examples such as Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children's Zone and Wendy Kopp's Teach for America. These examples illustrate how leaders can drive positive change through foresight, long-term perspectives, and a commitment to the well-being of communities and global education. The solution provides valuable insights into how these elements intertwine to create effective business strategies and ethical practices.

BUSS 5034 – International Business Strategy & Ethics
Continuous Assessment – in-class questions
Max 75 words per answer – dot points with complete sentences accepted
Name: Surranjjith Kumar Student ID: 110263543 Date: 13-May-2020
T-9 Strategy:
Choose one of the aspects of the comprehensive model of corporate governance -
industry-based, resource-based, or institution-based considerations - and discuss how
those factors influence the overall model of CG.
All three views work together to articulate a strategy for a company. Looking specifically at
one of the views, resource-based view suggests that the primary determinants of firm
performance that may contribute to the firm’s sustainable competitive advantage are the
resources it possesses. One of the most important elements in evaluating a firm’s
performance and sustainability is having a competent management team. Furthermore, the
role of director board is vital in deciding whether or not the firm has achieved sustainable
competitive advantage through corporate governance. Director board responsibilities include
that of monitoring role, expertise/ counsel role and resource dependence role. Example, if a
foreign bank has some ownership of a local bank, there would be transfer of knowledge and
technology with respect to the operational styles and management strategies. Foreign owners
may influence to adapt more transparent and competitive operating strategies. Additionally,
independent directors are in a better position to provide information because they have the
advantage in accessing the other firm’s privately-owned data that might be great
opportunities for the firm and may contribute in developing a competitive advantage.
T-9 Ethics:
Describe and explain two roles that exemplify responsible leadership – with examples
(not from the course slides)
A visionary has foresight and a long-term perspective, motivates and inspires people through
a clear sense of purpose and future direction and envisions a sustainable future for business
and society. A citizen cares about the well-being of communities in which one lives &
operates and is well informed about developments in the larger environment.
Example 1: Geoffrey Canada, in the 1990s, was utterly dissatisfied with most organizations
helping the urban poor. He subsequently started an experiment in an effort to help children in
a 24-block zone of New York City and called it the Harlem Children’s Zone and gave them
education, social, and medical help starting at birth. The idea was to make success a self-
reinforcing phenomenon, as children and their families saw it all around them and
recalibrated their expectations. The experiment has worked spectacularly. The zone now
covers over 100 blocks and serves more than 12,000 children, with 95% of high school
seniors going off to college. He plans to step down as CEO later this year, but his ideals and
leadership here will no doubt endure.
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Example 2: Twenty-five years after turning her Princeton senior thesis into a national
education reform program called Teach for America, Wendy Kopp is taking her model
global. A low-ego leader with big dreams, she has recruited social entrepreneurs in 32
countries to become teachers in underfunded public schools. Her aim is to narrow educational
disparities around the world.
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