Student's Reflection on International Business Strategy Module

This report offers a comprehensive overview of a student's experience in an International Business Strategy module, spanning five weeks of learning. The student reflects on key concepts such as the drivers of international expansion, external environment analysis using tools like PEST and Porter's Five Forces, and Yips drivers of globalization. The report delves into internal factors, including resource-based view and competitive advantage, and explores the importance of stakeholder and corporate social responsibility. The student highlights the practical application of these concepts, demonstrating a solid understanding of international business strategies and their real-world implications. The report showcases the student's enhanced knowledge and ability to apply the learned concepts in professional scenarios, providing valuable insights into the intricacies of international business operations and strategic decision-making.

Running head: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STRATEGY
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STRATEGY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STRATEGY
In this module I came to know about the basic introductory week on International
Business Strategy where we were given an overview of what we were going to study the
entire week and in the module. I had a very vague idea about international business strategy
and through this module I have gained knowledge on this topic in a detailed manner.
Week 1
In this week, I came to know about the different perspective of why companies
usually expand their business in other countries. While reading an article, I had gained some
knowledge about the different reasons for expansion like gaining more profits and
maximizing the companies to gain a positive reputation in the market and gain a position in
the global marke (Suzuki and Okamuro 2017).
This introductory week lay the foundation for what the entire module is going to teach
us which helped me in developing interest because of the interesting topic and the way it was
presented. From this week’s learning, I came to know about various mentalities which drive
strategy in the business. I understood the different perspectives like transnational,
multinational, global and international factors change with the evolvement of the industry.
The learnings that were taught to us helped us in developing a proper base of this
topic and helped me in associating this topic with the real companies that exist like Adidas,
Facebook, Oracle Corporation and many more. I believe that this base that has been created
from the learning of this week is going to help me further learn the module in a concrete way
which I will be able to apply in a fruitful manner in the near future.

2INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STRATEGY
Week 2
In this week, I had gained knowledge about the importance of the external
environment in an organisation. According to scholars, in order to run a successful business it
is important for organisations to analyze both the internal as well as external factors in order
to make strategic decision to help in the growth and development of the business (Amara and
Benelifa 2017).
In this week, I was introduced various tools that help in measuring the different
external aspects like PEST analysis, Porters Diamond models and CAGE. Vlados (2019) has
criticized the Porters Diamond model stating that it can be effectively applied in the
developed countries however the model fails to address the job of the MNE’s.
PEST analysis according to me is one of the most important tools for measuring the
external factors which organisations use and I have practiced aligning this model with real
companies like Apple, Samsung, H&M in order to practice using this model so that I can
conduct effective analysis and enhance my skills.
Week 3
This week emphasizes on showing us the significance of learning about the
environment of a business. Prajogo (2016) states that it is important for employees at the
managerial level to have knowledge about the factors in terms of macro environment to gain
strategic fit in the market. In this week I have also learnt about Yips driver of globalization
which is an important tool that aims in identifying the primary or main drivers of
globalization like competition, government, cost and market. Porter’s five forces is another
tool which is useful in analyzing the external environment of a business as it measures the

3INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STRATEGY
competition, attractiveness and the intensity of one industry which is necessary in order to
come up with strategic decisions (Varelas and Georgopoulos 2017).
During my graduation, I have used the Porters five forces however Yips driver of
globalization was new to me and thus I was intrigued in learning more about this so that I
could come up with a proper analysis.
Week 4
This week the lesson shed a light on the importance of acquiring or developing
strength in order to sustain the value and competitive advantage one creates in the market.
The learning of this week has helped me in understanding the importance of internal aspects
or factors which are important in an organisation. Mezzanatto-McNair (2019) states
international business needs to conduct internal analysis in order to know their strengths and
weaknesses in order to make positive changes in the business so that it can create their own
value and gain competitive advantage which they will help them during their business in a
foreign country.
This week has also helped me gain knowledge about resource based view which I did
not have any idea before. I have also understood about the concept of competitive advantage
in the market in a detailed manner. Earlier I knew about the basic but the learnings of this
week helped me in understanding about the concept in details. I believe that I will be able to
apply the learnings which I have learnt in this week in organisations when I get recruited and
correctly brainstorm in order to come up with strategies and ideas to attain competitive
advantage in the market.

4INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STRATEGY
Week 5
Responsibility towards the shareholders and the stakeholders of a company is what
this week’s learning taught us which was very useful as I came to know about the
responsibilities and their importance which have a huge effect on the business of an
organisation. Richter and Arndt (2018) states stakeholder have a huge role in affecting the
operations of business thus the decisions taken by an organisation should keep their desires
and needs in mind to ensure fruitfulness of the business.
Corporate social responsibility is another concept which I have learnt in details in this
week. I believe that CSR activities have a huge role to play I helping a business garner a
positive reputation in the market and also to attract people to associate themselves with the
business which helps in organizational benefits. I believe that I will be able to learn these
concepts and apply it efficiently in the near future.
This module that has been taught us from Week 1 to Week 5 was a great learning
experience as I gained knowledge about different aspects of international business strategies
in details which I will try to incorporate in the real scenario which will help me in
contributing to my professional development.

5INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STRATEGY
Reference
Amara, T. and Benelifa, S., 2017. The impact of external and internal factors on the
management accounting practices. International Journal of Finance and Accounting, 6(2),
pp.46-58.
Mezzanatto-McNair, S., 2019. An Analysis of Business Strategies for Economic Growth and
Expansion of Digital and Online Tech Industry: Southeast Asia and United States.
Prajogo, D.I., 2016. The strategic fit between innovation strategies and business environment
in delivering business performance. International journal of production Economics, 171,
pp.241-249.
Richter, U.H. and Arndt, F.F., 2018. Cognitive processes in the CSR decision-making
process: a sensemaking perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 148(3), pp.587-602.
Suzuki, S. and Okamuro, H., 2017. Determinants of academic startups’ orientation toward
international business expansion. Administrative Sciences, 7(1), p.1.
Varelas, S. and Georgopoulos, N., 2017. Porter’s competitive forces in the modern globalized
hospitality sector–the case of a Greek tourism destination. J Tour Res, 18, pp.121-131.
Vlados, C., 2019. Porter’s diamond approaches and the competitiveness web. International
Journal of Business Administration, 10(5), pp.33-52.