Business in Asia

This subject is not offered in 2014.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Business in Asia is a field study-based subject that allows students to apply the skills they have developed in the core subjects of the MBA program. The main deliverable in the subject is a detailed research report describing a study in one of the developing markets of Asia, typically China. The field study (or project) can focus on a specific organization, new or existing products/services/ventures, or entire industries. Students are also able to focus on a specific area of business such as marketing, finance, or human resources management. The subject is divided into two parts with the first part taking place in Melbourne over the core modules of the MBA program. The second part consists of a 10-day field trip in the selected Asian market, normally Shanghai. During the field trip students conduct primary research in the form of interviews with business executives, company visits, and other appropriate research techniques such as surveys.

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• appreciate the impact of cultural differences on business practices and the additional complexity of doing business in a foreign country.
• understand the relationships between the macro-economic environment, political systems and cultural dynamics and business opportunities, structure and process.
• develop a research plan to analyze and solve a complex business problem in a foreign market.
• conduct secondary research in order to better understand and define the issues/problems under consideration.
• conduct primary research to formulate a set of recommendations to solve the issues/problems under consideration.
• write a concise research report to detail the research process, recommendations, and implementation plan.

• Interim report (20%)
  • 1,000 words
  • Week 5 of GM3
• Project overview and description (10%)
  • 500 words
  • Week 6 of GM2
• Project presentation (20%)
  • 20 minutes
  • End of subject
• Final report (50%)
  • Hurdle requirement
  • 2,500 words
  • End of subject

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.