You are required to write an essay with a word limit of 2,000 words including all references,
footnotes/endnotes, appendices, supplementary materials, etc.
Structurally, a traditional essay format is expected that is, a short introduction, a main body and a
conclusion with clear sign-posting throughout.
Learning objective: This assessment measures your ability to critically analyse relevant theoretical
material AND then apply this theoretical information in real-life/practical contexts. In line with these
requirements, the main body of the essay should address the following two points:
- A critical analysis and review of academic literature on emerging market multinational enterprises
(MNEs) and reverse knowledge transfer (see reading list below for some relevant readings).
In this part of the assessment you could explore a range of themes such as:
• Why would emerging MNEs engage in reverse knowledge transfer?
• How is the reverse knowledge transfer likely to unfold in emerging MNEs? (that is, factors
that will inhibit and/or encourage the transfer process).
• What kind of knowledge is likely to be reverse transferred in emerging MNEs?
• What are likely to be the outcomes of the reverse knowledge transfer process in emerging
MNEs? (that is, success or failure or both). - An empirical application of your key theoretical arguments (offered in part one of the essay) in a
specific emerging market MNE of your choice.
For this assessment, emerging market MNEs refer to those MNEs which do not originate from the
following developed countries/economies: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United
Kingdom, USA.
You can choose any MNEs from a developing/emerging economy as your case company.
For part two of the essay, you may draw on alternative sources such as consultancy reports, market
research reports, newspaper articles (for example, the FT/Bloomberg/Newsweek/Economist),
published interviews with executives and entrepreneurs, corporate/company websites, and industry
reports.
Regardless of which emerging MNE you choose, this part of the essay assesses how reverse
knowledge transfer is likely to play out in your chosen case company.