The Institutional Structure of International Business - Economics Assignment Help

Assignment Task

Details: 
The world of international business is complex and contested. It is also changing rapidly. These changes apply to international business as a whole, the frameworks and structures of businesses themselves, and the way we understand them.
Your task is to write a referenced essay in response to one of the four questions below.
General advice:
Before listing the essay questions, consider this general advice, which relates to the marking rubric and is relevant to all of the essay questions. For more detailed advice on essay writing, see the course writing modules and consult your tutor.
• All essays must have an argument. It is up to you to decide exactly what you will argue in your essay, but it must speak directly to the question.
• Each essay must refer to one or more of the theories discusses in weeks 5 and 6 of the course. Take the time to read widely on the theory (or theories) relevant to your question before you start forming your analysis and argument.
• Each essay question relates to the historical development of a contemporary outcome. Good essays must show an awareness of these trends.
• Essays must cover a sufficient amount of scholarly literature on the topic. This should involve a minimum of 10 scholarly sources - but remember that the quality of your analysis of these sources is as important as the number of them used. In addition to these scholarly sources you can also use data from industry sources and other reliable non-scholarly sources.  
• Remember what we discussed in our first writing module: the accuracy of business theory is not the same things as the effectiveness of business strategy. Avoid writing about what firms should and shouldn’t do for their own benefit and think about the bigger picture of how businesses are structured and their relationship with social/political context.
• Essays must be referenced consistently in the Harvard in-text system.
• It is your responsibility to avoid plagiarism. You will receive a copy of the Turnitin originality report as a guide - note that the numerical "score" of this report is not what we use to judge for plagiarism.  
Structure advice
Each essay question will have its own structure, but the following basic form applies to all. More detail on the structure of an essay can be found in the writing modules.
• (Do not include a table of contents or an executive summary)
• Start with an introduction
• Include a section addressing the theory (or theories) relevant to the question
• Include a section applying this theoretical understanding to your selected industry
• A conclusion
• A reference section
Questions:
Choose one of the following four questions:
Question 1:
"Has the integration of global markets led to the disintegration of the multinational firm as the main coordinating unit of international production?" Answer in reference to one industry of your choice.
Further guidance for this question:
• This question relates to the theories discussed in week 5: global value chains, global production networks, and the global factory. Your answer should reference at least one of these theories in detail.
• Focus on the word “coordinating”: the question is asking about who or what (if anything) is coordinating patterns of international production, and whether this has changed over time. Your argument must speak directly to this point.
• Good answers must discuss the historical integration of global markets (i.e. the reduction of trade barriers and increasing linkages between national economies) and its relationship to the current structure of international production.
• Your selected industry should give you enough material to discuss these factors in detail.
Question 2:
Both GVC and GPN theories emphasise the power of lead firms in international production. Apply one of these theories of international production to a lead firm in an industry of your choice and discuss what implications lead firm power has on government policies and state capacity. 
Further guidance for this question:
• This question relates to the GVC and GNP theories discussed in week 5, with a particular emphasis on the relationship between lead firms and states. Good essays must show a thorough understanding of one of these theories.
• Your essay’s argument must speak directly to the question of the power dynamics between lead firms and various states, and their consequences.
• Good answers must discuss the historical factors which have led to the development of GVCs and/or GPNs, and their relationship to the power of lead firms.
• Your selected lead firm should provide you enough material to discuss the interaction between lead firms and governments.
Question 3:
"The transition of many aspects of international business to multi-sided platforms is demanding a more networked understanding of business firms and their relationships to other businesses, consumers and workers." Discuss the accuracy of this statement in reference to one industry of your choice.
Further guidance for this question:
• This question relates to the structure and behaviour of multi-sided platforms and how they are different to other types of firm. Your essay’s argument must speak to this point.
• As well as articulating the theoretical research on platforms, good answers must discuss the conditions of their development in recent years.
• You should choose an industry where the growth of platforms provides good evidence on the differences between platforms and other forms of business.
Question 4:
"Will platforms' disruption to wages and job security make their rise politically unsustainable?" Answer in reference to one industry of your choice.
Further guidance for this question:
• This question relates to the structure and behaviour of platforms, with a particular focus on how these impact workers. Essays should show a theoretical awareness of how platforms differ from other forms of business.
• By referring to political sustainability, the question is asking about whether platforms’ disruptions to worker conditions will lead to a political backlash that may limit platforms’ rise. Your argument must speak directly to this point.
• You should choose an industry that provides good evidence of these trends (or their absence).
Reading lists
These reading lists are provided to give you a starting point for your essay reading.
Global Value Chains (GVCs)
Dicken, P. (2003), ‘”Placing” firms: grounding the debate on the “global” corporation’, in J. Peck and H. Wai-chung Yeung (eds.), Remaking the Global Economy: Economic-Geographical Perspectives, London: Sage, pp. 27 - 44.
Kaplinsky, R. (2004) ‘Spreading the Gains from Globalization : What Can Be Learned from Value-Chain Analysis?’, Problems of Economic Transition,47:2, 74-115
Sturgeon, T. (2000)  ‘How Do We Define Value Chains and Production Networks?’ IDS Bulletin , Vol.32, No.3 (2001) pp.9-18.
Sturgeon, T. (2008) ‘From Commodity Chains to Value Chains: Interdisciplinary Theory Building in an Age of Globalization’, Industry Studies Association, 
Amin, A. (2004) 'Regions Unbound: Towards a New Politics of Place', Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 86 (1): 33-44.
Barrientos, S. and Perron, D. (1999) Gender and the Global Food Chain: a Comparative Study of Chile and the UK’. In Afshar, H. and Barrientos, S. (eds) Women, Globalization and Fragmentation in the Developing World, pp. 150-173
De Backer, K and Miroudot, S. (May 2014) Mapping Global Value Chains European Central Bank, Working Paper Series No. 1677 
De Marchi, V,, Di Maria, E. and Gereffi, G. (Eds) (2017) Local Clusters in Global Value Chains : Linking Actors and Territories Through Manufacturing and Innovation. ProQuest Ebook Central, 
Dicken, P. (2003), ‘”Placing” firms: grounding the debate on the “global” corporation’, in J. Peck and H. Wai-chung Yeung (eds.), Remaking the Global Economy: Economic-Geographical Perspectives, London: Sage, pp. 27 - 44.
Dicken, P. (1992) Global Shift: The Internationalization of Economic Activity, London: Paul Chapman
Fairbrother, P., Denham, T., West, M., Douglas, N., Salim, F. and Teng, S-W. (2018) ‘Gippsland food value chain: Data-driven regional development ‘, Centre for People, Organisation and Work, 
Gereffi, G. and Fernandez-Stark, K. (2011) Global Value Chain Analysis Centre on Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness 
Gereffi , G., Humphrey, J. & Sturgeon, T.  (2005) The governance of global value chains, Review of International Political Economy, 12 (1): 78-104, DOI:
Hirst, P. and Thompson, G. (1992) 'The problem of globalisation: international economic relations, national economic management and the formation of trading blocs', Economy and Society, 21 (4): 357 - 96.
Kaplinsky, R. and Farooki, M. (2010). "What are the Implications for Global Value Chains When the Market Shifts from the North to the South?". World bank. 
UNCTAD (2017) World Investment Report 2017, United Nations Publications ISBN 978-92-1-112911-3
United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations (1988) Transnational Corporations in World Development: Trends and Prospects, New York: United Nations.
Zuboff, S. (2019) The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, Profile Books
Global Production Networks (GPNs)
Coe, N., Dicken, P. and Hess, M. (2008) ‘Global production networks: realizing the potential’, Journal of Economic Geography, 8 (3): 271– 295 295, 
Coe, N., Lai, K. and Wójcik, D. (2014) Integrating Finance into Global Production Networks, Regional Studies, 48:5, 761-777, DOI: 10.1080/00343404.2014.886772 (Links to an external site.)
Neilson, J., Pritchard, B. & Wai-chung Yeung, H.  (2014) ‘Global value chains and global production networks in the changing international political economy: An introduction’, Review of International Political Economy, 21 (1): 1-8, DOI: 10.1080/09692290.2013.873369  (Links to an external site.)
Sturgeon, T. (2000)  ‘How Do We Define Value Chains and Production Networks?’ IDS Bulletin , Vol.32, No.3 (2001) pp.9-18.
Amin, A. (2004) 'Regions Unbound: Towards a New Politics of Place', Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography, 86 (1): 33-44.
Barrientos, S. and Perron, D. (1999) Gender and the Global Food Chain: a Comparative Study of Chile and the UK’. In Afshar, H. and Barrientos, S. (eds) Women, Globalization and Fragmentation in the Developing World, pp. 150-173
De Backer, K and Miroudot, S. (May 2014) Mapping Global Value Chains European Central Bank, Working Paper Series No. 1677 
De Marchi, V,, Di Maria, E. and Gereffi, G. (Eds) (2017) Local Clusters in Global Value Chains : Linking Actors and Territories Through Manufacturing and Innovation. ProQuest Ebook Central, 
Dicken, P. (2003), ‘”Placing” firms: grounding the debate on the “global” corporation’, in J. Peck and H. Wai-chung Yeung (eds.), Remaking the Global Economy: Economic-Geographical Perspectives, London: Sage, pp. 27 - 44.
Dicken, P. (1992) Global Shift: The Internationalization of Economic Activity, London: Paul Chapman
Fairbrother, P., Denham, T., West, M., Douglas, N., Salim, F. and Teng, S-W. (2018) ‘Gippsland food value chain: Data-driven regional development ‘, Centre for People, Organisation and Work, )
Henderson, J., Dicken, P., Hess, M., Coe, N. & Wai-Chung Yeung, H. (2002) ‘Global production networks and the analysis of economic development’, Review of International Political Economy, 9 (3): 436-464, DOI: 10.1080/09692290210150842 needAccess=true (Links to an external site.)
Hirst, P. and Thompson, G. (1992) 'The problem of globalisation: international economic relations, national economic management and the formation of trading blocs', Economy and Society, 21 (4): 357 - 96.
UNCTAD (2017) World Investment Report 2017, United Nations Publications ISBN 978-92-1-112911-3
United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations (1988) Transnational Corporations in World Development: Trends and Prospects, New York: United Nations.
Zuboff, S. (2019) The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, Profile Books
Global Factory/Factory-less Production
Bernard, A. and Fort, T. (2015) ‘Factoryless Goods Producing Firm’, American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings 105 (5): 518-523. 
Buckley, P. (2014) ‘International Integration and Coordination in the Global Factory’. In P. Buckley The Multinational Enterprise and the Emergence of the Global Factory, Palgrave Macmillan 
Buckley, P. (2009) ‘The impact of the global factory on economic development’ Journal of World Business, 44 (2): 131 – 143. 
Liang, G. (2016) ‘The “Fox-Apple” partnership in the global value chain: how did foreign direct investment and contract manufacturing reshape the landscape of the electronics industry?’. In Y. Xing (Ed.), Uncovering value added in trade: New approaches to analyzing global value chains (World Scientific Publishing, Singapore): 141-166
Zuboff, S. (2015). ‘Big Other: Surveillance Capitalism and the Prospects of an Information Civilization’, Journal of Information Technology 30 (1): 75–89. 
De Marchi, V,, Di Maria, E. and Gereffi, G. (Eds) (2017) Local Clusters in Global Value Chains : Linking Actors and Territories Through Manufacturing and Innovation. ProQuest Ebook Central, 
Eriksson, T, Nummela, N. and Saarenketo, S. (2014) Dynamic capability in a small global factory’, International Business Review, 23: 169 – 180. 
Hirst, P. and Thompson, G. (1992) 'The problem of globalisation: international economic relations, national economic management and the formation of trading blocs', Economy and Society, 21 (4): 357 - 96. 
Sturgeon, T. (2000)  ‘How Do We Define Value Chains and Production Networks?’ IDS Bulletin , Vol.32, No.3 (2001) pp.9-18.
UNCTAD (2017) World Investment Report 2017, United Nations Publications ISBN 978-92-1-112911-3
United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations (1988) Transnational Corporations in World Development: Trends and Prospects, New York: United Nations.
Zuboff, S. (2019) The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power, Profile Books.
Platforms
Kenney, M. and Zysman (2016) ‘The Rise of the Platfome Economy’, Issues in Science and Technology, pp. 61 - 69 
Schmidt, F. A. (2017). Digital labour markets in the platform economy. Mapping the Political Challenges of Crowd Work and Gig Work, 7, 2016. 
Van Doorn, N. (2017). Platform labor: on the gendered and racialized exploitation of low-income service work in the ‘on-demand’economy.Information, Communication & Society, 20(6): 898-914. 
Zuboff, S. (2015). ‘Big Other: Surveillance Capitalism and the Prospects of an Information Civilization’, Journal of Information Technology 30 (1): 75–89. 
Drahokoupil, Jan and Fabo, Brian, The Platform Economy and the Disruption of the Employment Relationship (July 14, 2016). ETUI Research Paper - Policy Brief 5/2016. Available at SSRN: or 
Langley, P. and Leyshon, A. (2017) 'Platform capitalism : the intermediation and  capitalisation of digital economic circulation.', Finance and society., 3 (1). pp. 11-31.
Castells, M. (1996) The Information Age: Economy, society and culture, Vol. 1 The rise of the  Network Society. Oxford, Blackwell, especially prologue and chapter 5.
Castells, Manuel. (2005).TheNetworkSociety: From Knowledge to Policy. In The Network Society From Knowledge to Policy, edited by Manuel Castells and Gustavo Cardoso, pp.3- 3. Washington, DC: John Hopkins Center for Transatlantic Relations.
Giddens, A. (2002) Runaway World, Profile Books.
Hardt, M. and Negri, A. (2000) Empire, Cambridge Mass. Harvard University Press,  especially chapters 1.2, 3.4 and 4.3.
Harvey, D. (2003) The new imperialism, Oxford: Oxford University Press.  Stiglitz, J (2002) Globalisation and its Discontents, London: Allen Lane.
Hirst, P. and Thompson, G. (1992) 'The problem of globalisation: international economic relations, national economic management and the formation of trading blocs', Economy and Society, 21 (4): 357 - 96.
Kaplan, R.A. , and Nadler, M.L. (2015). Airbnb: A Case Study in Occupancy Regulation and Taxation, The University of Chicago Law Review, 82: 103. 
Langley, P. and Leyshon, A. (2017) 'Platform capitalism : the intermediation and capitalisation of digital economic circulation.', Finance and society., 3 (1). pp. 11-31. 
Srnicek, N (2017) Platform Capitalism Cambridge: Polity Press 
UNCTAD (2017) World Investment Report 2017, United Nations Publications ISBN 978-92-1-112911-3
United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations (1988) Transnational Corporations in World Development: Trends and Prospects, New York: United Nations.
Vandaele, Kurt, Will Trade Unions Survive in the Platform Economy? Emerging Patterns of Platform Workers’ Collective Voice and Representation in Europe (June 19, 2018). ETUI Research Paper - Working Paper 2018.05. Available at SSRN:
 

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