7008IBA Global Business Strategy
The Complete Study & Assessment Guide · T2 20267008IBA Overview
- Griffith University
- Trimester 2, 2026
Within Griffith University, 7008IBA Global Business Strategy builds international strategy from Verbeke's seven conceptual foundations — internationally transferable (non-location-bound) and location-bound firm-specific advantages, location advantages, value creation through recombination, complementary resources of external actors, bounded rationality and bounded reliability — then applies them week by week to home-country diamonds, host-country CAGE distance, multinational networks and subsidiary roles, expatriate management, strategic-alliance partner selection, and emerging-economy (springboard) MNEs.
A case-method course with no lecture in the room: mini-lectures are recorded and the single weekly workshop exists to work a named case (Four Seasons, IKEA, Silicon Valley, Wal-Mart, Nestlé, Danone & Wahaha, Geely) through a framework.
- 7008IBA grading 50% Assessment 1 Case Study (A1a 5-minute pitch presentation = 20 marks, individual marks; A1b 1,500-word report = 30 marks, group marks; due Week 8, 5:00 pm 18 Sept) + 50% Assessment 2 Timed Case Study (individual, Week 13; four questions at up to 12.5% each).
- 7008IBA task mode No traditional exam. Assessment 2 is an online timed case study quiz: 4 case questions which have come from a randomly generated pool of questions, a 240-minute (4-hour) limit inside a 24-hour window (Available Oct 9 at 11:00 - Oct 10 at 11:00; you must start the timed case study 4 hours before the end time), approximately 300 words per answer, minimum one academic journal article cited per question in APA or Harvard with the reference list excluded from the word count. Once you have submitted an answer, you will not be able to change it later.
- 7008IBA mark trap The four-hour timed case study is one-way: Once you have submitted an answer, you will not be able to change it later. You will not be able to view the previous question. It is important to use your own words and demonstrate your understanding. On A1 the marks bleed on compliance instead: Do NOT go over 5 minutes.
- 7008IBA rule check Treat the 7008IBA hurdle status as unconfirmed. Check the current official course outline for any component-level pass rule before relying on the overall mark.
How 7008IBA is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1A: Pitch | 20% | Presentation component |
| Assessment 1B: Report | 30% | Written strategic analysis |
| Assessment 2: Timed Case Study | 50% | Four-hour timed case task; use current instructions |
The two assessment groups total 100%: Assessment 1 contains a 20% pitch and 30% report, while Assessment 2 is a 50% four-hour timed case study. This corrects the candidate-plan shorthand that labelled the course no-exam/100%-assignment.
What 7008IBA covers
The learning path moves from Assessment Map and Case Method, through the problems opened by Multinational Networks, to the synthesis required in International Strategy Trends and Timed Synthesis.
Assessment Map and Case Method
20/30/50 structure · case evidence · timed judgement · separate diagnosis, framework choice and recommendation before writing02Conceptual Foundations of Global Strategy
international strategy · value creation · location and coordination · define the strategic problem at firm, activity and country levels03Firm-Specific Advantages
resources and capabilities · VRIO logic · transferability · test whether an apparent strength remains valuable and deployable abroad04Home-Country Location Advantages
home institutions · clusters and ecosystems · country-of-origin effects · explain how the home environment creates or constrains firm advantage05Host-Country Distance and Difference
host institutions · CAGE distance · liability of foreignness · identify which difference changes customer value, cost, legitimacy or control06Multinational Networks
subsidiary roles · knowledge flows · integration and responsiveness · map where capability sits and how it moves across a multinational network07Managing Managers in MNEs
control systems · managerial incentives · cross-unit conflict · align autonomy and accountability with the strategic role of each unit08Strategic Alliances
partner complementarity · governance · appropriation risk · compare alliance value with coordination, learning and leakage risks09Emerging-Economy Multinationals
institutional voids · springboard strategy · latecomer capability · evaluate how firms use internationalisation to acquire and recombine advantage10International Strategy Trends and Timed Synthesis
geopolitical fragmentation · digital and sustainability pressures · case synthesis · turn a changing global condition into a qualified firm-level response under time limitsBoth assessments are case work — a group consulting report on the real Raystech solar business plus a 5-minute pitch, then a four-hour individual timed case study the convenor calls 'like open-ended questions in an open-book exam'.
Every answer, exam answers included, must carry academic journal references, and the course front-loads critical reading/writing training (Wallace & Wray critical-synopsis templates) plus a compulsory reflective journal on AI use.
Assessment in 7008IBA is distributed as follows: 50% Assessment 1 Case Study (A1a 5-minute pitch presentation = 20 marks, individual marks; A1b 1,500-word report = 30 marks, group marks; due Week 8, 5:00 pm 18 Sept) + 50% Assessment 2 Timed Case Study (individual, Week 13; four questions at up to 12.5% each).
The operational assessment conditions matter here.
No traditional exam.
Assessment 2 is an online timed case study quiz: 4 case questions which have come from a randomly generated pool of questions, a 240-minute (4-hour) limit inside a 24-hour window (Available Oct 9 at 11:00 - Oct 10 at 11:00; you must start the timed case study 4 hours before the end time), approximately 300 words per answer, minimum one academic journal article cited per question in APA or Harvard with the reference list excluded from the word count.
Once you have submitted an answer, you will not be able to change it later.
What makes 7008IBA demanding is concrete: The four-hour timed case study is one-way: Once you have submitted an answer, you will not be able to change it later. You will not be able to view the previous question. It is important to use your own words and demonstrate your understanding.
On A1 the marks bleed on compliance instead: Do NOT go over 5 minutes.
Treat the 7008IBA hurdle status as unconfirmed.
Check the current official course outline for any component-level pass rule before relying on the overall mark.
The learning path moves from Assessment Map and Case Method, through the problems opened by Multinational Networks, to the synthesis required in International Strategy Trends and Timed Synthesis.
Worked example: Global Business Strategy integrated response
- 1Mark the starting condition or object represented by 20/30/50 structure.
- 1Write the change, rule or mechanism supplied by host institutions as a verb-led link.
- 1Show how that link reaches partner complementarity; do not skip an intermediate actor, quantity or stage.
- 1Answer the task with the completed chain and preserve this limit: Partner fit at formation does not guarantee stable incentives over time.
Key terms
- Firm-specific advantages (FSAs)
- Firm-specific advantages are transferable or location-bound resources, capabilities and knowledge that allow a firm to create value or overcome the costs of operating abroad.
- Location advantages
- Location advantages are country- or region-specific conditions, such as resources, institutions, demand, clusters or costs, that make particular activities more valuable in that place.
- Value creation through recombination / resource recombination
- Resource recombination creates value by combining a multinational's existing firm-specific advantages with new knowledge, capabilities or location assets rather than merely replicating the home operation.
- Complementary resources of external actors
- Complementary resources are assets or capabilities held by partners, suppliers, governments or other external actors that increase the value of a firm's own resources when used together.
- Bounded rationality and bounded reliability
- Bounded rationality limits actors' ability to process information and foresee contingencies, while bounded reliability means promised effort or commitments may not be fully delivered despite initially good intentions.
- Administrative heritage and the four MNE archetypes
- Administrative heritage is the inherited structure, routines and culture shaping a multinational; the four archetypes are the centralised exporter, international projector, international coordinator and multi-centred MNE.
- Liability of foreignness
- Liability of foreignness is the additional cost or disadvantage a firm faces abroad because of unfamiliarity, distance, discrimination and the complexity of coordinating across countries.
- CAGE distance
- CAGE distance compares countries across Cultural, Administrative, Geographic and Economic dimensions to identify barriers and differences relevant to international strategy.
7008IBA FAQ
Is 7008IBA hard?
The four-hour timed case study is one-way: Once you have submitted an answer, you will not be able to change it later. You will not be able to view the previous question. It is important to use your own words and demonstrate your understanding. On A1 the marks bleed on compliance instead: Do NOT go over 5 minutes.
How is 7008IBA assessed?
50% Assessment 1 Case Study (A1a 5-minute pitch presentation = 20 marks, individual marks; A1b 1,500-word report = 30 marks, group marks; due Week 8, 5:00 pm 18 Sept) + 50% Assessment 2 Timed Case Study (individual, Week 13; four questions at up to 12.5% each).
What is the 7008IBA exam or final-task format?
No traditional exam.
Assessment 2 is an online timed case study quiz: 4 case questions which have come from a randomly generated pool of questions, a 240-minute (4-hour) limit inside a 24-hour window (Available Oct 9 at 11:00 - Oct 10 at 11:00; you must start the timed case study 4 hours before the end time), approximately 300 words per answer, minimum one academic journal article cited per question in APA or Harvard with the reference list excluded from the word count.
Once you have submitted an answer, you will not be able to change it later.
Does 7008IBA have a hurdle or component-level pass rule?
Treat the 7008IBA hurdle status as unconfirmed. Check the current official course outline for any component-level pass rule before relying on the overall mark.
What prerequisites or restrictions apply to 7008IBA?
Check the current official handbook before enrolling in 7008IBA; prerequisites are not inferred from its course number.
Is 7008IBA offered in Trimester 2, 2026?
This resource is aligned to Trimester 2, 2026. Confirm your class and assessment timetable in the current institutional system.
Is this 7008IBA resource an official university guide?
No. It is an independent 7008IBA study resource; current institutional instructions remain authoritative for assessment operation.
How to prepare for the assessments
Retrieve the course map, practise the recurring method—connect firm-specific advantage with home, host and network conditions, then test transferability through a structured international case—on changed scenarios, and verify every operational assessment detail in the live institutional system.
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