IBUS90008 Global Value Chains
The Complete Exam Bible · S2 2026IBUS90008 Overview
- Faculty of Business and Economics
- Semester 2, 2026
- a postgraduate 12.5-point subject
- 12.5 credit points
- an international-business and management subject
IBUS90008 analyses global production and service networks through governance, power, upgrading, standards, labour, states, resilience and sustainability. It is taught within Faculty of Business and Economics. It is a postgraduate 12.5-point subject. It carries 12.5 credit points.
- Chains are governed Lead firms, standards, contracts and platforms coordinate activities without necessarily owning them.
- Upgrading is not one ladder Process, product, functional and chain upgrading can distribute gains differently across firms and workers.
- Resilience is political Redundancy or reshoring changes costs and bargaining positions as well as disruption exposure.
- Examination weight A two-hour examination contributes 50% alongside participation, presentations and group project work.
How IBUS90008 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Class participation | 10% | Across the teaching period |
| Group-of-two presentation | 20% | 15 minutes, Weeks 4–9 |
| Group project report | 10% | Groups of 5–6, Weeks 10–11 |
| Group project presentation | 10% | 30 minutes, Weeks 10–11 |
| End-of-semester examination | 50% | Two hours in the examination period |
Current assessment is 10% class participation, a 20% pair presentation, a 10% group report, a 10% group presentation and a 50% two-hour end-of-semester examination.
Current IBUS90008 dates
| Date | Item | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 4–9 | Small-group presentations | 20%, groups of two. |
| Weeks 10–11 | Project report and presentation | Two 10% components in groups of 5–6. |
| Official examination period | End-of-semester examination | 50%, two hours. |
Current-offering dates captured in the course materials. Confirm changes and exact submission settings in the live LMS.
What IBUS90008 covers
Read Mapping Global Value Chains as the foundation, Standards, Quality and Private Governance as the main change in method, and Resilience, Sustainability and Chain Redesign as the final application of the course.
Mapping Global Value Chains
value chain · value-added · input-output structure · map activities, actors and locations before explaining performance02Governance, Lead Firms and Coordination
chain governance · lead firm · codifiability · classify how requirements, complexity and capabilities shape supplier relationships03Power, Rents and Unequal Value Distribution
bargaining power · economic rent · entry barrier · explain why value capture differs from operational contribution04Upgrading, Capabilities and Downgrading Risk
process upgrading · functional upgrading · downgrading · compare upgrading options against market access, learning and value capture05Standards, Quality and Private Governance
standard · audit · compliance burden · evaluate how standards coordinate quality and redistribute cost or exclusion06Labour, Informality and Social Upgrading
social upgrading · informal work · purchasing practice · trace how commercial governance affects employment conditions and voice07States, Trade Policy and Development
industrial policy · trade regime · local embeddedness · evaluate how state action can deepen capability and local value without assuming automatic spillovers08Resilience, Sustainability and Chain Redesign
resilience · redundancy · environmental upgrading · balance resilience, environmental performance, cost and distributionIt is positioned as an international-business and management subject.
Students repeatedly present current chain cases before integrating analysis in a group project and a 50% two-hour examination.
Assessment in ibus90008 is distributed as follows: 10% participation, a 20% small-group presentation, two 10% larger-group project components and a 50% two-hour final examination
The operational assessment conditions matter here.
A two-hour end-of-semester examination contributes 50%; the live LMS controls venue and operating conditions.
What makes ibus90008 demanding is concrete: moving beyond a linear supply-chain picture to explain how governance, capabilities and bargaining power shape unequal upgrading and risk across territories
The ordinary subject pass standard applies across the published components; live examination and LMS instructions control operation.
For enrolment planning, Consult the current official enrolment and eligibility controls for this offering.
Read Mapping Global Value Chains as the foundation, Standards, Quality and Private Governance as the main change in method, and Resilience, Sustainability and Chain Redesign as the final application of the course.
Map a disrupted medical-device chain
- 1Map design, certification, production, logistics and hospital use.
- 1Identify governance and standard-setting power.
- 1Locate the single-point dependency and switching delay.
- 1Compare inventory, dual sourcing and redesign.
- 1Assess worker, cost and regulatory consequences.
Key terms
- value chain
- Interconnected activities through which a product or service is conceived, produced, delivered, used and disposed. This chapter uses the concept when students map activities, actors and locations before explaining performance.
- value-added
- Increase in economic value associated with an activity relative to purchased inputs. It helps explain the reasoning required to map activities, actors and locations before explaining performance.
- input-output structure
- Sequence and relationship of activities, products and services within a chain. Its limit matters because a product journey that omits services, knowledge and disposal understates the chain.
- chain governance
- Way transactions and relationships are coordinated and controlled across firms. This chapter uses the concept when students classify how requirements, complexity and capabilities shape supplier relationships.
- lead firm
- Powerful firm that shapes specifications, access or coordination in a chain. It helps explain the reasoning required to classify how requirements, complexity and capabilities shape supplier relationships.
- codifiability
- Extent to which product and process requirements can be expressed and transferred in standardised form. Its limit matters because formal independence does not mean equal bargaining power.
- bargaining power
- Capacity to influence terms and capture value because of alternatives, resources or control. This chapter uses the concept when students explain why value capture differs from operational contribution.
- economic rent
- Return above the minimum needed to keep a resource or activity in its current use. It helps explain the reasoning required to explain why value capture differs from operational contribution.
- entry barrier
- Condition that raises the difficulty or cost of entering an activity or market. Its limit matters because high effort or social importance does not guarantee bargaining leverage or rent capture.
- process upgrading
- Producing more efficiently or reliably through improved methods and organisation. This chapter uses the concept when students compare upgrading options against market access, learning and value capture.
IBUS90008 FAQ
Where is the hardest reasoning in Global Value Chains?
Moving beyond a linear supply-chain picture to explain how governance, capabilities and bargaining power shape unequal upgrading and risk across territories. IBUS90008 analyses global production and service networks through governance, power, upgrading, standards, labour, states, resilience and sustainability.
How does assessment work in Global Value Chains?
10% participation, a 20% small-group presentation, two 10% larger-group project components and a 50% two-hour final examination. A two-hour end-of-semester examination contributes 50%; the live LMS controls venue and operating conditions.
What form does the exam or final task take in Global Value Chains?
A two-hour end-of-semester examination contributes 50%; the live LMS controls venue and operating conditions. 10% participation, a 20% small-group presentation, two 10% larger-group project components and a 50% two-hour final examination.
Which pass conditions apply in Global Value Chains?
The ordinary subject pass standard applies across the published components; live examination and LMS instructions control operation. 10% participation, a 20% small-group presentation, two 10% larger-group project components and a 50% two-hour final examination.
Which teaching period does this Global Value Chains resource cover?
It is aligned to Semester 2, 2026; confirm your enrolled class and timetable in the current institutional system. Small-group presentations: Weeks 4–9; Project report and presentation: Weeks 10–11; End-of-semester examination: Official examination period.
What should a student check before enrolling in Global Value Chains?
Consult the current official enrolment and eligibility controls for this offering. This resource covers Semester 2, 2026. IBUS90008 analyses global production and service networks through governance, power, upgrading, standards, labour, states, resilience and sustainability.
How to study for the exam
Retrieve the course map, practise the recurring method—map activities, firms, territories and governance, identify how power and standards distribute value and risk, compare upgrading or resilience options, then qualify the recommendation through labour, sustainability and state capacity—on changed scenarios, and verify every operational assessment detail in the live institutional system.
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