ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

MOD003497 Managing International Business

WRITING YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

• This assignment must be completed individually.
• You must use the Harvard referencing system.
• Your  work  must  indicate  the  number  of  words  you  have  used.    Written assignments must not exceed the specified maximum number of words.  When a written assignment is marked, the excessive use of words beyond the word limit is reflected in the academic judgement of the piece of work which results in a lower mark being awarded for the piece of work (regulation 6.74).
• Assignment submissions are to be made anonymously. Do not write your name anywhere on your work.
• Write your student ID number at the top of every page.
• Where the assignment comprises more than one task, all tasks must be submitted in a single document.
• You must number all pages.

SUBMITTING YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

In order to achieve full marks, you must submit your work before the deadline. Work that is submitted late – if your work is submitted on the same day as the deadline by midnight, your mark will receive a 10% penalty. If you submit your work up to two working days after the published submission deadline – it will be accepted and marked.   However,  the  element  of  the  module’s  assessment  to  which  the  work contributes will be capped with a maximum mark of 40%.

Work cannot be submitted if the period of 2 working days after the deadline has passed (unless there is an approved extension). Failure to submit within the relevant period will mean that you have failed the assessment.

Requests for short-term extensions will only be considered in the case of illness or other cause considered valid by the Director of Studies Team. Please contact DoS@london.aru.ac.uk.  A request  must  normally  be  received  and  agreed  by  the Director of Studies Team in writing at least 24 hours prior to the deadline.  See rules 6.64-6.73: http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/academic/public/academic_regs.pdf

Exceptional Circumstances: The deadline for submission of mitigation in relation to this assignment is no later than five working days after the submission date of this work. Please contact the Director of Studies Team - DoS@london.aru.ac.uk. See rules

6.112 – 6.141: http://web.anglia.ac.uk/anet/academic/public/academic_regs.pdf

CASE STUDY: CMR Surgical

Following a $600M fundraising, robot maker CMR Surgical maps out European expansion

Author: Andrea Park

April 14, 2022, 05:31pm

CMR Surgical has developed the Versius robotic surgery system, which offers a portable and modular setup that’s designed to be integrated into virtually any operating room for minimally invasive procedures. (CMR Surgical)

What’s next for a surgical robotics developer that’s been riding high after raising  a monstrous £425 million last summer? According to CMR Surgical, world domination—or, at the very least, European domination.

To get there, the U.K.-based medtech has laid out a plan of attack that includes dividing up the continent into sales regions and appointing managers of each region, all of whom will report to a single general manager of all of CMR’s commercial efforts in Europe.

The “divide and conquer” approach breaks up the continent into more manageable sections, helping CMR better cater to the specific needs of each region and speed up sales and distribution of its Versius robotic surgery system, according to the company.

“Europe is a key strategic market for CMR, and having highly accomplished leaders with broad, senior executive experience on the ground in Europe will enable us to empower local teams and make decisions closer to the customer,” Steve Bell, CMR’s chief commercial officer, said in a statement.

At the  top of the European pyramid will be Olivier Wolber, the newly appointed European general manager, who will oversee all of the commercial expansion efforts across the continent. He joins CMR after a six-year stint at Smith & Nephew, the bulk of which was spent as managing director and general manager of the devicemaker’s business throughout various segments of Europe.

“I am excited and honored to take on this new role at such a pivotal time in the company’s journey as it continues to see massive opportunity and continued strong momentum in the regions and globally,” Wolber said.

Under him, the continent will be separated into four regions, each led by a general manager.  Franz  Mazzone,  who  previously  oversaw  the  company’s  commercial development in southern Europe, will take on CMR’s Italian business, while another company alum, Ana Raduc, is transitioning from commercial lead of the U.K. and Ireland region to general manager of the same area.

Rounding  out  the  regional  managers  are  two  new  hires.  Patricia  Chesnais,  now leading the France and Benelux region, previously held leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, Philips, surgical device-maker Bard—both before and after its 2017 acquisition by BD—and more.

The Spain and Portugal region, meanwhile, will be led by Massimo Carone, who spent six years at J&J and, most recently, a decade at Stryker, culminating in a four-year post as managing director of its European operations.

Alongside the new  group of general managers, CMR has  also tapped Colin Eke, previously its head of commercial business throughout the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, to manage new business development in Europe.

All of these staffing switch-ups come just a few months after CMR raked in 425 million pounds, or about $600 million, in a series D funding round that sent the company’s valuation soaring to $3 billion.

At the time, CMR said the funds would help speed up the rollout of its modular Versius system throughout Europe and around the world, with a particular focus on securing FDA clearance to begin marketing the surgical robot in the U.S.

URL:

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/medtech/fresh-600m-fundraise-cmr-surgical- maps-out-european-expansion

ASSIGNMENT QUESTION (ESSAY)

Critically apply ONE of the core IB theories introduced in Week Three of the module to a comparative analysis of CMR Surgical’s prospects for internationalisation into TWO countries* of your choice.

*NB. As the case study firm is British, students are NOT permitted to select the UK

Required and Recommended Reading(s)

In order to complete the above essay, students are expected to draw on a range of advanced literature (scholarly journals and academic textbooks) and primary data sources.

• Firstly, as a minimum, submissions must demonstrate sustained engagement with- and therefore command over- the core introductory source(s) connected to the particular IB theory that they have selected for the essay. These core sources are available in a clearly marked folder in the ‘Week Three’ section of the module VLE page. Insights from these texts should be applied to the given question and in relation to the CMR Surgical case study.
• Secondly, students must draw on relevant parts of the module textbook, which is available via Kortext: Hill, C. and Hult, T., 2019. International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace (12th ed.). NY: McGraw Hill Education.
• Thirdly, the essay must also draw upon sources specifically connected to the CMR Surgical case study. This will likely include contemporary journalistic pieces and/or official documents/websites of the company itself.
• Fourthly, it is recommended that students engage with various other relevant texts that are included across the rest of the VLE weeks.
• Lastly, as this is a Level 6 assessment, it is recommended that students go beyond the sources that have been provided via the VLE and Kortext, by conducting their own independent research via the ARU Digital Library and/or Google Scholar.
• Overall, a minimum of 8-10 sources should be cited on the reference list

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

1. Knowledge and understanding of the key issues in international business activity in the context of contemporary globalisation
2. Capacity to evaluate and select an appropriate national marketplace in terms of political, economic, cultural, ethical and legal frameworks
3. Knowledge and understanding of multinational enterprises’ responses to external influences and possible modes of entry into new markets
4. Capacity to critically assess the activities of a given multinational enterprise in terms of its business interests

Marks will be awarded according to:

- Addressing the Task: the extent to which the essay has directly engaged the given case study and provided a complete response to the specified task(s), without digressing or straying into generalities. [30 marks]

- Analytic Content and Organisation: the extent to which the essay offers a coherently organised critical analysis in response to the task(s), on the basis of aptly-deployed core concepts, rather than pure description or narration, on the basis of ill-defined key terms. [30 marks]

- Literature and Evidence: the extent to which the essay demonstrates knowledge and understanding of required and recommended scholarly readings, while supporting and illustrating its claims with apposite examples and reliable evidence. [30 marks]

- Demonstration of Academic Skills: the extent to which the essay maintains a clear and scholarly style that adheres consistently to referencing conventions. [10 marks]

Ensure your submission is sequenced as follows:

- Cover page

- Reference List;

- Appendices (optional

Please note:

- The overall word count should be 3000 words

- You may include appropriate graphics to support your points if you consider they will add value to your answer

- Any tabulated data should be included within an Appendices section at the end of the document

- Cover page, Reference List and Appendices are NOT included in the word count

- You should use scholarly works and reliable data sources to support your text; any theory used should be applied to the context of the scenario

- You must use in-text citations to evidence your work, in addition to producing  a full reference list. All of these should conform to Harvard Referencing format.

- The bulk of this text should be your own original work and should not be excessively paraphrased.

ARU GENERIC ASSESSMENT CRITERIA AND MARKING STANDARDS: LEVEL 6 – the Depth stage