MGT520 GDB no 2 due date: Wednesday, January 20, 2016

SEMESTER FALL 2015
International Business (MGT520)
Graded Discussion Board No.2

Due Date: 20-01-2016

Marks: 5

Topic: National Competitive advantage
Learning Objectives:
Students will learn about the importance of national competitive advantage for a nation.
Students will be able to list down the determinants of national competitive advantage by examining the Porter’s Diamond Model.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to compare the effectiveness level of different determinants of Diamond Model with each other according to a country’s specific conditions.
Background:
International business world demands sustainable solutions and sleek services from an individual firm engaged in the international business. International business vendors and commodity suppliers, both are well aware of the fact that they need to set their norms up to a different level altogether to stick themselves with the jargon of Multinationals. Competency of the local industry forms the national competitive advantage. Michael E. Porter talks about the four determinants of national competitive advantage. He presented the Diamond Model exclusively mentioning the factors such as factor conditions, demand conditions, role of supporting industries and the rivalry among the competing firms. In theory and practices of international business, Diamond Model has a pivotal role. All the four determinants of Diamond Model accumulate the national competitive advantage of a nation. Among these four determinants firms’ rivalry is very dynamic in its own kind due to its vaster and stronger outcome and reach.

Point of discussion:
Do you think that the firms’ competitive rivalry among each other is useful to create a healthy national competitive advantage for a country?

Instructions:
Give four logical arguments to support your answer. (5 Marks: 1.25*4)
Give your answer in the context of Pakistani firms.

Student’s Guide

Keep your discussion with the mentioned scenario and irrelevant answers and material will not be graded.
Be careful from those blogs who are promoting cheating culture among our students and killing their creativity and critical thinking. Answers copied from such blogs will be straightaway marked as zero. Similarly any relevant or irrelevant material copied from internet sources will get the same treatment. It can seriously damage your grades.