home > academics > courses > MBA > asian business systems
< back
ASIAN BUSINESS SYSTEMS
Master in Business Administration
C O U R S E      S Y L L A B U S

Asian Business Systems
Course Code:  ABS
Faculty:

Prof. Brahm Prakash (Lead Faculty)
Sessions: Second Trimester – 30 sessions

Course Objectives:

1. The course provides a broad overview of business and business groups in Asia Pacific. It focuses on value chain perspective on business development and is focused on the contemporary issues, and how these might impact the business strategy in Asia in coming years. It builds on the earlier ADGS course that provided a historical perspective on Asia.

2. Building on the recent performance, especially since the 1980s, the course views Asian businesses growing on both ends—deeper into rural Asia bringing millions of people into the fold of markets and farther out into the industrialized market economies, With the growing adoption of open economic policies, it is expected that the gap between these two realms would be gradually blurred. The course highlights the role of Asian business in leading and augmenting the process of globalization throughout the world. It also addresses some of developments that surfaced in the wake of the Asian financial crisis of 1997, and the emergence of WTO regime.

3. The course focuses on certain themes, countries and industries to illustrate its main message. The curriculum begins with an introduction to the concept of value chain, and its application. It then focuses on selected facets of business in Asia viz., products and product cycle, R&D and technology, business finances and business organizations. The course draws upon selected cases and especially focuses on industries that have played an important role in the growth of Asian businesses, e.g.,automotive, electronic, garments and software. Likewise, it focuses on industrialization models of certain countries, viz., Japan’s business leadership in Asia, the rise of People’s Republic of China as the manufacturing powerhouse of the world, and the case of India as the global processor of information and know-how. It reviews the contribution of Hong Kong (China) and Singapore in catalyzing business development in Asia. It describes Asia’s interface with the process of globalization and spells out its future role. It also identifies future challenges of Asia in the form of infrastructure, energy and environment.

Method:

4. The course is designed to be conducted as a mix of lecture and case method approach spread across 30 sessions. (Actually only 28 sessions were utilized in 2005). Power-point presentations will be the main the medium and handouts along with the reading list will be provided for each session.

Contents:

5. A list containing sessions (tentative), dates, days and topics is attached (Appendix 1). Broad groupings are briefly discussed below.

A. Introduction (3 Sessions)

6. The session provides an overview of the whole course and links it with previous ADGS. It also informs about the changes and revisions that have been made over the previous year. It seeks participants’ suggestions with regard to the choice of topics, or cases to weave in their interest and avoid overlaps. It also discusses the evaluation and weightage of different assignments. In this sense, it defines mutual expectations and establishes a learning contract.

7. This section then goes on to introduce the main hypotheses underlying the course, i.e., using value chain analysis to analyse Asian business situation. It introduces the concept of value chain analysis, reviews the literature and illustrates its empirical applications.

B. Selected facets of Asian business value chain (4 sessions)

8. Recognizing that value chain analysis can be applied in multiple ways, this session delimits the scope of the course to the four selected themes viz., products, technology, finances and organization (POTFIN). It briefly describes substantives aspects of each of these themes in analytical manner, in one session each, along the following lines.

i. Products, and product development―Product type, product development, product-cycle, value chains and matured products.

ii. Technology―R&D, technology policies, access to technology, licensing regimes, IPRs, and the role of public policy and state.

iii. Financing the Asian business―Financial formats, public policy and banking intermediation in Asia; FDIs―An overview of FDI in Asia; FDI in China; FDI in China from within the region.

iv. Business organizations―Building on transaction cost analysis as the basis for emergence of organizations—an analysis of hierarchical structure and variety within markets. Organizational types—from the single entity units to the MNC level; specific Asian groupings: chaebols, kereitzus and managing agency systems.

C. Distinctive models of Asian business—Countries and cases (10 sessions)

9. The main focus of the course is on the following:

i. Japanese model of industrialization
ii. Adaptation of the Japanese model in Korea and Taiwan (China)
iii. Rise of manufacturing in China
iv. Software industries in India
v. Gateways of business—Hong Kong and Singapore

10. The above country cases are illustrated with the help of case studies including: Kikkoman, Sony, Toyota, Samsung, WIPRO, Li and Fung and Singtel.

11. The discussion on automotive industry in general and Toyota in particular will be held by invited faculty.

D. Interface with Globalization (4 sessions)

12. Professor Yoshihiro Iwasaki joins the course and delivers four sessions on globalization and what does it mean for Asian business. The details will be provided separately by Professor Iwasaki.

E. Towards a long-term perspective (5 sessions)

13. In this section, the course focuses on forthcoming long-term issues that are likely to impinge on Asian businesses. First set of issues relates to WTO related issues in particular TRIPs, TRIMs, GATS etc. and the second set of issue focuses on infrastructure, energy and environment and how it is likely to impact on Asian businesses.

14. In summing up the issues, and identifying the directions in which the business in Asia should be developing, the course looks at the role of the market led regional cooperation in Asia.

F. Evaluation

Short assignments/case reviews 30%
Classroom participation 20%
Long assignment/detailed case review 50%

AIM Website | Faculty | President's Corner | Employment | Sitemap | Contact Us
@ 2008 AIM. All Rights Reserved.
 
Apply Now Apply Now