Глобальная бизнес-стратегия

МИНИСТЕРСТВО НАУКИ И ВЫСШЕГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ 
РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ 
РОСТОВСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЙ 
УНИВЕРСИТЕТ (РИНХ) 
 
ФАКУЛЬТЕТ ЭКОНОМИКИ И ФИНАНСОВ 
 
КАФЕДРА «МИРОВАЯ ЭКОНОМИКА» 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
И. А. Мезинова, О. В. Бодягин  
 
 
 
 
ГЛОБАЛЬНАЯ БИЗНЕС-СТРАТЕГИЯ 
 
ПРАКТИКУМ 
 
ПО НАПРАВЛЕНИЮ «ЭКОНОМИКА»,  
МАГИСТЕРСКОЙ ПРОГРАММЫ «МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫЙ БИЗНЕС» 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ростов-на-Дону  
Издательско-полиграфический комплекс РГЭУ (РИНХ) 
2020

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND HIGHER EDUCATION  
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION  
ROSTOV STATE UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS 
 
FACULTY OF ECONOMICS AND FINANCE 
 
DEPARTMENT OF WORLD ECONOMY 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Inga A. Mezinova, Oleg V. Bodiagin 
 
 
 
GLOBAL BUSINESS STRATEGY COURSE  
PRACTICAL HANDBOOK 
 
FOR FIELD OF STUDY "ECONOMICS", 
MASTER'S PROGRAM "INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS" 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rostov-on-Don 
Publishing and printing house of RSUE  
2020

УДК 338.2+339.92(075) 
ББК 65.5 
 М 44 
Мезинова, И. А. 
М44  Глобальная бизнес-стратегия : практикум по направлению «Экономика», 
магистерской программы «Международный бизнес» [Электронный 
ресурс]. / И. А. Мезинова, О. В. Бодягин. – Ростов-на-Дону : Издательскополиграфический 
комплекс 
Ростовского 
государственного 
экономического университета (РИНХ), 2020. – Электрон. сетевое изд. – 
88 с. – Режим доступа : http://library.rsue.ru.
ISBN 978-5-7972-2722-9 
Практикум составлен с целью оказания помощи студентам 1 курса 
направления 38.04.01 «Экономика», магистерская программа 38.04.01.02 
«International Business» в работе над практическим кейсовым модулем X-Culture 
по дисциплине «Global Business Strategy». 
УДК 338.2+339.92(075) 
ББК 65.5 
Рецензенты: 
Маркарьян Ю. А., кандидат технических наук, доцент, доцент кафедры 
«Экономика» Донского государственного технического университета. 
Лахно Ю. В., кандидат экономических наук, доцент, доцент кафедры 
«Коммерция и логистика» Ростовского государственного экономического 
университета (РИНХ). 
Утвержден в качестве практикума 
учебно-методическим советом РГЭУ (РИНХ) 
ISBN 978-5-7972-2722-9 
© Ростовский государственный 
экономический университет 
 
(РИНХ), 2020 
© Мезинова И. А. , Бодягин О. В., 2020

UDC 338.2+339.92(075) 
LBC 65.5 
М 44 
Mezinova, I. A.  
М44 Global business strategy course : practical handbook for field of study 
"Economics", 
Master's 
program 
"International 
business" 
[Digital 
resource]. / I. A. Mezinova, O. V. Bodiagin. – Rostov-on-Don : Publishing 
and printing house of Rostov State University of Economics, 2020. – 
Digital online edition. – 88 p. – Mode of access : http://library.rsue.ru.
ISBN 978-5-7972-2722-9 
Guidelines are made in order to assist the first-year students of the Master's 
program 38.04.01.02 "International Business" in their work on the case-task within the 
X-Culture module in "Global Business Strategy" course.
UDC 338.2+339.92(075) 
LBC 65.5 
Reviewers: 
Markaryan Y. A., Candidate of technical sciences, Associate Professor of the 
department of Economics of Don State Technical University. 
Lakhno Y. V., Candidate of Economics, Associate Professor of the department of 
Commerce and Logistics of Rostov State University of Economics. 
Approved as a practical handbook  
by educational-methodical council of RSUE 
ISBN 978-5-7972-2722-9 
© Rostov State University of Economics, 2020 
© Mezinova I. A., Bodiagin O. V., 2020 

CONTENT 
 
Introduction ................................................................................................................... 6 
Objectives and Learning Outcomes .............................................................................. 6 
1. History of the Project ................................................................................................ 7 
2. Benefits of X-Culture module ................................................................................... 8 
3. Time Schedule ........................................................................................................... 8 
4. Procedure of Participation  ........................................................................................ 9 
4.1. Project start (approx.: end of February – beginning of March) ............................. 9 
4.2. Readiness Test. Team placement (approx.: first week of March) ....................... 10 
4.3. Choice of business case (approx.: mid-second week of March) .......................... 10 
4.4. Working on the challenge (approx.: third week of March – end of April) .......... 11 
4.5. Team Report (second half of April) ..................................................................... 13 
4.6. Project Presentation at RSUE (mid-May) ............................................................ 13 
5. Monitoring the Progress .......................................................................................... 14 
6. Performance Appraisal ............................................................................................ 14 
6.1. Performance chart for the Global Business Strategy course ................................ 15 
7. Problems you might face ......................................................................................... 16 
7.1. Free-Riding ........................................................................................................... 16 
7.2. Cultural differences .............................................................................................. 17 
7.3. Time differences ................................................................................................... 18 
8. Sample Challenges .................................................................................................. 18 
9. General Information ................................................................................................ 19 
10. Examples of Company Cases and Final Reports .................................................. 20 
10.1. Company challenge ............................................................................................ 20 
10.2. Case solution ...................................................................................................... 27 
10.2.1. Team Report # 1 .............................................................................................. 27 
10.2.2. Team Report # 2 .............................................................................................. 56 
11. References ............................................................................................................. 84 
 
 

Introduction 
 
Since 2010, every semester thousands of students and professionals from over 
40 countries take part in the X-Culture competition. For about 8 weeks, they work 
together on business projects presented by X-Culture corporate partners. They 
compete, collaborate, learn the challenges and best practices of International Business. 
As a student of Master's Program "International Business" at Rostov State 
University of Economics (and, in some cases – a student of Master's Program 
"International Economics") you are obliged to participate in X-Culture competition 
during your first year of studies within the course "Global Business Strategy".  
X-Culture will constitute almost half of your total assessment for the course, 
however, please treat your participation there as an experience, not a test. X-Culture 
is designed to be an exercise, not a test. This is mostly about how you learn through 
experience, not how your instructor and other experts test your knowledge. This 
means, that the primary concern is each student's participation and effort – if you 
show a great involvement and effort, then your grade will be high even if your group 
fails to develop an outstanding business proposal. But if you know all the answers but 
don’t actively participate, don’t count on a good grade. 
Within this module you will have many pleasant experiences, moments of 
discovery, personal and professional growth. You will meet people from around the 
world, make friends, learn about new cultures, as well as acquire new skills and 
qualifications that will help you in your career.  
X-Culture has several divisions: for Undergraduate students; for Master’s 
students; and (the new division since 2019) for Kids aged 10–17. 
You will be enrolled to Master’s students division. In most cases students are 
matched by age and level of education within this division, however some exceptions 
might apply. 
The challenges you will experience in X-Culture are exactly the same challenges 
you will experience when you have to work in a team as part of your future job. It will 
not be any different and the better you learn now how to deal with those challenges 
now, the more effective you will be on a similar project in the future.  
 
Objectives and Learning Outcomes 
 
The X-Culture module is designed to offer an opportunity to learn international 
collaboration and business consulting through real practice. The module is developed 
around an experiential exercise where the students must complete an international 

business project working in Global Virtual Teams with academic and businesspractitioner peers from around the world. 
Expected learning outcomes are the following: 
 GPC-3 – ability 
to 
make 
organizational 
and 
managerial 
decisions.  
Students should know major elements and types of international strategies that 
companies can exploit; obtain skills of understanding organizational and managerial 
consequences of employing different international strategies of companies; be able to 
elaborate and implement firm’s international strategy in the context of uncertainty 
and/or entry into new markets.  
 PC-3 – ability to do own research in accordance with the program developed.  
Students should know how parameters / variables of external and internal 
environment of international business correlate with each other; have skills to analize 
information, necessary for elaboration of an international business strategy of a firm. 
  
1. History of the Project 
 
X-Culture was launched in 2010. The idea was to put students into 
international online teams, each student from a different country. As the students are 
working on a project, they experience the challenges and learn how to collaborate 
across national borders, time zones, and cultural differences.  
About 400 students from 7 universities participated in X-Culture in the first 
round. Since then, the number of participants has been growing steadily. 
In 2013, several companies approached X-Culture and presented their real-life 
business challenges for the students to solve. Mercedes-Benz was the first partner. 
Ever since, X-Culture selects about 10 companies every semester. The students are 
working on real-life international business challenges presented by real companies.  
In 2012, the first X-Culture Global Symposium was held in Florida as a part of 
the Academy of International Business conference. It provided students with an 
opportunity to meet face-to-face with their teammates, exchange ideas, and expand 
professional and personal networks. X-Culture now organizes two X-Culture Global 
Symposia every semester which are usually hosted by a local university and a one or 
several companies. 
Many students who completed X-Culture asked for opportunities to participate 
in the project again. In response, X-Culture created the X-Culture Coaching Program. 
After successfully completing the project as a member of a global virtual team, best 
students become coaches and share their experience and wisdom with the next 
generation of X-Culture students. 
 

2. Benefits of X-Culture module 
 
1. International experience 
You will complete a project in a team with team members from different countries. 
2. Business experience 
You will solve a real business challenge for a real client company. 
3. New knowledge and skills 
You will train in cross-cultural communication, online collaboration tools, 
international business, business writing and presentation, and more. 
4. Personal and professional network 
You can make friends around the world, contacts at many universities, and several 
companies. 
5. Cultural intelligence 
You will gain a documented significant improvement in cultural intelligence from 
before to after the project. 
6. X-Culture Certificate and Recommendation Letter 
All X-Culture participants who successfully complete the Project receive a 
documented proof of their participation (see sample in Appendix A) . 
7. Stronger resume and improved chances of a new start 
X-Culture experience makes you a much stronger applicant for a graduate school or 
job opportunity. Moreover, at the end of each X-Culture season, organizers 
(administrators) invite best students to attend an X-Culture Symposium. It provides 
students a great opportunity to meet in person other X-Culture participants, exchange 
ideas, expand professional and personal network. Best Student Award recipients are 
eligible for the X-Culture Travel Stipends. 
 
3. Time Schedule 
 
Traditionally, X-Culture has four tracks each academic year: 
• 201X-2a: mid August – mid October  
Application deadline: beginning of August 
• 201X-2b: beginning of October – end of November 
Application deadline: mid September 

• 201X-1a: mid January – mid March 
Application deadline: beginning of January 
• 201X-1b: beginning of March – end of April 
Application deadline: mid February 
As far as Global Business Strategy course usually starts in February-March of 
each calendar year, RSUE students are always enrolled to "1b track". So mind your 
plans and schedule with consideration that you will be busy with X-Culture during 2 
first months of the spring. 
 
4. Procedure of Participation  
 
1. One weak preparation period.  
2. Readiness test. Team Placement.  
3. Choice of business case. 
4. There will be weekly deadlines that the teams have to meet. Each team member 
will receive a personal email with a link to the weekly progress update survey and 
will have to report if the team has completed that week’s task. 
5. At the end of the project, the teams will present their challenge solutions in a form 
of team reports. The reports will be evaluated by 6–7 independent experts (academic 
instructors), depending on the number of students in a team. 
6. Based on the expert evaluations, best teams will be awarded the X-Culture Best 
Team Awards. 
7. Additionally, individual performance records and peer evaluations will be used to 
select each season’s Best Student Award recipients. 
 
4.1. Project start (approx.: end of February – beginning of March) 
 
Approximately one week before the project start day, each participant receives 
an email with training materials and program instructions. Please read them carefully, 
this is a part of your pre-Project training, information from these materials will be 
required to successfully pass the next step.  
You DO NOT need to enroll in X-Culture Competition by yourself! At the 
beginning of each academic year your instructor of the Global Business Strategy 
course enrolls your academic group.