Assignment 1: Discussion-BRICS and N11 Management

Some global businesses succeed due to their management of logistics, supply chains, and collaborative innovation.

For this discussion assignment, consider companies from the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and the N11 (the Next Eleven countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Turkey, South Korea, and Vietnam) regions.
Using the University online library resources and the Internet, research the BRICS and N11 regions and successful firms operating in them; locate a minimum of four (4) different scholarly sources to leverage in your discussion. Based on your research, select one firm from any of the BRICS and N11 regions that you feel is successful primarily due to, or has the greatest potential because of, their integrated logistics, supply chain management, and nurturing of collaborative innovation.

Identify three (3) firms in total, (one each to represent integrated logistics, supply chain management, and collaborative innovation) from any of the BRICS or N11 regions. For each of your three choices, complete the following:

Describe the firm and explain why you chose it.

Explain the way in which it excels in the category you have associated it with and how that has contributed to its success.

Provide examples from your research and experience.

In your discussion with your classmates, share any striking positives and negatives that you found about any of the firms through your research. If you have personal experience working with one of the firms mentioned, you may wish to share some insights.

Write your initial response in 300-500 words. Your response should be thorough and address all components of the discussion question in detail; include citations of all sources, where needed, according to the APA style; and demonstrate accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

By Friday, September 18, 2015, post your response to the below Discussion Area. Through Wednesday, September 23, 2015, review and comment on at least two peers' responses.

Assignment 2: Required Assignment-The BRIC Countries Report

The BRICS represents a concept developed by Jim O'Neill in 2001 (Armijo, 2007). It referred originally to a group of emerging economies composed of the following countries: Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa being added to the list in a reevaluation of the concept in December 2011. According to the research performed by O'Neill and other economists, by 2050, those emerging economies are expected to be wealthier than most of the major economic powers were at the turn of the twenty-first century.

Directions

Review the following article:

Armijo, L. E. (2007). The BRICs countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) as analytical category: Mirage or insight? Asian Perspective, 31(4), 7-42, 2.

http://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=auo&turl=http://search.proquest.com/docview/215885138

Using the University online library resources and the Internet for research, select at least five (5) peer-reviewed, academic resources (beyond the assigned reading) for use in this assignment.

In a report, respond to the following questions:

Appraise the reasons behind the choice of the BRIC countries by Goldman Sachs as the economies of the future. Describe any counterarguments to this specific selection of countries by that organization.

From a business perspective, provide a comprehensive analysis of the role played by the original BRIC countries in the current world economy, including economic indicators, labor statistics, trade trends with those countries, etc.

Apart from the original BRIC countries, describe an overview (economic indicators, demographics, political status, technological advances, legal environment, etc.) of 2-3 emerging economies that you consider to be the most influential in the current world of business. Justify your reasoning.