BUSI5A815
EAST ASIAN BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT
Masters Programmes 2025/26



1


SUMMATIVE ASSIGNMENT

Answer ONE Question

1. As East Asian institutions have matured, have diversified business groups become
obsolete? Critically assess their changing relevance in Japan, South Korea and China,
drawing from relevant examples introduced during the module.

2. Evaluate whether diversified business groups in China are efficient institutional
responses to market imperfections, or whether features such as pyramidal
ownership structures undermine their efficiency. Draw on business group theory,
relevant case evidence and comparative insights where appropriate.

3. What is China’s strategic emerging industry (SEI) selective industrial policy, and how
has it reshaped patterns of international business? Critically discuss the main policy
tools and their impacts on foreign firms, global value chains and international
competition, using examples from SEI sectors.

4. Critically evaluate: (a) why available statistics have often given a misleading picture
of the foreign direct investment (FDI) activities of Chinese multinationals (50 marks);
and (b) whether, and how, including ‘onward-journey’ (capital-in-transit) FDI alters
our views on who the main Chinese investors are, where they invest, and why they
invest abroad (50 marks).

5. What do scandals at Olympus and Toshiba, and the experiences of Takeda,
Mitsubishi and the Renault–Nissan alliance, reveal about the evolution of Japan’s
business and management systems—and in particular the changing role of the
keiretsu—since the ‘lost decade’? Critically discuss.

6. To what extent is lean production dependent on the distinctive features of the
Japanese business and management system, and how successfully has it been
adapted in firms outside Japan? Critically discuss using relevant industry and country
examples.

7. Critically evaluate how South Korea’s diversified chaebol groups—such as Samsung
and Hyundai—transformed into technologically advanced global leaders. In your
BUSI5A815
EAST ASIAN BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT
Masters Programmes 2025/26



2

answer, analyse the roles of post–East Asian financial crisis restructuring, corporate
governance reforms and innovation strategies, and assess how these developments
helped South Korea avoid the middle-income trap.


Overall word limit: 2,500

For guidance on the extent of AI use permitted in completing this assessment,
please refer to the Blackboard Module site.
























BUSI5A815
EAST ASIAN BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT
Masters Programmes 2025/26



3


SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Your completed assignment must be uploaded to Blackboard
no later than 12:00 midday on 5th May 2026

The assignment should be submitting using one of the following file types:
.doc, docx or .pdf

A penalty will be applied for work uploaded after 12:00 midday as detailed
here. You must leave sufficient time to fully complete the upload process
before the deadline and check that you have received a receipt. At peak
periods, it can take up to 30 minutes for a receipt to be generated.


Assignments should be typed, using 1.5 spacing and an easy-to-read 12-point font.
Assignments and dissertations/business projects must not exceed the word count
indicated in the module handbook/assessment brief.

The word count should:
▪ Include all the text, including title, preface, introduction, in-text citations, quotations,
footnotes and any other items not specifically excluded below.
▪ Exclude diagrams, tables (including tables/lists of contents and figures), equations,
executive summary/abstract, acknowledgements, declaration, bibliography/list of
references and appendices. However, it is not appropriate to use diagrams or
tables merely as a way of circumventing the word limit. If a student uses a table or
figure as a means of presenting his/her own words, then this is included in the word
count.

Examiners will stop reading once the word limit has been reached, and work beyond
this point will not be assessed. Checks of word counts will be carried out on submitted
work, including any assignments or dissertations/business projects that appear to be
clearly over-length. Checks may take place manually and/or with the aid of the word
count provided via an electronic submission. Where a student has intentionally
misrepresented their word count, the School may treat this as an offence under
Section IV of the General Regulations of the University. Extreme cases may be viewed
as dishonest practice under Section IV, 5 (a) (x) of the General Regulations.
BUSI5A815
EAST ASIAN BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT
Masters Programmes 2025/26



4

Very occasionally it may be appropriate to present, in an appendix, material which
does not properly belong in the main body of the assessment but which some students
wish to provide for the sake of completeness. Any appendices will not have a role in
the assessment - examiners are under no obligation to read appendices and they do
not form part of the word count. Material that students wish to be assessed should
always be included in the main body of the text.
Guidance on referencing can be found on Durham University website and here.

MARKING GUIDELINES
Performance in the summative assessment for this module is judged against the
following criteria:
• Relevance to question(s)
• Organisation, structure and presentation
• Depth of understanding
• Analysis and discussion
• Use of sources and referencing
• Overall conclusions

PLAGIARISM AND COLLUSION
Students suspected of plagiarism, either of published work or the work of other
students, or of collusion will be dealt with according to School and University
guidelines.
END OF ASSESSMENT


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