Assessment Strategy Students will undertake two assessments for this unit. The first assessment will be a Case Study of a business which will explore how one of the issues studied in the unit has affected the chosen company. This assessment meets learning outcome 1, 2 and 3 and will be submitted by week 18 of the Spring Term. For the second and final assessment students will prepare a Marketing Plan of the country of the language they are studying. Students will be given guidance on the selection of products or services and asked to develop an analysis of the marketing environment in their target market, appropriate to the product or service, and suggest appropriate marketing strategies. The assessment meets learning outcomes 4 and 5. The report will be submitted in CAP week 2. For the two assessments students at Level 5 are required to submit a Case Study and a Marketing Plan of 1,500 words each. For the two assessments students at Level 6 are requires to submit a Case Study and a Marketing Plan of 2,000 words each. Response to 2015/2016 student feedback. The feedback on the unit was positive. Some students commented that although they had never studied business as a subject before they obtained helpful knowledge of business and the global marketplace and that the lecturers provided interesting lectures and seminars on a variety of topics. Students did request the opportunity to get formative feedback on the assessment tasks prior to the final submission, so we have incorporated elements of formative assessment in the teaching schedule. Overall the feedback was very positive, and no significant changes to the content are proposed for the 2016/2017 academic session. Assessment Rubrics Assessment 1 – Company Case Study The purpose of the case study is to allow you to explore the issues discussed during the course as they affect the development of a company/organization, preferably based or located in your country of origin or a country you are studying. The case study must therefore have a very specific focus and it should not address issues which are not covered in this course. You may use any of the companies which have been discussed in lectures or seminars but you may not simply repeat information already presented. You must find new, up-to-date information. The table below is for illustration. You may choose other companies as long as the case study addresses on of the issues discussed in the course. Issue covered in the course Sectors Companies Globalization food and drink Automobiles Sports apparel Tesco, Parmalat, Chupa Chups, Coca Cola Renault, Volkswagen, Pirelli, GM Nike, Adidas Privatisation telecommunications electricity supply state holding companies BT, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Olivetti Electricité de France, Hidrocantabrico, IRI, NHS Liberalisation / Deregulation air transport health services telecommunications financial services American Airlines, British Airways, Air France, Al.

1. Assessment Strategy
Students will undertake two assessments for this unit. The first
assessment will be a Case Study of a business which will
explore how one of the issues studied in the unit has affected
the chosen company. This assessment meets learning outcome
1, 2 and 3 and will be submitted by week 18 of the Spring Term.
For the second and final assessment students will prepare a
Marketing Plan of the country of the language they are
studying. Students will be given guidance on the selection of
products or services and asked to develop an analysis of the
marketing environment in their target market, appropriate to the
product or service, and suggest appropriate marketing
strategies. The assessment meets learning outcomes 4 and 5.
The report will be submitted in CAP week 2.
For the two assessments students at Level 5 are required to
submit a Case Study and a Marketing Plan of 1,500 words each.
For the two assessments students at Level 6 are requires to
submit a Case Study and a Marketing Plan of 2,000 words each.
Response to 2015/2016 student feedback.
The feedback on the unit was positive. Some students
commented that although they had never studied business as a
subject before they obtained helpful knowledge of business and
the global marketplace and that the lecturers provided
interesting lectures and seminars on a variety of topics.
Students did request the opportunity to get formative feedback
on the assessment tasks prior to the final submission, so we

2. have incorporated elements of formative assessment in the
teaching schedule. Overall the feedback was very positive, and
no significant changes to the content are proposed for the
2016/2017 academic session.
Assessment Rubrics
Assessment 1 – Company Case Study
The purpose of the case study is to allow you to explore the
issues discussed during the course as they affect the
development of a company/organization, preferably based or
located in your country of origin or a country you are studying.
The case study must therefore have a very specific focus and it
should not address issues which are not covered in this course.
You may use any of the companies which have been discussed
in lectures or seminars but you may not simply repeat
information already presented. You must find new, up-to-date
information. The table below is for illustration. You may
choose other companies as long as the case study addresses on
of the issues discussed in the course.
Issue covered in the course
Sectors
Companies
Globalization
food and drink
Automobiles
Sports apparel
Tesco, Parmalat, Chupa Chups, Coca Cola
Renault, Volkswagen, Pirelli, GM
Nike, Adidas

3. Privatisation
telecommunications
electricity supply
state holding companies
BT, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Olivetti
Electricité de France, Hidrocantabrico, IRI, NHS
Liberalisation / Deregulation
air transport
health services
telecommunications
financial services
American Airlines,
British Airways, Air France, Alitalia, Lufthansa, EasyJet,
Ryanair
NHS
Telecoms (as above) plus Vivendi, Orange, Vodaphone, Apple
iPhone, RBS, Bankia
Sustainability
energy
mining
agriculture

4. BP, Exxon Mobil, EDF, Glencore, Monsanto
labour market flexibility
automobiles
food and drink
Renault
Danone, Parmalat, Sports Direct
Corporate Social Responsibility
Pharmaceuticals,
Food manufacture and distribution
Smith-Klein-Beecham
Nestlé, Macdonald’s, Coca Cola, BP
Remember, your case study must address one of the issues
covered in the course and from the list above. You could
discuss, for example, Parmalat from the point of view of
globalization or labour market flexibility, but not in relation to
the financial scandal of early 2004.
Note that when looking at the company in question if you
simply download information from the company website to
show how it has responded to the issues you are discussing then
you will get poor marks. Too many students have failed or got
poor marks because they have simply paraphrased, and
sometimes simply copied, what the company says about itself.
Furthermore they do not make an effective link between the
issue under discussion and the company’s actions. Your job is
to show you understand the debates around the issue under
discussion, to analyse the company, analyse how it has
responded to the issues under discussion and critically assess
this response in your own words.
Please remember that your Case Study must include a full
bibliography and appropriate references. You must use the APA

5. 6th edition format for your bibliography and references. Your
work must be word processed and a high standard of
presentation will be expected. Purely descriptive material may
be included in an appendix to the main text. The Case Study
must include in text referencing and a full bibliography.
Failure to supply a bibliography will result in a mark of zero
(00) for this assignment.
The marks for the Case Study constitute 50% of the final mark
for the unit. Assignments must be submitted via the Turnitin
Assignment Inbox on the Moodle site for the unit.
More details of the assessment can be found on the Moodle site
for the unit and requirements for the assessments are
programmed in the Seminar/Workshop sessions.
Deadlines:
For Level 5 (Year 2) students: by 12.00 o’clock on Thursday
16th February 2017. Word limit 1,500 words.
You will receive feedback on this assessment by Thursday 16th
March at the latest.
For Level 6 (Final Year) students: by 12.00 o’clock on Friday
17th February 2017. Word limit 2,000 words.
You will receive feedback on this assessment by Friday 17th
March at the latest.
BISMARK marking criteria and feedback sheet for Case Study
Hemis number
Is the company situated in an appropriate context?
Sectoral?

6. Regional?
National?
International?
Which of the issues covered by the course does the case study
illustrate?
NB: students should usually only address one issue, and should
not attempt a case study addressing more than 2 (related) issues.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Sustainability
Globalization
Privatisation
Deregulation / liberalisation
Labour market flexibility
Is the case study recent?
Has a wide range of sources been used?
Standard textbooks

7. Journals & reports
Internet sources
Does the case study have a full bibliography?
N.B. Failure to supply a bibliography will result in a mark of
zero (00) for this assignment.
Is the bibliography presented according to the APA 6th edition
conventions?
Are all sources cited fully and in accordance with the APA 6th
edition conventions?
Is there a word count?
Overall standard of presentation (attention to use of English,
spelling, grammatical accuracy, layout).
Good
Average
Poor
Summative comments
MARK:

8. Lexar – BISMARK Syllabus 2016-2017.
Page 4 of 20
BISMARK
Case Study- The Political Influence of the Car Industry
It is difficult to overstate the importance of the car industry in
modern societies and economies. Its development in the last
century was at the heart of the economic growth of the leading
industrial capitalist economies, notably the United States,
Western Europe, and, in the latter part of the century, rapidly
developing countries such as Japan. The car industry was seen
to exemplify the technological systems characteristic of modern
manufacturing. Indeed, the predominant manufacturing system
of the twentieth century is sometimes referred to as ‘Fordism’
because of the pioneering role of the Ford Motor company.
Fordism was based on mass production of standardized products
on the basis of a highly mechanized assembly line utilizing
semi-skilled labour. The high productivity achieved by these
methods enabled cheapening of the product and rising living
standards (e.g. bringing the cost of car ownership within reach,
by the late 20th century, of virtually the whole population).
Thus Fordism is also associated with mass consumption and the
rise of ‘consumerism’. The car industry was also typified by
that other characteristic feature of the 20th century economic
landscape, the giant corporation, and can be seen as a pioneer of
globalization. Today Ford, along with other carmakers, is
among the largest multinational corporations. Car use and
ownership has also become central to modern societies and the
way we live our lives. The car is much more than a mere means

9. of transportation – car ownership has come to be closely
associated with ideas about personal identity, status, and
freedom.
The social and economic importance of the car industry makes it
an interesting case study for examining the political influence
of business. We might expect that such a key industry,
characterized by giant corporations operating on a global scale,
will demonstrate a high level of business influence. At the
same time, we should remember that other industries and firms
may have less capacity to exert influence.
Luger has studies the long-term political influence of the US car
industry between 1916 and 1996. The importance of this
approach is that, while business influence is likely to vary from
time to time and issue to issue, a long-term study reveals the
overall pattern. Is business revealed, on the whole, to be a
dominant influence on government, or rather a weak one?
Luger’s study shows that industry influence has varied over
time. Up to the late 1980s three periods are identified: the
first, up to the late 1960s, is one of business dominance over
government policy; the second period, until the late 1970s,
involved ‘bargaining and compromise’ between business and
government and resulted in the expansion of regulation, and, the
final period to 1988 ‘was a time of resurgence and triumph of
industry over government’ (2000, p.14). However, Luger’s
overall finding is that the US car industry’s political influence
is evident in each period and, overall, gives it an ‘inordinate
impact on public policy (2000, p.1). In other words the car
industry does not always get its own way in relation to
government, and there are periods when government has
introduced regulations opposed by the industry. Yet, over the
long term, the industry has been very effective in getting its
own way and its power has exceeded that of any other group in
society. How has this influence been exerted?
In general terms the answer is that business has control over
resources that is unrivalled by any other group, and it is able to
convert this control into political influence. As Luger states,

10. ‘the resources available to the large corporation give it leverage
over …government that is often unmatched’. (2000, pg3). Put
simply, money equals power. This means that individuals and
organisations, like businesses, that control huge amounts of
wealth tend to have more political influence than the rest. As
an example of this Luger states that ‘in 1977 [it was] estimated
that the industry spend over $100 million a year to influence
government … .In contrast, the entire 1996 budget of the main
public interest group devoted to auto safety, the Centre for Auto
Safety, was approximately $600,000’ (2000, p.184). But this
answer is too simple, for in democracies the basic form of
political influence is through the vote, and all democracies have
rules designed to limit the influence of money in politics. The
mechanisms of influence identified by Luger are more complex
and subtle, including the following:
· Lobbying – through in-house lobbyists based at the heart of
government in Washington, contact between top managers and
senior officials in government, and the hiring of specialist
lobbyist and PR firms (Luger 2000, p.183).
· As well as acting on their own behalf firms also rely on
business groups and associations to represent their (shared)
interests. These associations operate at industry level (e.g.
trade associations) and in relation to the business community as
a whole (e.g. Chambers of Commerce) (Luger 2000, p.183).
· Industry is able to finance technical research to back up its
political position and arguments (Luger 2000, p.183), e.g.
through sympathetic foundations and ‘think tanks’.
· Businesses make donations to political parties, particularly in
the form of election campaign contributions (Luger 2000,
p.184). The point is to help parties and/or candidates that are
perceived to be sympathetic to business interests to get elected.
· Businesses hire former politicians or government officials to
gain inside knowledge of the political process and access to
decision makers (Luger 2000, p.184). There is also movement
in the other direction – from industry to government.
· In addition to these efforts to influence politics Luger also

11. refers to ‘the industry’s privileged economic position’. This
means that business may not have to do anything to get
government to take heed of its interests ‘because economic
growth and political stability can hinge on a healthy auto
industry’ (2000, pp.184-5).
· Large corporations and industries may also derive political
influence from activities that are ostensibly non-political and
commercial, notably advertising. The marketing of cars that
connect with core cultural values – as essential to personal
freedom and as expressions of identity and status – has, as well
as selling cars, ‘provided the auto makers with a reservoir of
latent public support (Luger 2000, p.182).
These mechanisms have afforded the car industry in American a
degree of political influence unrivalled by other groups. This
does not mean that other groups can never win political battles
with the car industry. As we have seen, Luger identifies the
1970s as a period in which the industry was forced to make
compromises over issues such as pollution and fuel economy.
Nor does it mean that all industries exercise comparable
influence. There may be characteristics of the car industry that
boost its political influence – particularly its size and economic
importance. Finally there may be some special features of the
US political system that facilitate business influence. In other
national contexts there may be a different balance between
business and other interests in the political process. However,
Luger’s study of the US car industry provides an important case
of business political influence.
QUESTIONS
1. Review your understanding of how the automobile industry is
able to exercise political influence.
2. Are there any specific characteristics of the car industry that
help to enhance its political influence?
3. Is the car industry a special case, or do all industries exert
comparable influence?
4. What other groups in or interests in society might oppose the
car industry and counteract its influence?

12. 5. Has the deep impact of the economic recession on the US car
industry affected its political influence?
Case Study taken and adapted from: Weatherly, P. and &
Otter, D. (2011). The Business Environment. Themes and
Issues. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pp.310-311.
1 | Page