BUSI 360 Week 3 Discussion Board Forum 2 Thread Example

Reviewed by Thomas Kerrigan, MBA, CPA · Liberty University · Updated

This BUSI 360 Week 3 sample thread takes up Forum 2's question about culture in international business by asking how much cultural distance should shape a company's choice of entry mode abroad. It argues that culture matters most in how a firm manages and leads once it arrives, and less in the choice between an acquisition, a joint venture or a licensing deal than a classic study suggested. Four references carry the argument: the course reader, the classic study linking cultural distance to entry mode, a meta-analysis that found the link weaker and less consistent than assumed, and the GLOBE project's evidence that expectations of leaders differ across cultures. Paul's practice of becoming all things to all people adds the Scripture. Liberty University BUSI 360 sets the Forum 2 Thread at 60 points, one of four researched threads in this BS in Business Administration course.

CourseBUSI 360 Contemporary Issues in International Business (BUSI360)
Module/Week3
AssignmentDiscussion Board Forum 2 Thread
Paper typeDiscussion thread
Lengthabout 352 words (thread and replies). Course guide: a thread of at least 300 words in college-level writing with at least 4 references cited and recapped at the bottom in current APA format
FormatAPA 7 citations and reference list
Points60
SchoolLiberty University Online
ProgramBS in Business Administration
Where it sitsModule/Week 3 in Liberty's published BUSI 360 course guide; current sections can differ
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for BUSI 360 Week 3

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Discussion Board Forum 2 Thread: Culture and the International Environment

BUSI 360 Contemporary Issues in International Business, Discussion Board Forum 2 Thread

Thread by [Student Name]

The thread answers a composite version of the forum prompt; the textbook, research and Scripture cited are real.

Why this part earns its pointsThe thread answers a sharper version of the prompt, which lets the evidence qualify a common assumption.
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Cultural distance matters in international business, but research suggests it shapes how a firm manages and leads abroad more reliably than it shapes how the firm enters.

The course reader stresses that culture influences everything from negotiation to advertising in foreign markets (Maidment, 2013). A classic study gave that idea a strategic form. Kogut and Singh (1988) reported that firms moving into countries whose culture differed sharply from home tended to choose joint ventures or new operations of their own rather than acquisitions, presumably because managing an acquired foreign company is harder when values differ. Countries whose cultures avoided uncertainty more strongly also tended to favor less risky entry modes, which suggested that national culture shaped strategy at both ends of the deal.

Later research complicates the picture. Beugelsdijk et al. (2018) pooled earlier studies and concluded that the effects of cultural distance on internationalization, including entry mode, were weaker and more mixed than many researchers believed, with results that shifted depending on how distance was measured. Firm experience, industry and the institutions of the host country often mattered as much, which means a manager cannot read entry strategy off a table of cultural scores. Cultural distance is real, but it is a weaker predictor of entry strategy than textbooks have often implied.

Why this part earns its pointsAfter questioning distance as a guide to entry mode, the thread names where culture does clearly matter.
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Where culture clearly matters is leadership. The GLOBE project found that what employees expect from leaders differs across cultural clusters, so a style admired in one country may be resented in another (Javidan et al., 2006). A firm can enter a distant market by any mode and still fail if its managers lead as they would at home. Participative leadership, for example, is valued strongly in some cultures and viewed as indecisive in others, so expatriate managers need preparation for the expectations they will meet.

Paul described adapting himself to every kind of listener so that he might win some (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, 1 Corinthians 9:22). He adapted his approach without changing his message. International managers can do the same: fit their leadership and communication to what local employees expect, without giving up the company's core values.

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References

Beugelsdijk, S., Kostova, T., Kunst, V. E., Spadafora, E., & van Essen, M. (2018). Cultural distance and firm internationalization: A meta-analytical review and theoretical implications. Journal of Management, 44(1), 89-130. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206317729027

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., de Luque, M. S., & House, R. J. (2006). In the eye of the beholder: Cross cultural lessons in leadership from Project GLOBE. Academy of Management Perspectives, 20(1), 67-90. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2006.19873410

Kogut, B., & Singh, H. (1988). The effect of national culture on the choice of entry mode. Journal of International Business Studies, 19(3), 411-432. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8490394

Maidment, F. H. (Ed.). (2013). Annual editions: International business. McGraw-Hill.

What the BUSI 360 Week 3 instructions ask

Unit 2 of Maidment's Annual Editions, its overview and articles 7 through 9 and 12 through 15, sets the reading for Module/Week 3, which also includes a presentation and the Forum 2 thread. Students choose prompt A or B and write 300 or more words at a college level. The thread must cite four or more references and recap them at the bottom in current APA format, and it should draw on the assigned articles and videos as well. Two replies of at least 150 words with two citations each follow in Module/Week 4, alongside the research paper outline. Worth 60 points and graded alone this module/week, the thread rewards careful sourcing.

How this BUSI 360 Week 3 example is built

The thread poses a sharper version of the prompt, how much cultural distance should decide entry mode, and answers it with a qualified claim. It reports the classic finding that firms entering culturally distant markets tend to choose joint ventures or other lower-commitment modes, then shows that a later meta-analysis found this effect smaller and less consistent than often assumed. GLOBE research shifts the focus to where culture clearly matters, in what employees expect from leaders. Paul's approach in 1 Corinthians 9 provides a biblical model of adaptation without compromise. Four references are listed beneath the thread in APA format, meeting the guide's requirement.

BUSI 360 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go

The Forum 2 grade follows the same four tests as Forum 1: a researched answer to the chosen prompt that uses the week's readings and videos, polished college writing, at least 300 words, and four sources cited in the text and repeated in an APA list at the end. Instructors value threads that weigh evidence rather than repeat common assumptions, such as the idea that culture always determines strategy. Including research that qualifies a classic finding shows the student is reading the field, not just the textbook. Clear organization and accurate summaries of each source also count toward the grade. Threads that describe how a specific company handled a cultural difference, with a source, stand out from general discussions.

BUSI 360 Week 3 help: mistakes that cost points

Pick one specific question within the broad prompt, such as how culture affects entry mode or leadership, so your thread can go deep. Start with a classic study and then look for a recent review or meta-analysis that tests it. Report what each found accurately, including where findings are weaker than expected. Connect the research to an article from the Annual Editions unit. Add a biblical perspective on adapting to other cultures if it fits. Put the four sources in an APA list under the post and confirm each one is cited somewhere in the paragraphs. If you use cultural dimensions like power distance, define each one briefly the first time it appears.

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BUSI 360 Week 3 questions, answered

What is the BUSI 360 Forum 2 thread?

The second forum's thread, worth 60 points in Module/Week 3, answering prompt A or B on the international environment in at least 300 words with four references.

Where can I find a free BUSI 360 Week 3 sample paper?

Scroll down for a complete BUSI 360 Week 3 thread on cultural distance and how firms enter foreign markets, with four references in APA format.

What is cultural distance in international business?

The degree to which the cultural values of two countries differ, usually scored with Hofstede's dimensions, and used by researchers to explain where and how firms expand abroad.

Does cultural distance determine market entry mode?

A classic study found firms entering distant cultures preferred joint ventures, but a later meta-analysis found the effect of cultural distance on entry mode weaker and less consistent than assumed.

What else is due in BUSI 360 Module/Week 3?

Nothing else is graded; students read Unit 2 of Maidment's Annual Editions and watch one presentation while writing the thread. The research paper outline follows in Module/Week 4.

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