Country Analysis.
As mentioned in the syllabus, instead of a final test, students will perform a comprehensive country analysis as a term paper. Now that we have completed the introductory part of the material, you should have the tools necessary to evaluate the country along different social, political, and economic factors. For this project, students will work from the perspective of a manager who has been tasked by senior management to evaluate the suitability of a foreign country for investment. You must pick an objective—a product you would like to sell in a new market, evaluation of a location for outsourced manufacturing, setting up a joint venture etc. Students are free to choose any country (other than the USA or Canada) as the topic of the analysis. Students from/living outside North America may choose any country not on their continent. In many ways, this is similar to evaluating any new unknown market — whether this be Kansas or Indonesia. Your completed country analysis should have four components: 1. Cover memo from you to your manager summarizing your choice of country and the reasons for the choice, findings from your research, and recommendations on whether or not to invest in the country. If you do not have experience writing memos, or would like some examples, please take a look at http://www1.gdufs.edu.cn/jwc/bestcourse/kecheng/42/doc/quiz/memo%20writing.pdf. Remember, memos are never signed. 2. One-page fact sheet giving an overview of the country with pertinent information such as size, currency, vital economic statistics such as GDP, growth rate etc., population, political system and leaders, important industries and any other pertinent information that you find in your research. The goal of this fact sheet or digest is to quickly provide an overview of the country to senior management who may not have time to read your entire report. 3. Ten page report in Times New Roman, font 11, (can be single or double spaced, exclusive of citations) detailing your findings. I expect you to cover the following areas in your report: a. political system b. economic system c. legal system d. cultural/ethical/religious environment e. strong and weak industries (look for import and export data) f. openness to foreign direct investment g. participation and activities in global trade communities such as the WTO and GATT h. your evaluation of all the factors listed above in your opinion about the suitability of the country for investment Keep in mind that these are minimum guidelines — you are free to add any other areas that that you feel would be pertinent. 4. Citations in APA format (at least two scholarly sources, Wikipedia is NOT an acceptable reference source).