international business

for proF AA only 

offshoring and its impact of labor and growth within the countries of Sierra Leone and Norway. Throughout our research we will hope to provide substantial details on how offshoring could provide major benefit to its host country but also have adverse unintentional consquences. By exploring the different roles offshoring plays within an undeveloped nation versus developed nation we will provide extensive information in hope to conclude whether or not the opportunity for growth does truly exist. We will also be exploring the political and social environments of both countries and how they interact with regards to offshoring.  Finally we will be conducting a direct comparison of the two nations which will include policies and the implications offshoring could have both countries and the world economies.

Team Term Paper:

a.     The Term Paper is an empirical research assignment that requires you to conduct independent research outside the course material on a specific topic, analyzing the data and reporting on the findings.

b.     Within one week of the first class, each team will be responsible for selecting two countries that they will be studying and choosing a specific topic for their Term Paper.

c.     One of the two countries selected has to be a developed country; the other has to be a developing or underdeveloped country.  Please refer to a credible source such as the United Nations (www.un.org), the International Monetary Fund (www.imf.org), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (www.oecd.org) or the World Bank (www.worldbank.org) for a classification of countries into developed, developing or underdeveloped. The countries can be from any part of the world, but cannot include the United States.

d.     The topic of the term paper can be any of the topics included in your textbook, and will essentially be a comparative study of the two countries.  The topic has to be specific and is not meant to be general. For example, the term paper should NOT be a general comparison of the two countries on all possible aspects of the economy, society, culture etc.  I would recommend looking at each of the chapters within the course pack and identifying the topics discussed in each of the chapters, and narrowing down your choice to one of those topics. Some examples of specific topics could be:

·  Comparing the role of the central bank in monetary policy and currency

·  The impact of foreign direct investment on host economies

·  Trade barriers and their impact

·  Environmental policy and its impact on trade (or foreign investment)

·  Role of multinationals in economic development

·  Offshoring and its impact on labor (or growth, or development)

These topics are meant to be illustrative examples only and are a tiny sample of the possible topics the team may pick.

e.     By the end of the week following the first day of class, each team will have submitted a brief proposal containing the two countries and a description of the topic they have chosen for the term paper.

f.      During the duration of the course, each team will collaboratively conduct research on the topic on the two countries and produce an original report of their findings.  There is no specified length to the paper, but I would recommend a maximum of 20 single-spaced pages plus appendices, tables and figures

g.     The structure of the paper should be as follows:

·  Part I: Describe and compare the institutional environment of the two countries, including political and economic institutions that affect the countries’ stability and development (2-3 pages)

·  Part II: Describe and compare the socio cultural environment of the two countries and how they might impact the countries’ development. (2-3 pages)

·  Part III:  Review the developed country on the chosen topic. For instance, if the topic is impact of FDI on host country, then provide an overview of the patterns and volume of FDI into the developed country, the industries in which this has occurred, an analysis of the relative importance of this investment to this country, and other issues that are relevant to the topic.

·  Part IV:  Review the developing country on the chosen topic, similar to above.

·  Part V: Analytically compare the two countries, identifying similarities and differences clearly.

·  Part VI: Provide a concluding section that highlights the major findings from your analysis, including some policy and strategic implications that might arise from your findings.

·  The length of parts III through VI will depend on your topic and analysis, but as stated earlier, the recommended maximum length overall is 20 pages single-spaced.

h.     The term paper should have a cover sheet, an executive summary and be proof-read carefully.