Guidelines for the Analytical Paper
In this paper you will apply concepts studied in the course to examine the environment of business in the country for which you signed up in the beginning of the semester. You should develop and present a position about the environment of business for your selected country (your proposed answer to the main question stated further down in this document). This is an individual written assignment―each student should write her or his own paper. The paper counts towards 30% of your final grade.
Due Date:
The analytical paper is due on Sunday, June 28, by 11:59pm.
To submit it, use the “Analytical paper” Turnitin link that you will find by accessing the Assignments link in Blackboard.
Technical Requirements:
- The minimum requirement is 4 pages (double spaced with 12 font, Times New Roman, with one inch margins all around). The maximum is 6 pages (double spaced). The cover page (e.g., your name and course) and the bibliography page will not count toward the paper’s page requirement.
- On the last page (this does not count towards the 4 pages), provide a bibliography (full citations of all your sources using APA or MLA citing style). In the body of the paper, when a particular statement or set of statements that you make is based on a particular source or set of sources, reference those at the end of the sentence or paragraph, as applicable, using the last name of the author and the year of publication.
Analytical Paper Contents:
Main question: Is the cultural, legal, and political environment of this country favorable to American investments?
In order to answer this question, you need to address the following:
- Use Hall’s framework to characterize the culture of this country. Would the cultural characteristics you have identified present challenges or opportunities to American investors?
- Describe the legal environment of the country, making specific references to the rule of law (to what extent is the country governed by law as opposed to arbitrary decisions of individual government officials) and laws that govern foreign direct investment (are there provisions to attract foreign direct investment, such as tax incentives, most-favored-nation treatment, dispute resolution fora; or provisions that restrict foreign direct investors such as high local content requirements or currency exchange restrictions).
- Describe the political environment of the country, making specific references to the political regime, and discussing whether the political regime is favorable to US investors.