28 Dec DATE: Submittal Date

Overview

In Assignment 1, you will learn how to collect economic data, using Economic Indicators that are readily available to consumers online. Economic Indicators are key statistics or metrics used to study the status of the overall economy, industry segments, and specific companies. To help you learn how Economic Indicators work, JWMI has created a GUIDES Worksheet, which will take you step by step through the process of collecting the data needed for both Assignment 1 and Assignment 2.

You will use the Worksheet provided in your course to research key economic information about TWO countries: a target country that you select and your home country. The target country is a potential overseas location for your current company (or a company of interest) to expand its business, either by increasing an existing division located there or by entering a new market. For most students, your home country is the United States, but for international students, it is your country of residence. Exceptions are possible if you have a unique situation – contact your Professor.

Use your current company and its industry for context. If your company is not currently operating globally, imagine that it is considering entry into one of the markets below. It is your task to assess the economic conditions in relation to your company’s unique profile and needs, so as to assess whether expansion into the potential overseas market makes sense for your business.

Choose ONE of the following countries as the target country for this assignment:

• Bahrain

• Canada

• Chile

• Ethiopia

• Germany

• Hungary

• Ireland

• Japan

• Mexico

• Russia

• South Africa

• South Korea

• Thailand

• Turkey

• United Kingdom

Instructions

Download and save your GUIDES Worksheet in Week 1. Complete the entries in the GUIDES

Worksheet during Weeks 2 and 3. All the required data can be found on the Trading Economics or Doing

Business websites (links below).

§ Access the Trading Economics website at http://www.tradingeconomics.com

§ Access the Doing Business website at http://www.doingbusiness.org

TIP: To locate Economic Indicators not found on the Trading Economics website main landing page, click the

INDICATORS drop-down menu at the top of the page, to see the full list of available Indicators.

Week 1:

Download and save your GUIDES Worksheet:

§ Review the instructions for Assignment 1

§ Download and save your GUIDES Worksheet as an MS Word document

§ Use this format for your filename: LastName_FirstName_JWI515_GUIDES_Worksheet.docx

e.g. Doe_John_JWI515_ GUIDES_Worksheet.docx

Week 2:

Complete the following sections of the GUIDES Worksheet:

o Section G (GDP & Growth)

o Section U (Unemployment & Utilization)

o Section I (Inflation & Interest rates)

Week 3:

Complete the following sections of the GUIDES Worksheet:

o Section D (Debt & Deficits)

o Section E (External balances & Exchange rates)

o Section S (Savings & Investment)

Submit your completed GUIDES Worksheet document (All Sections – G, U, I, D, E, and S) in Week 3.

JWI515 Managerial Economics

Assignment 2

Executive Brief

Instructions

In Assignment 2, you will analyze the data collected in your GUIDES Worksheet. Now that you have researched the economic conditions of the target country, using the Indicators and other resources, you are ready to make a recommendation. You will present your conclusions and proposed next steps in a 3 to 4-page Executive Brief. In this document, you summarize your key findings, recommend a course of action, and provide a rationale for your proposal. Your home country data is an important benchmark for interpreting the data on the target country which you have been researching.

Use the prompts below to analyze your findings and decide on the best next steps. Make notes on your response to each prompt, so as to clarify your ideas. As an Executive Brief is a succinct business communication, it is helpful to work through your data and refine your conclusions before writing the document. When you are ready to proceed, use the Sample Outline provided at the end of the Instructions to structure your assignment document.

1. Economic Conditions in your Target Country:

o Describe the overall economic health and business trends in the target country

o What three Indicators helped most in assessing the target country’s economic health? Why?

o What stage of the business cycle is your industry in for the target country?

o What does this imply for growth opportunities for your company in the target country?

2. Recommended Option:

o Based on your research, what is the best next step for your company in the target country? Choose

ONE of the recommendations below:

? Enter new market in target country

? Do Not enter new market in target country

? Expand existing market presence in target country

? Plan for withdrawal from the market in target country

o What is the rationale for your recommendation, based on your research?

o What two Indicators helped most in assessing the business outlook for your company and its

industry in the target country? Why?

Executive Brief – Sample Outline

Use the following Outline of sections to organize the body of your Brief. Use the underlined headings as section headings in your memo. Use the prompts in each section to make sure you include the required content.

TO: Your Instructor

FROM: Your Name

DATE: Submittal Date

RE: Managerial Economics 515 – Assignment 2 – Executive Brief

Introduction (Address the following)

Specify your home country, target country, company and the industry it operates in

Give an overview of the task you have done researching Indicators and explain its purpose