Country Assessment (less than four pages)
Now, conduct research on the country chosen in detail.
a. Location: explain geographic location and show the map to class.
b. Infrastructure availability and readability for distribution of products. E.g., show pictures of the country (city and rural areas) to class.
c. Labor availability: discuss size of the labor pool and quality of labor (e.g., education, skills, workmanship, etc.). Show pictures of the people to class.
d. Economic health: overview of the country’s economic trends and outlook for the past three years (inflation rate, unemployment rate, economic growth rate, etc.).
e. Exchange Rate: Review exchange rate fluctuations between the selected country and the U.S. since 2014. Visualize your findings with a graph. Be sure to identify the type of currency (e.g., won for S. Korea) and the local currency equivalent to one USD (e.g., $1 = 1,350 won). If you report the USD equivalent to one local currency (e.g., 1 won = $0.001), you will lose points. Interpret the graph and discuss the implications of your findings. Include the effect of exchange rate on the product price in your discussion.
f. Balance of Trade: Review how the balance of trade between the selected country and the US has changed since 2014. Visualize your findings with a graph and interpret the graph. Be sure to include how the exchange rate, legal/political positions (e.g., the effect of WTO or NAFTA), and demand factors influence the BOT between the selected country and the U.S. in your discussion.
g. Country risk and stability: The political environment and trade relations with the U.S. Discuss current political stability and legal environment of this country. Indicate the country’s government position toward international trade with the US. Discuss if there is any treaty or trade agreement between these two countries to support your sourcing decision.
h. Business travel restrictions or warnings: discuss physical, linguistic, cultural, legal and political distance that impact uncertainty and transaction cost of outsourcing.
