INTERNATIONAL FINANCE PAPER ASSIGNMENT 2024

The paper assignment can be completed in groups one to four people. Members of the group can
be a mix of students in Section 1 and 2. The due date is the last day of class. You must submit
an electronic copy of the paper at that time on Brightspace
Context of the Assignment
You are working for a Canadian firm that is considering making international direct investments
(the acquisition or establishment abroad of operations) and is considering several countries. Your
supervisor has asked you to prepare a report on the riskiness of a particular country (your choice
within certain limits noted below).
Essentially you are to prepare a country risk analysis. Read over Chapter 6 and Chapter 17.4
(Political Risk Analysis) of the textbook – it has useful information for writing your report.
Requirement
The main section of the paper should be approximately 10 pages in length, not including
- covering memo,
- short executive summary,
- table of contents,
- references
- appendices
Given the 10 page limit, a healthy use of Appendices for detailed information on a subtopic
would be wise. In other words you can exceed the 10 page limit but including detailed analysis in
one or more appendices, the results of which you can refer to and summarize in the 10 page
limit. The paper will have appropriate headings, one inch margins on all sides, and should be
written in Times Roman 12 point font, with single line spacing. Basically the formatting of this
document.
Countries that can be chosen are those that are generally classed as developing or are currently
suffering from some economic or geopolitical risks.
 Eastern Europe
 Central and South America
 Africa
 Asia and Southeast Asia
 Middle East
 Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Turkey
There is a file on Sakai under paper requirements that is The Economist Magazine summary of
countries from 2021. (Sorry, don’t have a more up to date one) You might find it useful in
deciding on a country to analyze.
You must have your country and industry choice APPROVED BY ME by February 16th .
The earlier you decide this the better. Don’t leave it to the last minute!
Country Risk Analysis
You will examine the country from the perspective of a possible location for direct investment
on the part of your firm. The purpose of this part of the report will be to provide a country risk
assessment. This will involve outlining the economic, regulatory, and political stability of the
country as well as any social and cultural risk factors that might help in determining the general
level of risk. In general you are examining the country in terms of two aspects of risk – that or
expropriation and also credit risk. You report should include brief summaries of the following
topics.
 A very brief history of the country and basic statistics (demographis etc.)
 Basics of the economy and general economic health/prospects
 Domestic stock market – size and liquidity
 banking system
 Tax environment and any relevant considerations
 Political stability and level of corruption
 Currency exchange rate system and any currency exchange controls. Any limitations on
foreign currency transfers.
 Geopolitical issues – potential tensions with neighboring or other countries and internal
strife
 Environmental risks, pollution
 Social development – demographic trends, education of the labour force, poverty levels,
GINI measure (measure of income inequality)
 Specific risks of expropriation/nationalization (any historical examples).
A large part of your focus will be on trends over the last five to ten years.
Forecast of Exchange Rate
In addition one section of your report will also provide a medium term (one to five year) forecast
of the exchange rate for the currency and outline any uncertainties associated with your forecast.
Detailed work on this forecast would be included as an Appendix. You should employ a number
of the different forecasting methods that we cover in the course.
Specific Company/Industry Risk
Your company belongs to a specific industrial sector (your choice). Particular industrial sectors
may have historical reputations and/or risks associated with them. This may be due to the actions
and activities of certain companies within the sector which may be viewed as detrimental within
certain countries. For example the oil industry has developed a bad reputation in many countries.
Many less developed countries have become concerned over the environmental impact of oil
companies, the risk of which could lead to civil protest and potentially, government
expropriation later on. You will assess your industry in terms of this issue by researching any
prior environmental, regulatory, corruption or human rights issues that might be associated with
the industry and noting these in your paper.
In order to choose the industry you will discuss you may simply choose an industry that you are
particularly interested in – there may be some synergies in terms of future careers by researching
the industry and learning more about it. As an alternative, you may research the country you are
interested in for its strengths (agriculture, technology, labour force – Wikipedia is a quick source
for this) and then decide on an industry that makes sense. For example if the country is strong in
agriculture you might decide that your firm is one in the agriculture industry and looking at
making investments in that country.
Sources of Information
There are a variety of sources that you may find useful in creating the report that are mentioned
in chapter 14 of the text. Others sources include reports and classifications provided by
international financial institutions such as the OECD and others we have or will be discussing.
There are also a number of organizations and also private firms that provide consulting on risk
assessment with respect to various countries and sectors with freely available analyses.
 https://www.coface-usa.com/Economic-studieshttps://www.eulerhermes.com/
en_global.html
 https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries
 https://credendo.com/en/country-risk
 CIA World Fact Book – brief summary of country information from the Central
Intelligence Agency https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/
 Corruption Index: https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022
 OECD country risk analysis
http://www.oecd.org/trade/topics/export-credits/arrangement-and-sector-understandings/
financing-terms-and-conditions/country-risk-classification/
 World Bank Trade Statistics https://wits.worldbank.org/countrysnapshot/en/CAN
 https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/indicators_list.php (includes a host of indicators)
 The Economist Intelligence Unit https://store.eiu.com/product/country-report/ (I am
checking with the library on this to see if we have a subscription.)
 Canada Export Development Corporation country risk analysis
https://www.edc.ca/en/guide/country-risk-quarterly.html
 United Nations Human Development Index https://hdr.undp.org/towards-hdr-2022
 Amnesty International Country Reports https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/
 Country Risk Guide https://www.prsgroup.com/explore-our-products/icrg/
References
Sources should be correctly cited and references provided following the American Psychological
Association (APA) method: http://researchguides.library.brocku.ca/styleguides/apa
Appendices
It would be expected that your report includes a number of appendices with tables or graphs of
data and analyses which would be referred to and summarized within the 10 page report. Don’t
put detailed analyses within the 10 pages. Save that for an Appendix. Only put a summary in the
10 page report.
 Some Additional Sources for Country and Business Sector Risk
Analysis
There are several online sources that might be of use to you in analyzing country and industrial
sector political risk that may not come up in a typical google search outside of traditional sources
(Businessweek, Fortune, The Economist, Wall Street Journal, New York Times etc). A list of
some, not in any particular order, is provided below.

Project Syndicate:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/
Project Syndicate is an international media organization that publishes and syndicates
commentary and analysis on a variety of important global topics. All opinion pieces are
published on the Project Syndicate website, but are also distributed to a wide network of partner
publications for print. As of 2016, it has a network of 459 media outlets in 155 countries
(Source: Wikipedia). Free of charge but you must register with an e-mail address.

Christian Science Monitor

https://www.csmonitor.com/
Despite its origins with the Church of Christian Science it is a well-respected international news
agencies with fairly in depth coverage of international issues.

The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) is an international news organization that delivers global
coverage via its website, weekly magazine, daily news briefing, email newsletters, Amazon
Kindle subscription, and mobile site. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of
the Church of Christ, Scientist. In 2008 the Monitor discontinued its daily print version to focus
on web-based publishing, replacing its daily print edition with a weekly news magazine with an
international focus. Mark Sappenfield became the editor in March of 2017. (Wikipedia). Despite
its name there is only a small section that has to do with Christian Science. It is actually a well
respected internationally focused outlet.

The Intercept
https://theintercept.com/

Glenn Edward Greenwald is an American journalist and author, best known for his role in a
series of reports published by The Guardian newspaper beginning in June 2013, detailing the
United States and British global surveillance programs, and based on classified documents
disclosed by Edward Snowden. Greenwald and the team he worked with won both a George Polk
Award and a Pulitzer Prize for those reports. He has written several best-selling books, including
No Place to Hide. Greenwald's work on the Snowden story was featured in the documentary
Citizenfour, which won the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
After NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden came forward with revelations of mass surveillance
in 2013, journalists Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and Jeremy Scahill decided to found a new
media organization dedicated to the kind of reporting those disclosures required: fearless,
adversarial journalism. They called it The Intercept. Today, The Intercept is an award-winning
news organization that covers national security, politics, civil liberties, the environment,
international affairs, technology, criminal justice, the media, and more. The Intercept gives its
journalists the editorial freedom and legal support they need to pursue investigations that expose
corruption and injustice wherever they find it and hold the powerful accountable. EBay founder
and philanthropist Pierre Omidyar provided the funding to launch The Intercept and continues to
support it through First Look Media Works, a nonprofit organization. (Source: The Intercept,
Wikipedia)

The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world

The Guardian is a British daily newspaper, known from 1821 until 1959 as the Manchester
Guardian. Along with its sister papers The Observer and the Guardian Weekly, The Guardian is
part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust. The Trust was created in 1936 "to
secure the financial and editorial independence of the Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard the
journalistic freedom and liberal values of the Guardian free from commercial or political
interference." The Scott Trust became a limited company in 2008, with a constitution to maintain
the same protections for the Guardian. Profits are reinvested in journalism rather than to benefit
an owner or shareholders. (Source: Wikipedia)

Democracy Now!
https://www.democracynow.org/

Democracy Now! was founded on February 19, 1996 at WBAI-FM in New York City by
journalists Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, Larry Bensky, Salim Muwakkil, and Julie Drizin. It
originally aired on five Pacifica Radio stations. Goodman is the program's principal host, with
Juan Gonzalez and Nermeen Shaikh as frequent co-hosts. Jeremy Scahill, an investigative
reporter and co-founding editor for The Intercept,[5] has been a frequent contributor since 1997.
Democracy Now! began broadcasting on television every weekday shortly after September 11,
2001, and is the only public media in the U.S. that airs simultaneously on satellite and cable
television, radio, and the internet.
Democracy Now! began as a radio program broadcast from the studios of WBAI, a local Pacifica
Radio station in New York City. In early September 2001, amid a months-long debate over the
mission and management of Pacifica, Democracy Now! Was forced out of the WBAI studios.
Goodman took the program to the Downtown Community Television Center located in a
converted firehouse building in New York City's Chinatown, where the program began to be
televised. Only a few days later on September 11, 2001 Democracy Now! was the closest
national broadcast to Ground Zero. On that day Goodman and colleagues continued reporting
beyond their scheduled hour-long time slot in what became an eight-hour marathon broadcast.
Following 9/11, in addition to radio and television, Democracy Now! expanded their multimedia
reach to include cable, satellite radio, Internet, and podcasts.
Democracy Now! is the flagship program of the Pacifica Radio network. It also airs on several
NPR member stations. The television simulcast airs on public-access television stations; by
satellite on Free Speech TV and Link TV, and free-to-air on C Band. Democracy Now! is also
available on the Internet as downloadable and streaming audio and video. In total, nearly 1,400
television and radio stations broadcast Democracy Now! worldwide. Democracy Now! and its
staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American
Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling
and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths
of two Nigerian villagers protesting an oil spill; and Goodman with Allan Nairn won Robert F.
Kennedy Memorial's First Prize in International Radio for their 1993 report, Massacre: The Story
of East Timor which involved first-hand coverage of genocide during the Indonesian occupation
of East Timor. On October 1, 2008, Goodman was named as a recipient of the 2008 Right
Livelihood Award, in connection with her years of work establishing Democracy Now! and on
2009, she, like her frequent guest Glenn Greenwald, was awarded the first annual Izzy Award
(named after journalist I. F. "Izzy" Stone) for "special achievement in independent media." Her
co-host Juan Gonzalez was inducted into the New York chapter of the Society of Professional
Journalists' Hall of Fame on November 19, 2015. (Source: Wikipedia).

Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/news/world

Reuters is an international news agency headquartered in London, England. It is a division of

Thomson Reuters. Until 2008, the Reuters news agency formed part of an independent company,
Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data. Since the acquisition of
Reuters Group by the Thomson Corporation in 2008, the Reuters news agency has been a part of
Thomson Reuters, making up the media division. Reuters transmits news in English, French,
Arabic, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Urdu, and Chinese. It
was established in 1851.

Pew Research
http://www.pewresearch.org/

The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It
provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the
United States and the world. It also conducts public opinion polling, demographic research,
media content analysis, and other empirical social science research. The Pew Research Center
does not take explicit policy positions, and is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. (Source:
Wikipedia)

Associated Press
https://www.apnews.com/

The Associated Press (AP) is an American multinational nonprofit news agency headquartered in
New York City that operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. The AP is owned by
its contributing newspapers and radio and television stations in the United States, all of which
contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists.
As of 2007, news collected by the AP was published and republished by more than 1,700
newspapers, in addition to more than 5,000 television and radio broadcasters. The photograph
library of the AP consists of over 10 million images. The AP operates more than 200 news
bureaus in more than 100 countries. It also operates the AP Radio Network, which provides
newscasts twice hourly for broadcast and satellite radio and television stations. Many
newspapers and broadcasters outside the United States are AP subscribers, paying a fee to use
AP material without being contributing members of the cooperative. As part of their cooperative
agreement with the AP, most member news organizations grant automatic permission for the AP
to distribute their local news reports. The AP employs the "inverted pyramid" formula for
writing that enables the news outlets to edit a story to fit its available publication area without
losing the story's essentials. (Source: Wikipedia).

BBC – British Broadcasting Corporation

http://www.bbc.com/news/world

Aljazeera
http://www.aljazeera.com/
Al Jazeera is a state-funded broadcaster in Doha, Qatar, owned by the Al Jazeera Media
Network. Initially launched as an Arabic news and current-affairs satellite TV channel, Al
Jazeera has since expanded into a network with several outlets, including the Internet and
specialty television channels in multiple languages.
Al Jazeera is a major global news organization, with 80 bureaus around the world. The original
Al Jazeera channel's willingness to broadcast dissenting views, for example on call-in shows,
created controversies in the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. The station gained worldwide
attention following the outbreak of the war in Afghanistan, when its office there was the only
channel to cover the war live.
Al Jazeera is owned by the government of Qatar. Al Jazeera officials have stated that they are
editorially independent from the government of Qatar. However, this assertion is disputed, and
many have accused Al Jazeera of being a propaganda outlet for the Qatari government. The
network is sometimes perceived to have mainly Islamist perspectives, promoting the Muslim
Brotherhood, and having a pro-Sunni and an anti-Shia bias in its reporting of regional issues.
However, Al Jazeera insists it covers all sides of a debate; it says it presents Israel's view, Iran's
view and even aired videos released by Osama bin Laden. In June 2017, the Saudi, Emirati,
Bahraini, and Egyptian governments demanded the closure of the news station as one of thirteen
demands made to Qatar during the 2017 Qatar Crises. (Source: Wikipedia).

WION
https://www.wionews.com/
International news agency from India. Has many international news perspectives. Has a
YouTube Channel as well. https://www.youtube.com/@WION

Firstpost
https://www.firstpost.com/
Another international news agency out of India. Features headline news under the title Vantage
with news host Palki Sharma. Palki Sharma used to be the lead newscaster for WION news. She
left there in 2022 and started with Fistpost in January 2023. Also a YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@Firstpost

Trans National Institute

https://www.tni.org/en
The Transnational Institute (TNI) is a transnational alternative policy group and “network of
scholar-activists”’ that produces critical research oriented toward enhancing democracy, social
justice and ecological sustainability. It was established in 1973 in Amsterdam, originally as the
international branch of the Institute for Policy Studies. (Source: Wikipedia)
Publishes a number of reports such as this one on Investment Arbitration Cases against Latin and
Caribbean countries
https://www.tni.org/files/publication-downloads/isds_en_numerosen2017.pdf

DW
https://www.dw.com/en/top-stories/s-9097
German news network in English. Has good international coverage

France24
https://www.france24.com/en/
https://www.youtube.com/@France24_en
International news channel in English, from France

TeleSUR
https://www.youtube.com/@telesurenglish/community
Latin American news network headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela. Sponsored by Cuba,
Venezuela and Nicaragua.
 Geopolitical Analysis

To a large extent, some parts of a country risk analysis is an attempt to forecast the future as you
concerned not just with the current state of affairs but what could come about. The issue is not
only important to the situation of direct investment, within which your paper is couched, but also
if you were an investment security analyst. The field of geopolitical risk is a very interesting one
and the importance of geopolitical risk has grown rapidly in importance in the investment
industry in recent years, particularly in terms of long term investing.
Gang, Y., February 2020. Geopolitics ranked top risk for pension funds: survey, Canadian
Investment Review. http://www.investmentreview.com/news/geopolitics-ranked-top-risk-for-
pension-funds-survey-11015
John, D., March 2020. Geopolitical Risk: The New Norm, Investment and Pension Europe
https://www.ipe.com/home/geopolitical-risk-the-new-norm/10043944.article
Blackrock’s Geopolitical Risk Index
https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/insights/blackrock-investment-institute/interactive-
charts/geopolitical-risk-dashboard
What is Geopolitical Analysis?
Difficult to put an exact definition to it. Could be described as part of the study of International
Relations which explains the “political” aspect, but it also deals a lot with geography, history,
demographics etc. – the “Geo” aspect. Economics of course is also a large part of it. Primarily
focused on the relationships between countries and how that affects trade, globalization and
investment risk. Some attempts of definitions of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddEYoD10L8Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN5hXm1GsZs
RESOURCES
Peter Zeihan: In terms of geopolitical risk, there are a number of Geopolitical Analysts and
firms out there. As you may have noted one of my favourites is Peter Zeihan. His website
https://zeihan.com/ contains a lot of information that is worth digging around in to see his
perspectives on a certain country or region. He has written four books – the last one released in
June 2022 (The End of the World is Just Beginning) was on the New York Times Best Seller List.
Here is an interesting podcast from February and March 2020
2020 WM Sustainability Forum - Peter Zeihan - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qDoNPPGo5w&t=1527 but you will find a lot of talks and

interviews by him that might relate to your country if you do a search.
Mark Blyth: A political economics professor at Brown University. His analysis is frequently
focused more on Europe, central banks and the banking industry. Here is a recording of a talk he
gave at McMaster University in 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGuaoARJYU0
GEOPOP – YouTube channel on geopolitics that features a lot of Peter Zeihan’s material along
with others https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5_npTvQVSZ28Kc8wvffPew/featured
CASPIAN REPORT – another YouTube channel on geopolitics
https://www.youtube.com/c/CaspianReport/featured
ECONOMICS EXPLAINED (EE) and ECONOMICS EXPLAINED 2 (EE2) – Often about
general topics in economics it also delves into the economic issues of particular countries
https://www.youtube.com/c/EconomicsExplained/featured
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOTgNyfQG4vVP5sCXrJaS4g
Foreign Policy Research Institute
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYB1ercr0h50goIy2yEMvIA
Geopolitical Monitor
https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/
There are a growing number of consulting firms in geopolitical risk analysis for companies and
governments. Examples Include. https://www.stratfor.com/ https://www.luminaegroup.com/
Top Documentary Films
Good Documentary Site: https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/
Has some good documentary films, sometimes regarding economics, countries or regions
Some other interesting one:

Trade Finance Global

https://www.tradefinanceglobal.com/tradetech/

Global Economy
https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/economies/
Note: Starting to see some jobs in geopolitical analysis in the investment industry:
Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
Intern Analyst, Global Public Affairs, Public Affairs and Communications
Position Description:
We are looking for a summer intern analyst to join the Global Public Affairs team in CPP
Investments’ Public Affairs and Communications (‘PAC’) Department. The Intern Analyst, Public
Affairs & Communications is based in CPP Investments’ global headquarters in Toronto will report to
the Director of Global Public Affairs – Americas. The internship role ultimately reports to the
Managing Director, Head of Global Public Affairs.
Key responsibilities for the role will include: helping to assess geopolitical and regulatory risk on
potential acquisitions and existing assets; actively monitoring, researching, analyzing and reporting as
needed on key geopolitical developments; supporting Global Public Affairs initiatives involving
executives. The intern will have the opportunity to interact with colleagues in various parts of the
organization. Through the internship, they will enhance their knowledge and experience as these relate to:
CPP Investments’ investments in several key global markets; and the understanding of geopolitical and
regulatory risks and how these impact a large institutional investor such as CPP Investments.
https://www.indeed.com/q-Geopolitical-Analyst-jobs.html?vjk=f08f2c3b0ec68e0f
Sources of Corporate Corruption and Scandals that can impact
societal perception of a whole industry
Lots of different sources. Try searches under specific sectors or in general. Just a few examples:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_corporate_collapses_and_scandals

https://www.worldfinance.com/strategy/five-biggest-industry-damaging-scandals

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accounting_scandals

http://www.accounting-degree.org/scandals/

https://www.ft.com/content/e34ffc3c-30b6-11e7-9555-23ef563ecf9a?mhq5j=e7

http://list25.com/25-biggest-corporate-scandals-ever/

Pick your year

https://fortune.com/2020/12/27/biggest-business-scandals-of-2020-nikola-wirecard-luckin-
coffee-twitter-security-hack-tesla-spx-mcdonalds-ceo-ppp-fraud-wells-fargo-ebay-carlos-ghosn/

http://fortune.com/2016/12/28/biggest-corporate-scandals-2016/

http://fortune.com/2015/09/26/auto-industry-scandals/

http://www.businesspundit.com/10-most-unethical-business-practices/
Written Component of Mark (30%)
The mark you will receive for the paper will be primarily based upon the extent and depth of
your research and coverage. However, the mark will also be based upon the organization of the
paper and writing style. This is consistent with the Goodman School of Business and its primary
accrediting body, the AACSB. Written communication is one of the learning goals adopted for
all the GSB programs. The following is the written communication rubric used by the GSB for
assessing written work. It will provide you with some guidance.
In addition, I have posted several documents that provide general guidance to report writing
including. There is no perfect format but these reports give you an overview of how to structure
section titles, subtitles etc.
“How to Write a Business Report”, Victoria University of Wellington 2017
Report Writing and Long Report Example

ChatGPT
The use of ChatGPT is allowed for this assignment. Indeed I encourage its use. It has
sparked great debate among academics, including those at Brock, particularly in the social
sciences and humanities. The focus has been on developing academic policies around its
use. Unfortunately for academia, the world is moving faster than universities can respond
and AI is already being used extensively in many organizations and positions. It would
serve you well to become familiar with its use and “prompt engineering” – the use of
appropriate prompts to get ChatGPT to respond correctly to your questions or directions.
Recent surveys of employers indicate that are willing to pay up to 40% more for candidates
who are adept at AI. There are all kinds of resources around prompt engineering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szMKuqs3m78&t=230s (this one is not bad)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydjRYmM19DY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZvnD73m40o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTI4FyO0ul8
One of the prompts I use, after having written up a document is to “correct punctuation
and grammar and increase the readability”
Things to be careful of:
Sometimes if you ask for references or citations, it will create fake ones. Make sure you
check any references it might provide.
Reference: Make sure you note in your paper if you have used ChatGPT for information
searching or for proofreading.
Report Writing

Written Communication (Graduate)

GOAL: Students will be effective professional communicators.

OBJECTIVES/INDICATORS: Students will create an effective written business

document.
Trait 1. Does Not Meet 2. Meets 3. Exceeds Points
Expectations Expectations Expectations

Technical Skills

Minimal errors in grammar, spelling,

etc.

Document Format

Professionally formatted document

Sources are correctly cited (e.g.,

APA Style)

Structure

Logical transition of ideas from one

section to another

Clarity and Conciseness

Argument is effectively conveyed

(e.g., easily understood)

Argument is efficiently conveyed

(e.g., gets to the point succinctly)

Content / Research

Applies pertinent theoretical and/or

course views

Paper is compelling and interesting

Thesis and arguments are supported

with persuasive evidence

Uses multiple perspectives to present

ideas
 Total:

Written Communication (Undergraduate)

GOAL: Students will be effective communicators.
OBJECTIVES/INDICATORS: Students will prepare an effective written business
document.
Trait 1. Does Not Meet 2. Meets 3. Exceeds Points
Expectations Expectations Expectations

Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling

Uses correct grammar

Uses correct punctuation

Uses correct spelling

Document Format

Conforms with written assignment

guidelines (e.g., length, font,
headings, margins)

Appropriate use of appendices

and/or exhibits (if applicable)

Sources are correctly cited (e.g.,

APA Style)

Coherent Writing

Logical organization of paper

(introduction, body, summary)

Logical transitions of ideas from one

section (or paragraph) to another

Writes clearly and succinctly

Content / Research

Applies appropriate theoretical

and/or course views

Paper is compelling and interesting

Draws valid conclusions and
implications

Total:

Paper Grading Guide

Trait 1. Does Not 2. Meets 3. Exceeds Points
Meet Expectations Expectations
Expectations

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

Covering Memo
Short Executive Summary
References (APA) Extent and formatting
References within body
Appendices (appropriate use)
10 page limit, 12 pt, single line, borders
Professional formatting
Grammar, punctuation, spelling
Use of paragraphs, transition of ideas
Writing style, voice, etc
COUNTRY RISK ANALYSIS
History, basic stats, general economic overview
etc.
Domestic stock market, banking system
Tax environment
Political stability and corruption level
Currency exchange system and controls
Limitations on foreign currency exchange
Geopolitical issues
environmental
Social development (GINI) poverty, education
demographics
Expropriation risk
EXCHANGE RATE FORECAST
Company/Industry Risk
OVERALL DEPTH OF COVERAGE