Global Economic Environment and Marketing

A. Project question
A major multinational corporation has appointed you as an economic advisor. You are requested to compile a report regarding the macroeconomic environment in two countries where the firm operates and explain how it might affect the company’s economic activity.

B. Project specifications
1. You may choose to focus your analysis on any existing multinational firm.
2. The two countries must be chosen from section C below as follows: one country from List 1 and one country from List 2.
3. Your report must include:
a. A brief description of the company.
b. A comparative analysis of all major macroeconomic indicators (see section D below, excluding 5 and 7) for the two countries and their overall impact on firm’s economic activity.
c. An analysis of the market structure in which your company operates for the two countries.
d. An analysis of the monetary and fiscal policy for the two countries andtheir impact on the firm’s economic activity.
e. An analysis of the foreign trade policy (international trade agreements)for the two countries and its impact on firm’s economic activity.
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C. Country Lists
List 1 List 2
Australia Brazil
Austria China
Canada India
Italy Mexico
Sweden Russia

D. Macroeconomic indicators1 to be analysed (the last available 10 years):
1. GDP growth rate
2. GDP per capita at constant prices
3. Inflation rate
4. Unemployment rate
5. Interest rates (Monetary Policy Rate)2
6. General government balances (% of GDP)
7. Balance of Payments (% of GDP)
8. Exchange rates (national currency/USD OR National Currency/Euro)3
1 We recommend that you use the IMF database to collect your data for most of these macroeconomic indicators.
2 Data available from the relevant Central Banks websites
3 ibid
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E. Project 1 Submission Guidelines
Length 2,500 words, +/- 10% (excluding tables, graphs, footnotes and references)
Presentation Arial 12 fonts, 1 ½ spacing, justified text
References A minimum of 20 references using Harvard Referencing
System (textbooks, official data and information sources)
F. Marking criteria and weights
CRITERIA WEIGHTS
Brief description of the company and analysis of the market structure in which the company operates for the two countries
20%
Data collection, comparative analysis of major macroeconomic indicators and impact on firm’s economic activity
25%
Analysis of the monetary, fiscal and foreign trade policy for the two countries and their impact on firm’s economic activity
40%

Report structure, presentation and references 15%