Country Spotlight Research

Choose a country on which to conduct research. Your research should touch on many of the topics listed below. Concerning geography/infrastructure, historical events, demographics, economy, and political issues, include the most interesting aspects of all or some of these topics. MORE IMPORTANTLY, most of your research should be devoted to differences in culture, marketing practices, and business etiquette (the last three). For most of these topics, compare your country to the U.S.:

· Geography and infrastructure, including location (include a map) and how the country’s geography/climate/infrastructure may affect trade

· Recent and/or important historical events

· Demographics, such as population trends, the age distribution, per capita income, percentage living in urban versus rural areas, etc.

· Economy, including degree to which a free market vs. a government-controlled market exists, current growth stage, a recent history of growth, growth projections, principal industries and exports, and principal trading partners

· Political issues, such as type of government, sovereignty, stability, friendliness toward international businesses (e.g., taxes, potential confiscation)

· Important and distinct cultural factors, e.g. religion, language, family, values, rituals, etc.

· Interesting marketing practices, such as unusual laws concerning advertising, product labeling, environmental issues and intellectual property; popular, yet unusual, advertising techniques

· Common business etiquette and practices companies should be aware of when conducting business in the selected country

The following websites are good places to begin your research:

· globalEDGE and CIA—The World Factbook

Guidelines

· 10 – 15 pages, double spaced, 12 font size, Times New Roman

· APA style for in-text citations and reference list

· Do not cite Wikipedia. It is not a reliable resource. Wikipedia, however, may help lead you to other credible sources.

· Your research should result in a thorough, useful report that focuses on cultural features, marketing practices, business etiquette of your chosen country (other than the U.S.). Do not include useless facts and statistics for the sole purpose of reaching a page limit.