USF Italy Investment Assessment Essay

Students should assume the role of consultants hired by some hypothetical person, group of investors, or company that is desiring to carry out a business venture in the target country.  Students are to produce a report on doing business in a particular foreign country, and research information and recommendations on doing business in that country.  For example country evaluation, negotiation and diplomacy, market entry (i.e. which set up is best) information, business practices and cultural norms, etc. 

Specifically the paper should include 

***technological environment (ITALY) – telecommunications infrastructure, internet usages and speeds, physical infrastructure (roads, ports, bridges, etc.) etc.

****Make sure to cite sources and try to include a visual (graphs, photos, etc):

Possible sources for research information:

The book Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands by Terri Morrison is an excellent source.  I will put a few copies on reserve in the library (there is general one, a Latin America one, an Asia one, and a Europe one).

Your campus library, or any other library for that mater (see handout from our library on an excellent resource)

Your textbook

Websites for research:

U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration website: http://www.ita.doc.gov

World Trade Organization website:
www.wto.org

CIA World Factbook website:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

World Bank website:

http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/E…

http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploretopics/entrepreneurship

International Monetary Fund website:

http://www.imf.org/external/research/index.aspx

Export-Import Bank of the United States:
http://www.exim.gov/learning-resources/publications

United States International Trade Commission website: https://www.usitc.gov/research_and_analysis/332_commission_publication.htm

Export Development Canada website:

http://www.edc.ca/EN/Pages/default.aspx

Inter-American Development Bank website: http://www.iadb.org/en/academia/academia,1440.html

Bureau of Labor Statistics, International Labor Comparisons website:
http://www.bls.gov/fls/

Bureau of Economic Analysis, Country Facts website: http://www.bea.gov/international/index.htm

Heritage Index of Economic Freedom website: 

http://www.heritage.org/index/

Global Edge, Internet Aggregation Website for Country Research data hosted by Michigan State University:

http://globaledge.msu.edu/global-insights