P4-Economic+Conditions+Analysis

=Project 4 - Economic Conditions Analysis= In chapter 2 your learned about the factors that contribute to various economic conditions around the world. Now it's time to put those concepts into action--and compare economic conditions for various countries.

Prelimary Preparation:
Work with your instructor to set up your Team Project Page for this project.

Section 1
For this project you will first obtain data for your country on:
 * GDP (for the past 3 years)
 * Per capita income (for the most current year)
 * Balance of trade (for the most current year)
 * Unemployment rate (for the most current year)

We will complete this part together in class. Please click on THIS LINK and work with your instructor to obtain the statistical information listed above. To calculate balance of trade, you must subtract imports from exports. If the difference between the two is a positive number, there is a trade surplus. If the difference between the two is a negative number, there is a trade defecit. Once you have obtained the statistics, you will post them on your Project Page and proceed to the next section in this project.

Section 2
In addition, you need to research and answer the following questions regarding your country. You will post the answers to these questions under your statistical information on your Project Page.
 * 1) What is it like to live in your country? (Climate, culture, etc)
 * 2) What natural resources are available?
 * 3) What type of economic system operates in your country? Is it command, market, or mixed? If mixed, how much control does the government have over industry?
 * 4) What is the literacy rate?
 * 5) Does most of the population live in an urban or rural area?

Section 3
Now that your team has completed Sections 1 and 2, you are ready to share your information. Select three to four countries from the Project Pages and write down their statistical information from Section 1. You will use that information to:

Using Chartle, Prepare four graphs:
 * one that compares GDP for the three countries over the past three years
 * one that compares per capita income
 * one that compares balance of trade
 * one that compares unemployment
 * 1) Upload the four graphs to your team Project Page under Section 2.

Section 4
Now it's time to analyze your research and draw some conclusions. Under the graphs, answer the following questions:
 * How has the level of economic development changed in recent years for the three countries?
 * What do these changes mean?
 * How are GDP, per capita income, balance of trade, and unemployment related to one another?
 * How could a company involved in international business use this information to make better company decisions?

Utilize these informational links to assist you in your research. Projects will be graded using the rubric posted below. · BBC, Country Profiles, [] · US Department of State, Background Notes, [] · Executive Planet, [|http://www.executiveplanet.com] · Globalization 101, [|http://www.globalization101.org] · International Monetary Fund, []

Grading Rubric
 * CATEGORY || 20 || 15 || 10 || 5 or less ||
 * Project Page Setup || Team project page includes objective and 4 pages are created in the pagelist || Team project page includes objective and 3 pages are created in the pagelist || Team project page includes objective and 2 pages are created in the pagelist || Team project page is missing objective and/or one pages in the pagelist ||
 * Section 1 - Country Data || Includes all 4 points of data for your country--data is accurate; data is posted on the \"Section 1\" page || Includes 3 points of data for your country--data is accurate; data is posted on the \"Section 1\" page || Includes all 2 points of data for your country--data is accurate; data is posted on the \"Section 1\" page || Includes all less than 2 points of data for your country--or data is missing from the \"Section 1\" page ||
 * Section 2 - Country Information || All 5 questions have been answered completely and with adequate detail; information is posted on the \"Section 2\" page || Four of the five questions have been answered completely and with adequate detail; information is posted on the \"Section 2\" page. || Three of the five questions have been answered completely and with adequate detail; information is posted on the \"Section 2\" page. || Less than 3 of the five questions have been answered completely and/or information is missing from the \"Section 2\" page. ||
 * Section 3 - Charts || All four charts have been created and uploaded to the \"Section 3\" page || 3 of the four charts have been created and uploaded to the \"Section 3\" page || 2 of the four charts have been created and uploaded to the \"Section 3\" page || Less than 2 of the four charts have been created and uploaded to the \"Section 3\" page ||
 * Section 4 - Research Analysis || All 4 questions have been answered completely and with adequate detail; information is posted on the \"Section 4\" page || 3 of the 4 questions have been answered completely and with adequate detail; information is posted on the \"Section 4\" page || 2 of the 4 questions have been answered completely and with adequate detail; information is posted on the \"Section 4\" page || Less than 2 of the four questions have been answered completely and/or information is missing from the \"Section 4\" page. ||
 * Mechanics || Team project pages contain no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. || Team project pages contain 1 to 3 grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. || Team project pages contain 4 to 6 grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. || Team project pages contain more than 6 grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. ||