INSTRUCTION METHOD:
This course will employ two internet tools. The first tool will be Embanet, or, as it is also known, the FirstClass Intranet Client
program (5.1 version). Assignments will be posted on this program by 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) every Monday beginning the 12th of
October and continuing for ten weeks until the 14th of December 1998. You will be required to complete the assignments and email them
to me no later than each Friday at 12:00 midnight (Pacific Time).
The second tool that will be employed is the website which I created for this course. The website contains all of the reading information you will need for this course. As such, there will be no required textbook or reader for this class.
The Doing Business in Latin America website consists of three levels: (1) The Homepage, (2) The Classroom, and (3) The Library. The
Homepage will serve as your door to The Classroom and The Library.
The Classroom contains the course outline, course schedule, the grading scheme, outline formats, general course information, and a bio of the instructor. During the first week of the course, each student will be required to email a copy of his or her bio to me so that it
may be added to the website.
The Library serves as a depository of information which you will need for your assignments, as well as serving as a platform for
conducting extensive research.
Like any genuine library, it stores more information than what you will need for this course. To help organize this information, The
Library is divided into four (4) main sections: Mexico and Central America, The Caribbean, South America, and International Treaties.
Each of the three geographic sections of The Library is further divided into subsections by the respective countries of Mexico and
Central America, The Caribbean, and South America.
Lastly, each country in The Library has up to twenty divisions containing information in areas such as history, geography, government,
legal framework, international treaties, intellectual property, and economic information.
GRADED ASSIGNMENTS:
A. CLASS PARTICIPATION will be based upon three items: your completed assignments, country reports, and the two private chat
lecture sessions you will have with the instructor.
1. Weekly Assignments:
(Ten Assignments, each worth 10 points)
(Total Points = 100)
The weekly assignments will be posted for your retrieval each Monday at 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) in the Assignment Room of Embanet. You will then have until 12:00 midnight on each corresponding Friday to submit your completed Weekly Assignments to the Grading Room of Embanet. To complete the Weekly Assignments, you will need to select five countires from Latin America as explained in more detail below.
First of all, each student must select five (5) countries to use throughout the course for the weekly assignments. Of these five countries, one country must be from each of the three major geographic regions (Mexico & Central America, South America, and the Caribbean). The remaining two countries may be chosen from any region of Latin America. Before selecting your five countries, you should visit the homepage of each country you are considering as some countries have much more information available than others.
When completing the weekly assignments each student is to complete the assignment by answering the questions for each of his/her five countries.
Within the first week of the class, each student must submit a list to me indicating the five countries which have been selected.
Each weekly assignment must be submitted by 12:00 midnight (Pacific Time) on the Friday of each corresponding week.
Late assignments will
be handled as follows. If the assignment is submitted sometime between 12:01 a.m. (Pacific Time) on Saturday and 9:00 p.m. (Pacific
Time) on the following Monday there will be an automatic fifty percent (50%) reduction. Assignments submitted after 9:00 p.m. on the
Monday in question will receive no credit. No exceptions will be made (this includes computer failures and connection problems), so
be sure not to wait until the last minute to submit your assignment.
2. Country Reports:
(Five Reports, each worth 10 points)
(Total Points = 50)
The country reports will be graded both on the content and manner of your posting of a two to three page summary of the
important facts relating to the particular country (click here to see a list of items that may be addressed in the reports). As for the content, I will be looking for your impressions - do not simply cut
and paste if you desire a passing grade.
For report purposes, the countries are divided in to eight (8) groups. Each student must select five countries. None of the
Country Report Countries can be from the list of five countries you selected above for your weekly assignments. In addition,
you must choose one country from each of the following three regions: Mexico and Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The
remaining two countries may be selected from any region in Latin America provided it is not one of your five "Assignment Countries." Before selecting your five countries, you should visit the homepage of each country you are considering as some countries have much more information available than others.
Within the first week of class, each student must submit a list to me indicating the five countries which have been selected for report purposes.
Each country report must be submitted to the Embanet Grading Room no later than 12:00 midnight (Pacific Time) on the Friday for the week indicated for each particular group. For example, a country report from Group 6, must be submitted by Friday, the 27th of November by midnight, as
Group 6 reports are due during the seventh week. Click here to see schedule.
Late reports will be handled as follows. If the report is submitted sometime between 12:01 a.m. (Pacific Time) on Saturday, and 9:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) on the following Monday there will be an automatic fifty percent (50%) reduction.
Reports submitted after 9:00 p.m. on the Monday in question will receive no credit. No exceptions will be made (this includes
computer failures and connection problems), so be sure not to wait until the last minute to submit your reports.
3. Private Lecture Sessions:
(Two Private Lecture Sessions, each worth 25 points)
(Total Points = 50)
The Private Lecture Session consists of the student and instructor participating in a private chat session wherein the instructor will
question the student about the week's reading, and assignments. The Private Lecture Sessions will take place in the "Student -
Instructor Chat Lounge" through the Embanet software, and may last anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes.
Within the first week of class, each student must submit a list setting forth a time during each week wherein you will agree to
make yourself available for a Private Lecture Session. The time must be between Monday through Friday, and from 8:00 a.m. and 7:00
p.m. (Pacific Time). For example, Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m., or Fridays at 8:00 a.m.
The instructor will unilaterally decide when he will request a Private Lecture Session with you. Each student will receive at least a 30 minute advanced notice via the Embanet email system that your presence for a Private Lecture Session is being requested. If there is no email from me, that means that there will not be having a Private Lecture Session this particular week. Therefore, this will require you to check your Embanet emails a half hour before your agreed weekly time to see if the instructor is requesting a Private Lecture Session.
For example, if you chose Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m., you would have to log on to Embanet each
Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. to see if you have an email in your mailbox requesting your presence for a Private Lecture Session at the appointed time.
When you receive such an email notification in your Embanet mailbox, you must then be present at the appointed time in the Student - Instructor Chat Lounge.
If you fail to appear in the Student - Instructor Chat Lounge within 7 minutes of the appointed time, you will receive a score of zero for that particular Private Lecture Session. No make-ups will be allowed.
B. THERE WILL BE TWO EXAMINATIONS, a midterm worth 20% (or 200 points), and a final worth 30% (or 300 points) of the final grade. The exams
will consist of true/false and multiple choice questions, along with a short essay type question. A total of two or three possible essay topics will be given, wherein you will write on one of the questions.
The Midterm will take place on Week Six of the Course and will be posted in the Examination Room in the Embanet software. You will
have 1½ hours to complete the Midterm. The time will start to run from the time you access the Midterm Exam. Your Midterm answers
must be posted within one hour forty-five minutes (1:45) from the time you access the Exam. Exams turned in after the one hour forty-five minute deadline will receive zero credit.
The comprehensive Final will take place on Week Ten of the Course and will be posted in the Examination Room in the Embanet software.
You will have 3 hours to complete the Final. The time will start to run from the time you access the Final Exam. Your Final answers
must be posted within three hours fifteen minutes (3:15) from the time you access the Exam. Exams turned in after the three hour
fifteen minute deadline will receive zero credit.
C. FOR THE BUSINESS PROJECT MEMORANDUM, you will assume the role of a professional consultant that has been selected by your boss, or
client, to provide a detailed report addressing the issues that should be considered for either a real or a fictitious business
transaction that is being considered between two Latin American countries. You will ultimately decide which of the two countries will
be a better choice for your project and address the points that led you to such a conclusion.
The memorandum will consist of a one
page executive summary, and an eight to ten page double spaced text. You are allowed the freedom to choose the type and scope of the
business transaction involved.
You will be required, however, to turn in a detailed outline pursuant to the prescribed format (click here to see the format), on or before November 9, 1998 at 7:00 p.m. (Pacific Time).
The final draft of your business project memorandum must be submitted to the Embanet Grading Room on or before December 14, 1998, at 7:00 p.m.
(Pacific Time). The business project memorandum will be worth 30% (or 300 points) of the total grade. No late memorandums will be
accepted.
| TOPIC |
ASSIGNMENT |
READINGS |
WEEK 1:
(10-12 to 10-18)
General Course Overview;
Cultural Differences b/w
Latin America & United States, and differences within Latin
America; Geography.
|
Students choose 5 countries for weekly assignments, and 5
additional countries for the country reports. In addition each
student selects a day and time during the week for Private Lecture
Sessions
Week 1 Assignment
|
Read Lecture 1, and review the geography sections on the
website which relate to the 5 countries you have chosen |
WEEK 2:
(10-19 to 10-25)
History of Mexico and Central America
Note Bene: PDT ends on
10-25 and PST begins
|
Group 1 Country Reports.
Week 2 Assignment |
Read the History sections for the countries you have chosen
within Mexico and Central America.
|
WEEK 3:
(10-26 to 11-01)
History of South America |
Group 2 Country Reports
Week 3 Assignment |
Read the History sections for the countries you have chosen
within South America.
|
WEEK 4:
(11-02 to 11-08)
History of the Caribbean
|
Group 3 Country Reports
Week 4 Assignment |
Read the History sections for the countries you have chosen
within the Caribbean.
|
WEEK 5:
(11-09 to 11-15)
International Treaties and International Organizations
|
Group 4 Country Reports
Week 5 Assignment
Outline for Business Project Memorandum Due
|
Lecture for Week 5; Read the International Treaty Section for
your countries |
WEEK 6:
(11-16 to 11-22)
Foreign Investment Laws
and Business Entities |
Group 5 Country Reports
Week 6 Assignment
Mid-Term Exam |
Lecture for Week 6; Read the sections on Foreign Investment and
Business Entities for your countries |
WEEK 7:
(11-23 to 11-29)
Intellectual Property and Labor Laws
Note Bene: Thanksgiving
Holiday 11-26 to 11-29
|
Group 6 Country Reports
Week 7 Assignment |
Lecture for Week 7; Read the sections on Intellectual Property
and Labor Laws for your countries
|
WEEK 8:
(11-30 to 12-06)
Importing and Exporting, Marketing, and Taxes |
Group 7 Country Reports
Week 8 Assignment |
Lecture for Week 8; Read the sections on Importing and
Exporting, Marketing, and Taxes for your countries.
|
WEEK 9:
(12-07 to 12-13)
Governmental Regulations - immigration and environmental;
Banking and Foreign Exchange |
Group 8 Country Reports
Week 9 Assignment |
Lecture for Week 9; Read sections on Immigration and
Environmental Laws; Banking and Foreign Exchange
|
WEEK 10:
(12-14 to 12-20)
|
Week 10 Assignment
FINAL EXAM
BUSINESS PROJECT MEMORANDUM DUE |
No assigned reading |
The Classroom
