Globalization

Guidelines for the Globalization Project

Objective

The objective of the project is to build skills in analysis in the context of our definition of globalization, namely, the ‘multidimensional set of social processes that create, multiply, stretch, and intensify worldwide social interdependencies and exchanges while at the same time fostering in people a growing awareness of deepening connections between the local and the distant.’ Your research and analysis will revolve around the application of the ACE framework to an issue of current interest to be identified by your team.

Project organization
The following describes the steps of your analysis and will also indicate how your final report will look like.s

I. Articulation

Pick an issue that will be the focus for your project. It may have something to do with a particular country (e.g., ‘Should {country} restrict immigration?’, or ‘How can {country} reduce poverty?), or may be an issue that transcends across several countries (e.g., ‘What should Africa do about AIDS?’ or ‘What are the obstacles to freer trade?’), or it can be related to an industry (e.g. ‘What are the implications of globalization for {industry}?’). The topic should be of interest to all the members of the team!

Gather data on important facts and trends that affect your issue pertaining to the five domains of the globalization system. The data should be presented in graphs, and the text should describe your interpretation of the data and the trends. (See end of this note for examples of the kinds of data you would look for.)

II. Cogitation

This is the main part of the report—where you are providing your own analysis of the issue that you have chosen. Your analysis should be based on the systems framework used in the course and thus address the following matters:

1. Interactions: How do the five domains interact with regard to this issue, within this country and across different countries? What is the impact of this issue on globalization? Is it a positive or a negative impact? Pick a few of the interactions and discuss the implications in detail. Explain how the interaction among domains impacts globalization.

2. Convergence / divergence: Does the event or trend seem to integrate the world as one place (convergence) or does it represent countervailing forces seeking to maintain the world as comprised of separate and distinct entities (divergence)? Be sure to explain your reasoning.

III. Evaluation

In this section, you will provide the conclusions stemming from your analysis in the preceding section. More specifically, you should address the following two aspects:

1. Winners/losers: There are often winners and losers in the way an event interacts across the domains. Who are they? Identify them at the three levels of the individual, group (e.g., an organization), and nation.

2. What should we do about the issue you have analyzed? Can we reduce the number of losers and increase the number of winners? What lessons can you derive for the future?

Team Organization
The project work will be undertaken by you in teams of four or five. We will form the teams in class.

To help you manage the team process, each team will choose a team leader who will take responsibility for coordinating the group’s activities, communicating with me, and meeting deadlines. Good team leaders (based on peer evaluation) will get additional points.

Final Deliverables

All written deliverables, including presentation slides (see below), must be placed by the due date in the course Blackboard Digital Drop Box.

Written report: The report should be about 3000 words long. You will therefore be expected to condense a lot of information into a few pages. The 3000 word limit excludes tables, graphs, exhibits, appendices, references, and cover page, if any. In other words, tables, graphs and exhibits do not count towards the word limit and thus there is no limit on their use. You are therefore encouraged to convey information in graphical or non-verbal ways. Creativity will go a long way towards helping you express your ideas in a short report!

The 3000 words of the report should be approximately divided as follows:
• Articulation: 500 words
• Cogitation: 2000 words
• Evaluation: 500 words

The paper should have a professional appearance. This means:
• No grammar or spelling errors (including foreign names and words).
• Tables, graphs and exhibits should have a title and give source of data, and should be referenced in the text of the report.
• All references used in the report should be listed in an appendix, in a common format (e.g., MLA).
• All pages (except the cover, if you include one) should be numbered, double spaced, with margins of 1 inch (1”) all around, and 12-pitch font.
• Sections, paragraphs, and other subdivisions of the report should be clearly marked.

Citation convention. Plagiarism will result in severe penalty, which may be up an ‘F’ on the project or result in an inquiry as designated in the Student Handbook. A list of all material used should be provided under ‘Bibliography.’ Books and articles used must have name of author(s), title, publisher, year, name of journal, volume and page numbers, as the case may be. Websites used should be cited with full URL and date accessed. Any verbatim use of material (a phrase/sentence or more) should be within quotation marks in the text and the name of the author and page number given at the end of the sentence in parenthesis. Data should indicate source.

Presentation: You will also orally present the key results of your work in class. The presentation will last 10 minutes, plus 5 minutes for questions. Teams will be assigned to one of the days listed as Project Presentation days in the syllabus. The presentation should have a professional appearance. This means:
• No grammar or spelling errors (including foreign names and words).
• Tables, graphs and exhibits should have a title and give source of data.
• All slides (except the cover slide) should be numbered.
• Slides should be legible from the back of the classroom. Avoid cramming too much text in one slide.
• Business dress is NOT required. However, presenters should speak loud enough to be heard clearly in the back of the classroom, and avoiding simply reading from the slides.

Grading
Reports and presentations will be graded according to the quality of the content and appearance. This includes the quality of your research and analysis, and the quality and creativity of your written and oral communication. For example, for your research you may consider discussing your findings and ideas with an expert on the issue you have chosen, such as a faculty member at Suffolk or other area universities. (If you do so, don’t neglect to fully reference the interview like any other source, indicating the name of the person, their title (if any), and the date and location of the interview.)

As spelled out in the syllabus, group grade for the project will be translated into individual grades based on a confidential peer-evaluation that group members will complete at the end of the course, supplemented by instructor’s observations of your participation in group-related class activities.

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Appendix: research sources
This is a suggested listing of the kinds of data you would look for to help you with your analysis. It is only indicative, and not exhaustive. For sources of information, please consult the Research Resources document posted in Blackboard.

Social

Ethnic groups, religion, languages spoke (population distribution in these categories), relations between groups, family considerations, crime rates, literacy levels, human Development Index.

Political

Nature of government, how it comes to power, stability of government, political parties and their role, how laws are passed and implemented, ideology of the government.

Economic

GDP/GNI levels and growth rates, sectors of the economy and their contribution to GNI, FDI flows, macro economic policies for development, inflation, external trade (items, value, rates of growth), income distribution in society, budget, balance of payments, employment levels, exchange rate trends.

Business

World Bank’s ‘Doing Business’ statistics, role of chambers of commerce, stock exchange, domestic firms vs. MNCs, small vs. large firms, opinion polls on consumer confidence.

Physical

Natural resource endowments, size of reserves, pollution and environmental issues, infrastructure, technology development in society and its acceptance.

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