Course Assignment

Module Focus This module has been designed to engage students in advanced study of the Trading blocs such as the European Union and NAFTA, their roles and the effects on international business.  In addition to the static analysis which differentiates between the trade creation and trade diversion effects of regional integration, students will also be exposed to broad understanding of Preferential Trade Agreements (PTA). Students are also exposed to the reasons for their proliferation in recent decades; Trade and Competition policies in some jurisdictions, as well as taking into account their business and economic effects. The content will be delivered through lectures integrated with seminars and through guided autonomous research, group research and case studies The aims of the module:  To develop the ability to compare, evaluate and discriminate between types of regional integration, e.g. the European Union, NAFTA, MERCOSUR, ASEAN and PTA, in terms of their activities, roles and structure levels of integration and development.  To develop an understanding of and ability to evaluate the effects of regional economic blocs within the international business context.  To highlight the rationale for the proliferation of PTA and their effects on businesses.  To develop skills in the analysis and critical evaluation of insights relating to major regional trading agreements, their nature, justification and business and economic effects. Learning outcomes By the end of the module you will be able to: 1. demonstrate thorough understanding of the processes of economic integration, its typologies and factors contributing to their growth in recent decades.. 2. demonstrate sound understanding of the relationship between economic integration (at regional and multilateral levels) and the trade creation and diversion effects of regional liberalisation agreements. 3. demonstrate understanding of recent developments in regional groupings, particularly the hob & spoke linkages and the challenges they pose to business operations. 4. research, collate and evaluate primary and secondary materials on any featured aspects of regional trading blocs. 5. to challenge orthodoxy and formulate new/alternative hypotheses or solutions to issues arising from the formation of these associations. 2 Assignment brief. Your essay should be word-processed whenever possible and should be well referenced. Each question must be attempted separately and leaving ample space between each question. You are reminded on the perils of PLAGIARISM and it is defined as: Copying from a published text or another student, and passing the work off as your own. See page 8 below for the College’s statement on plagiarism.  You must acknowledge all sources from which you obtained your essay materials.  You are required to use the Harvard referencing system.  Full reference details should be given in the bibliography whenever possible  Unacknowledged paraphrasing may be interpreted as plagiarism.