This assignment consists of FOUR parts. Given the delay in putting the groups together, we would like you to concentrate on parts 1 and 2 for next week's class, and finish off the full assignment for the following week's class. 

Revised Due Dates:
Monday, February 2, by 5p.m. Texas and Mexico City time: Submit Parts 1 and 2 to Mark Radulovich [mgmt-webm@cgsb.tamu.edu] for posting on the NAFTAweb site on Monday evening. 

Wednesday, February 4: Come to class having read each of the groups postings, and be prepared to [1] present the results of your review [one student can do this, with the others answering any questions; remember to prepare some overheads]; and [2] ask questions of the other students. Remember you have some reading to do for this class. We will be on line for three hours. 

Wednesday, February 10: The completed assignment [parts 1 through 4] to be submitted to Mark Radulovich for posting on NAFTAweb. Printed copies of the assignment are to be given to the three instructors during that Wednesday class. 

Here are the four parts and some suggestions/hints on allocating them within your group [of course, you may allocate tasks as you see fit, these are only suggestions]: 

1. Background on the political economy of the negotiation of the chapter (i.e., a brief report on who in each country was for, against, various components of the chapter)

This can be divided into three parts: Canada, US and Mexico views on the chapter. It could therefore be allocated according to each location: the students at ITAM answer the Mexican perspective on the chapter, the students at Carleton, the perspective of Canada, etc. 
2. Summary of key points in chapter

One location could be delegated to write this up, or one student at one location could do this. 
3. Short analysis of the expected effects of the chapter (short  analysis of economic and political impacts, including potential winner  and losers) at the national level.

Again, this could be split among locations, with the students at each location focussing on the impact of that chapter on their country. Your group should start working on this now, but we expect that it will take longer to do part 3 than any of the other parts, so it can be left for an additional week. 
4. Bibliography of key readings (including web sites) on the chapter. Students should look for materials on the WWW, in library bases such as ABI Inform, government documents, etc.

Here, one student could be delegated to [1] search him/herself for materials, [2] share with the others in his/her group, and [3] at the end collate all the readings the group used/found. Again, the final version of this part should be done afterwards.

Each group will select (in consultation with the instructors) an industry in North America. Each group will prepare a short briefing note (6 to 8 single spaced pages excluding bibliography) on how the industry has been affected by NAFTA. Possible sectors include: agriculture; banking; non-banking financial services; textiles and apparel; steel; land transportation; energy; telecommunications; intellectual property; petrochemicals. Groups are expected to do a sector different from that covered in assignment #1; the auto industry is also excluded. Professors will endeavour to prevent duplication of industries across groups. 

The paper should be organized under the following categories: 

[i] Brief description of the industry (size % growth rate of the industry; main products; who are the largest firms and where are they located in North America; relative importance of Canada, the US and Mexico in this industry; role played by multinational enterprises; who are the main suppliers and buyers of this industry’s products) 

[ii] Industry positions during the NAFTA debate in each country (for/against; what wanted) 

[iii] Impacts of NAFTA on the industry in each country (data on trade, investment, key impacts, firm responses 

[iv] Bibliography of key readings (including web sites) on this industry. Students should look for materials on the WWW, in library bases such as ABI Inform, government documents, etc. 

We expect that it will take two weeks to cover this assignment; therefore the instructors, in consultation with the groups, will determine which industries will be discussed in class the week of March 4 and which the following week. 

Each group will select (in consultation with the instructors) one of the auto industry assemblers in North America. Each group will prepare a short briefing note (6 to 8 single spaced pages excluding bibliography) on the strategies the firm has developed in response to regional integration in North America, and how NAFTA has affected the firm. 

The paper should be organized under the following categories: 

[i] Brief description of the firm (size, growth rates, main products, where the firm’s plants are located within North America, relative importance of Canada, the US and Mexico to this firm as shares of the firm’s world sales and output;) 

[ii] how NAFTA was expected to affect this firm 

[iii] what strategies the firm has developed in response to NAFTA 

[iv] Bibliography of key readings (including web sites) on this firm. Students should look for materials on the WWW, in library bases such as ABI Inform, government documents, etc. 

A key component of this assignment will be using Auto Case 2000, an interactive software program developed by the International Motor Vehicle Program (IMVP) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This program, which will be available to all students in the three classes, provides detailed information on each of the world’s auto assemblers in terms of production, sales, sourcing, trade, costs, plant locations, and product mix. This information, along with information gathered from general sources (WWW, library searches), will form the basis of the Research Folder and paper.