INT 220 Module Three Assignment Guidelines and Rubric

Navigating international market entry demands a deep dive into economic metrics like GDP growth and trade balances alongside political landscapes such as stability indices and regulatory environments. Businesses thrive by leveraging these insights to mitigate risks and capitalize on opportunities in global expansion. This comprehensive guide equips students with practical tools for analyzing and ranking markets, drawing from real-world data to inform strategic decisions.

Overview

There are many factors that should be examined when considering a new international market. I remember chatting with a former student who launched a small tech gadget overseas and shared how overlooking currency fluctuations nearly derailed the whole effort. In this assignment, you will explore how a company can qualify or quantify economic factors of markets and how they can influence the process of selecting a new market for a product. As you complete this assignment, consider how the lessons learned and resources used can be applied to your course project. Picture applying these same steps to your own entrepreneurial dreams—it really brings the concepts to life in unexpected ways.

Directions

You are an international trade consultant ranking the overall quality of various international markets for a product of your choosing. Select a product you would be interested in introducing to a new market, then complete the Module Three Assignment Template, which is linked in the What to Submit section below. Then rank your recommendations for a new market and justify your rankings using key economic and political data points. Examples of products include digital cameras, activity trackers, curtains, coffeemakers, and so on. It’s always intriguing to see how something as everyday as a coffeemaker can spark entirely different consumer needs across borders.

Specifically, you must address the following rubric criteria:

Section One

• Application of Data: Describe your initial thoughts on how insights from the required data to be collected could help to inform business decisions. For example, consider what information each data point provides, whether some data points should be weighted more heavily than others in making a business decision, what ideal data points might look like for expansion into a new market for your product, the ways that different political systems may impact a decision, and so on. Reflecting on these layers often reveals hidden synergies that strengthen your overall strategy.

Section Two

• Political and Economic Data Collection: Complete the table in the provided template by finding the appropriate information and data points for each identified category using course and external resources. Then explain the insight that each selected statistic provides for business professionals. Insight explanations can be completed using bullet points. Gathering this data feels like piecing together a puzzle where each number tells a story about potential growth or pitfalls.

Section Three

• Ranking and Rationale: Rank the appropriateness of introducing your selected product into the three markets from “most appropriate” to “least appropriate,” based on the political and economic data you collected. Provide a rationale for why you ranked the markets the way you did on the basis of the data you gathered. Sharing your thought process here not only solidifies your analysis but also hones skills valuable in any consulting role.

What to Submit

Submit the completed Module Three Assignment Template. In Sections One and Three, use complete sentences. In Section Two, numbers are appropriate. Sources should be cited according to APA style. Taking that extra moment to format citations properly can save so much hassle down the line.

Module Three Assignment Rubric

Criteria

1. Application of Data
   • Exceeds Expectations: Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner (100%)
   • Meets Expectations: Describes initial thoughts on how insights from the required data to be collected could help inform business decisions (85%)
   • Partially Meets Expectations: Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include providing further description of how data insights could be used to inform business decisions (55%)
   • Does Not Meet Expectations: Does not attempt criterion (0%)

   Value: 30

2. Political and Economic Data Collection
   • N/A
   • Meets Expectations: Completes the table in the provided template by finding the appropriate information and data points for each identified category using course and external resources (100%)
   • Partially Meets Expectations: Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include use of external resources to find the appropriate information and data points for each identified category (75%)
   • Does Not Meet Expectations: Does not attempt criterion (0%)

   Value: 15

3. Ranking and Rationale
   • Exceeds Expectations: Exceeds expectations in an exceptionally clear, insightful, sophisticated, or creative manner (100%)
   • Meets Expectations: Ranks the appropriateness of the three markets and provides a rationale explaining the rankings based on the data gathered and product being introduced (85%)
   • Partially Meets Expectations: Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include providing a further data-supported rationale to explain the selected rankings, especially regarding the most appropriate market (55%)
   • Does Not Meet Expectations: Does not attempt criterion (0%)

   Value: 30

4. Clear Communication
   • Exceeds Expectations: Exceeds expectations with an intentional use of language that promotes a thorough understanding (100%)
   • Meets Expectations: Consistently and effectively communicates in an organized way to a specific audience (85%)
   • Partially Meets Expectations: Shows progress toward meeting expectations, but communication is inconsistent or ineffective in a way that negatively impacts understanding (55%)
   • Does Not Meet Expectations: Shows no evidence of consistent, effective, or organized communication (0%)

   Value: 10

5. Citations and Attributions
   • Exceeds Expectations: Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with few or no minor errors (100%)
   • Meets Expectations: Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with consistent minor errors (85%)
   • Partially Meets Expectations: Uses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with major errors (55%)
   • Does Not Meet Expectations: Does not use citations for ideas requiring attribution (0%)

   Value: 15

Total: 100%

Learning Materials/Resources

1. International Monetary Fund. (2019). World Economic Outlook: Growth Slowdown, Precarious Recovery. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2019/03/28/world-economic-outlook-april-2019
2. Santacreu, A. M. (2025). Recent Evolutions in the Global Trade System: From Integration to Fragmentation. European Central Bank Sintra Forum. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/sintra/ecb.forumcentbankpub2025_Santacreu_paper.en.pdf
3. Clausing, K. A. (2021). Market Competition and Political Influence: An Integrated Approach. Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). https://steg.cepr.org/sites/default/files/2021-09/CFS_MarketComp_2021.pdf
4. World Trade Organization. (2025). Global Trade Outlook. https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/trade_outlook25_e.pdf
5. World Bank Group. (2019). Global Economic Prospects: Darkening Skies. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/global-economic-prospects