BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT 2010

ASSIGNMENT 1. SUBMISSION DATE: SATURDAY MARCH 27

Assignments must be submitted at the lectures on March 27. They should not be left at the GSM.
LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE GRADED NOR WILL THOSE SUBMITTED BY UNREGISTERED
STUDENTS.
WRITE A 6-8 PAGE (TYPEWITTEN) ANSWER TO ANY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING
1. Do Zimbabwe policymakers have a choice between a factor-accumulation growth path and one
driven by productivity? Or is it a matter of the country being forced along a particular path
because of its resource-endowment, its recent history and its current problems?
2. How and in what ways does dollarization limit the governments room for manouevre? Given
the constraints imposed by dollarization what can government do to tackle balance-of
payments problems, finance public expenditure and foster sustained GDP growth?
3. Has the organization for which you work been affected by globalization and regionalization
including the impact of the current global recession or are its main problems the result of purely
national influences? What strategies is your organization implementing to tackle current
business problems in the Zimbabwe economy?
4. Why do so many economists now believe that economies are unlikely to achieve sustained
and sustainable growth in the absence of strong institutions?
5. Although inflation will be much lower under dollarization than over the last 15 years the
problems of economic management will be just as difficult. Discuss this statement explaining
what new and different problems have been caused by dollarization and how they might be
tackled.
Assignments must be submitted in hard copy email submissions will not be graded
NOTES
1. Assignments are part (30%) of the overall assessment for the module. As such they must be
tackled individually.
2. Assignments submitted by unregistered students will not be graded.
3. The assignment topic should be shown on the cover page.
4. Assignments are assessed for:
(a) Content how thoroughly has the student researched the topic? How much value has the student
added? Is the paper merely regurgitation of the lectures or of an article?

(b) Structure, layout, expression. The paper should be written as though you were preparing a report
for top management at work. There is no need for abstruse, academic theory, nor detailed
references, but the paper should be clearly written, with sub-headings and should contain a
conclusion that answers the question explicitly where this is required (as in topics 4 and 5, for
instance).
(c) Understanding and analysis. A purely descriptive paper that fails to analyse the issues at stake will
not earn a high grade.
(d) The grader is interested in the opinions and arguments of the student not those set out in the
lectures or copied from the Internet. The grade will depend on the extent to which the student adds
value.
(e) Above all, it is essential to answer the question, rather than writing all you know about the topic.
Focus is important. If asked for a direct answer you must ensure you give one in the conclusion.