Free Trade Under Fire by Douglas A. Irvin

This Post has TWO Assignments:

1. Hotel Vertu: Financing the Venture

Tips on Writing a Good Team Case Study

1. Caucus with your teammates (online is OK) to decide how you will approach the case and who will do what.
2. Make sure to include all team members in the decision-making and work on the case, i.e. no slackers allowed!.
3. Assume that I have read the case; you do not need to re-tell the story.
4. Answer the case questions. You would be surprised how many people don’t actually do this.
5. Determine what analytical tools will help in your decision-making. As an example, for Rubicon you may wish to do a VOS and/or a Business Model Canvas. Alternatively, you might want to include common size financial statements and/or financial ratios that compare Rubicon to its industry or to a major competitor. These various types of analyses should be attached to your narrative case study and discussed in the narrative section.
6. Make it a team case vs. a bunch of assembled pieces. If each person does a separate piece and you just tack them together it does not make for a very good case. Make sure you submit an integrated whole.
7. How long? Your team cases should not exceed 5 narrative pages. The analytical attachments can be added to that.
8. Have fun with the cases, because they will be the source of much of your learning. I have intentionally chosen different companies in different industries and at different stages of development.
I hope these suggestions are helpful!

Hotel Vertu: Financing the Venture
1. What sources of financing have D’Arcy and Whiting used for their business? Are these sources appropriate? Explain your answers. Hint: See Module 4 on Blackboard for Early Stage Financing Sources.
2. Using Exhibit TN-2 in the case study, how do D’Arcy and Whiting propose to increase the value of their firm? Be specific. Hint: What changes will they make comparing the Old and New columns?
3. What risks do D’Arcy and Whiting face in trying to implement their value creating measures?
4. D’Arcy’s father has indicated that he believes his daughter should have more than a 50% share of the business. Is this fair? Explain your answer. What should Whiting do?

2.  Free Trade Under Fire by Douglas A. Irvin

International Trade and Finance

Each student will draft a 1000 to 1500-word (about 2-2.5 typed pages in single space, 12 point font with 1” margins on each side) response paper to a specific Essay Question that will be handed out during the first month of class. The paper will be a Lets Debate the Issue scholarly paper centered around the book Free Trade Under Fire by Douglas A. Irvin. All response papers to be grammar/spell checked and contain proper citations (both in text and a references section) prepared using APA format. A minimum of five high quality sources (two of which must be a) Free Trade Under Fire and b) Chapter 18 in Tucker [International Trade and Finance] must be used and cited in your response paper. At least two cited sources should be written from a perspective that argues against the general thesis presented by Irwin in Free Trade Under Fire.