Option Three – The WTO
Since so many products are brought in from other countries these days, understanding the global supply and import/export environment is an advantage. The World Trade Organization is the only international organization dealing with the global rules of trade between nations. Its intended function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably, and freely as possible.
Understanding how the WTO operates is a necessary prerequisite for global marketing.
Visit the WTO website at http://www.wto.org to learn how this organization functions and the issues it faces. Then post a report with your summary and reactions, including how this might help someone in a marketing profession. Your activities and report may take different directions but I thought some of the following sub-options might be interesting…but if some other section or activity involving their site appeals to you, please feel free to examine it instead:
Look at some of the Introductory Videos under the Resources for Students section.
Into the Heart of WTO” and “Case Studies of WTO Dispute Settlement” were especially interesting topics. [If you really want to get into dispute settlement, you can download the 160 page summary of the disputes settled in the past].
Complete part or all of one of the free Distance Learning training courses (ie, GATS training module)
Read one or more of the Trade Topics documents – Many apply to this class such as “Market access for goods in the WTO,” entire sections on “Intellectual Property” or “Electronic commerce”
Listen to a podcast available on this site
– there are also transcripts or summaries of most on this site and some of the podcasts may be in another language (this is a global organization, after all)
As with all project reports, quality AND quantity are both important so pay attention to both. There is also much to be gaine-d from reading other student’s reports so please read and reply to as many as possible, making a meaningful reply to at least 4 other students.
Attachments
