BUS 415 Country Risk Assessment
The goal of the course is to have the student develop a better understanding of the types of risks that are relevant for country analysis, with special emphasis given to financial and investment risk. The course explores both the traditional quantitative and qualitative methodologies for evaluating country financial and business risk from the perspective of external investors of both financial capital and physical assets. It also provides comprehensive coverage of related topics including the analysis and reporting of sovereign creditworthiness, political risk, current account analysis, statistical credit-scoring methodologies, loan valuation models, analysis of currency instability, competition from state-owned enterprises, patent and trademark protection, and regulatory supervision. The course also discusses the interrelationship between ratings and economic development. Real world case studies will be used to substantiate theoretical analysis. (This writing-intensive course counts towards the Academic Writing requirement).