Peer Review

globalEDGE Online Module: Doing Business in Africa

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jun 28, 2011 by Business

Bookmark

Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This site was developed by the Michigan State University Center for International Business Education and Research. Its mission is to provide a knowledge web-portal that connects international business professionals worldwide to a wealth of information, insights, and learning resources on global business activities.
Type of Material:: Lecture/Presentation
Recommended Uses:: • This site can be used for sophomore through graduate level students. • Excellent for homework, individual or team activities. • The audio content and accompanying slide presentation makes the site useful for lectures. • The diagnostic tools on the site will be particularly useful for business analysts. • Good business research source.
Technical Requirements:: These modules are best viewed with a 1024 x 768 window resolution and work with following browsers: • Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher • Netscape 7.1 • Mozilla 1.6 or higher • Firefox 0.8 or higher Flash is required for all new and updated modules; JavaScript and Java J2SE JRE are required for the remaining modules.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The purpose of this site is to provide Business students with a perspective of the African continent with respect to doing business. Users both students and corporate executives will find this information very useful in better understanding the business climate in selected countries of Africa.
Target Student Population:: • This site can be used by beginning learners and would be useful for graduate level students. • This site will work well for any discipline calling for information on how to conduct business in foreign countries. •The site is good for individual or group activities.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: basic browsing skills and a little geography knowledge will help in better appreciating the various countries with respect to their position on the map.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: This module is in a power point style and has excellent audio recording to support and explain the content in the slides. The countries discussed in detail are Senegal, Cameroon, Rwanda, Kenya and South Africa. The module also provides a long list of references, online links to news and current affairs. It also has a detailed section on AIDS in Africa and its social and economic implications.
Concerns:: none

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: This Global Edge Module on Africa provides clear objectives, appropriate knowledge, clear concepts, and excellent audio to explain the matter shown on the slides. The audio and concise matter on each slide helps retain the knowledge learned. A quiz at the end also helps to recapture and retain the knowledge.
Concerns:: none

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The site is easy to use even for a beginning learner and is an excellent time saver in research time. Beginners through graduate students will have access to a lot of very good data in one source. The site is easy to navigate and flows logically. Especially good is the audio narration of the slide presentations.
Concerns:: It is not visually appealing as the slides have concise information and no graphics or pictures to provide a visual effect.

Other Issues and Comments:: High value should be placed on a site that gives accurate information that can be culled quickly. This site definitely offers both of these qualities and therefore this site is highly recommended.
Creative Commons: