Module Objectives

The objective of this Module is for the student to combine the economic tools learned during the semester to make a recommendation to accept or reject a policy proposal. Students will use economic analysis to communicate and defend their positions.

Module Overview

This project requires two stages for completion – first you are to act as a consultant and second you will take on the role of a mayor who has to communicate the action plan as a result of the consultant recommendation.

Part A: Consultant

1. You are employed as a consultant for a city that is investigating the possibility of building a convention center to attract tourists. Provide your recommendation to the mayor’s office regarding the construction of the center. (One recommended source for your work is a report by Professor Heywood Sanders, produced for the Brookings Institute. The report contains information about the demand for conventions and the supply of convention centers, and is provided as a link below.) I have also included some additional references to assist you with this project. You are required to find two additional sources to use in your analysis. Conflicting sources are also acceptable so long as they use sound economics in the analysis.

1. Students are required to submit a one-page executive summary. A single page forces students to be concise and to think clearly about what they want to say. Use the tools that you have learned in the course for full credit (opportunity cost for example). Students may not submit more than the one page executive summary. References should be listed on a separate page.

Part B: City Mayor

1. You are the Mayor of the city who is tasked with the job of conveying the final decision on the convention center project to residents and stakeholders. You must discuss both the decision itself and the justification for the decision. Utilizing evidence and data provided by the consultant, a successful communiqué should be informative and persuasive such that residents and stakeholders ultimately support the policy decision.

1. For this portion of the assignment, students are required to submit a one-page press release. Students may not submit more than the one page.

Note: Your submission should be no longer than three pages – one page for the consultants executive summary, a reference page, and the one page press release.

Please upload your project in a word document attachment. Title the file with your last name, “, ” first name, Class Project. You will upload the file using the Submit Assignment button to the right on this page.

Please post any questions or issues in the discussion board for this module.

Resources:

1. Sanders–Convention Center Supply and Demand Economics 650.pdf

2. The Answer is Always Yes (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – a 2005 article from Forbes.com

3. Why Birmingham Shouldn’t Build a New Arena (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. – a 2014 article from the Birmingham Business Journal

The project will be graded specifically based on two rubrics. Specifically, the following Communication and Decision Making rubrics will be used. You can access each rubric by navigating tabs at the bottom of the excel file.

Communication and Decision Making Rubric