International Business Management Project Sample
And some suggestions to make your case more appealing to students
Are you considering taking your business global or expanding into a new international market? Through our student-led consulting projects, your business can benefit from fresh insights, strategic analysis, and detailed reports — all tailored specifically to your needs.
By partnering with a student on their International Business Management project, you gain access to valuable research, while helping students apply their academic knowledge to real-world scenarios.
Students often bring new ideas for targeting and attracting customers. These projects provide a holistic overview of your globalisation strategy, competitors, and external environment of the target country, making them a great tool for those looking to refine their approach.
While many businesses find the International Business Management project insightful, those needing more in-depth or focused research might prefer specialised projects like International Purchasing and Supply Management or International Trade Environment and other available directions.
International Business Expansion: A Student-Led Consulting Opportunity for Your Company
Here’s the structure of a typical International Business Management project, and how providing key information can enhance the quality of the final report.
Introduction
In this section, students give a brief description of your company, covering its history, industry, core operations, and current market position. Also, they explore the motivations behind your decision to expand internationally. Are you looking for new growth opportunities, reducing costs, or entering untapped markets?
Recommendation: Providing a high-level summary of your business, including key products/services at the beginning helps students to better connect with your case. Once you’ve selected a student (and signed an NDA if necessary), providing detailed information will significantly improve the quality of the report.
Firm Analysis:
SWOT Analysis & Resources: Using SWOT analysis, students assess your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, while also identifying your resource-based advantages, such as intellectual property, unique products, or a strong brand. This academic yet practical model helps businesses identify external threats and opportunities for globalisation, allowing them to develop more effective strategies.
Products/Services to Be Internationalised: They evaluate which of your products or services are best suited for international markets, considering demand, differentiation, and scalability.
Value Chain Analysis: Students assess which parts of your value chain (production, R&D, distribution, etc.) should be relocated or adapted for international markets. They’ll also analyse whether the focus is on market access or production efficiencies.
Location Screening and Decision Process:
Using a detailed location screening matrix, students analyse and compare potential countries for expansion, considering factors such as market size, cost structure, political stability, and legal frameworks.
The first stage of screening is a general assessment of potential countries based on the most recent data and industry reports that are available to students for free.
Recommendation: Providing leads on data sources and an overview of your current and target customers will help students gather better insights, resulting in a more refined output. Additionally, offering key information at the outset makes your case more attractive to students, sparking ideas and increasing the likelihood of them selecting your case for their project.
| Country | Population (million, 2021) | Urban Population (million, 2021) | GPD (Billion US$, 2021) | GPD per Capita (2021) | Country Risk |
| France | 68 | 55 | 2,958 | 43,659 | 1 |
| Germany | 83 | 65 | 4,260 | 51,204 | 1 |
| Ireland | 5 | 3 | 504 | 100,172 | 1 |
| Poland | 38 | 23 | 679 | 18,000 | 3 |
| Belgium | 12 | 11 | 594 | 51,247 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 18 | 16 | 1,013 | 57,768 | 1 |
| Italy | 59 | 42 | 2,108 | 35,657 | 2 |
| Data Source |
WorldBank 2023 |
Allianz, 2022 |
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Example of Coarse-Grained Screening |
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Location-Specific Advantages (LSAs): They examine the location-specific advantages (LSAs) and disadvantages of your chosen country, focusing on what makes it suitable for your business and any potential risks.
Fine-Grained Screening: At this stage, students will have a look at data and industry reports specific to your business in each remaining country. This screening process finalises the destination country based on the given criteria, internal and external factors, and firm-specific requirements.
Recommendation: To improve the quality of the analysis analysis, we suggest that while interacting with students, introduce some of your key competitors locally and internationally and highlight your distinct differences from them. This will help guide their analysis toward more relevant and insightful results.
Entry Mode:
Entry Mode Selection: Students research and recommend an entry strategy — whether through exporting, joint ventures, franchising, or establishing a local subsidiary. This section involves balancing factors like cost, risk, control, and speed to market.
Entry Mode Implementation: They also create a roadmap for implementing the chosen entry mode, outlining key steps, timelines, and legal or operational considerations.
Exit Strategies: They identify potential exit strategies, in case your international venture doesn’t go as planned. Options may include selling off assets, pulling out of the market, or transitioning to a lower-risk model.
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry. Provide what you can, and the students will work with you to fill in the gaps. Ready to explore new markets with fresh, data-driven insights?