International Business Feasibility Study

This assignment is designed to evaluate your IB knowledge and skills in the context of the following learning goals 

• Students will be able to evaluate how economic and trade issues impact business situations.
• Students will be able to determine the effect of different cultures in business situations.

Students will be able to evaluate the effects of the political environment in business situations.

Introduction

You act as an individual MIB business consultant. XYZ, your client, a small-medium size enterprise (SME), has learned of healthy returns enjoyed by competitors in their overseas business. XYZ is seeking your advice on international business expansion. It asks you to conduct an international marketing feasibility study and develop strategic recommendations for its international expansion.

Your international business feasibility study should map out your client’s international expansion and set up a business venture with a view of a medium-term success (a profitable business). Your client does not limit your choice by specific countries or other constraints and conditions imposed on your research (it is your task to advice on those issues, if any).

Assignment

For the purpose of this exam assignment, please complete the following steps:

1. Select one (1) product from business proposals/ads that you like best (please refer to the THOMASNET https://www.thomasnet.com/browse/). No need to coordinate your product selection with other students or the instructor. For verification and grading purposes, please include a 1-page screenshot of your chosen product description/company web site to your report (the last page).
2. Based on the chosen product, conduct market research resulting in finding the best market (country) for your client’s international business expansion. You must use the step-by-step international market research methodology, but your particular product may require outside websites.The step-by-step methodology can be found directly at  http://2016.export.gov/mrktresearch/eg_main_018210.asp. 
3. Identify at least one international business partner in the target country and provide contact information (briefly explain how you arrived at your choice of this partner and provide a link). I should be able to verify the steps of your research in grading your final exam report.
4. Suggest and justify the best entry strategy out of the following three options: •exporting, •joint venture, or a • 100% subsidiary.
5. Discuss strategic benefits/costs/risks and offer contingency strategies related to your recommendations  https://globaledge.msu.edu/mpi/data/2021; https://archive.doingbusiness.org/en/doingbusiness; https://www.coface.com/Economic-Studies-and-Country-Risks.
6. Discuss potential cross-cultural conflicts (U.S. vs. target country) associated with the proposed international expansion (https://www.commisceo-global.com/resources;  https://www.hofstede-insights.com/product/compare-countries/). Submission Format 
7. Your take-home exam is designed to test your integrated knowledge and applied skills in MIB through conducting an individual mini-feasibility study of international small business venture start-up. Please focus your effort in both academic rigor and practical aspects.
8. Your exam report should demonstrate your best effort in reflecting all materials and sources that have been discussed and/or recommended throughout the course, e.g., readings, handouts, electronic, and conventional sources, videos, class discussions, cases, speakers, and other resources.
9. Your exam work must result in a professional report (≤4 pages+ 1 extra page (a screenshot) for product/business description): business memo format, prioritized, well organized, 1 space, no separate title page, no table of contents. 
10. An electronic copy of your exam report formatted in Word or PDF.  Please submit via Brightspace, section ASSIGNMENTS.
11. Please make sure to include in your report the HS or NAICS product code used in the step-by-step market research to enable verification of your analysis and grading.
12. Cover all items of the Final exam assignment: a large volume of grading under the time constraints leaves limited flexibility to fix glitches and unexpected surprises if I were to review and return your report for revision.
13. Early submission of your final exam report is welcome.
14. Late submission will deduction of grade points.
15. Grading will be based on all the evidence demonstrated in your report (please refer to item B for detail) as follows:

• The breadth of your knowledge (variety of sources of information and assistance in MIB).
• Practical ability to use the sources in conducting business research and preparing a report.
• Quality of the report:
• Conceptualization.
• Analysis.
• Solutions, recommendations.  
• Analytical justification:
• Logical, compelling.
• Factual.
• Specific. 
• Comprehensive.
• Structured. 
• Prioritized.
• Verifiable (please include all important links and sources; otherwise, I will not be able to verify your analysis). 

Most Common Imperfections Causing Deduction of Grade Points 

• Late submission
• Missing NAICS or HS code  
• Failure to provide links for verification of analysis and recommendations
• Skipping some assignment items