INTL 650 International Business

INTL 650 International Business

 

Strategic International Business Market Assessment And Analysis

project and assignments SUBMISSION RULES:

In order to assure that all your assignments as well as your project are submitted, I will only use Blackboard Assignments submission tool. This tool is the most efficient way to evaluate and control assignments and project deadlines and submission. Class assignments and exams will be ALL available under the ASSESSMENT folder. To submit assignments please do the following:

1. Look for the Assignment Tab/folder/Link to locate the assignments. Then, click on the assignment you want to submit. Read the instructions and review the assignment material (documents) if available. Follow the assignment instructions.
2. Type in or attached the document(s) or file(s) containing the assignment. You can attach more than one document (DO NOT CLICK ON SUBMIT UNTIL YOU HAVE ATTACHED ALL THE FILES THAT ARE PART OF YOUR ASSIGNMENT)
3. 3)      Click on SUBMIT once you have typed or attached the file(s) containing your assignment.

***For details you should complete Module 4 under the Blackboard Orientation tab***

• Some assignments must be checked in Turnitin

Remember using this tool is easy and free of error and uncertainty. Once you have submitted the assignment or project, you can confirm the status by clicking on the Assignments link located within the respective folder and looking on the submitted or graded tab. I will ONLY accept assignments submitted in Blackboard assignment links!

Group Assignments Submissions:  If you are working in groups, once any of the members submits the assignment, the other members will not need to submit it. However, each member of the team should submit the Peer Evaluation if you feel you had issues with other members! In other words, the Peer Evaluation is not mandatory.

Term project

Students will work in teams or individually. The evaluation will consider the quality and precision of the analysis, and the clarity of the report. This project allows you to apply several concepts discussed in this text. The application of concepts in this manner will enable you to see first-hand how the concepts apply to the real world.

Make sure that this paper need to be specifically prepared ONLY for this class, it has NOT been submitted for credit in a previous class and will not be submitted for credit in any future class, either in whole or in part.

Your objective:

To create a business opportunity for any American product(s) or service(s) that already exists or you have created to be introduced to other(s) foreign countries, or vice versa. The idea is to introduce a new or existent product(s) or service(s) in foreign market (in which this (these) product(s) or service(s) do not exist). You can also introduce a foreign product or Services into USA. The idea is that it must be an international business idea. You should decide which is the best mode of entry (i.e., importing (exporting), FDI, etc.). I must approve the product and the countries before you start working on it.

Individual Project Requirements:

Introduce a product or Service (or company) from One Country (country of origin) to Another country (target country). For example, you can select ONE product or service from USA to be introduced (through exports, FDI, licensing, franchised, etc.) to Japan. Then, the purpose of your project will be to determine if Japan will best fit your product or service according to your analysis. Examples:

Individual Example 1:                                       Individual Example 2:

Product or service: Arby’s.                                Product or service: Arepa’s Venezuela’s Restaurant

Country of origin: USA                                    Country of origin: Venezuela

Target country: Venezuela                                 Target country: Costa Rica

The mode of entry: Franchise                            The mode of entry: FDI

Group Project Requirements:

Since you are working in a group, the expectation is higher. In this case, your group will need to introduce ONE product or service from one country (i.e. USA) (through exports, FDI, licensing, franchised, etc.) to a minimum of two target countries (i.e. China or Thailand). Then, the purpose of your project will be to determine which country will best fit your product or service according to your analysis.

Another option will be to select between 2 or more products or services (McDonald or Burger King) from one country (USA) to go to another country (Uganda). Here, you will compare strength and weaknesses for each product or service and determine which of the two business ideas (McDonald or Burger King) will best fit the target country (Uganda).

Group Example 1:                                            Group Example 2:

Product or service: Arby’s or Gelato’s.               Product or service: Arepa’s Venezuela’s Restaurant

Country of origin: USA / Italy                           Country of origin: Venezuela

Target country: Costa Rica                                Target countries: Costa Rica or USA

The mode of entry: Franchise / Franchise           The mode of entry: FDI / FDI

The Project Outline

You MUST use this outline. Please, insert the heading and subheadings when writing your report.

Title Page (2 points)

• Title.
• Name of team-members
• Name of the Course.
• Date

Executive Summary (3 points)

Briefly explains purpose of project and clearly summarizes findings and conclusions.

Table of Content (2 points)

Include page number for each heading and subheadings (Use the Headings from this Outline)

1. Introduction (3 points)

Includes the name of the company, the product, the market (consumer or business-to-business) the countries selected, why you are looking to expand operations overseas.  Relevance or importance of moving operations internationally. This introduction should flow easily into the conclusion.

1. Company or Product Background (5 points)

	2.1.	Name of the company and address. (1)
	2.2.	Type of industry (with SIC code). (1)
	2.3.	History of the company (product).  (1)
	2.4	Reason for expanding to overseas markets (in this area you discuss the general environmental changes, in terms of competition, economy, technology, etc.). (1)
	2.5	Description of the product that the company will introduce to foreign markets. Look for the corresponding Harmonized System Number (HS#). (1)

1. General Market Screening (10 points)

	3.1	Basic needs potential for the product in the country (ies) selected. (4)
	3.2	Climate of the country (ies). (4)
	3.3	Topography of each country (Targets). (2)

1. Financial and Economic Screening (10 points)

	4.1	Brief summary of economic indicators for the country. Explain the indicators and how they apply to your product-market. (economic indicators, distribution of wealth, balance of payment, etc.) (4)
	4.2	Brief summary of financial conditions of the country relevant to your market.  (3)
	4.3	Economic data that highly correlates with the market demand for a product (i.e. car with tires). (3)

• Political and Legal Screening (10 points)

	5.1	Type of Government.  (2)
	5.2	Entry Barriers: Government restrictions (i.e. amount of foreign ownership, regulation of raw material, etc. technological transfer requirements, local content requirements). (3)
	5.3	Profit transfer barriers: Limitation of foreign investments, profits, repatriation of profit. Availability of foreign exchange, re-investment requirements. (2)
	5.4	Political risk: Stability of the country, and government. (public unrest, armed force role, laws in terms of taxes, safety, environmental, price controls). (3)

• Socio-cultural Screening (10 points)

	6.1.	Demographic data. (1)
	6.2	Religion. (1)
	6.3	Social structure. (2)
	6.4	Education. (2)
	6.5	Language. (2)
	6.6	Explain the relevance of the data to your product-market. (2)

• Competitive Screening (10 points)

This is your competitors’ analysis in the selected countries

	7.1	Number, size and financial strength of competition. (1)
	7.2	Market share distribution. (1)
	7.3	Entry strategy being used by competitors (manufacturing plants, distribution, licensing, joint ventures, etc.). (2)
	7.4	Quality of products. (1)
	7.5	Source of product (raw material, product components). (1)
	7.6	Pricing policies. (1)
	7.7	After sales services (if applicable). (1)
	7.8	Distribution channels. (1)
	7.9	Market coverage (total market, region, niche). (1)

•  Ethical Issues (8 Points)

Analyze whether ethics and diplomacy impact your international business.

1.  Final screening (10 points)

	9.1	Reasons for the selection of country (ies) or product(s). (9)
	9.2	How you plan to conduct further research. Be specific. (1)

•  Conclusion and Recommendations (5 points)

Interpretations/analysis of results are thoughtful and insightful, are clearly informed by the study’s results, and thoroughly address how they supported, refuted, and/or informed the business decision.

Suggestions for further research in this area are insightful and thoughtful

•  Bibliography (4 points)

Cites all data obtained from other sources. APA citation style is accurately used in both text and bibliography.

Sources are all scholarly and clearly relate to the research focus.

•  Appendixes

Spelling & Grammar (4 points)

Manuscript Format (4 points)

Report has proper APA formatting. Use of correct headings & subheadings. Tables and graphs are properly captioned using APA.

Your report should cover all items included in the outline and must be type written, in a 11-12 font size and should include exhibits such as maps of the country, tables, and charts (if need it). If there are items that do not fit with your project, the points corresponding to those items will be distributed to the overall project grade at the discretion of the instructor.

Limitation of the Project:

• Two groups cannot have the same product or service.
• The project proposal must be accepted or approved by the instructor. The project proposal (idea) can be changed given the instructor feedback, but once it has been approved, the group (or individual) should not change the product or the countries. Just in extenuating circumstances changes will be allowed.

PROJECT FORMAT

The format of the final report must be digitally submitted using a 12-pt. font in word (DOC) document format. The main document should be no more than 30 double-spaced pages. Appendices may be located at the end of the paper, and are not included in your maximum page count. Finally, as in most business writing, the paper should adequately convey and document what you want to say, but otherwise be no longer than necessary. (In practice, papers will typically include no more than 30 double-spaced pages of text, plus exhibits. It is not expected that longer papers be submitted if you work in a group). You must use APA reference and citation style. Organize the final report under section headings and subheadings as needed. In addition, Graph, Figures, and Tables must me captioned using APA style. Make sure to explain all figures, graphs or tables. If you do not explain them, then you don’t need it!

The final written report will be graded primarily on its content. Grading will also consider the report’s organization (sequence of ideas), balance (evidence of comparable degree of analysis in sections of comparable importance), and style (English usage, grammar and punctuation), and its implementation schedule.

Citations and References

• You MUST use APA style. Please, look on the Internet or purchase the APA guides. In addition, Microsoft Word Software comes with these Citations styles functions embedded in the system. Please, do not use Chicago or Turabian styles. A quick guide to use APA can be found in the:

APA Citation Examples.doc file, under the PROJECT folder.

• It is very important that you use the proper in-text citations and reference style.

Footnotes

• Footnotes in the text must be numbered and typed at the bottom of the page where the footnote is made or on a separate page following the text (i.e., endnote). A footnote or endnote should be used to clarify the text, define terms, make comments, or to list additional sources. Footnotes provide additional information that would detract from the subject being discussed in the body of the text. Again, Microsoft Word software provides this function, which is easy to use!

Figures and Tables Captions

• Search online for the APA and how to caption figures and tables. Then, look online for how to caption figures and tables using Microsoft. http://www.microsoft.com/education/AddCaption.aspx
• Remember, if captioning Tables, the caption goes at the TOP of the Tables. However, if captioning figures or graph, the caption goes below the figures or graph and should include the source of the table (unless you have developed).

POWER-POINT

• This assignment is NOT mandatory, however, is an opportunity to obtain feedback and improve both your Project Report and/or Power-point. If you would like to get feedback of both the Project Report and Power-Point, you should submit both documents. Make sure to attach both the report and the Power-Point documents in Optional Draft assignment drop-box. Make sure to review the Project report Rubric, Power-Point guideline and Power-Point rubric when preparing these assignments. Remember, if working in a group only ONE team member should submit this assignment.

FINAL SUBMISSION OF PROJECT REPORT AND POWER-POINT

Submit Final Report and Check Your Project Originality with Turnitin.

• You will need to submit and check the ORIGINALITY of your Project Report in the Turnitin. You can check the originality of this assignment as many times as you want as a work in progress, however, keep in mind that the Turnitin check link will be available until the project deadline. Make sure that by the deadline of the Report, you have submitted the final version of it. Only the project report needs to be submitted in Turnitin, do not submit the power-point in Turnitin.  Remember, if working in a group only ONE team member should submit this assignment.

Power-Point Submission

• In addition to the written report each team/individual will prepare a POWER POINT presentation.  Assume this presentation will be displayed for a team of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and directors of the Business you selected that may be in attendance to assist in the evaluation of your plan. So, be concise!  The power-point document must be submitted in the Power-Point assignment drop-box. Make sure to review the PowerPoint guideline and Power-Point rubric when preparing the Power-Point. Remember, if working in a group only ONE team member should submit this assignment.
• You Do Not Need to check the project power-point presentation in Turnitin.  

EXPECTATIONS FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Your success in the business world will depend, to a large extent, on your ability to communicate. Courses during your first few years at the Business Schoolprovided the opportunity to hone your written and oral communication skills. This course will provide you with the opportunity to develop further both of these skills. You will be required to write a formal report which might possibly be available for external judges at the end of the semester and try to convince them of the strength of your Project. You might also be required to submit several written business reports. The purpose of this section is to help you with your written assignments by providing a number of helpful suggestions as well as outlining my expectations.

Substance:  You should substantiate what you are trying to convey with facts and data. In most cases, you will be asking the reader of your business report to commit substantial resources–financial, human, or physical–to a project. The decision-maker will not make the decision because you think is a good concept. Rather, you will need to convince the reader by providing hard facts and data with appropriate citations. Your rationale and reasoning should be explained logically and clearly.  Effective business reports are not documents put together at the last minute—they take time to develop.

Style:  The style of your business reports should be clear, concise, and to the point. The executive reading the report does not want to be entertained. He or she wants the information necessary to decide. Avoid flowery language with lots of adjectives and adverbs. I have high expectations.  If you want to excel in the business world you should too.

Outline:   You should follow the outline provided. However, most word processing software includes an outlining function. Use it. Begin your reports by developing an outline to organize your thoughts and the concepts you are trying to convey. The more comprehensive and detailed your outline, the easier it will be to write the report.

Proofread:  Carefully proofread each draft of the report. You will probably need three or four drafts before you are satisfied with the report.

Exhibits/Appendices: I do not expect to receive exhibits or appendices with your handwriting on them.  Instead, you should have typed exhibit numbers (let me know if you want some help).  This includes copying exhibits from other sources.  Unless you are using a photograph that cannot be reproduced in Word document, I expect you to make models, charts, spreadsheets on your own.  This takes time but it is all part of being professional. 

Due dates: Reports are due on the dates assigned and at the start of our business meetings. Late reports will have the grade lowered accordingly.

Grading: Reports will be graded as if I were an executive trying to make a business decision based upon the written report. Grading will be competitive.  That is, your reports will be graded relative to those turned in by your classmates.  Proper spelling, syntax, grammar, punctuation, bibliography, citations, footnotes, and professional appearance are expected. Your grade may be lowered as much as two full letter grades if these areas are lacking.

Reviewing papers: I am willing to discuss the logical reasoning and proposed content of your reports.  Before visiting my office emailing or calling me, you should have made significant progress and should be well prepared.

Plagiarism: Don’t do it.  I have no mercy. Plagiarism includes taking exhibits or ideas from books or websites without giving credit to appropriate sources.

Get Started!

• Form no more than 5-person team or work individually (Use the DISCUSSIONS Board to look for Team Members). You will be surprised how easy is to find people willing to teamwork.
• Begin thinking about any product or service/ country you would like to invest.
• Choose firm and product/service to investigate.
• Start searching for information (Use the ONLINE RESOURCES LINK!!!)

Working in Groups:

If you would like to work in a group, you can use the DISCUSSIONS Link, and under the Module 2 folder, click on the “Meet Your Classmates”.  Post your information and see if other students in the class are willing to collaborate.  Good luck!!!

 

SELECTING YOUR TEAM MEMBERS

Forming a strong team is central to successful consulting projects.  Forming such a team for this class is also very important.  Selecting individuals with whom you will work during the semester is a key part of this class.  Your decision should not be made lightly. 

Unfortunately, some students will find they have a team member or members that are not meeting your expectations in the quality of work, timeliness, or attitude. If you find yourself in this position you have some choices: 1) Grin and Bear it—Do whatever it takes to get the grade you want and willingly share this grade with your free-riding members,

2) Take the Consequences—Meet with your partners divvy-up the tasks, do your share and be willing to share the resulting grade. (Your grade will be pulled-down by your partner’s inadequate work.) 3) Credit where Credit is Due—Notify the member(s) and Dr. Policastro that a member has been fired or the company has been dissolved and you are taking full responsibility for assignments and then do everything yourself; this leaves the fired team member(s) on his (their) own. If someone is fired, they will be required to complete all assignments (including group assignments) on their own for the remainder of the semester.  This includes writing their own project.  My suggestion, don’t get fired!!!

To submit the peer evaluation: Copy the table into a new word document, fill the shaded areas, save it and submit it using Blackboard Assignment submission tools.

USE THIS FORM ONLY IF YOU HAVE ISSUES WITH GROUP MEMBERS

PEER EVALUATION OF TEAM MEMBERS

PEER EVALUATION OF TEAM MEMBERS

Please use the following form to evaluate your fellow group members for the group assignments. 
You should include yourself in the evaluation:

Project Title:
Team Member Name Last, First	Meetings (max 25)	Quality and Quantity (max 25)	Cooperation and Teamwork (max 25)	Follow Through (max 25)	Total Sum of Column 2 to 5 0 to 100%

SCALES

Meetings:

25 = Attended all meetings, arrived on time, stayed longer than the scheduled meeting time

20 = Attended most group meetings, arrived on time, stayed for length of time scheduled

10 = Attended some group meetings, and arrived late or left early on occasion

05 = Rarely attended meetings, and when attending arrived late or left early

Quality and Quantity:

25 = Continuously provided valuable input into the project and facilitated discussions

20 = Provided useful input most of the time, and was helpful in getting tasks accomplished

10 = Ideas were weak and input limited, performed only work assigned

05 = Contributed very little, if at all, to the paper.

Cooperation:

25 = Led the group in establishing a cooperative team environment

20 = Sometimes led the group, provided support for other team members on occasion

10 = Went along with whatever the rest of the group decided

05 = Created problems and was disruptive

Follow-through:

25 = Completed assigned work on time and error free

20 = Completed work on time with some changes required

10 = Required some prompting to complete assignments on time, several changes required

05 = Rarely completed assignments, work completed was often not useful

Total Grade: Indicatethe total % participation in this project (Sum of previous items).