Overview

Every organization conducts research to plan and implement a business idea. This project is designed to provide the foundation for an international business plan. These activities offer flexibility for many settings related to global business enterprises. The framework may be used for planning global expansion of an existing product or service, or may be used to research a new foreign business opportunity. Each module of this project is designed to gather information for one component of an international business plan.

The final result of your global plan may be in one of the following formats:

a written report with supplementary tables and visuals (preferred).

Note: While the research components in each module are designed to provide a comprehensive analysis of this aspect of a business plan, selected items may be used to gather information for a specific element.

Table of Contents

Phase 1 – Planning the Global Business Enterprise

MODULE 1 – Identifying Global Business Opportunities

• Determine potential international markets for existing or proposed goods and services
• Identify domestic and international companies involved in similar business global business activities
• Examine geographic and economic factors that affect the business environment of a nation
• Research social institutions, customs, traditions, and beliefs influencing business
• Research the influence of government and regulations on business activities
• Suggest objectives and an organizational framework for global business operations
• Project start-up costs and funding sources for international operations
• Identify needed databases and information systems to facilitate international business activities
• Gather information on needed personnel for operating an international enterprise
• Identify methods for reducing global business risks
• Identify specific attributes and customer benefits for a proposed international product or service
• Analyze distribution channels and intermediaries for global business operations
• Suggest advertising messages, media and other promotional activities for an international enterprise
• Estimate revenue and costs based for international business activities
• Suggest potential criteria for global business accomplishments based on financial results and social contributions

MODULE 2 – Analyzing International Competitors

MODULE 3 – Assessing the Economic-Geographic Environment

MODULE 4 – Assessing the Social-Cultural Environment

MODULE 5 – Assessing the Political-Legal Environment

PHASE 2 – Organizing for Global Business Activities

MODULE 6 – Selecting a Global Company Structure

MODULE 7 – Financing Sources for Global Business Operations

MODULE 8 – Creating a Global Management Information System

MODULE 9 – Identifying Human Resources for Global Business Activities

MODULE 10 – Managing International Financial and Business Risks

PHASE 3 – Implementing the Global Market Plan

MODULE 11 – Product and Target Market Planning for Foreign Markets

MODULE 12 – Designing a Global Distribution Strategy

MODULE 13 – Planning a Global Promotion Strategy

MODULE 14 – Selecting an International Pricing Strategy

Recommend a global pricing strategy based on costs, market demand, competition, and economic environment

PHASE 4 – Implementing the Global Market Plan

MODULE 15 – Determining Financial Results

MODULE 16 – Measuring International Business Success

REQUIREMENT

General Recommendations for your Report

For your case report or research project:

•Make sure you support your ideas with facts and figures.

•Please try to use your own words and ideas based on your research (i.e., quote and/or paraphrase, and reframe your argumentation when feasible) rather than copying and pasting others’ words from the case itself, or from the internet.

•(If you copy and paste without using quotation marks or citing the source, technically you are plagiarizing; obviously you shouldn’t be doing that at this point in your academic career).

•You should use APA style (or a modified APA style; see the Note below) for in-line citations, footnotes or endnotes, image source citations, and an alphabetical CITATION LIST (or “Works Cited”) in your References section.

• Alternatively, choose a peer-reviewed journal in your business discipline and use their style guide for authors submitting papers for review in that journal. For the business disciplines, these are generally variations on the APA format (“modified APA”).

Appendices

All charts, tables, financials, visuals, and other related items can be placed here and referenced in the report, as needed.

Note: For details on APA style, see https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10/ Go through their APA Workshop to see a more detailed guide on how to consistently follow the APA format than what I provide here.

Format preferred (but not required in this class): Font: Arial, 10 pt.; Margins: 1 inch all around; Page Numbers: on every page.