SDSU Department of Management
College of Business Administration
International Business Opportunity Development (IBOD)
International Business Opportunities Development (IBOD) project is a collaborative project between MBA students at the San Diego State University (USA) and small- and medium-sized companies in other countries. The goal of the project is to pair small (3-4) student teams with companies interested in developing business opportunities in the U.S. market whereby the students undertake market research on behalf of such companies as a part of their work in the International Entrepreneurship class. Under the guidance of Dr. Musteen , the students develop the most appropriate strategic plan for entry into the U.S. market. The companies involved in the project agree to interact with the students on a regular basis (weekly or bi-weekly) via Skype and email to respond to the queries and to provide the students with the opportunity to learn more about their businesses and gain insight into the workings of their industry.
To date, students have successfully collaborated with firms from New Zealand, Slovakia, Germany, Chile, Rwanda and South Africa. For more information about the IBOD project, please contact Dr. Musteen.
Benefits for Involved Companies
Responsibilities of Involved Companies
Benefits for Involved Companies
The companies that participate in IBOD are expected to benefit in many ways. In essence, they gain access to “unpaid consultants” in one of the largest, most lucrative markets in the world. Based on the specific company’s objectives and industry characteristics, the students can perform the following tasks:
- Assessment of market potential
- Industry analysis and competitor matrix
- Market research
- Store observations
- Consumer trials
- Surveys, interviews and focus groups
- Visiting potential clients or partners
- Visiting pertinent trade shows
- Importation regulations including tariffs and import requirements
- Contact information on potential distributors
- Any other tasks that the companies find helpful
The students involved in IBOD consist of capable individuals, many of whom have substantial work experience and/or own their own businesses. Most of the students are close to completion of their MBA degrees. Because the IBOD project accounts for a large portion of their final grade, they are motivated to produce valuable results. It is not unusual for the students to spend 5-10 hours a week working on the project-related activities for the period of 2.5 months. Their findings are summarized in a final written report given to the company at the end of the semester. The students’ work is free. However, should the companies require the students to conduct activities that require out-of-pocket expenses (e.g. for travel or attendance of trade shows), they should arrange for reimbursing the students accordingly. A confidentiality agreement is typically signed by the students at the beginning of the semester.
Responsibilities of Involved Companies
With help of Dr. Musteen the involved companies develop a document outlining the objectives and expectations for the students as well as the timeframe for meeting the objectives. The companies provide contact information of an English-speaking person with whom the students interact through out the project. The suggested interaction between the students and the company representatives is a weekly or bi-weekly Skype meeting as well as email. Communication between the company and the students is one of the key conditions for success of the project.
The IBOD project is designed to provide students with several benefits. First, it gives them the opportunity to learn about cross-cultural communication and the challenges involved in a small-/medium-sized company’s efforts related to international venture. Second, the students get to integrate and apply the concepts learned in class in a real-world setting. Third, by directly interacting with a representative of a given company over the time of one semester, students are expected to gain deep insights into the workings of a specific industry, insights that they would not be able to gain solely from reading published material. Overall, the project is mutually beneficial to both the companies as well as the student groups.