SIUE International Business Research Projects

The International Trade Center (ITC) and the School of Business at SIUE are now taking applications from area companies to participate in the International Senior Consulting Project. It is a requirement that all seniors in SIUE's new International Business Program in the School of Business take this course. Working in teams, the students are given the opportunity to put their knowledge to practical use and companies receive hundreds of hours of targeted international marketing research.

WHO MAY PARTICIPATE? Any company that is willing to share information with students about their business and products, so the students have adequate information to research the international potential of the company.

HOW IS THE PROJECT CONDUCTED? The consulting project is divided into various stages with on-going meetings between students and clients.

Over the course of the academic semester, the students visit the client on -site at least once as a team and individually as required by the demands of the research. Additionally, the client visits SIUE campus for a final team presentation.

The general schedule is:

Late August	Optional briefing meeting between SIUE, ITC, faculty and clients
Early September	Student teams visit clients for on-site tours and briefing
Mid-September	Classroom instruction in Intl. Marketing. Students perform research
Mid-October	Students narrow research to 2-3 target countries. Students contact clients to explain their research and gain clients' approvals of target countries
Late November / Early December	Students complete written report and perform oral presentation to clients

WHAT IS THE RESULT? Upon completion of the project, each client receives a written international marketing plan for two countries that includes an analysis of the client's product potential, barriers, and entry strategies for the target markets. The target markets are chosen through a combination of global market research and client input. On average, the client receives over 300 hours of student work, in addition to the supervision by SIUE faculty and staff.

WHAT IS THE COST? To assist in covering the costs associated with the program, we have a $100 fee. These monies are used to cover expenses such as travel fees, long-distance telephone charges, faxes, copying, etc.

NEWS ARTICLE
Press Release: "SIUE Students Bring International Trade Possibilities to Small Businesses"

To apply, contact the ITC at (618) 650-3851 or via email at International-Trade-Center@siue.edu. We will be more than happy to provide additional information or discuss any questions you may have.

Please note, Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to view and print the application.