Undergraduate Projects

These projects are conducted as part of Foster School of Business courses. The students are seniors who have taken classes in marketing, management, finance and technology. Many have extensive work experience and foreign language skills.

IBUS 496 — International Business Practicum

Is the shortage of in-house resources preventing you from addressing some important international issues?  Maybe you need a market entry strategy or market analysis.  Perhaps you're considering outsourcing some of your production, or alternatively, the relatively weak US dollar may have piqued your interest in exporting. For an outside, unbiased, perspective on any of these topics, a team of Foster Business students may be just what you need!

THE BASICS: These class-based projects can address almost any aspect of international business including competitive analysis, distribution strategy, supply chain issues, research on overseas markets and recommended strategies for market entry. Teams of 3-4 students (most are seniors) work with local companies during an academic quarter and present their findings and recommendations to the partner company in written and oral reports at quarter's end. This course will be offered in fall quarter, with final client presentations in late early December.   

Teams: 3-4 Senior-Level Students
Project Length: 8 Weeks
Start Date: Project Proposals Requested by September 10, 2008
Projects Commence September 24, 2008; End by December 12, 2008
Project Topics: Marketing, Market Entry, Distribution Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Finance, Operations, Strategy, etc.
Project Scope:  International
Fee: $1,500 plus project-related expenses (Fee may be negotiated for
non-profits on a case-by-case basis)

Click here for an International Business project description form. 

THE DETAILS:  A team of 3-4 Business School students works with you during autumn quarter and presents their findings and recommendations to you in written and oral reports at quarter’s end.  Participating companies are asked to pay a fee of $1,500 plus pre-approved, direct expenses incurred by the team in the course of the project.  These projects will begin on September 24 and conclude with a written report and oral presentation at your office in early December.  While we'll try to meet your needs, due to the uncertainty of final enrollment, there's no guarantee that we'll be able to furnish a team for every project offered.
  
These projects are performed by Foster Business students under close faculty and staff supervision.  This and other similarly innovative programs have helped the Foster School of Business attain its top-ten national ranking for the quality of its international business education. Any project with an international business component is suitable.  Depending on the part of the world in which you have a business interest, we may even have students from that region, or students who speak the language
 
The class is taught by Raj Rakhra, an experienced and award winning Business School lecturer and former Microsoft program manager with many years of real-world international business experience.  The students are also supported in their work by other faculty and staff who have expertise and industry contacts related to the subject area of the project.

HOW TO APPLY:  All that's needed to get started is a brief description of what you would like to do.  Click here for an International Business project description form.  The student team's first job will be to come to your office to better understand your business and your needs, and then to write a detailed work plan that both you and their professor will approve before they start work. Once that's done, they will check in with you periodically and then (as stated above) make an oral and written report of their findings at the end of the quarter in early December.

Further Information
For more information on these and other innovative opportunities to work with our students, please contact:

Gordon Neumiller
Director, Field Study Program
Phone 206.543.0964
Fax 206.685.3463
email: globe@u.washington.edu

back to top