Creating a Company in International Business

This new activity will be designed to introduce students to the practical steps necessary to start and actually run an international business, and to do so at the earliest point in each student’s Business School experience.

This will be accomplished in the format of an academic class linking theory and practice. Students will be challenged to: identify “real” business opportunities for export of a U.S. product; locate customers and clients; define and deliver products and services; negotiate with suppliers, administrative agencies and other stakeholders; finance company operations; and be accountable for cash flows and company budgets.

The goal is to take experiential learning to its logical conclusion by providing a single, coherent, relevant, comprehensive and integrated introduction to international business practice and theory in a two-quarter academic course. Working in teams, students will start their businesses, operate them, and execute an appropriate exit strategy at the conclusion of the period.