Intro to Business
International Business
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INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS EXPORT/TRAVEL PROJECT
START PRESENTING NOVEMBER 14, 2014
Project Components:
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Students will use the internet to research information on one foreign country.
Students will use the internet to find travel information, including airfare, hotel prices, etc.
Students will also use the internet to justify their export to the foreign country.
Students will create a business letter informing the boss of customs for the country, enclosed with the business
letter should be the detailed itinerary.
Students will prepare an itinerary with travel plans.
Students will prepare a PowerPoint presentation of their findings.
Project Guidelines:
This project requires you, acting as employees of a business, to research the country your business is hoping to
export a product. Explain in a business letter why there is a good market opportunity in the targeted country.
You will need to include in this letter and presentation what information you can locate on the country you
choose, for example, what trade barriers prevent you from exporting to that country, what trade alliance your
country belongs to (i.e. European Union) and customs. You will also collectively make travel plans, as a
separate attachment, for your business manager to attend a meeting while in the country. You should plan your
research as if the meeting would be held in that country’s capital city.
You should research the following to help you understand what product is needed for export:
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Facts about the country (i.e., population, geographic area, demographics, government structure, economic system)
Economic facts (i.e., exports, imports, chief agricultural products, foreign exchange, currency, transportation
modes available)
Travel information (i.e., methods/costs of travel to the country, methods of travel while in the country, hotel
accommodations, communication modes available in the country)
Culture and customers (i.e. customs which affect business relations, holidays, major religions, etiquette)
Eating habits (i.e., general cost of meals/restaurants, whether American food is served in that country, when
people tend to eat, etc.)
After the research is complete, an itinerary should be prepared detailing the business manager’s visit to the country. This
itinerary should cover the moment the executive walks out the door en route to the airport to the moment the executive
lands safely back in the U.S. and arrives back in your city. Be sure to allow adequate travel time.
The entire trip should last no longer than five (5) business days. The budget should be somewhere between
$2500-$3500 (can be higher due to the location of your country). The PowerPoint presentation should include a pie chart
itemizing the trip expenses. Be sure to allot for meals during the visit, both in your itinerary and in your estimated expense
list.
Intro to Business
International Business
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The following sites will be used to help with your research.
Information for Travel/Lodging/Rentals/Restaurants
 TRAVELOCITY---http://www.travelocity.com
 INTERNET TRAVEL NETWORK(American Express)---http://www.itn.net
 HOTELS AND TRAVEL ON THE NET---http://www.hotelstravel.com
 WORLD TRAVEL GUIDE---http://www.worldtravelguide.net
 FODOR’S ONLINE TRAVEL GUIDE---http://www.fodors.com/miniguides
Information pertaining to the country:
 EXECUTIVE PLANET---www.executiveplanet.com (Used for business customs – however not EVERY country
is listed)
 CULTURE CROSSING—www.culturecrossing.net
 WORLD FACTBOOK--- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook.
 LONELY PLANET---http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/
 MY TRAVEL COST---www.mytravelcost.com
Currency Conversion
 CURRENCY CONVERTER---http://www.xe.com/ucc
Trade Barriers
 Office of the United States Trade Representative --o http://www.ustr.gov/about-us/press-office/reports-and-publications/2013/NTE-FTB
THIS IS TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR PROJECT. IT WILL NOT BE COLLECTED.
Part 1: Identifying a Product and Country
List two possible products and a potential country below:
Product
Example: Fish/Seafood Product
Country
Austria
1.____________________________________________________________________________
2.____________________________________________________________________________
Give at least two reasons why you think your product and country would be a good idea.
Example:
1.
Austria is a landlocked country that does not have its own supply of fish and seafood.
2.
Consumption of fish/seafood is growing.
Product and Country 1:
1._______________________________________________________________
2._______________________________________________________________
Intro to Business
International Business
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Part 2: Identify and describe your product in detail. Give three reasons why you feel
there is demand for this product in the country you selected.
Example: The product I selected is fish and seafood. The types of fish and seafood that I will sell to Austrian markets
are more expensive types of fish and seafood such as shrimp, lobster, yellow fin tuna, scallops and swordfish. My
research indicated that fish and seafood are growing in demand in Austria for the following reasons: 1) consumers are
more health conscience and fish is considered a healthier meat alternative, 2) consumers in Austria have increasingly
more money to spend and 3) Austrian restaurants have been offering more seafood on their menus resulting in Austrians
wanting to cook fish/seafood at home.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Part 3: Business Customs
Find at least three business practices/customs that a business person should know about when doing business in this
country. Briefly describe each custom.
Country:______________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Part 4: Trade Barriers
Research trade barriers and find two that would affect how you did business in the country you selected.
Country:______________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Trade Alliance
1)
Determine which trade alliance your country belongs to
For example:
European Union Trade Alliance Members
Intro to Business
International Business
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Part 5: Your business letter should:
Paragraph 1 (at least seven sentences)
 Identify your product and country. Explain why you think your product and country would be a good idea. Give three
reasons why you feel there is demand for your product in the country you selected.
Paragraph 2 (at least seven sentences)
 Describe the three business practices/customs you found that a business person would need to know when doing business
with your country. Why is it important to understand the culture of the country that you are doing business with?
Paragraph 3 (at least seven sentences)
 What trade alliance does your country belong, (provide at least 3)? Which nearby countries also belong?
 Describe the two trade barriers that you found. How would these barriers change the way you would do business in this
country?
Paragraph 4
 Describe the cost of the entire business trip and list the dates of travel. Describing the cost means how much is the flight,
hotel, car (if needed), food, and possible sightseeing.
Close the letter with an appropriate last paragraph. (Wish the person well on the trip). You can use the example provided for
help.
Points:
Business Letter
30 Points
Itinerary
30 Points
PowerPoint
40 Points
Professionalism
20 Points