This course provides an applied learning experience through a live, team-based consultancy project with client organisations expanding internationally. Working under academic supervision, students apply international business theories and analytical frameworks to real-world strategic challenges, such as evaluating market opportunities and barriers, assessing location choices, and appraising foreign market entry strategies. Through active engagement with clients, students use digital research tools to investigate market conditions and formulate tailored and practical recommendations through written reports and oral presentations. The course is positioned at the applied/advanced stage of the programme's Intended Learning Outcomes, requiring students to apply first-semester knowledge and skills to this real-live challenge.

The course develops subject expertise in international business strategy, while strengthening collaborative working, communication, problem-solving, and time management. Through structured reflection on this experience, students identify personal areas for development that contribute to the core graduate attributes of an international business subject specialist, critical thinker, experienced collaborator, and effective communicator.

8x 2 hour practical classes

1 x 1 hour online client introduction meeting for each team, scheduled as part of a full day of parallel sessions. 

1 x 30 minute in-person presentation session for each team, scheduled across two consecutive full days on campus.

Approximately 5 supervisory sessions from February to mid-May, including client meeting preparation and a presentation rehearsal. Dates, times, and locations are arranged directly between project supervisors and each team.

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1. Written assignment, including essay; Individual; 1,050 words; 15%; ILO 5.
2. Report; Group; 6,300 words; 60%; ILOs 1-5.
3. Oral assessment & presentation; Group; 30 minutes (20-min presentation plus 10-min Q&A); 25%; ILO 3.

The course aims to:

■ Provide students with the opportunity to engage in a live, team-based consultancy project for client organisations seeking to internationalise, enhancing students' ability to apply theoretical knowledge and key graduate skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and time management in a professional context.

■ Enable students to critically analyse complex international business challenges and formulate practical strategic recommendations grounded in data, research, and client-specific needs.

■ Foster students' capabilities in managing client relationships, navigating team dynamics, communicating outcomes clearly and persuasively to a variety of stakeholders, and identifying personal areas for development through structured reflection.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate international business plans in relation to organisational goals, competitive position, contexts, and the broader landscape of global opportunities and challenges.

2. Synthesise and interpret complex analytical results to formulate evidence-informed and context-specific international business strategies.

3. Assemble and present research findings professionally and persuasively to diverse stakeholders, both in written and oral formats in collaborative team settings.

4. Adapt and manage dynamic team-based projects, anticipating and responding effectively to change, complexity, and challenges.

5. Apply advanced international business knowledge and strategic problem-solving approaches to effectively conduct business projects, while critically reflecting on personal competency and professional development goals within global business contexts.