To provide students with a challenging organisation-based, action-learning project designed to provide hands-on experience of working with companies.

Eight 2-hour lectures over three weeks, 1 2-hour mid-semester tutorial and 1 full-day end-of-course seminar. Course duration is from January until May.

The course is assessed by a group report (65%), a group presentation (20%) and an individual reflective written essay (15%).

The IMS Group report, which represents 65% of the overall assessment will be 10,000-12,000 words in length plus appendices and include an executive summary.

Considerable importance is attached to effective communication of IMS results and recommendations to clients, so a presentation to the client and selected staff will represent 20% of assessment. A small examinations board, comprising the supervisor and a small group of other members of staff, will be chaired by the IMS Director. A scoring sheet will be used for this evaluation.

Finally, to encourage students to review and evaluate their experiences with the IMS, each student will be required to submit a 1,000-word formally written reflective essay on their individual learning outcomes, which will comprise 15% of the assessment. The latter will also encourage commitment to the IMS.

In order to ensure that students participate fully in the work of their team, the supervisor will monitor participation by members throughout the IMS. It is part of the learning process for teams to try to resolve any problems themselves (as in a business situation), but if this is not possible, students will contact their supervisor or the IMS director.

To provide students with a challenging organisation-based, action-learning project designed to provide hands-on experience of working with companies. Projects will require the analysis of a management situation which in turn will lead to their making recommendations for strategy. Examples of IMS projects might include: Screening and identifying potential country markets; choosing entry modes for foreign country markets; designing marketing strategies for selected overseas markets, selecting agents & distributors; management of international finance; and company strategic analyses.

The IMS Director will work with businesses to develop suitably challenging projects and to ensure that clients understand how to work successfully with students. It is anticipated that a range of different types of international businesses will be involved but the emphasis will be on working with new high technology business start-ups primarily located in Scotland.

Students will work in teams of approximately 5 people to manage their international project and communicate their outcomes to their client organisations. The teams are responsible for managing their relationships with clients, and will be assigned a member of staff as supervisor who will oversee progress.

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

■ Recognize the practical challenges and opportunities in international business at the organisation-level;

■ Identify, analyse and interpret information of different types and from a range of sources to support practical international marketing/management decision-making; 

■ Use the techniques of planning, execution and control in project management.

■ Apply the knowledge of the processes of strategy design and implementation to solve a practical international business problem/opportunity.

■ Develop and present professional reports to small and large audiences.

■ Explain key factors in successful working for clients

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.