Your task is to consider two markets for international expansion of a business and recommend the preferred market. Identify a business with a product that could be sold in the international market. (You could potentially use a business providing a service but a business with a product usually makes for a more straightforward assignment). The business you choose can be your own organisation, an organisation that you are familiar with, or a hypothetical organisation based on an amalgam of several businesses of which you are aware. Write a report comparing two potential markets and make sure to: ◾Provide a brief description of the business that you are writing about. You need to explain why the business is expanding internationally. ◾Compare and contrast two different overseas markets for the international expansion of your business, covering a consideration of: - Political economy issues - Cultural issues - Entry strategy - Strategic alliances ◾Conclude the assignment with a recommendation as to whether the business should go to one or the other of the two countries, or none, or both. Remember to justify your recommendation (and not to simply state a recommendation); the recommendation should flow logically from the earlier analysis. Important Assignment Instructions ◾The required word length for this assignment is 2500 words (+/- 10%). ◾In terms of structure, presentation and style you are normally required to use: - AIB standard report format; and - AIB preferred Microsoft Word settings; and - Harvard style referencing (which includes in-text citations plus a reference list). These requirements are detailed in the AIB Style Guide. ◾Reference lists for AIB assignments / projects normally contain the following number of relevant references from different sources: 6-12 (for MBA assignments). ◾All references must be from credible sources such as books, industry related journals, magazines, company documents and recent academic articles. ◾Your grade will be adversely affected if your assignment contains no/poor citations and/or reference list and also if your assignment word length is beyond the allowed tolerance level (see Assessment Policy available on AIB website). ◾Useful resources when working on your assignments include: ­ - AIB Online Library - AIB Assignment Guide ­ - AIB Style Guide