This assignment has TWO STEPS and is incredibly specific so please read the instructions carefully and be
detailed. I’ll provide examples of everything that must be completed.
The Course Culminating Project consists of two main parts:
1. A “sales-pitch” to your chosen company’s Board of Directors convincing them why they should invest in the
country you have chosen to research.
2. A one-page written Executive Summary outlining the details of your recommendations.
Step 1 (Presentation):
Provide an argument concerning a selected country’s feasibility as an investment location for a Canadian
company (FOR EXAMPLE: ROOTS WHICH IS A CANADIAN COMPANY OPENING IN ARGENTINA *A FOREIGN
COUNTRY WHERE IT HAS NOT EXPANDED YET). Your argument should demonstrate the knowledge and
understanding of international business that you have gained throughout the course: political, economic, cultural
and economic concepts. LET ME KNOW WHICH CANADIAN COMPANY YOU CHOOSE TO REPRESENT AND
LET ME KNOW WHICH COUNTRY YOU WISH TO PROPOSE EXPANSION TO BEFORE STARTING.
It is especially important that you address the cultural obstacles that the company will likely encounter if they
choose to invest in this country and how you foresee the Canadian company overcoming such challenges once
they eventually begin operations.
You must do all of your research, and you should be pulling it together into a comprehensive “sales pitch:” Imagine
that you are a business consultant addressing the Board of Directors to make recommendations about why they
should choose this country as their next location to invest in.
1. You need to know about the Canadian company you are addressing so that you can convince them to invest in
the country you have researched. Executives are inundated with information and your sales pitch needs to
capture their interest and communicate the value of what you are offering. Make your presentation unique and
tailor it to your audience.
2. You also need to know the country you are “pitching.” You’ve done all the research on the country already – now show it off!
– What opportunities are presented by investing in this country and how can the company overcome any
challenges that exist?
– What competition currently exists in the market and how might the company differentiate itself?
3. Appeal to the clients’ emotions. Tell a story as part of your pitch. People hate to be talked at, but they love to be engaged in a personal story. Make sure the story is relevant so that it draws a connection between the country and the company. They should be able to picture themselves in the country you are talking about.
4. Keep it short. Your entire pitch should last approximately 15-35 minutes, but you should cover the most
important points in the first 60 seconds of your presentation.
– Provide the name of the country.
– Tell the client what they will gain by investing in this country.
5. Make it visual and engaging. This means incorporating images, formatting, and your own voice through writing
speaker notes on your presentation. Keep the amount of text in the slides to a minimum like the example below but explain what’s in the slides in detail in the speaker notes. You can choose how you wish to present your project:
Prezi, e-Maze Presentation, Adobe Spark presentation, website, Powtoon or Biteable animated video, canva…… Be creative! LET ME KNOW WHICH YOU PICK BEFORE STARTING AND ALSO LET ME KNOW WHICH COMPANY YOU CHOOSE BEFORE STARTING.
Here is a link to an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrGJfQeyMYc
(FOLLOW THIS EXACT PRESENTATION, *USE THE SAME HEADERS/TOPICS HE DISCUSSED FOR EACH SLIDE
BUT TALK ABOUT YOUR TASK*, THERE MUST BE THE SAME AMOUNT OF SLIDES AND THE SAME TOPICS
DISCUSSED BUT FOR YOUR PITCH! ALSO, THE STUFF HE IS SAYING AND SPEAKING SHOULD BE WRITTEN FOR
THE COMPANY YOU CHOOSE BUT IN THE FORM OF SPEAKER NOTES INSTEAD OF TALKING)
Step 2 (Executive summary on a document):
Investors and CEOs are always busy. Your executive summary will highlight the main components of your
presentation. In the case of business plans, the executive summary will often determine whether or not the rest of
the business plan is even read. A reader should be able to get a good understanding of your presentation by
reading the executive summary before they even look at the presentation itself.
Consider the following tips:
– The first paragraph needs to compel the client to read the rest of the summary. If you have identified a problem in the country that isn’t being adequately serviced, you might start with that.
– Think about the core strengths or competitive advantages of both the company and the country. Use bullet points to address your ideas, and make sure you always use concise language. Make sure that it’s professional, crisp and
free of errors.
– Divide your executive summary into succinct categories that follow the same order as the content of your
presentation. Here are some possible categories:
Summary – a description of the country
Problem or Opportunity – that you recommend taking advantage of
Solution or Proposal
Why now?
Consider using personal pronouns (e.g., “we” and “our”) over general nouns (e.g., “the company”). Your reader will
feel a stronger personal connection with you and your idea if you can relate it to the reader in the first person.
Don’t forget to be confident either. If you don’t clearly believe in this idea, why should the reader? Put yourself in
the investor’s shoes, and ask yourself why you would want to invest in this country. It’s similar to a job interview or asking someone out on a date – if you’re not confident, you probably won’t get anywhere.
Your Executive Summary should be about one page in length. You must incorporate professional elements like your (business consultant) letterhead.
AN EXAMPLE OF THIS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY IS ATTACHED BELOW!! PLEASE FOLLOW THAT AND USE IT AS A
GUIDELINE. USE THE SAME TOPICS AND POINTS BUT FOR YOUR OWN COMPANY.
