For this project, students must choose a firm product from a place (country) familiar to at least one of the members of the group, and develop a strategy to export that product to one foreign destination. Canada must be one of the countries – the country either where the firm is located or the country the product will be exported to.
The strategy you develop must use the tools discussed in the course. This includes discussing the production and distribution structures to be employed, where the inputs needed for production will be sourced from, tariffs and shipping costs associated with your strategy, etc. It could/should also include tools learned in other courses during your Commerce program.
Each student is required to prepare a short report detailing the group’s strategy. The report should address the following issues:
1. Assess the costs associated with producing and exporting the product to the chosen destination (can the product compete in the destination country?). This should include:
1. Production costs relative to producers from other countries.
2. Trade costs
3. Trade agreements and other barriers to trade
4. Exchange rate and trade financing considerations
2. Develop a clear value proposition statement (why would customers in the destination country buy this product?)
3. Build a Market Profile for the product (which customers you want to target and how will you reach them?). This should include:
1. Identify potential clients
2. Identify channels to reach these customers:
– eCommerce platforms of your interest
– Retail stores that carry your kind of products
– Importers / distributors that carry your kind of products
The report must have the following structure:
1. A cover page
2. Maximum length of 2 pages of text
3. Exhibits – maximum of 5 additional pages for exhibits – do not include excessive text
4. References – maximum of 2 additional pages of references
5. Do not submit reports of more than 10 pages in total.
When preparing the report, students can use any source of information. It is essential that all sources of information used in the analysis be cited.
The work will be evaluated based on:
Completeness and relevance of the information provided (35%)
Quality of application of the concepts and tools discussed in the course (50%)
Clarity of exposition (15%)
