International Market Assessment and Strategy 5 credits

This course offers an advanced understanding of strategic international marketing. The course focus is on the market assessment and selection process, including understanding implications for advancing to a selected foreign market. Grounded in network theories of internationalisation and entrepreneurial internationalisation, you will gain analytical tools to evaluate foreign market opportunities and design effective entry strategies. A signature component of the course is its experiential, team-based approach: multicultural groups of students partner with a local SME to conduct a comparative assessment of selected foreign markets, applying theory to real-world business challenges. This project-based learning develops cross-cultural competence, entrepreneurial mindset, and practical skills in international market research and strategy. After completing the course, you will be equipped to critically assess internationalisation opportunities, formulate market entry strategies, and provide actionable and defendable recommendations for SMEs seeking global expansion. Topics include, but are not limited to: - Internationalisation motives - Traditional vs. entrepreneurial views on internationalisation - Internationalisation preparedness and globalisation of the markets - Market selection process (criteria and methodology) - Modes of entry - Instruments of the marketing mix in the context of international marketing.  Connection to Research The course engages with contemporary literature on entrepreneurial and network internationalisation, providing a theoretical foundation for the foreign market selection process. The course builds on prior program courses in which internationalisation is discussed as a growth strategy, allowing you to deepen and critically evaluate your existing knowledge in a new applied context. Connection to Practice The course is structured as a studio course that addresses community-significant issues by partnering with local SMEs and governmental organisations. You provide SMEs with fresh perspectives, structured thinking, and low-risk exploration of foreign markets, helping them overcome the typical constraints they face when expanding internationally. Connection to Ethics, Responsibility, Sustainability (ERS) The course integrates the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through applied student projects with Swedish SMEs exploring opportunities in new international markets. By supporting SME internationalisation and responsible participation in global trade, the course contributes to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) while strengthening local economic development. You also promote the diffusion of Swedish sustainability practices and responsible value chains, advancing SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Through collaboration between universities, SMEs, and international students, the course fosters cultural inclusion, knowledge exchange, and partnerships (SDG 17), while helping build local human capital and connecting global talent with regional companies.