Assessment Details
In the module you will have the possibility of choosing between two types of dissertations:
– Classic academic dissertation based on a topic of clear international Business focus. If you select
this route, you will have to conduct and develop research filling a research gap(s) in the relevant
literature of International Business.
– Consultancy route: If you chose the consultancy pathway, you are supposed to work on an actual
management problem, preferably in cooperation with an existing firm. You are expected to focus on
an international business problem when designing your consultancy project. This can concern e.g.
export plans, international marketing strategies, M&A, entering new markets, international staffing,
international supply chain management, or international cooperation networks. This route places
you in the role of a business consultant who is usually hired for going into an organization where
he/she is expected to address some problems/challenges the business has identified. All projects
will involve gathering and analyzing information related to the business problem.
Consultancy Report
The consultancy report should be 10,000 words and international in its scope (each section could be
ideally be 2,000 words).
Although consultancy projects aim to develop satisfactory business solutions, rather than academic
evidence, this does not mean that a consultancy project is detached from academic methods. A
consultancy project also requires a literature review combing academic literature and industry reports,
a description of the empirical methods used, a data analysis, and a conclusion summarizing the
findings and providing recommendations for the business. Therefore, it is shares similarities with an
academic dissertation. For in further information, please have a look at the assessment criteria and
the chapter descriptions of above.
As an example of report structure for a strategic review, the final project report would include:
I. Executive Summary / Project Overview (a 2,000-word, summary that can be sent to the client)
II. Literature Review / Intelligence Gathered (combination of academic studies and industry reports)
III. Methodology
IV. Data presentation, evidence, analysis and discussion (identify and discuss possible solutions and
their trade-offs)
V. Conclusions and Recommendations (in depth discussion of the preferred solution)
Bibliography and Reference List
Appendices (Ethics requirements: the participant information sheet and ALL collected consent
forms; questionnaire or interview guide)
Please note that your consultancy report should have a clear International Business focus!
Assessment will take into account your use of appropriate methodologies including relevant tools,
techniques, frameworks and concepts. Your written analysis and recommendation must be based on
the data. It must flow logically from the information gathered and analysed.
In preparing your report, you should take a very practical approach. This means it should be carefully
structured, easy to read with clear recommendations in the style that you might expect from a top
consulting firm.