INTERNATIONALRESEARCH PROJECT

What is your destination?

Are you an enthusiastic and ambitious student seeking to apply your academic knowledge within an international business setting?

As the new committee for the International Research Project of the Marketing Association EUR we invite you on our adventure of conducting valuable research for six companies with global ambitions. In previous years research destinations have been Australia, India, China, Vietnam, Canada, Turkey, Brazil and the USA for companies such as Philips, BAM, Dutch Government, KLM, Nederlandse Gas-unie, Deloitte, Siemens, Port of Rotterdam, Océ and Royal Boskalis.

It is up to us to actively approach prominent companies, create high quality proposals and jointly work towards discovering and understanding new markets. Everyone will be part of a small re-search team for a specific company. For each company we will go to an exciting destination during the summer for 3 to 6 weeks. We hope to make it an extremely fun, rewarding and unforgettable experience together during the summer of 2013!

INTRODUCTION

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PAST EXPERIENCES

“I had the time of my life during the International Research Project 2012! I had the chance to travel to the USA for one month, visiting Texas, Washing-ton D.C. and New York. This experience enriched my skills in many ways. Besides that, we had enough time to visit the wonderful places and had so much fun. I fell in love with the skyline of NYC, tried to catch the ball at the Yankees stadium, ride a bull in Texas, shoot with a gun at a shooting range and vis-ited Obama in the White house. I would do it all again if I had the chance!” Tessa Verheydt, BA Mar-keting Management, IRP 2012

“The IRP was an experience I will never forget. It has been a great adventure with a lot of fun and learning moments. The fact that you are contributing to the future of a company really makes you motivated and makes you respon-sible and proud of the results. Your in-put really matters and that was some-thing I was looking for. On a side note, Vietnam was not bad for relaxing and some cultural experiences.” Richard Wang, MSc Marketing ESE, IRP 2012

“Looking back on IRP I need to admit this project has been the most outstanding experience in my period as a student, outperforming my board-positions or other committee par-ticipations. Although three years have past since my project participation in 2009, my excitement and enthusiasm for IRP never left. Apart from the incredible learning opportunities, the opportunity to spend the first paid business trip of your life with fellow students is just awesome. If you don’t join and there turns out to be an empty spot; I wouldn’t hesitate for a sec to participate again. For now I leave the opportunity to you: don’t miss it!” Stijn De Jong, BSc Business Administration RSM, IRP 2009

“America was amazing, we had a great experience and got the chance to apply our skills and knowledge in practice during our visits in New York, Pittsburg, Philadelphia and Chicago!” Celine van der Winkel, MSc Urban, Port and Transport Economics, IRP 2011

“My experience was amazing. Visiting the USA, talking on a high management level with business people and enjoy the country is a fantastic way to spend 3 weeks! We visited NYC, Niagara Falls, Texas (NASA in Houston) and Washington D.C. I believe the knowledge and experience I have gained will open doors in my future.” Jasper Dekker, Msc Marketing Man-agement, IRP 2012

“The International Research Project was an awesome experience! It is a great chance to participate in the business environment within another country! I have seen amazing things and places in Canada, met a lot of great people and a learned a lot from this project. Working together with a team of great students, I had the time of my life!” Robin Groen, Msc Marketing Manage-ment, IRP 2012

“IRP 2010 was one of the best experiences in my life! I spent 5 weeks of field research in the amazing West African countries Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia. We conducted numerous interesting interviews to get an in-depth knowledge of the development of the infrastructure and learned a lot about doing business in another culture! In the weekends, we took the opportunity to discover the countries, the lovely people and the beautiful nature! IRP is a great adventure in which you learn a lot about yourself, working in a team, doing business in another culture and to become an expert in your field of research!” Mark Den Dulk, Msc Marketing Management, IRP 2010

“As a non-marketing student I can say that the International Research Project is a very valuable experience. My faculty does not provide projects like these and I was thrilled to learn that the IRP gave me the opportunity to gain more marketing experience. I was given enough space gain commercial knowledge, but also to use my own expertise in psy-chology. The oppenness towards different kind of students makes the IRP a very dynamic initiative” Eva Haaijer, Bsc Pschology, IRP 2012

YEAR PLAN 1 / 4

At the end of January we will meet-up for the IRP weekend; the ideal place for committee members and participants to get to know one another! After the kick-off, the initial period will mainly be character-ized by acquisition activities. Within this phase the committee and participants will be providing research proposals to potential compa-nies seeking to conduct research in new markets. We will acquire six companies by the end of April. Groups of four participants headed by one committee member, will be assigned to one of the companies, resulting in six different project groups. Regarding the placement pro-cedure, personal preferences are strongly taken into account; ensuring mutual fit between participants and the project.

Phase 1: Acquisition & Research Proposals

Duration: February - April

Workload: 8 - 12 hours per week

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>> No experience with acquisition? Do not worry!Within the introduction weekend and the acquisition training sessions that will be held, we will introduce you to some useful acquisition tips / tricks and practice rounds to get you started!

YEAR PLAN 2 / 4

Now that the company contracts are signed, each project group will commence with their own project. Within this phase, the project groups start-off conducting desk research. This involves thorough ex-amination of the destination country and the elements of interest to the involved company. The desk research will approximately take place from April until June.

Phase 2: Desk Research

Duration: April - June

Workload: 12 hours per week

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>> Unsure of your research capabilities? We will help!Based on prior IRP members’ experiences and with the help of our academic supervisors, we will make sure that the fundamentals for a successful research proposal are co-created.

YEAR PLAN 3 / 4

The summer months are all about the actual field research. It is time to go abroad and put all preparations into action! Each project group will conduct their own on-site research within their destination country. The duration of your stay will vary from three to six weeks, depending on the specific project requirements. As it will be a new country experi-ence for many, plenty of time will be spent discovering the country and enjoying the sites and activities.

Phase 3: Field Research

Duration: July - August

Workload: 3 - 6 weeks

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>> First big trip?We will assist with all travel documents and vaccination(s) requirements.

YEAR PLAN 4 / 4

To wrap-up the International Research Project 2013, each group will report and present their findings. The majority of the reporting will be completed abroad. Upon your return back home there will be time to finalise the report. The final phase is presenting the research findings to the company involved.

Phase 4: Report & Presentation

Duration: August - October

Workload: 8 hours per week

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>> Your time to shine!

• Commitment from February 2013 until October 2013• 3 to 6 weeks of international field research during the summer• Multiple destinations• 6 companies• 6 teams• 8 to 12 hours per week• Academic supervision• 24 participants

FACTSHEET

WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU?

• International research experience• Unforgettable experience with a new group of friends• Develop a practical set of skills ranging from acquisi-

tion to analytics• Personal influence due to small research teams• Connect with a diverse set of multidisciplinary students• Cooperation with committed companies• Co-creation of research proposals (companies are

highly involved)• Get in touch with potential employers• Obtain ECTS (15 for RSM faculty / 12 for ESE faculty)

WORKLOAD AND MEETINGSThe time you invest in the project will vary between 8 to 12 hours per week. Regular meetings will be held to maintain unity and transpar-ency within the group.

PARTICIPANT FEE- €800 when conducting research outside of Europe.- €400 when conducting research within Europe.

SOCIAL EVENTSYou can look forward to drinks, dinners and fun activities throughout the project.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

RECRUITMENT

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?Student Profile :• Adventurous• Hard working• Internationally oriented• Flexible, no 9 to 5 mentality• Team playerWe are looking to create a diverse team of participants, therefore the project is open to all studies.

APPLICATIONFollow the link to start the application procedure : maeur.nl/irp

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COMMITTEE

f.l.t.r. Geert, Nikolay, Kasper, Gijs, Anouk & Robert

CONTACT INFORMATION

Kasper BerkhoutGeert BosRobert HasselmanGijs BoomAnouk VandendaelNikolay Avramov

ChairmanExternal RelationsExternal RelationsCoordinator Research Coordinator ParticipantsMarketing

T 010 408 18 38E irp@maeur.nlW www.maeur.nlF facebook.com/maeur

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