Ninth Expected Result
National SMEs which actively seek for foreign markets will be able to find the relevant well-educated and competent international...
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International Students for Entrepreneurship
Network Marketing and Initiatives (NMI) project aims to promote sense of initiative and entrepreneurship for international students and facilitate their transitions from education to work-life in their home countries, not in the host county where they get university degree.
Traditionally, international students are treated as the most disadvantageous group to be an entrepreneur. They have almost no access to sources required for business start-ups in host country. Their poor home countries do not have enough sources to support innovative entrepreneurship activities, either. There is very limited direct program or project to encourage international students to engage in entrepreneurship activities. Because, without necessary sources devoted to the usage of international students, there is no point to encourage them.
NMI project proposes to change the traditional point of view to make use of great potential offered by international students: international marketing network for national small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). For any country, international students possess great potentials; they are potential entrepreneur and able to create marking linkage for national firms.
National SMEs which are active in production and marketing are potential for rapid economic growth and prosperity. Due to the lack of international marketing network, national SMEs have limited capacities to reach international markets. Thus, they are restricted to domestic markets and their growth potentials are bounded.
NMI proposes an innovative way to match potentials of international students with resources of SMEs. If a SME can correctly be matched with international students, then this SME can easily create international marketing network. For example, in Turkey there are more than 100.000 international students from more than 80 countries which means that a Turkish SME can easily export its products to 80 countries with the help of international students who can speak Turkish, English and native language.
NMI will create an innovative and dynamic system which correctly matches national SMEs with relevant international students. More specifically, consider a Tanzanian student who attends to department of mechanical engineering at Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) in Turkey. Consider a Turkish SME producing agricultural equipment and machines, and this SME wants to expand its market through export. A well-established, innovative and dynamic system can easily match this SME with Tanzanian student who will become mechanical engineer and knows Tanzanian commerce laws, local markets and logistics. Therefore, Tanzanian student who is well educated in ODTÜ will be supported by a Turkish SME to be an entrepreneur in his country just after graduation and Turkish SME will be supported to create international marketing network to increase its production which leads to rise in employment and economic growth in Turkey.
NMI satisfies the needs of both international students and national SMEs by matching the national SMEs which actively seek for foreign markets with the relevant well-educated and competent international students.
The NMI project will also change the attitude of public towards international students. Instead of being burden, public will consider them as partners who expand their business and contribute to rise in their welfare. Therefore, this project promotes the integration and social inclusion of international students.
What are the Intellectual Outputs?
A practical guide to create international marketing network designed for both international students and SMEs.
International students and national SMEs need each other to satisfy each other’s need but they do not know each other.
A useful toolkit to increase sense of entrepreneurship and to promote participation in labor market in their home countries.
An online platform to match international students with national SMEs.
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