Market Entry Consulting

This experience focuses on equipping learners with the skills to evaluate market opportunities and develop strategic plans for new ventures. Participants will learn to apply analytical frameworks and strategic thinking to real-world business challenges, particularly in the context of helping a Ugandan coffee producer, Carledorian Connection, enter the U.S. market. Learners will gain hands-on experience in creating value propositions, identifying market obstacles, and crafting actionable recommendations, all while honing their communication and problem-solving skills.

Market Research Plan

Conduct secondary research on sustainability trends in packaging within the industry. Develop and distribute a short online survey to a sample audience (provided by the company, if possible). Analyze survey data and compile findings. Benchmark competitors’ packaging practices through publicly available resources. Synthesize insights and recommendations into a comprehensive report.

Website Development

Our company advertises thousands of products online. We hope to update and revamp our existing website to attract more customers. We would like to work with students to develop a new website that is easy to maintain while providing an appealing interface for users. This can be achieved through common site building tools such as Wix, Webflow, and WordPress. This will involve several different steps for the students, including: Researching different site-building tools and their associated advantages / disadvantages. Conducting a needs analysis to determine which platform is most suitable. Building a website, with our assistance in providing the content. Providing training on updating and maintaining the website. Bonus steps in the process would also include: Testing prototypes with customers and refining ideas with feedback.

Security & Penetration Testing of Web Application

A standard practice for web based tools is to conduct what is known as penetration tests at least once a year. This is a white-hat hacking approach in which a firm is given special permission to try and break into, exploit, or otherwise attempt to break a given product via security vulnerabilities. First, we would like students to get familiar with our product. Sign up, play around with it, understand generally how it works. Second, students should spend time conducting research on state of the art pen testing technologies. They should look into common vulnerability lists such as OWASP Top 10, and common security tools such as Nmap, Burp Suitar, Nessus, and Wireshark. Third, students should have a written attack plan and present it to us so we can confirm we understand what the test will do and what might be uncovered. Fourth, students are free to attack our product as per the presented plan