Planning

meaui

What to expect?

At the end of October, the application phase will be followed up by the preparation phase. Initially, this will consist of the weekly committee meetings and socials on Monday evening. After the exam period of semester 1.1, the participants will start to actively prepare their research.

The preparation phase

The preparation phase consists of two parts and will take place in semester 1.2 and 2.1. Participants will spend about 15 hours per week during the preparation phase.

THE GENERAL PREPARATION PHASE

The aim of this phase is to improve your knowledge of India & Vietnam and to enhance your methodological expertise, knowledge of market research and consulting. This phase is meant to provide you with knowledge and skills that will be used to perform the field research. In order to do this, participants will be required to follow the course 'Research Projects in Emerging Markets', which will be taught by dr. B.J.W. Pennink in semester 2.1. Furthermore, participants will attend a series of guest lectures and trainings on the country and (business) culture, given by experts from various companies and institutions. During this period, participants will also conduct a literary review and follow workshops on research methodology, which will be lectured by the supervising professors.

THE SPECIFIC RESEARCH PHASE

During the specific research phase, each research group will tailor their research to the requirements of the companies. The specific needs of the company will be thoroughly incorporated and interactive feedback will be maintained. This research phase consists of the following parts:

Research framework
In consultation with the company, the framework and contents of the research will be determined.

Preliminary investigation in the Netherlands
From semester 2.1 you will start with the desk research and the strategy for follow up research in the countries of destination will be discussed. Until April 2024, an extensive preliminary investigation will take place in the Netherlands. The results of this research will be reported to the company.

The field research phase

From April until June 2024 (after the exams of semester 2.1), you will travel to the countries of destination for 10 weeks. During the first five weeks, the actual field research will be conducted. You will visit companies, governmental institutions and universities. During this stage, an ‘Intermediate Report’ will be drafted to present the preliminary results of the investigation. The preparation phase and the research phase in the countries of destination will be supervised by three professors of the University of Groningen. The last five weeks you will travel in smaller groups.

The reporting phase

The month July, and if necessary August, will cover the final phase. The research results will be presented to the company in a final research report.