Field Course Project Options (MIIS Students Only)

Generally, the Frontier Market Scouts field course (4 or 6 units) is only taken by Scouts also enrolled in a graduate degree program at the Monterey Institute.

FMS Field Course Options

Options "A" and B" require students to analyze the basic implicit research question, "What are the factors that lead to a successful venture?" Option "C" allows a student to develop a customized project that is approved by an FMS faculty member. Option "D" is for MPA students planning to complete their capstone while on an FMS field assignment.

A.) Individual-Level: Students will exame the way interviewees express their self-identity by the references they make to past, present, and future actions in a a way that enables an understanding of the implicit dimension of their story. First, students will conduct a literature review that includes both materials relating to the method as well as to the substance. They will then conduct life story interviews with entrepreneurs using an interview protocol that is designed by the student and approved by the professor. Instructor: Dr. Frederic Kropp, MBA Program Chair, Graduate School of International Policy and Management, Monterey Institute

B.) Business Firm-Level: Students will answer the key research question, "What is the best business model and process of business modeling that can lead to success, given the nature of a venture and its environment?" Students will observe, probe, and describe the various parts of the business model as well as its possible configurations, and the strategic logics underlying a particular part or configuration. Students will document and analyze the enterprise business model process as it evolves (often very quickly). After completion of a literature review, students will develop a framework for describing a typical business model design and change process.Instructor: Dr. Yuwei Shi, Dean, Graduate School of International Policy and Management at the Monterey Institute

C.) Customized Project: Contact Dr. Yuwei Shi or Dr. Fredric Kropp for more information.

D.) MPA Capstone: MPA students participating in the Frontier Market Scouts field program can complete an organizational case study as their capstone project. Students should register for the MPA capstone course during the spring or summer semester in conjunction with their FMS field assignment. 2013 MPA capstone advisors include Dr. Edward Laurance (spring) and Dr. Mahabat Baimyraeva (fall).