Investigate the Department of State’s role(s) by researching the many bureaus and programs the Department of State offers directly to U.S. companies; both those desiring to go international as well as those already established in the international arena.

Start out by visiting the Department of State’s central website (www.state.gov), but do not limit your research to just the main website.  Some its bureaus and programs operate using their own URLs (i.e. not found directly within the www.state.gov website), but you also need to be careful!  Not all agencies or programs listed on the Department of State’s website are bureaus and programs the State Department itself operates; they are bureaus and programs from other U.S. departments.

The sole and overarching requirement for this assignment is that the services, programs, and agencies you reference must all be focused on directly assisting American companies internationally; again, those interested in going international or those that are already international.

Your paper should be broken down into two very broad areas:

Programs and services intended to assist U.S. companies researching opportunities overseas and launching into the international markets;

Programs and services available to U.S. companies having an international presence should a commercial conflict arise between a specific U.S. company and a foreign company, or between a specific U.S. company and a foreign government.