Task

Your Task: You are a merchant.  Together with your business partner, you want to obtain a loan from a sponsor (royal family) who will pay for you to develop and trade a product.  However, there are many things to consider when starting a business.  First, what will your product be?  Then, where should you sell your product? Will one location be a better place to sell your product than another location?  Finally, how you will sell your product? This includes consideration of transportation and other needs.  Your answers to all of these questions will become part of the business proposal that you will present to your possible sponsor (royal family) in an effort to persuade them to provide you funding.  This proposal will determine whether or not you receive funding for your venture. It is a recession, so there will be many other merchants competing for funding by the royal family!

Oh, the humanity!

1. Whoa!  Are you overwhelmed?  Have no idea what is the Silk Road?  Feel like you’ve been dropped off in a different time? Start with a virtual tour along the Silk Road through the American Museum of Natural History’s Traveling the Silk Road Exhibit.  And here is a copy of the Silk Road Interactive Map Introduction (doc) to guide you on your trip.

2. Now that you have an idea of your “new neighborhood” that encompasses the Silk Road,  here is the rest  of the procedure.

• RESEARCH the geography of  the city you live in/and your partner city as well as the surrounding areas.
• RESEARCH the various natural resources in the area that are offered, and choose the commodity that you want to build your business around and will offer for sale or trade to traveling merchants.
• COLLABORATE with a partner to create a business plan SYNTHESIZING your research regarding the selling of your product
• CREATE a PowerPoint presentation to convince your sponsor (royal family) to give your business a loan.
• PRESENT your business plan/PowerPoint to your potential sponsors (royal family)

When you are ready to begin, please click the Process button. Happy trading.

Anatolia-GrandBazaar by Claude Attard Bezzina (Flikr image)