Fishing expedition

Successful ventures abroad depend on finding markets that fit.

It is all about fish. Not in the same way the pelicans in Lima’s harbour think about fish, but more about whether institution would best operate as a small fish in a big pond or a large one in a smaller pond.

The importance of this distinction struck me as I travelled to Peru last month to investigate openings for the University of London international programmes, a system of distance and flexible learning that currently has 54,000 students in more than 180 countries. Peru isn’t the most obvious country to approach for access into South America. It is a little down the pecking order in the importance of its economy and the status of its higher education system. Yet there are many reasons why it fitted our approach.