This special topics course is designed to provide undergraduate students with a learning experience that links classroom learning with business development projects in the Seattle Central District, Rainier Valley, and the International District. The multicultural aspects of the course refer to the common residential pattern of large concentrations of diverse racial and ethnic groups in most major U.S. cities in the United States. Marketing to these diverse groups presents challenges and opportunities to respond to the needs, wants and differences associated with their traditions, preferences, values and other aspects of their individual, family, and community life.
Urban enterprise refers to businesses that operate primarily in the inner city.
They commonly face challenges that must be dealt with, if the firms are to be successful. Inner city businesses tend to consist mostly of small firms or even microenterprise. Regional and national chains are likely to be absent. On the positive side, such areas are in close proximity to downtown and, despite typically being densely populated, have relatively affordable property values. In some instances per capita spending and consumer demand are comparable to other, more prosperous areas of the city.