MBA Study Abroad Opportunity

Theme: Global Business in the Midst of Economic, Political & Cultural Change -- Managing the New Europe

"I would never have guessed that the experiences I gained in January would have paid off so quickly in my professional life. I was asked by a fellow manufacturing leader to review their Supply Chain strategy for a developing market in Europe. (He did not know that I had just been to Central Europe) The technology is developing to the point of commercialization and will be launched in the next 12 months or so. The initial purpose of the meeting was to review the general process of identifying, trialing, and selecting manufacturing partners in Europe.... During the conversation, he asked about what I knew about Eastern European manufacturing costs relative to those in Western Europe. Well, that opened the door to our recent trip and everything I had learned. We discussed Physical and Information Infrastructure, Government and Legal issues, labor costs, transportation, duties .... nearly the entire range of topics we discussed on our trip. I was AMAZED that I was using this so soon after returning."

Comment by Greg Ayers, UD MBA student and participant in the January 2003 Central Europe program.

Overview: This study abroad program consists of six credit-hours of graduate business courses during the winter term of 2003: BUAD 843 (Special Topics in Global Business) and either BUAD 840 (Ethical Issues in the Business Environment) or BUAD 867 (Ethical, Social & Political Issues in International Business -- an experimental course). In addition to attending several class meetings in Newark, students will spend two weeks in central Europe (Vienna, Prague and Budapest), where they will visit companies, hear business, governmental, and academic guest speakers address topics related to the theme of the program, and enjoy exposure to foreign cultures through both group activities and free time for exploring. (See the frequently asked questions file for examples of company visits.) Class meetings in Newark will be scheduled so that students who wish to extend their stay in Europe beyond the two week class travel period may do so. Click here to see photographs from the January 2003 program, or read the January 2003 itinerary.

Our primary "base" for our time in central Europe will be the Graduate School of Business (GSB) of Central European University in Budapest. GSB is a highly-regarded American-style English-language graduate business school, with an international faculty and an ongoing cooperative agreement with the University of Delaware's College of Business and Economics. CEU is a prominent post-cold war English-language graduate university of the humanities and social sciences, founded by a gift from internationally famous investor George Soros. During the program, we will stay at very good quality but reasonably priced full-service hotels (program fee is based on double occupancy; single rooms available at extra cost).

Locations: Cosmopolitan Budapest is one of Europe's most historically prominent and culturally wonderful cities. It is the fifth most popular tourist destination in Europe, and a major center of operations and investment by major western European and North American corporations. Sitting astride the Danube River (see photo above), it has been a key city in many important eras of world history. Budapest sits on the site of the ancient Roman empire city of Aquincum; one can still visit the Roman ruins. As the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire conquered much of Europe in the 1500s, Budapest became the Ottoman regional capital. Some of the many thermal spas in Budapest (sometimes considered the spa capital of Europe) were constructed by the Turks, and are still in use. Later Budapest became, with Vienna, one of the two key cities of the Habsburg dynasty (i.e., Austro-Hungarian Empire); the Royal Palace is one of the major tourist sights in the city. More information about Budapest is available from the Budapest tourist information site. Budapest's attractions are available at what are, by European standards, budget prices. (Budapest boasts the world's largest parliament building, pictured at the top of this page.)

Just a three hour train ride west from Budapest, Vienna is one of the great capitals of Europe. Baroque palaces can be found throughout the city, a reminder of its imperial past. But Vienna's focus on the arts and culture has done as much to make it one of the world's most prominent cities -- think Mozart, Beethoven, et al. Find out more about Vienna from the official tourism site, http://www.wien.gv.at/english/tourism.htm.

Prague, capital of the Czech Republic and the former Czechoslovakia, is another one of Europe's top travel destinations (it's a UN World Cultural Heritage site). Prague's famous hilltop castle district, and its medieval old town, are one of the best surviving examples of an intact, old European city. (Prague was the only major European city to escape bombing during World War II.) Famous for its literary and cultural scene, contemporary Prague offers an eclectic mix of the medieval and the avant garde. See http://www.sweb.cz/praguetour/ or http://www.prague.cz for more on Prague.

Other travel opportunities: Weekends are free time (with optional introductory city tours in Prague and Budapest). If you travel to Europe early, our first stop, Prague, is only several hours by train from Berlin. Our last stop, Vienna, is only about 90 minutes from Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, so you could spend some of your free time there. If you stay in Europe after the program ends, it's easy to get from Vienna (our last stop) to (for example) Munich and Bavaria (in Germany), Salzburg and Innsbruck (in Austria), Switzerland, and northern Italy (Venice). To see travel times and schedules among most European towns and cities, visit the website for Deutsche Bahn (the German national railway).

Topics & Courses: Executives need to be adept at recognizing the complexities of global business, and at adapting their companies' strategies, marketing, finances, and management to different cultures, economic conditions, and political situations. This is especially true in central Europe today, as the region is undergoing multiple significant changes. On one side, the ongoing development and expansion of the European Union confronts businesses with new opportunities for growth, as trade barriers dissolve, and new challenges, as the "rules of the game" change. On another side, the gradual incorporation of former eastern bloc economies into the global economy offers new opportunities for investment by western companies, but new challenges insofar as the culture and politics of eastern bloc countries is often different from what western European and North American executives are familiar with.

BUAD 843 (Special Topics in Global Business) will focus on two key topics: (a) the growth and development of the European Union, and its implications for doing business in Europe, and (b) the problems and issues that North American and European corporations (e.g., General Electric) encounter when they do business in transitional economies such as those of Hungary and the other former eastern bloc countries. Both topics provide excellent case study approaches to understanding more general questions of how changes in the business environment affect the strategy, marketing, and management of global businesses. The course will involve multiple company visits in central Europe, along with several class meetings at GSB in Budapest featuring GSB faculty members. Grading and written assignments will be the responsibility of Prof. Gary Weaver from the University of Delaware.

BUAD 840 (Ethical Issues in the Business Environment) focuses on how managers can help their organizations avoid ending up in the news, Enron-style, due to either intentional or accidental unethical or illegal behavior. Doing this requires a good understanding of both organizational processes and the external political, legal and social environment of business. But these issues become even more complex in a global, cross-cultural setting. For example, what is considered a bribe in one culture may be seen as a culturally obligatory courtesy in another; relationships between the business and government worlds may be antagonistic and disconnected in one political system, and deeply integrated in another. As in the case of BUAD 843, this course will involve multiple company visits in central Europe, along with a few class meetings in Newark before departure for Europe. Prof. Weaver will also be responsible for grading and written assignments for BUAD 840.

The version of BUAD 840 being offered in this program is cross-listed with BUAD 867 (Ethical, Social, and Political Issues in International Business). This is so students who already have had BUAD 840 on campus (which primarily has a domestic focus) can also take and receive credit for this program (which will give them an international perspective on ethical, political and social issues in business). Students will register for either BUAD 840 or BUAD 867, but not both. If you have not already had BUAD 840, and enroll for this study abroad program, you should enroll under BUAD 840, not BUAD 867.

Relation to MBA curriculum: There are no prerequisites for either BUAD 840/867 or BUAD 843. BUAD 840 is a required course for all MBA students; BUAD 843 satisfies the "international focus" elective requirement, and can be used as one of the courses toward an international business concentration.

November and December, 2003: There will be one or two evening meetings during December. These are to provide students with information on the trip, provide an introduction to some of the issues to be considered, and distribute any pre-travel assignments.

Early January 2004: There will be a few evening and/or Saturday class sessions in early January (i.e., after January 2nd, but before January 9th).

January 25: program ends in Vienna (return to U.S. by the evening of the 25th unless you choose to stay longer)

Students will need to pay tuition for 6 credits (two courses), either in-state or out-of-state rates, depending on your status.

The program fee is estimated to be $1725. This includes all lodging (double occupancy), continental breakfast each day, at least one additional full meal on weekdays (lunch or dinner), transportation to company visits, transportation between Budapest, Prague, and Vienna, and group cultural activities (city tours, museums, etc.). Single occupancy hotel rooms may be available at extra cost.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The program fee does not include airfare. For this program, students will be expected to purchase their own air tickets to and from Europe. This will allow maximum flexibility for setting your own travel schedule in regard to any extra pre- or post-program travel (or for using frequent flier miles, or for combining the program travel with work-related travel). In 2003, students who purchased their own tickets for this program were able to get fares in the range of $495 to $525. Expect air fares to be slightly higher for January 2004, as the ongoing slump in the airline industry has its effects. With careful shopping (e.g., online sales, etc., in autumn 2003), you should be able to find air tickets to and from Europe for less than $550.

In addition to the program fee, you should allow at least $25 per day for additional expenses. This should be enough to cover meals that are not included in the program fee, plus some bus or transit fares you might need. This additional amount, of course, may be higher, depending on your interest in more expensive activities during your free time (e.g., entertainment, fancy restaurants, extra travel, etc.), and your own habits regarding telephone expenses, laundry/cleaning costs, extra food, etc. (these can add up quickly if you're not careful).

Application process: Visit the University's Center for International Studies to see the application process and forms, and to get additional information on the program. Space is limited to not more than 13 students, and possibly as few as 10, depending on space constraints at the companies we visit. All other things being equal, early applicants will get first preference in admissions decisions. The first application deadline is May 3, 2003; applicants who apply by that date will be notified of acceptance decisions in early May. Applications will be accepted after May 3 until the program is filled.