Globalization

International Students

International Experience

How Research Informs Teaching...

And then we’ll take you there...

Student Diary — Brussels... April 28, 2000*

Previous Destinations:

Globalization

Chances are your organization is already involved in international trade and investment. And if it hasn’t happened yet it is just around the corner because the world economy is becoming much more interdependent.

In our program you will explore international issues across the curriculum. You will tackle globalization challenges by looking at real life case studies of companies operating globally, hearing from international guest speakers, learning from the international experiences of your classmates. And we cap it off with a 10-day International Study Tour.

I tell my students they can’t escape globalization. And they shouldn’t want to either. Globalization is creating profitable new markets for Canadian companies
all over the world. If you are not already doing international business, you soon will be. The course doesn’t try to provide specific answers to the problems facing companies operating in international markets because every situation is different.

The emphasis is on learning to ask the right questions, whether it’s about the EURO, WTO rulings, NAFTA, the Asian Financial Crisis, the Japanese Recession or the emergence of China. I encourage different viewpoints because I believe the best
learning takes place through informed discussion and debate.
Dr. Barry Scholnick
Professor

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International Students

Wu Enlai and his colleagues Huang Zejun and Wang Bo make any discussion on doing business in China come alive. All three students work for the China National Petroleum Corporation. In order to further develop its people, CNPC sends senior managers abroad to get an MBA. Of the four managers attending universities in Canada, three attend our Executive MBA Program. Their participation provides an enriching cultural and international business experience for all the students in the program.

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International Experience

You will be working with faculty who have studied outside Canada. In fact, 90% of faculty received their PhDs from universities outside this country. Professors are currently engaged in a wide spectrum of teaching and research activities all over the world. You will benefit directly from their collaborative research with foreign colleagues and their experiences teaching in executive development programs worldwide.

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International Experience

You will be working with faculty who have studied outside Canada. In fact, 90% of faculty received their PhDs from universities outside this country. Professors are currently engaged in a wide spectrum of teaching and research activities all over the world. You will benefit directly from their collaborative research with foreign colleagues and their experiences teaching in executive development programs worldwide.

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How research informs teaching...

Dr. Mansour Javidan is a founding member of GLOBE. Global Leadership and Organizational Behaviour Effectiveness is a research project involving 170 researchers who have collected data from 18,000 managers in 60 countries. Future research will focus on the role of CEOs in large corporations in 25 countries. GLOBE plans to publish an anthology of chapters on the findings by country, and a book: Culture, Leadership and Organizational Practices.

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And then we’ll take you there...

At the end of the program, we will take you somewhere in the world where Alberta and Canadian businesses are operating. Before the International Study Tour, you will get ready by examining the economic, political and cultural environments in the region. On the ground you will be involved in a variety of activities:

Meetings at government embassies, seats of government and discussions with trade officers to gain knowledge of political and trade issues.

Company visits and interviews with executives of Canadian companies operating abroad, and with local companies doing business globally, to better understand their business and operational practices.

Visits with local business schools provide access to faculty and facilities to exchange ideas and interact with students, professors, and with government and business representatives.

Visits to cultural and historical sites to gain a better understanding of current economic and trade issues based on the values and history of a country or region.

The combination of dynamic classroom discussion and a real-life experience somewhere in the world will equip you to move your organization from the local to the international playing field.

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International Study Tour

Student Diary — Brussels... April 28, 2000*
All reports echoed yesterday’s lessons regarding the difficulties inherent in doing business in this area of vast cultural diversity. The business fundamentals appear similar at least on the surface. For example, sales are still primarily based on relationships and if you don’t understand the customer’s culture, you are unlikely to form the required relationships.

Costs of doing business are high and in fact the labour costs and policies are such that employees can be paid as much as 13.9 months salary for 10 months work each year with a fully-paid company car as an added non-taxable benefit.

Although Canada still suffers a large product trade deficit with Europe, in the last few years, our investment in Europe has surpassed the investment by Europeans in Canada. During lunch, Marc Cappelle, the President of SNC Lavalin, spoke to us about his company’s success in Europe.

*The student diary appeared on Alberta Venture Magazine’s
web site in May 2000.

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