What is the MBA545-51 all about?

In today's globalized business environment, leaders need to develop an international business perspective and a global mindset. Just as important, they need to develop relevant, tangible skills. Within the context of an international consultancy project, the Applied International Business course provides Butler MBA students with the opportunity to develop advanced knowledge and experience in the field of international business. Students will be challenged to develop a comprehensive evaluation of the international business opportunities within Brazil for a U.S. client company. The course includes a one week study trip to Brazil. Through this experience, MBA students will develop substantive experience in Brazil, one of the premier BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) emerging markets. They will develop an advanced level of proficiency in the process of evaluating international opportunities for U.S. companies.

When will this course be offered? Show Answer

This 3-credit, MBA545-51 capstone course will be offered in the fall semester of 2012. The course will meet on Tuesdays from 6 p.m.-8:40 p.m. In addition, participants in this capstone course are required to participate in a one-week MBA Study Trip to Brazil (a 2-credit course). The study-trip portion of the class is planned for October 13th through October 21st, 2012 and includes visits to Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and possible Campinas.

How does this course count in the curriculum? Show Answer

How is this course organized? Show Answer

The course is organized into three segments:

Segment 1, Pre-Trip: (7 weeks - August 22^nd to October 12^th, 2012)

Students will be introduced to fundamental international business theories, concepts, and techniques, to the business consultancy process, project planning, and to the business environment in Brazil. This will be accomplished through a mix of lectures, case discussion, and guest speakers. The students will be organized in teams, and each team will be given responsibility for a particular aspect of an international consultancy project. The teams will: 1) Define the scope of the project; 2) Plan its implementation, and 3) Prepare and deliver a formal letter of engagement to the client company. The letter of client engagement will specify, among other aspects, the scope of the project, the implementation plan, and the project deliverables. The student teams will begin the secondary data collection and analysis before departure to Brazil. In this segment, the course will be focused on the following activities:

organize teams and project assignments
understand client company background
learn how to undertake a consulting project
learn about project planning and management
refine the scope of each team's role in the client consulting project
prepare and deliver a formal letter of client engagement
gather secondary data for the client's industry and the Brazilian market

Segment 2, Brazil Study Trip: (1 Week - October 13^th to October 21^st, 2012)

The students, instructor, and mentor(s) will be in Brazil(Rio de Janeiro and/or Sao Paulo) for one week. The trip will introduce participants to the culture, history, and business environment in Brazil. Specifically, students will develop a broader perspective of contemporary Brazilian business issues through a briefing on U.S. - Brazilian political and business relations at the U.S. Embassy in Sao Paulo, by attending lectures about the country's major industries at local institutions, and by visiting the operations of selected U.S. and Brazilian corporations. Additional information relevant to the international consultancy project will be gathered throughout the trip. In this segment, the course will be focused on the following activities:

receive a briefing on doing business in Brazil by U.S. Embassy officials
learn about Brazilian society's history, values and culture
learn about economic conditions and trends in Brazil
learn about Brazilian financial system and capital markets
learn about Brazilian business environment and practices
visit relevant Brazilian channels of distributions
gather relevant information about client's prospective competitors
visit the client's prospective stakeholders (buyers, suppliers, agents, etc).
visit operations of Brazilian and U.S. corporations
enjoy Brazilian culture, cuisine, and folklore

Students will be charged a fee to cover Butler University's out-of-pocket expenses to compensate our partner institutions in Brazil for the organization and delivery of the study trip activities, which will include lectures, corporate visits, hotel accommodations, food (breakfast), cultural visits, and local transportation. The instructor will coordinate and provide students with information regarding international transportation arrangements. However, students will pay the airline company directly for the cost of international transportation to Rio de Janeiro and/or Sao Paulo.

Segment 3, Post-Trip: (7 weeks - October 22^nd to December 10^th, 2012)

Students will apply international business frameworks to analyze and integrate the knowledge developed and the information generated during Segments 1 & 2 of the class. Specifically, they will comprehensively evaluate the international business opportunities of the U.S.-based client. The students will prepare a preliminary report of their findings and recommendations to share with the client company. Client feedback will be solicited during this process, and the students will incorporate the feedback for the purpose of developing final written and oral reports of their evaluation and recommendations to the client. In this segment, the course will be focused on the following activities:

organize information gathered and knowledge learned
identify client's potential international business opportunities in Brazil
evaluate costs/benefits of alternatives and generate recommendations
prepare a pre-report executive summary for discussion with the client
obtain client's feedback on the proposed recommendations
incorporate client's recommendations and write final report
deliver written and oral presentations of the final report

How is this course interdisciplinary? Show Answer

Is enrollment limited? Show Answer

Enrollment is capped at 12 students. Interested students are encouraged to submit their application as early as possible. The enrollment process is already open. For course enrollment, applications are considered on a first-come-first-served basis. Students will be approved for participation in this course within a few days after the application has been received. To assemble a diverse group of participants it is important that we understand your motivation for taking this course as well as your professional background. If a large number of applications are received, the selection process will take into account the applicant's motivation to enroll in this course and his/her background.

The instructor expects to receive and process students' applications by April 15^th, 2012. When this course fills, the acceptance of new applications will be closed.