The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business is connected to numerous study abroad courses this winter term including three new courses: “Business and Culture of Vietnam,” “EUROMED: Melting Pot or Frying Pan?,” and “Business and Culture of the Indo-Gulf.”
“Business and Culture of Vietnam” visits five different cities in Vietnam: Hanoi, Hue, Hoi, Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Students learn how Vietnam has developed politically and economically. Students gain an understanding of why multinational companies are building factories, manufacturing goods and creating jobs in Vietnam, and why the country has a growing tourism.
“EUROMED: Melting Pot or Frying Pan?” travels to Turkey and Greece. In Turkey, students visit the cities of Istanbul, Cappadocia, Ephesus and Çanakkale. In Greece, students travel to Athens, Delphi, the area of the Peloponnese, and one of the islands similar to Crete, Santorini or Mykonos. The course focuses on the impact the European Union has on societies in the EUROMED region, specifically Turkey and Greece, and how globalization has influenced international business. Maintaining cultural and economic identities is also explored. The course blog can be found here.
“Business and Culture of the Indo-Gulf” takes students to India and Dubai. In India, the course highlights Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. India has one of the largest economies of the world, with an expanding middle and upper class and businesses, but is still plagued by extreme poverty. Dubai has a highly developed economy, but also exercised an unsustainable level of borrowing to finance infrastructure development and economic growth. The course explores the opportunities and challenges that come with a better-connected world through increasing digital connectivity and ease of international travel and trade, and the impact this has on the developed world and developing countries. The course blog can be found here.
A returning course, “Business in the Caribbean,” explores the impact of globalization on the culture and environment of a country, focusing on the Cayman Islands.
Additionally, the freshmen Business Fellows are traveling to Krakow, Poland to explore determinants of economic growth, with particular attention to emerging markets in Central and Eastern Europe. Topics include endogenous growth, creativity, urban economics and the economics of transition economies.
The Elon MBA program’s “International Business” course is traveling January 12-22 to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shenzhen to visit U.S. and foreign-owned firms, as well as the Great Wall of China and Olympic Village. The course blog can be found here.
By Rachel Vierling ’12