Learning From Companies Abroad in the New International Management Course
Through a newly-created learning experience, Baylor's incoming Full-Time MBA students will explore international business first-hand—and expand their global opportunities.
First-year students in Baylor's Full-Time MBA program will take a deep dive into international business, health care, nonprofits and culture during a weeklong immersion in fall 2022.
The program is part of the new International Management course taught by Dawn Carlson, H.R. Gibson Chair of Organizational Development and professor of Management, or the Introduction to Healthcare Administration course instructed by Forest Kim, Program Director of the Robbins MBA in Healthcare and clinical associate professor of Economics. Students will experience crossover learning in general business and healthcare management in Latin America.
"Going forward, every student who comes through our program will be a part of this global opportunity," Carlson said. "We have found that the experience of traveling and engaging globally tends to be a very transformative experience for students."
Touching Ground in Latin America
This October, participants will meet with organization executives, provide live case consulting, engage in business challenges, perform a service project and participate in cultural activities.
The experience highlights leading industries, giving students "an opportunity to actually touch into a diverse array of industries such as manufacturing, finance, entertainment, tech and healthcare," Kim said.
"Our students are very much craving in-person experiences. This is engaged learning, where students acquire a global perspective," Carlson, who directs the McBride Center for International Business, said.
The week will include a day of cultural immersion and service activities, such as voluntary English teaching and trips to a market or museum.
"We want to give an opportunity for students to really give back, even if it is just for a short timeframe in the country during the trip," Carlson said.
Face-to-Face Connections
The balance of their time will be devoted to face-to-face meetings with executives from a range of industries and sectors. Students will get a close look at what it means to do business in Latin America. Considering the social, political and economic landscape, executives will drill down with specifics in finance, venture capital, international investments, consulting, innovation, supply chain, sustainability, retail and more.
For example, students will hear from organizations and companies like BRAiN, Netflix, venture capital firms, and financial organizations. They will learn about opportunities with expanding multinationals, such as Natura, a Brazilian cosmetics brand making inroads in North America.
"This is a chance for students to gain broader perspectives and greater understanding of global business that they can apply to all their courses through the remainder of their program," Carlson said.
General and Healthcare MBA students will be combined for crossover learning on two days and separated on two others for deep dives into their areas.
Healthcare: How Other Countries Deliver Care
For the Healthcare Management students, the trip will be nested in the Introduction to Healthcare Administration course.
"It will be a module on global health that will use the trip as the experiential learning component," he said.
In the healthcare breakout, students will hear from industry experts about the country's healthcare infrastructure, disease research and the role of biopharmaceuticals in the economy. Many Latin American countries spend a high percentage of its GDP on healthcare. Students could learn from experiences such as sit-down conversations with founders and executives at medtech organizations, as well as multinationals such as Johnson & Johnson that have Latin American operations.
"Healthcare in the U.S. is quite different from healthcare in other nations. The global perspective shared on the trip could prove eye-opening for students accustomed to the U.S. system," Kim said.
"It is important for our students to get an understanding of global health. We are definitely an outlier in terms of how we deliver medicine and healthcare within this country, as well as our outcomes," he said. "Having our students understand how healthcare is conducted in other countries will broaden their perspective of how care can be delivered, as well as hopefully generate new ideas of how we could redesign the industry for this country."
Creating Worldwide Leaders
The entire cohort will work in small groups on projects to create solutions for two business challenges, one in healthcare and one in general business. At the end of the week, they will present their ideas to company executives.
"Students will have an opportunity to work on a real-world case in country, collaborate together and then present to executives there," Kim said.
Interacting with a select group of organizations in business, nonprofit and government sectors brings international markets into clear focus for Full-Time MBA students.
"Part of Baylor University's mission is to create worldwide leaders," Carlson said. "It is a huge asset to have the cultural experience of how people work, how people live, and to gain that perspective in an integrative fashion—and then come and translate back to all their classes."
What's Next
Learn more about international opportunities available in Baylor's Full-Time MBA program by following the link below. Our advisors can help you decide if the time is right to explore where you can go with a Baylor MBA, and they will be able to answer questions and offer tips to guide you through the application process if you decide to apply. You can also visit our Full-Time MBA admissions pages for more information.
