The IBR takes place between the students’ first and second years and aims to provide students with knowledge of the business environment of another country.
Each year, there are three distinctly different countries for the EMBA students to choose among for their travels, with destinations in Asia, Latin America and Europe. While in-country, students participate in company and cultural visits, hear from and network with business professionals, government leaders, faculty at local universities and local Anderson alumni. Program fees, course materials, lodging and some meals are covered by the EMBA fees. The IBR is modeled on the Center for Global Management’s global immersion courses with some nuances. As the IBR is for EMBA students only, it is managed by the EMBA office. Virtual options are being provided during the pandemic.
In September 2019, over 120 students traveled to Hangzhou and Shanghai, P.R.C.; Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa; and Paris, France. Each residential included site visits, presentations by business executives and networking with alumni and local entrepreneurs. In Paris, lectures on luxury branding and entrepreneurship by professors at one of the Center for Global Management collaborating schools in France, ESSEC Business School, complemented the curriculum. In Hangzhou, students visited Zhejiang University for presentations on doing business in China with a cultural perspective and the importance of understanding the Chinese context for business success. In Cape Town and Johannesburg, students learned about social innovation and social entrepreneurship. They visited social enterprises and interacted with several local entrepreneurs and business leaders to understand their challenges with creating a business.