IE UniversityApplication Process

Express yourself8. If you could create an academic course that is taught in

IE University, what would it be?

By Elia de Mendoza Alvarez

Outline

● Introduction to the course● Course Description● Goals & Objectives● Teaching Strategy● Case Study● Conclusion

Introduction

Since I am deeply interested in education and the importance of global culture and general knowledge, many ideas enthusiastically come to my mind as I think about having the opportunity to create an academic course that would be offered at IE University.

The course would be ideal for my educational development as well as my classmates’ and it would focus on my academic interests: Business and International Relations.

I have realized throughout the years that the best way to learn how to carry out a task is to put it into practice. Following this thought, my hypothetical course would be called“Global Strategic Management Course”.

Course Description

The course would be based on the use of an online business simulator. Students would be divided into teams; each team would live in a foreign country during a full academic trimester.By living in their chosen nations, students would be able to recognize first hand the biggest issues and highest demands of the area. Consequently, each team would use the online business simulator to virtually create a company that would satisfy a need of the country's citizens and would be likely to succeed in the Marketplace.By using the online simulator program, each team would make different decisions: choose the quantity and type of resources to be implemented in the business, the size of the labor force necessary to carry out the project, the advertising offered through social media in order to compete with other companies in the market, etc.The online simulator would ultimately calculate the profit that the company would make if the good or service was introduced in the Marketplace, or calculate its approximate social benefit if the business was a nonprofit corporation.

Course Description

Students would be able to stay at any chosen place in the globe, and would be responsible to find a residence to stay at during the trimester.

Each team would choose to virtually open a business that would fall into the following categories:

● Agriculture● Automotive● Construction● Electric Power● Energy Industry● Food and Beverage

● Manufacturing● Transportation● Publishing● Telecommunications● Financial Services● Health Care

Goals & Objectives

Global Strategic Management Course● Use practical learning to increase academic

achievement● Develop critical thinking capacity● Encourage student engagement and collaborative

learning● Acquire stronger communication abilities ● Expand creative skills ● Learn about and open to a different culture● Find the interaction between self-interest and

community service

Teaching Strategy

● Practical Teaching: connect the activities in the course to prior knowledge

● Team Project: compare perspectives and distribute the work

● Student-centered: ideas and decisions would come exclusively from students

● Professional help: a professor would be available for each team in case that they need guidance

● Motivation

Case Study

As a case study of the course my team and I would decide to travel to Accra, Ghana.

During the stay, we would immerse in the Ghanaian culture and notice that one of the biggest issues of Accra is that the lack of appropriate food resources increases child malnutrition at a high rate.

One possible solution to the issue would be to virtually open up a supermarket offering food that contains the right nutrition for the mother and child from the beginning of the pregnancy.

We would use the online simulator to decide where the supermarket should be placed, how many people would work in it, which products would be offered, and where they would be imported from.

Case Study

To virtually open the supermarket, we would use the online simulator to complete the following steps of the process:

1. Write the business plan: calculate approximate income and outcome2. Find a way to finance the business: i.e through bank loans3. Determine the the type of business: partnership, corporation, etc4. Choose the location of the supermarket5. Find a name for the supermarket: i.e “Healthy Eatin’”6. Get the licenses required to open the business7. Choose the requirements and size of the labor force

Case Study

The simulated supermarket in Accra would:● Provide a better access to food● Inform Ghanaians on the appropriate amount and types of food● Promote healthy eating● Encourage a healthy lifestyle ● Provide jobs and decrease unemployment rate

Conclusion

Through this course, students would have the chance to visit a foreign country and learn about its culture and biggest conflicts regarding economics, politics, society and culture. They would find a way to help society but still be true to their interest in Business and International Relations.

I find this course an innovative idea that should be offered in the Dual Degree in Business Administration and International Relations at IE Business School as a way to make learning entertaining, inspirational, and practical, and to encourage students to follow the IE University values of:

The Global Strategic Management Course

ENTREPRENEURSHIP FLEXIBILITY

INTEGRATED

INTERNATIONAL

HUMANISTIC

“IMPROVE THE PROCESS”

Thank you for your attention,

Elia de Mendoza Alvarez