University of South Carolina's Moore School of Business Launches New Programs to Address Global Economic Challenges

COLUMBIA, SC – March 18, 2009 – The Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina, among the nation’s top-ranked schools for international business, today introduced two innovative programs designed to prepare a new generation of students for the increasingly complex cultural, political and economic challenges of doing business in the global marketplace.

The first program, the Master of International Business (MIB), is a unique one-year interdisciplinary graduate program offered jointly by the University of South Carolina’s Moore School, College of Arts and Sciences (Political Science) and School of Law.

The second program, the International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE), is a collaborative program with the Chinese University of Hong Kong for undergraduates that includes two years of study in Hong Kong, along with intensive language and cultural training.

We live in unprecedented times that call for bold and innovative education solutions, said Dr. Hildy Teegen, Dean of the Moore School. As the world’s economies continue to evolve, the MIB program will educate leaders who are prepared to meet a different and more complex set of global economic and political challenges. For undergraduates, the IBCE provides direct involvement for students to study and work in China and throughout Asia, one of the most critical regions for global commerce. Together, these programs represent why the Moore School faculty and the University of South Carolina continue to be recognized innovative leaders in international business education.

Master of International Business (MIB)

With continuing changes in the global economy, managers will increasingly be required to understand how organizations interact within socio-cultural and political environments, says Dr. Kendall Roth, chair and professor of international business at the Moore School.

He points to the KOF Swiss Economic Institute’s Index of Globalization Worldwide which shows dramatic growth of social, political and economic globalization activities since the 1990s. In particular, you have multiple forms of commerce emerging in which the government and political processes are dominant players – especially in developing and transition economies. In China, for example, a recent study suggests that of the publicly listed firms there, the state has ultimate and absolute control of over 80 percent of the companies. It is fundamentally important for future business leaders to understand government-business interaction from a comparative perspective, he says. That’s what the MIB program is all about.

An interdisciplinary program between the University of South Carolina’s Moore School, the Department of Political Science (College of Arts and Sciences) and the School of Law, the MIB will provide students with an advanced understanding of the interaction between business, government and society as well as a comparative appreciation of the variability in the relevant institutions and their interplay in various locations throughout the world. Core courses are approached from an interdisciplinary view so that students gain practice in applying socio-cultural, political and economic perspectives to a rich variety of international management issues including overseas trade and investment and the operation and role of multinational firms in the global economy.

We are pleased to be able to team with other colleges on campus and combine the talents of outstanding faculty across disciplines in an innovative way that shows true leadership from the University of South Carolina to the state and to the world, Moore’s Dean Teegen says.

The College of Arts and Sciences is especially delighted to partner with the business school and to contribute our wide-ranging expertise to this effort, said Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, dean of the college. In light of the current economic challenges to our nation and our state, this excellent initiative is especially welcome.

The program, which begins in the fall of 2009, is now accepting applicants on a rolling admissions basis. Candidates must have an undergraduate degree with an international business emphasis, proficiency in a second language and previous international experience, such as study or living abroad.

International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE)

With one-fifth of the world’s GDP, the Asian market is an economic powerhouse that presents tremendous opportunities for our students in business studies and career development, says Dr. V. Scott Koerwer, deputy dean at the Moore School. The IBCE program is an innovative approach to producing graduates who will have direct knowledge and experience studying and working with firms in China.

In the IBCE, a class of 20 students selectively admitted to the Moore School Undergraduate Division will begin their program of study in Fall Semester 2009. They will be joined the following year in Hong Kong by 20 students from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to form a cohort of 40 students who will then share a common curriculum at the Moore School and CUHK. The program is designed such that students spend two years at each institution, thus broadening their understanding not only of business functions but also of business cultures. In addition, Moore School students will engage in intensive language training in Mandarin Chinese and internships during the summers in both China and the U.S.

The new program is unique in that it enables undergraduates to specialize and immerse themselves in this critically important region. Interest in China has always been high among our undergraduate International Business majors; now these students have an outstanding opportunity to pursue this interest in a systematic way that draws on the resources of two great universities, according to Dr. Randy Folks, Director of the Center for International Business Education and Research at the Moore School who has been an academic leader in developing Moore’s international business programs and who will serve as director of both the IBCE and MIB programs.

This program will be the program of choice for students in the U.S. who want to be directly involved in the new China, Dr. Folks says. The Chinese University of Hong Kong is an ideal partner for this program – they have a world-class faculty, a highly respected language center and a modern campus located in a beautiful mountainside setting.

Our goal, explains IBCE Program Manager Dr. David Hudgens, is to create an innovative platform for integrating business studies with an intensive language and cultural experience in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Most importantly, students will have the opportunity to develop team-building and cooperation skills with people from around the world while nurturing the capacities for leadership and adaptability in a variety of social and cultural contexts, he says.

The program also builds on the University of South Carolina’s strong relations with China. The University recently established a new Confucius Institute, a collaboration with the Beijing Language and Culture University and the Office of Chinese Language Council International, a division of the Chinese Ministry of Education to provide teaching, research and exchange programs in China.

 

About The Moore School of Business

The Moore School of Business is a comprehensive business school with more than 4,200 students in its undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs, and 38,000 living alumni around the world. The Executive Education program last year provided approximately 90 programs for 2,500 executives and government leaders. The Moore School has 158 full-time faculty involved in teaching, research, and service to the community. Founded in 1919, the school has a history of innovative leadership in programming and research for the ever-changing global marketplace through a blend of academic preparation and real-world experience. With an emphasis on providing internships, consu
lting projects, study abroad programs, entrepreneurial opportunities, and ethics, the school has earned international recognition. The Moore School’s undergraduate program in International Business is ranked #1 by U.S. News & World Report and, in the category of international experience, the School’s MBA program is ranked second among all business schools globally and first in the U.S. by the Financial Times.