Notes:

Program Directors are usually full-time faculty because they are often more able to maintain frequent and on-going contact with students before and after the program. However, part-time faculty may lead Academic Travel depending on program goals and on the particular faculty member’s expertise and availability.

Please attach a proposed itinerary and tentative budget. Bear in mind that the current funding for travel programs is CHF 2250? Exceptionally, a small number of programs with surcharges beyond this amount may be approved. Your tentative budget will, of course, be provisional, but it must contain reasonable cost estimates. This is especially true if a surcharge is proposed. A supplement of CHF 2500 is required for this trip.

Program length would be a minimum of ten days and nine nights. A shorter program should involve additional on-campus preparation or follow-up during the program period. The program, irrespective of length, must “fit” between the dates of Saturday October 12th to Saturday October 26. No departures before the first date nor returns before the second date.

Brief description for inclusion in the Catalogue:

Students will be introduced to a country, Thailand, which is undergoing dramatic social and political changes while still preserving its Buddhist Temples and ancient royal cities, which are an integral part of Thailand’s rich cultural heritage. Students also will sample the sophistication and lifestyle of Australia’s metropolitan centers and marvel at the timeless beauty of the Great Barrier Reef; one of nature’s true masterpieces.

Goals and objectives of the program:

Students will be exposed to the cultural and business milieu of Thailand and Australia as well as visit major business enterprises for example, Coca Cola and Tetra Pak, whose operational activities stretch across national boundaries while these firms like others are required to conduct business within and across national institutional systems. Students also will interact with corporate leadership at banks and financial institutions to understand the business complexities and formulation of economic initiatives and government policies within Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific region.

Pre-requisites/co-requisites (if any):

Students with an emphasis in management, economics/finance and international relations are perhaps most suited to participate and they will likely benefit the most from the trip.

Relation of travel program to curriculum:

This academic travel program will meld the theoretical foundations of management, economics/finance and international relations together with a “real world” application from visits to major business enterprises. Aside from exposure in doing business in Thailand and on another “English speaking” continent, Australia, students will observe the multicultural and global implications which each country offers as active members of the W.T.O. The learning outcomes will be derived from a business case study approach that each student will write and submit to satisfy the academic component of the trip.

Orientation planned prior to departure:

The academic travel seminars will focus on the macroeconomic indicators and socio-political issues affecting both Thailand and Australia. In addition, the seminars will address factors affecting both Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific region and the potential implications for other world economies through strategic trade agreements and multilateral cooperation.

Readings or other materials required or recommended for participation:

Various publications and full text electronic databases will be utilized to provide an adequate background and preparation on the business, economic and cultural environments existent in both Thailand and Australia.

Means of evaluation:

Both student participation in private and public sector meetings and submission of a written case study based on research, field observations and individual portfolios will be mandatory as the evaluative measurement to determine the course grade.

Has the seminar been discussed in your Area? Yes.

Comments from the Area:

The academic and cultural benefits to be derived from this academic travel to Thailand and Australia by students will be evident through their exposure to distinctive cultures and economic environments in Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific region. The visits to both Thailand and Australia will provide students with an in-depth view of countries which are culturally distinctive and comparatively different from the U.S. and European Union in areas of social justice, business innovation and political leadership.