Global Initiatives in Management (GIM)

A cornerstone of the Kellogg School's international curriculum is the Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) program. GIM began in 1990 when a group of 27 students organized a course and a two-week trip to what was then the Soviet Union. Since then, the program has expanded greatly, covering five continents and hundreds of international destinations. Today, over 350 students participate annually in the program, which offers courses to Kellogg's full-time, part-time, and executive MBA students.

In Class and Around the World

The GIM program is an intensive global business course. Offered in the winter and summer quarters, GIM courses are typically composed of about 35 students. Students spend eight weeks in the classroom with Kellogg faculty, learning about the culture, society, economy, and business environment of a particular country or region. As their GIM deliverable, students divide into smaller groups of five, and select an industry they wish to explore more in-depth and design a business plan, research question, or business case around. The students will begin work on their topic during winter quarter and schedule their own meetings in-country to learn more about the topic first-hand.

Over spring break,  the GIM classes will spend up to twelve days in-country. The planning for the in-country experience is primarily done by the GIM student leaders and the GIM Advisor. During this time frame, GIM participants will meet with government officials and business and industry leaders.  They will also conduct their primary research for their smaller project groups. Finally, students will have some time to experience and enjoy the culture of the locations they are visiting.  Finally, most GIM classes will  organize reception for Kellogg alumni from around the world.

GIM groups have studied Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Ivory Coast, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the People's Republic of China, Peru, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vietnam, and Zambia. Many of these countries are facing radical economic and political changes, providing an intense and fascinating education for Kellogg School students. Topics of past projects conducted by GIM classes include:

• Microfinance in South Africa
• E-commerce in Thailand
• A case study in microenterprise in Ghana
• High-speed product development in Japan
• Marketing consumer leisure products to young adults in China
• The wine export industry in Chile
• Real networks and online software distribution in Brazil
• Regulation of telecommunication in Chile and Argentina
• The pharmaceutical industry in India
• Ecotourism in Costa Rica
• Marketing global brands in Vietnam
• Venture capital in the financial communities of the European Union
• Cellphone banking in South Africa
• Youth retail marketing in Japan
• Alternative energy in Russia

To learn more about the GIM program, please click on the tabs to the left. Also, feel free to contact the Global Programs office:

Debbie Kraus
Associate Director, Global Study Programs
d-kraus@kellogg.northwestern.edu

Natalie Brown
Program Assistant, EMBA and Part-Time GIM Programs
natalie-brown@kellogg.northwestern.edu

Christine Dunn
Program Assistant, Full-Time GIM Programs
c-dunn@kellogg.northwestern.edu