Global Initiatives in Management (GIM)
Mark Finn, Director of GIM Program

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. Today, over 500 students — a number with includes about two-thirds of each Full-Time MBA class — participate annually in the program. In 2007, 366 students from the Full-Time program, 53 students from the Part-Time program and 92 Executive MBA students participated in GIM.

In Class and Around the World

The GIM program is an intensive global business leadership course designed by students. Teams of classmates plan and facilitate a challenging 10-week curriculum with a faculty advisor, and coordinate a two-week international field experience. By participating in GIM, students gain valuable leadership skills and enhance their awareness of the global business environment.

Offered in the winter and summer quarters, GIM courses are typically composed of about 35 students. The students select their destination and target industries. Students within each class focus on a wide variety of industries and economic sectors. For example, in a course on Thailand, student topics of study included emerging market strategies for consumer products, the Internet in southeast Asia, entering the manufacturing market, and Thai financial markets.

After choosing a country and area of focus, the students work with their faculty advisor to plan a rigorous curriculum, inviting high-level government officials and corporate executives from their chosen location, along with U.S. experts and Kellogg School faculty members, to speak to their classes. At the same time, they plan the logistics, finances, and public relations tactics for their visit, making corporate, cultural, and media contacts. The students also design country-specific Web pages.

When their classroom instruction is complete, students embark on an intense two weeks of field study and research analysis. Immersed in the culture and languages of their host region, they meet with business and government leaders and carry out the primary research essential for completing their final presentations and reports. They also meet with Kellogg School alumni working around the world.

Country and Industry Study

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, Thailand, Turkey, 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:

• Tourism 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
• Consumer behavior in post-communist Russia