COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Center for International Business
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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Center for International Business Education 1999-2002 Columbia University Columbia Business School School of International and Public Affairs 212-214 Uris Hall MC 9151 1417 International Affairs Building 3022 Broadway 420 West 118th Street New York, New York 10027 Professor Robert Hodrick Associate Director Faculty Director Columbia Business School (212) 854-3413 (212) 854-8960 [email protected] Since its establishment in 1990, the Center for International Business Education (CIBE) has become a multi- faceted organization that is the focal point of international business activities at Columbia University. Programs such as collaborative faculty research workshops, international placement conferences, student study trips abroad and a conference on U.S.-Japan economic relations have brought together the faculty and students of the Business School and the School of International and Public Affairs, as well as executives of the nation's business community to discuss current trends in the international business arena, to consider how research on international business impacts American business interests, and to improve the research and curriculum of international business education. During its eight years of operation, CIBE has been a primary mechanism by which Columbia’s Business School and the School of International and Public Affairs have significantly strengthened their international education programs. Through CIBE, both programs have designed a wide range of courses and programs to enable people trained at Columbia to compete effectively in global markets. CIBE has contributed to strengthening international competitiveness through outreach to the business community. It has also developed effective ways to serve other institutions of higher education in the region. In 1999-2000, the Center proposes an integrated set of programs through which the Center will bring Columbia University’s considerable expertise in international business education to each of the audiences targeted in the authorizing statute. CIBE proposes to focus on six intellectual areas in which Columbia now has particular expertise: international valuation, entrepreneurship, global financial regulation, telecommunications, industrialization of developing economies, and environmental management. The Center proposes research, curricular, student and faculty development initiatives in each of these areas, as well as outreach to business and higher education communities focusing on these topics. Center Configuration The Center for International Business Education is a distinct organizational unit of Columbia's Business School and School of International and Public Affairs. The daily operations of the Center are governed by a faculty Operating Committee drawn from the Center's Advisory Council. CIBE sponsors programs for students and faculty in many schools and departments at Columbia. In addition to the Business School and SIPA, the following Columbia divisions participate in CIBE activities: Columbia and Barnard Colleges, the departments of political science, economics, sociology, and anthropology, the Law School, and five foreign language departments. The Center also works with the eight area studies Title VI National Resource Centers at the University. Finally, CIBE reaches out to graduate business programs in the New York City region, and to corporations, financial institutions and government agencies. Costs to Implement Center Activities The costs of implementing Center programs in 1998-99 alone will reach almost $1 million. It should be noted that this figure represents only approximately 10 percent of Columbia's total investment in international business education. However, it is a crucial portion of the University’s investment: the Center for International Business Education at Columbia remains the only entity that links the resources at the Business School, SIPA, and Columbia's eight Title VI National Resource Centers to ensure that international business education and research at Columbia will be of the highest caliber and greatest possible breadth. Summary of 1999-2002 CIBE Activities A. Curriculum Development Over the past eight years, CIBE has been a strong supporter of new course development and curriculum innovation. During the 1999-2002 period, the Center proposes to further enhance this crucial area through the following programs. 1. MBA Curriculum Development in Environment and Business. In 1998, two new joint appointments (Business School/Columbia Earth Institute) were made to the Business School that will enable its faculty to strengthen MBA curricular offerings on environment-related topics. This curriculum development will occur in close consultation with CIBE faculty director Robert Hodrick. 2. The MIA Degree: International Finance and Business Curriculum Review. The International Finance and Business program in the School of International and Public Affairs focuses on the political, economic, regulatory, and cultural dimensions of business and finance, and integrates new courses in such areas as emerging markets and privatization. The program will undergo a curriculum review by University faculty in 1999. 3. The MBA-MIA Dual Degrees. CIBE is the University entity with which the dual-degree students identify themselves most strongly, and through which the students, faculty and administrations of the Business School and SIPA sponsor lectures, career and academic advising. CIBE will enhance advising services to dual degree students over the next three years, expand its orientation sessions, and continue to publish The Guide to the MBA-MIA Dual Degrees to all students who consider pursuing this track. 4. Implementation of MBA Core Curriculum Revisions. Ongoing efforts to internationalize the MBA core are overseen by the MBA International Business Subcommittee, composed of six senior faculty and chaired by Prof. Robert Hodrick. Its overall charge is to develop additional strategies for making the Business School’s international business program one of the best in the world. The subcommittee currently focuses on working with faculty to further globalize the core curriculum through the use of international cases. 5. Curriculum Development Awards. CIBE proposes to make course development awards to faculty at SIPA, the Business School and foreign language departments to create innovative courses for Columbia students. For the 1999-2002 funding cycle, preference will be given to faculty who propose to develop courses in the areas of international valuation, entrepreneurship, global financial regulations, industrializing developing economies, global information technology, and environmental management when appropriate. B. Business Foreign Language Initiative During the 1999-2002 funding cycle, CIBE proposes to expand its support of foreign language study, focusing on four areas: Intensive Commercial Foreign Language Courses. New courses will be offered in Russian and Vietnamese and courses previously developed in Spanish, French, and Chinese will be continued. 1. Excel Foreign Language Program. Additional language courses will be offered, based on a student survey being conducted in 1998-99. 2. Curriculum Development Grants to Language Instructors to develop new business courses taught in foreign languages. 3. Collaborate with the University’s four Language House Programs (German, French, Italian, and Spanish) in developing new co-curricular programs on international business topics for their graduate, undergraduate, and faculty constituencies. C. International Business Research Since its establishment, CIBE has encouraged collaborative faculty research in international business, particularly among those from different disciplines. CIBE proposes the following research initiatives: 1. Collaborative Faculty Research Grants. In the 1999-2002 funding period, the Center plans to award research grants giving preference to collaborative efforts between international affairs and business faculty, particularly those relevant to the six topic areas of international valuation, entrepreneurship, global financial regulations, telecommunications, industrialization of developing economies, and the role of environmental management in limiting and encouraging U.S. business expansion abroad. 2. Datastream International. In partnership with the Business School's Chazen Institute, CIBE will enhance its support of the maintenance and use of an international database called Datastream International, significantly expanding access on Columbia campus networks, and increasing the number of user orientation sessions. This database provides a complete range of on-line historical data, across all key financial instruments, to the securities industry worldwide. Datastream International is available to all faculty and students at the Business School and SIPA. 3. Research Conferences on International Valuation. Three conferences on the valuation of international projects will be held from spring 1999-spring 2001 to address the complex question of determining the value of international projects. The first conference will analyze aspects of international finance, focusing on the nature of equilibrium in international capital markets. Topics for other conferences will be determined by the CIBE Advisory Council. 4. Research Conference on Entrepreneurship. In collaboration with the Business School’s Entrepreneurship Program, CIBE will conduct a conference on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in transitional economies will be conducted in 2000-2001.