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DALLAS, Texas (SMU) - Friday, November 16, kicks off the third year of the American Airlines Global Leadership Program (GLP), a mandatory two-week international trip for first-year Cox MBA students. Preparing for the trip, students participate in six orientations, the first of which provides an overview of the business and cultural climates of Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Consular Generals and representatives from Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom will cover general information relative to each GLP country, including geography, culture, history, politics, and business policies.

The GLP is an innovative international business experience, unique to the Cox School of Business. All first-year MBA students are assigned to one of three groups visiting major cities in Asia (Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, and Tokyo), Europe (Stockholm, Munich, and London), or Latin America (Monterrey, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro). During the two-week trips, students meet with business executives, managers, and government representatives while examining a range of issues, including how marketing approaches vary among countries, how culture influences the manner in which business is conducted, and how government and trade regulation affect overall economic structure. At the conclusion of the trips, students participate in a three-day symposium on the SMU campus to share their observations with the Cox community, American Airlines' executives, and the Dallas business community.

Despite fears of a global recession, the GLP has expanded its format this year to include an information technology component. Cox MBA students visiting Europe will spend three days in Stockholm, meeting with executives of Ericsson and other companies in Kista Science Park. Considered the second-ranking global science park and the European version of Silicon Valley, Kista Science Park is home to 700 companies ranging from small start-ups to multinationals, including the Swedish or Scandinavian headquarters of Nokia, Compaq Computers, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, ICL Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems.

"Understanding the complex business, economic, and cultural environments in foreign countries is essential to success in today's global economy," said Linda Kao, director of International Programs at the Cox School of Business. "The GLP gives our students the opportunity to learn firsthand how different companies around the world are dealing with a range of issues, including the current economic slowdown."
Funded by American Airlines, the GLP is offered at no charge to Cox students. Over 40 companies around the world participate in and support the program. Major corporations participating in the program include:

SMU's Cox School of Business offers a full range of business education programs, from BBA and full-time MBA to Professional MBA (PMBA), Executive MBA (EMBA), and Executive Education. Cox is ranked among the top business schools nationally and internationally by major publications including Business Week, Financial Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and U.S. News & World Report. In addition, the school's Business Leadership Center (BLC), Caruth Institute of Owner-Managed Business, American Airlines Global Leadership Program (GLP), and Associate Board executive mentoring program are nationally and internationally recognized.