GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS PRACTICUM
(BUSINESS 399)

March 1, 2007

Every year, Ohio University students join ACT Business students in a very successful educational experience in managing multi-disciplinary real world projects in multi-cultural environments. This year, the GCP course is offered again as a summer course.

The Global Competitiveness Program (GCP) has been designed to give students an opportunity to leverage their existing business skills as well as help them develop new ones. The goals are to provide an experience that will give students confidence in dealing with business problems and confidence in working with multinational team-mates.

Ohio University students pair with students from ACT and work in teams of 4 or 6 students on the assignments. Each team is given a different project and is charged with developing and implementing an approach for completing it in the time allotted, with the resources provided, and in a fashion that satisfies its client. While the assignments present an excellent learning experience for the specific business problems they present, the uniqueness of this program is the learning that flows from it.

The corporations assign a contact person who explains the needs of the project to the students and keeps in touch with the team for the duration of the project to provide more information as needed. The teams prepare extensive written reports about their findings and give formal oral presentations at the closing of the project to their professors and the representatives of their clients (corporation members).

During the course, the students meet with representatives from their assigned company, returning to the host institution each afternoon for debriefing with the instructor. Instructors from Ohio University and ACT serve as mentors, helping the students to focus on the project that they have been assigned as well as helping them work through the team dynamics of working in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual environment.

ACT and Ohio University organize several major social events (receptions, excursions, etc), to which all involved members, students, professors, and corporation representatives, are invited. Everyone is encouraged to attend as these functions are designed to build and enhance the working bonds of the teams.

Students learn to find their way in the business environment. They encounter work habit differences, ethical differences and project management challenges. It is our experience that completion of this program puts a highlight on the resumes of these students that will impress any prospective employer that competes in the international business arena.

Those interested in earning 3 credits in 10 days, starting June 18th and ending June 29, 2007, register NOW for BUSINESS 399 and do not forget to contact your advisor and Mr. Grammenos (ext. 381).