Smith MBA Global Experience – South Africa
When we were presented with the choice of locations for our Global Experience, South Africa immediately rose to the top of my list. The opportunity for a Global Experience course was one of the major reasons that I chose Smith, and every former student I’ve spoken to has specifically endorsed the South Africa trip. For me, South Africa represents a familiar business environment in a completely unfamiliar region of the world.
The Smith Part-time MBA program has given us a foundation in corporate best practices, and taught us about data-driven decision making in the workplace. We’ve worked through case studies about firms from all over the world, and we’ve had professors from North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. We’ve focused the bulk of our course work on firms in North America, and how they interact in the global environment (particularly with Asian firms). The one region we’ve never studied is Africa, yet South Africa represents the second largest GDP on the African continent, and is in the top 30 for GDP (PPP) globally. I’m very interested to learn about how South African firms operate in the global economy, as well as domestically.
We’ll be spending the majority of our trip in Cape Town, which is experiencing a boom in the tech industry. Our program has placed a major emphasis on data-driven decision making, and I’m excited to interact with firms like Brandseye that practice data analytics on a day to day basis. It will also be interesting to hear how tech firms are able to work with partners internationally, as this has been a hot topic in my own career. I just transitioned to a role that focuses on go-to-market strategy, so I’m hopeful to get to work with Bespoke Media on my consulting project.
While many of the firms, industries, and professionals that we’ll encounter will feel familiar, the backdrop of Cape Town and Johannesburg are what I’m truly excited about. We’ll be exposed to new foods, languages, and social norms that will only help us as global citizens. South Africa’s cultural divide is no secret, and it will be interesting to see how much of its troubled past is still present. Firms like Harambee have worked to keep South Africa’s at-risk youth employed and set them up for successful careers. I’m curious to learn how other companies and industries have created profitability without promoting gentrification.
I’ve never traveled to the Southern Hemisphere, much less Africa, and can’t wait for the experiences that lie ahead. The summer weather and penguin-filled beaches won’t hurt!
