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International Business Study Program/Trip to South Africa
Spring 2007, three-credit course
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS (FAQ)
The School of Business–Camden (SBC) offers a
three-credit course on doing business in South Africa. The course highlight
is a 12-day study trip over Spring Break to South Africa, where we visit
businesses and government institutions to learn more conducting about
business in this region. This FAQ sheet is divided into four parts:
information about the Course, Trip, Costs, and Information Sessions.
ABOUT THE COURSE
Who is eligible for
the class? How many credits will I earn? What types of credits will I
earn?
This is a three-credit class, open to MBA and undergraduate business
students. You can earn either management or marketing credits. Check with
your advisor to determine whether management or marketing credits would be
best for you.
What’s the course all about?
The course is divided into three parts: (1) pre-trip preparation and
reports; (2) the trip itself, including academic work while on the trip; (3)
post-trip analysis and reports. Students will work individually and in teams
to complete academic work, which will be graded.
What type of projects will we work on?
The coursework is tentatively organized around consulting projects,
where you and several other students will be assigned to provide an SME
(small to medium-sized enterprise) in South Africa with consulting in
management and marketing issues of their choosing and need. In addition,
upon return to the U.S., you will develop a longer-range business plan for
that company. We are in the process of soliciting and screening SMEs for
these projects. You will be expected to gather and analyze information under
realistic conditions of uncertainty, differences in culture, etc.
Who are the instructors and when will class meet?
This course is being team-taught by Professor Snehamay Banerjee
(Management) and Professor Chon Goh (Management) . Although you will receive
either management or marketing credits, Professors Banerjee and Goh are
working together to develop an interdisciplinary academic experience. Your
final grade will reflect their joint evaluation. The class will meet on
three Saturdays from 10 am – 12:45 pm prior to the trip. These
class meeting dates are January 20th , February 3rd, and February 24th
(this session will be from 10 am – 2 pm because it will include trip
logistics briefing). After the trip, we will have class sessions on
April 21nd and May 5th. The May 5th date
will also include a post-trip “picture party.”
How do I get permission to enroll in the course?
Complete an application. We are using an application system because we
want to assess student interests and abilities so that we can assign
individuals to team projects/companies. Applications are due no later than 2
pm on November 3rd, and students accepted to the course will be
notified by 2 pm on November 13th. Applications received after
that time will be considered on a space-available basis.
Where do I get an application?
Go to the SBC website (http://camden-sbc.rutgers.edu/SACourse/application.asp)
What kinds of organizations will we visit? Why do
we visit them?
We visit a variety of enterprises – large and small – to gain full
exposure to the business challenges and opportunities in South Africa. Past
business meetings have included the Port of Cape Town, a small exporter of
South Africa teas, a recording studio that promotes local black South
African musical artists, Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency, Lucent
Technologies, the U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, Coca-Cola South Africa, a
manufacturer or large-scale outdoor meeting tents, and others. We also visit
an elementary school that we have “adopted.” We will be meeting in person
with the companies you are consulting with, where you will be expected to
gather information, listen carefully to their business challenges, and offer
both short-term recommendations and longer-term business plans.
ABOUT THE TRIP
The trip is tentatively scheduled for March 7th to March 19th.
The trip will include stays in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Beyond meetings
with businesses, government organizations, and other enterprises, highlights
of the study trip include visits to:
-
Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned during
the apartheid era;
-
The Cape of Good Hope and South Africa’s expanding wine
industry near Stellenbosch;
-
Townships such as
Soweto and Langa, where SMEs and other community organizations are
expanding since the removal of apartheid policies; and
-
Kruger or Etosha National Park where we will view wildlife (e.g.,
elephants, giraffe, zebra) and learn about the importance of the tourism
industry to the country.
Who goes on the trip with us?
Associate Provost Cal Maradonna leads the trip for the SBC. He has
visited South Africa too many times to count. He makes travel arrangements
for us and leads us on all of our adventures during the trip itself.
Professor Banerjee (2 time) and Professor Goh (2 times) have traveled to
South Africa on behalf of Rutgers. This is a seasoned leadership team! A
number of other students, faculty, administrators, and “friends” of Rutgers
will also travel with us.
Where do we stay? What’s the food like?
In Cape Town and Johannesburg, we stay at business executive hotels.
Generally, continental breakfasts are included in the hotel fees. You’ll pay
for some lunches and dinners, and the trip will pay for others. The food can
be good to excellent, depending on circumstances. South African cuisine can
be quite varied, reflecting the various cultural influences in the region:
traditional African cooking, Dutch and British cooking influences, Cape
Malay cooking including Indian and Indonesia influences, etc. Most meals are
“Western” (e.g., meat, potatoes, vegetables). Lunch is usually “on the run.”
When we visit Kruger Park, we stay one night in
lodging in the park. The typical lodging is a concrete “cabin” with the
basics of beds, showers, and running water. It’s a great experience!
Our travel arrangements in country are made by
Destination Manager Muhammed Khan ("M.K.") of Tribal Meetings
http://www.tribalco.co.za/ . For
nearly 10 years, Tribal Meetings has crafted tours that compliment and
enliven the academic experience of our students. In planning our
accommodations, many meals, on-site visits, tours, and treks, M.K. and his
associates work hard to create memorable journeys of learning for all of us.
ABOUT THE COSTS and PASSPORTS/VISAS
How
much does this cost in terms of tuition? How much does the trip itself
cost?
As far as tuition is concerned, if in the Spring
semester you will be a full-time student with your other courses and you add
this course, you would not pay any additional tuition fees. That is, after
you become full-time and pay full-time tuition, you can take additional
credits without paying additional tuition fees. If you are not a full-time
student, you pay tuition according to the appropriate fee schedule.
In addition to paying for tuition, the trip-related
cost is estimated at $2995. This fee covers airfare (about 50% of the cost),
10 nights’ accommodations, travel fees and in-country bus transportation,
most entry fees, and some meals while on the trip. The trip fee payment
schedule is as follows (details about where/how to pay will be provided
later):
What’s the current exchange rate? How much money
should we bring on the trip?
The exchange rate is currently about 6:1, meaning that 6 South African
rand are approximately $1 U.S. Some items will seem less expensive than the
U.S. counterpart – food oftentimes seems cheaper to us. Other items are at
least as expensive as the U.S. equivalent, such as books. You’ll pay for
some meals, incidentals, souvenirs, and gratuities (tips). You should
anticipate spending about $50 in tips during the trip. Why? First, good
travelers always provide tips to those who provide basic and excellent
service – all of our tour guides, bus drivers, etc. Second, Rutgers cannot
budget those items in because of billing/reimbursement rules and
regulations.
So, based on past trips and depending on your taste
and budget, you may want to allocate a minimum of $200 for expenses not
covered by the trip fee including some meals and “lunch on the run.” How
much you bring and spend for personal/gift purchases is entirely up to you.
For example, $300 will buy many items, but you might budget more or less,
depending on your situation.
What
type of documents will I need for traveling?
o
If you are a U.S. citizen, you will need a valid U.S. passport
that is NOT due to expire before six months AFTER our trip. That is, if your
passport is due to expire before October 2006, you should renew your
passport.
o
If you are not a U.S. citizen, you will need a valid passport
from your country along with an appropriate VISA. Cal will provide guidance
on visa issues. More information will be provided about that at a later
date.
INFORMATION SESSIONS
Plan on attending an information session to learn
more about the course and trip. Information Sessions will be held in BSB
231. Attend one of the following sessions:
(1)
Thursday, October 12th, 12:30 - 1:10 pm;
(2)
Thursday, October 12th, 5 – 5:45 pm;
(3)
Wednesday, October 18th, 12:30 – 1:10 pm;
(4)
Wednesday, October 18st, 5 pm – 5:45 pm.
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