Center for Global Business and the Economy

Global Management Immersion Experience (GMIX)

The Global Management Immersion Experience (GMIX) encourages students to gain international work experience by completing a summer project of a minimum of four weeks in an unfamiliar location outside the United States.

Students typically participate in a GMIX between your first and second year of the MBA program, after you have completed your regular eight to ten-week summer internship.
In 2010, we supported 91 students who engaged with 66 organizations in 23 countries around the world, including Australia, Brazil, China, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, and Switzerland.
Company sponsors include organizations in the corporate, government, and NGO settings.
You can find GMIX projects in a variety of industries, including consumer products, international development, energy, finance, healthcare, media and entertainment, technology, and telecommunications.
Following your participation, you will have the option to complete a research paper on a topic related to your GMIX for one or two units of academic credit.
Participation in the GMIX program fulfills the Global Experience Requirement (GER), which you need to complete by the start of your winter quarter in the second year. The GER is a graduation requirement ensuring that every student broadens his/her understanding of the global context of business during the course of the MBA Program through a significant global experience related to the topic of management.

Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program (STEP)

The Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program (STEP) is a program that provides cross-cultural learning of business and management in the U.S. and China.
The program's aim is to present GSB second-year MBA students with an opportunity to form long-lasting relationships with Tsinghua University MBA students and to provide a basis for greater understanding of doing business in China as well as the context of China in the global economy.

The STEP exchange involves a nine-month-long collaboration on academic projects, a one-week visit by Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management second-year MBA students to Stanford, and a one-week visit by GSB students to Tsinghua.
Stanford MBA students are paired with Tsinghua MBA students and begin to establish relationships by collaborating on joint academic projects on topics of mutual interest related to business in the U.S. and China.
Students further their bonding and deepen their cross-cultural understanding during the visits, which focus on academics, business visits, and social and cultural activities.
This academic program provides 2 units of credits.
Participation in STEP fulfills the Global Experience Requirement (GER), which all students need to complete by the start of your winter quarter in the second year. The GER is a graduation requirement ensuring that you broaden your understanding of the global context of management during the course of the MBA Program through a significant global experience related to the topic of management.

Global Study Trips

Global Study Trips are student-initiated and complement the classroom experience by offering students the opportunity to interact with global leaders from around the world.

The objectives of the Global Study Trips are the following:

To develop meaningful, on-the-ground perspective of the business, political, and social climates within the countries/regions visited, broadening students' global perspectives.
To understand the culture, social norms, and business practices of the countries/region visited, furthering students' capacities to manage in a global business environment.

In preparation for the trip, students study and host speakers on topics such as macroeconomic policy and political history and facilitate discussions on culture and business etiquette. Upon returning to campus, students complete a report and share their experiences and key takeaways with the GSB community.

Global Study Trips for 2010-2011 led to Australia; Brazil; China; China and Taiwan; India; Israel; Kenya and Rwanda; Korea, Russia; Russia and Ukraine; Switzerland and Austria; Thailand and Vietnam.
Global Study Trips for 2011-2012 are planned for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria/Ghana, Netherlands/Belgium/England, Poland/Ukraine, Quatar/UAE, Saudi Arabia/Quatar, and Spain.
Participation in a Global Study Trip fulfills the Global Experience Requirement (GER), which all students need to complete by the start of your winter quarter in the second year. The GER is a graduation requirement ensuring that you broaden your understanding of the global context of management during the course of the MBA Program through a significant global experience related to the topic of management.

Global Speaker Series

The Global Speaker Series brings leaders from academia and the business, government, and social sectors to the GSB to discuss the challenges of managing global organizations with our students.

Recent speakers include:

James D. Wolfensohn, former President, The World Bank
Carlos Ghosn, CEO, Nissan and Renault
William F. Browder, Founder & CEO, Hermitage Capital Management
Joseph Stiglitz, Professor, Columbia University
Abdallah Jum’ah, President & CEO, Saudi Aramco
Vicente Fox, former President of Mexico
Carlos Brito, CEO, InBev
Paulo Diniz, CFO, COSAN
Michael Ducker, President, International, FedEx
Maria Eitel, President, Nike Foundation
Yang Kaisheng, President, Commercial Bank of China
Narayana Murthy, Chairman, Infosys Technologies
William Weldon, Chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson

Student Community Activities

The GMP supports a vibrant community of students who are passionate about global issues. The GMP student leadership organizes panels, networking events, and social events throughout the year to bring together our global community. The following are examples of recent student initiatives: