HONG KONG - The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School, and Copenhagen Business School (CBS) are partnering to launch a pioneering international program in undergraduate business.

The schools, each recognized as among the very best in its region, will offer the innovative Global Learning Opportunities in Business Education (GLOBE) program. GLOBE students from CUHK, UNC and CBS will:

• Study together at the campuses in Chapel Hill, Hong Kong and Copenhagen
• Learn about international business from expert faculty at all three schools
• Build and use teamwork and leadership skills
• Extend their learning beyond the schools' borders through trips to corporations in Brussels, Berlin, Shanghai, Tokyo, Washington, D.C. and Research Triangle Park, N.C.
• Collaborate in their learning as members of virtual teams.
  

"There is a need to break through the traditional model of business curriculum to extend the learning process and experience beyond national borders," said Dean T. S. Lee of the CUHK Faculty of Business Administration. "Through GLOBE, we will guide our students through the dynamic landscape of a convergent market place where international companies engage in fierce competition around the world. Increasingly, Asian influence in the world stage, both economically and politically, can no longer be ignored by multinational companies vying for global dominance. CUHK business professors are well placed to contribute their expertise in Asian-related issues to the GLOBE teaching curriculum. Together with our counterparts at UNC and CBS, a truly international team of faculty members will challenge our students, broaden their horizon and embolden them to think and act with a global mindset."

"GLOBE is an innovation in business education for undergraduate students," said UNC Kenan-Flagler Dean Steve Jones. "It goes far beyond the traditional undergraduate exchange program and adds first hand-exposure to foreign business operations and cultures. Students will develop a comprehensive global perspective by visiting nine locations in five different countries. And this globally dispersed and diverse class of undergraduates from some of the world's best business schools will become a network that each of them can rely upon in years to come."

"GLOBE fits perfectly with Copenhagen Business School's strategic vision to train graduates who are competitive in the international job market and develop new research-based knowledge in partnership with companies and other institutions," said Ole Stenvinkel Nilsson, Dean of the CBS Economics Faculty. "Our partnership with UNC and CUHK underscores the importance we attach to partnerships, and demonstrates our commitment to internationalizing our academic environment. It is an important step forward in our internationalization process, and we look forward to welcoming the new program's students in Copenhagen. We are convinced that GLOBE will be a stimulating and challenging experience for all involved."

The first GLOBE students will be selected for the three-year programs at CUHK and CBS in fall 2005 and into UNC's two-year undergraduate program in fall 2006.

Students will spend the fall semester of their junior year at their home institutions, where they will participate on virtual teams for an introduction to international business.

CBS will host students from all schools for the spring semester of their junior year for classes in European business strategy and trips to corporations in Brussels and Berlin.

During the summer of their junior year, GLOBE students will study at CUHK, where they will take courses in Asian business and marketing and visit companies in Shanghai and Tokyo.

They will study at UNC in the fall semester of their senior year and take study trips to Washington, D.C. and Research Triangle Park. Their U.S. studies will focus on new ventures and entrepreneurship. They will return to their home institutions for the spring semester of their senior year to complete their undergraduate degrees.

The GLOBE program was officially launched Oct. 27 at the annual Partnership in International Management (PIM) Conference in Hong Kong.

The GLOBE program is an example of the creative thinking in the international academic community about ways to educate and collaborate across continents. Improved technologies are enabling virtual learning environments for international student teams and collaboration among international schools and universities. CUHK, UNC Kenan-Flagler and CBS are members of PIM, which is actively encouraging this kind of initiative.

For more information about the GLOBE, please visit www.cuhk.edu.hk/globe.