Course Objectives
MCE/ENG 12+3 is a three-credit, two-week optional add-on to CBA's required Managing in Complex Environments (MCE) course and Engineering's ENGR 11/12 course. The program is an international research project to be held immediately after the end of spring term. The program is targeted to students between their freshman and sophomore years. The goal of the program is to give the students a team experience in an international experience.
MCE/ENG 12 + 3 will involve research based on a company visited on the trip. Students will work in small groups to focus on a firm and the related industry in both the visited country and the United States. In so doing, they will prepare a cross-market analysis of the firm and the industries, focusing on similarities and differences in operating environments, and linking firm behavior and competitive outcomes to these environmental differences. Particular attention will also be focused on engineering issues as supply chain management, outsourcing, the issue of off-shore transfer of jobs, and will answer questions such as: What would a Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Industrial, or Bio Engineer see if they evaluated the company. What basic engineering applications did they see, and how do they operate?
At the end of the trip, students will make a team oral presentation on a business plan to start a business in China based on their experience and opportunities they find during the trip. Both business and engineering viewpoints related to the national and global industry in which it operates must be considered in the presentation. In addition, students will be required to keep a journal that records impressions of the business and cultural environment in their country.
Students' time during these two weeks will be comprised of company visits, cultural excursions, and lectures and interaction with students and faculty at the local universities.
It is important to stress that MCE/ENG 12 + 3 is a group-oriented program and full participation will be required in all aspects of the program, both academic and cultural. Students will not be permitted to work alone on the academic project.