Lauder Summer Project

An integral part of the Lauder version of the MGMT 654/655 course is a small research project undertaken during the summer immersion program.  The project involves researching and writing on a topic of current interest in the country or region.  Topics may be related to a specific company, an industry, the financial sector, the economy, politics, culture, society, or any other relevant issue. Students work in teams of about 5 students to gather information and conduct interviews in their program language. The teams then write short articles in both their program language and in English.  The goal is for the articles to be published by Knowledge@Wharton as part of its Lauder Insight Series. Teams also give short presentations on their topics to the Lauder community at the end of Pre-Term.

Lauder Global Knowledge Lab

As part of the requirements for the MA degree, Lauder students are required to fulfill a research and writing assignment. Historically, this assignment has been a traditional MA thesis. As of the Class of 2010, the assignment has changed to a Global Knowledge Lab research project.

Students at the Lauder Institute earn an MBA degree from the Wharton School and an MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. As part of the curriculum, they undertake a research project of an international nature. Students work in teams of five under the supervision of two Wharton and Penn faculty members, conduct research while on campus, travel to collect data, and write a team report and an individual paper. The project lasts for twelve months, starting in January of the first year on the program and ending in December of the second year.

Often, projects are sponsored and/or directed by outside organizations, including foundations, investment banks, consulting firms, or business associations. Examples of Global Knowledge Lab projects include: developing a franchise model for women’s health clinics and credit unions in Senegal and Cape Verde; analyzing the impact of worker remittances on local communities in China and Latin America; helping a Philadelphia-based entrepreneur understand the intricacies of the business culture in Germany and Russia; analyzing the economic, political and regulatory aspects of venture capital and private equity investing in different parts of the world; studying the economic and political aspects behind the rise to prominence of sovereign wealth funds in Asia, Latin America, Russia, and the Middle East; or researching and writing case studies of women entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Students choose to join a team working on a project that speaks to their language, industry, and country interests. They prepare for the project while taking the required class on International Political Economy during the fall semester of the first year of the program. Global Knowledge Lab projects provide students with the opportunity to develop and integrate their language, managerial, and cultural skills in the context of a practical, yet analytical research undertaking.

For instance, in 2008 five students from the Chinese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish tracks worked together to investigate the cultural aspects of changing consumer patterns in Latin America, Russia, and China. The research was sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, a large consulting firm, and took the students to Mexico City, São Paulo, Moscow and Beijing, where they interviewed company executives and gathered qualitative and quantitative data.

"The project was unique in giving us hands-on business experience in four different countries and languages. The chance to interview executives of emerging-market and multinational firms from Brazil to China and to work with leaders in the consulting world was exceptional. To me, this program sets Lauder apart from other international business programs." —Claire Siegel, Lauder Class of 2009, Portuguese Track.