Program Details

PHASE 1 IN MUNICH

Phase 1 of gfw's IMP: Managing in a World of Global Business prepares you to successfully work, live and study abroad. Six weeks of intensive preparation allows you to build a solid foundation by interweaving three program elements.

Business Communication in English

With over 130 hours of instruction, Business Communication in English (BCE) accounts for about half of Phase 1. Effective Business Communication in English is a key success factor in today's world of global business. Experienced native speakers, who incorporate international and intercultural business material throughout, teach BCE. Topics include business reading (writing business letters, memos, resumes and reports) plus business telephoning and interviewing techniques. Business meetings and presentations as well as international negotiations in English are also incorporated to improve both your business skills and your English fluency.

International Business Seminars

About 30% of Phase 1 is devoted to International Business Seminars focusing on knowledge in managing in a global business environment. The seminars are half-day to two-day sessions of intensive instruction addressing key issues in international business ranging from the impact of globalization on how firms are managed to international finance and marketing. To reinforce the BCE, the sessions are taught entirely in English by professors from Germany and the USA. Furthermore, speakers from businesses also contribute their insights and knowledge on the ways that companies are coping with the rapidly changing world of the 21st century.

Intercultural Management Workshops

The remaining 20% of Phase 1 consist of Intercultural Management Workshops to enhance your intercultural and international awareness and to develop your cross-cultural skills. You are introduced to cultural, social, psychological and political processes that influence management practices and decision making in international business. Topics include International Management, International Finance, European-Asian-USA cultural differences, cross-cultural adaptability, transnational teamwork as well as culture-specific information to prepare you for Phases 2 and 3 of the program.

After the successful completion of Phase 1, you travel to Brisbane, Singapore, or the USA for your MBA courses. A few days of travel and transition are allocated in the program schedule.

 

PHASE 2: MBA STUDY in Singapore, Brisbane or the USA

While living abroad, you complete two MBA courses. You may choose to study at the Brisbane Graduate School of Business (BGSB) in Australia, or The National University of Singapore (NUS), or the University of St. Thomas as well as The Houston Baptist University (HBU) in Houston, Texas.

Cultural Exposure

Whichever option you choose, you will enjoy and benefit from the international richness and cultural diversity of the location in addition to the excellent quality coursework. This exposure is an essential part of your preparation for the world of global business, plus it is exciting and personally rewarding.

Flexibility

To provide flexibility, we offer two options and four universities in three different countries. The two options are the Asian-Pacific Option and the North American Option. For further flexibility, you may take Phase 1 during one calendar year, and then participate in Phases 2 & 3 the following year. For example, Phase 1 may be taken in 2008 and Phases 2 & 3 in 2009, or Phase 1 in 2009 and Phases 2 & 3 in 2010 and so on. This arrangement allows you to spread the time needed for the program and its costs over two years and helps you to reduce the time away from work.

Additionally, if you are employed, you may conduct the Company Project, Phase 3, with the company that employs you. The project may be conducted with a subsidiary or affiliate of your company in Asia-Pacific or North America, and if necessary, it even can be conducted back in Germany. The project could also be with a joint venture, supplier, customer or other partner of your employer.

PHASE 3: Management Application Project
Asia-Pacific or North America

The highlight and conclusion of the IMP is a Management Application Project, commonly called the "Company Project", of between 8 to 12 weeks in a company in Asia-Pacific or North America. Rather than being a passive" internship", you are expected to achieve a useful, well-defined piece of work for the company. Often IMP participants serve as internal consultants who bring new approaches and/or perspectives to solve a particular problem. The project offers you the opportunity to apply your acquired management knowledge and skills in a real-life situation and to gain experience in a company in a foreign country.

A final report, generally less than 10,000 (ten thousand) words, is submitted to gfw. It normally includes an analysis of the situation along with recommendations, solutions, and/or improvements, plus suggestion for their implementation.

Individuals not sponsored by a company are responsible for arranging their company project with guidance and support from gfw. Upon registration in the IMP, you receive a Management Application Project, Participant Guide that more fully explains the project. You also receive a Participant Guide to Acquiring a Company Project that provides you with a step-by-step process for finding a Management Application Project, also known as a Company Project. An added benefit of this approach is that you learn a job-search process, how to apply for a job successfully, appropriate for today's global environment that will serve you well throughout your career.

To get company-sponsored individuals back on the job more quickly, their company projects are usually conducted in a foreign subsidiary, operation or affiliate. They can also be with a joint venture, supplier, customer or another partner of the company in Asia-Pacific or the Americas. In this way, the project can target the development needs identified by the company as well. If necessary, it can even be conducted back in Germany.

 

Who applies?

The IMP is open to individuals who qualify to apply with self-sponsorship. Individuals use the program to prepare themselves for a better career in the global economy, or to enhance or change their career paths. Both recent university graduates and those further along in their careers have found the IMP an awarding and valuable experience that has contributed to their career success.
Companies and organizations can also sponsor people. Companies use the program to provide international experience to managers and potentials to prepare them to contribute to the company's success in the highly competitive world of the global business, where transnational and intercultural skills and knowledge are critical success factors.

 

Qualifications to enroll

Though it is a post-graduate program, the IMP does not require a first degree in business or economics. To the contrary, the program is open to graduates from all disciplines. Indeed many other degrees such as those in engineering, social science, languages, and information technology are well complimented by this qualification in international management. No matter what your first degree, what our participants have in common is their ambition to develop their management knowledge and skills for positions in the global business environment of today.

To qualify for the IMP, participants are required to have the following:

• a first university, polytechnic or equivalent
  degree, and
• a suitable English language qualification.
  

Participant Services

To ensure coordination of all program elements in Germany, Asia-Pacific and North America, a program team is assigned to each intake. They are the central point of contact for all program matters. The philosophy is to provide general support and guidance rather than pre-organizing every detail for the participants. In order to maximize their learning about operating in an international environment, the participants are encouraged to manage the program on their own using participant services and support as a back-up system and for general information and guidance.

Accommodation during Phases 2 & 3

Participants normally choose accommodation in corporate housing apartments. Apartments can be found with different floor plans, sizes, locations and cost, including ones appropriate for families. Thus, if you have a family, they can share this lifeshaping experience with you. A range of quality and cost of housing is available in each location. During Phase 1, participants form a committee to work on arranging accommodation and gfw provides information from past participants and other sources for them to use. The information has proven to be very valuable. Travel arrangements are handled in a similar fashion.

International Management Certificate

On successful completion of all phases, IMP participants will receive the International Management Certificate. This certificate is awarded by gfw – Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Weiterbildung an der Universität der Bundeswehr München e.V., Munich. It will document academic and professional achievements attained by the program participants. They will also receive a certificate from the host university documenting the studies made in Asia or America.