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Designing the Global Curriculum Robert E. Kennedy, executive director of the University of Mich- igan's William Davidson Institute (WDI) in Ann Arbor, has trav- eled to business schools in all corners of the world. The need for business training in the world's developing markets will only intensify, says Kennedy—as will the opportunities for business schools to broaden their educational reach beyond the borders of their home countries. As part of WDI's efforts to build and improve business pro- grams in the world's developing markets, Kennedy has gained several insights for business schools with global aspirations: 1. Establish a global presence. To build a global brand, busi- ness schools must recruit global faculty, offer globally focused programs, create and actively leverage partnerships with schools in other countries, and pay attention to geographi- cally distributed alumni. Such actions are all part and parcel of becoming a business school of the world, as well as of a nation or local community, says Kennedy. 2. Embrace global issues inside and outside the classroom. Kennedy argues that too many schools haven't done a good job of integrating global issues into their courses. Using inter- nationally focused business cases in all courses is a way to start, he says. Schools also need to place greater emphasis on experiences outside the classroom, including travel opportuni- ties, international internships, and visits to multinational firms. 3. Write more global cases. Globalization is a hot topic at business schools, and the case study method is a tried-and- true educational tool. Given these two realities, it's ironic that case studies focused on businesses in China, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East are in short supply, says months to become immersed in a geographical location and appreciate how the culture, politics, and history of a region affect business there," says Gail Naughton, dean of SDSU's College of Business. Those conversations inspired the 12- week duration of students' visits in each country. The Omnium Global Executive MBA also sends its students to multiple destinations. Students in the program attend four three-week residencies in South America, China, Europe, and North America, respectively. In addition to the program's two founding schools, the University of St. Gal- len in Switzerland and the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management in Canada, OMNIUM has several partner schools, including Business School São Paulo in Bra- zil; Torcuato Di Tella University in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Fudan University in Shanghai, China; and the City University of Hong Kong. In their three-week residencies, students see regional economies, in both established and emerging markets, through the eyes of local citizens and business owners, says Wolfgang Jenewein, the director of EMBA studies at the Kennedy. To address this deficit, for example, WDI recently established a case writing competition focused specifically on emerging markets. 4. Power up those passports. Faculty with reputations for global expertise are often rewarded with great student evalu- ations and high course enrollment. Still, many business faculty aren't getting their passports stamped as often as they should, Kennedy argues. Although WDI has little difficulty finding professors willing to make short visits to schools in developing markets, longer visits are another story. "Quite a few people will go for a few weeks, if you have the right support struc- tures in place. But there aren't many top-quality faculty who will go to a school in an emerging market for a full semester or year," he says. Not all business faculty need to travel, but every business school needs a few "road warriors who can bridge the gap between theory and practice," Kennedy says. "Many faculty have published articles with 'international' in the abstract, but not nearly enough spend time abroad. More faculty need to get off campus, get on a plane, and experience business in foreign markets." 5. Emphasize faculty development. Business schools must make the investment—in terms of money, time, and faculty— to address global issues in a comprehensive way, Kennedy argues. Doing so takes more than "simply hiring faculty with international passports," he says. "International research is tough and expensive. To stay ahead, schools have to make these investments and create internal organizational incentives that reward this type of work." University of St. Gallen. The goal is to give them a larger perspective than a single-destination study tour can provide. "The challenge is to cover the whole world," he says. A Push for Multilingualism For efficiency's sake, the world has chosen English as the standard language of business. While that fact is in no danger of changing, businesses that hire employees who understand a country's native tongue may have a competi- tive global advantage. A recent study, commissioned by the European Com- mission and conducted by the U.K. National Centre for Languages, indicated 11 percent of the 2,000 companies surveyed reported losing a contract because of language bar- riers. These companies estimated their average loss of revenue over three years at £325,000. Not surprisingly, 73 percent of the companies surveyed now actively recruit employees with language skills. Many companies anticipated an increase in their need for employees fluent in German, French, and Spanish. They also reported an increasing need for employees BizEd JULY/AUGUST 2007 47