Asian Management - Study Trip to Thailand

General Information

General Information

The Chair for International Management at the University of Fribourg organises a summer school in Bangkok in cooperation with a leading local university.  In the context of BeNeFri, students from the University of Bern can participate in this course.

This study trip is scheduled from Tuesday, July 4 (Welcome Dinner), until Wednesday, July 12, 2023. It is a course (4.5 ECTS) of the Spring Semester 2023!

Registration to the course; https://de.research.net/r/9L2XXG8

Course Programme

Given the high and still rising relevance of Asia as market and as production location, the chair organises a study trip to Bangkok to learn from local lecturers and to experience the development in this region directly. In cooperation with CMMU (College of Management, Mahidol University), we organise one week of classes by university lecturers and talks by company executives or company visits in Bangkok and the region. CMMU is officially linked to the University of Fribourg via a cooperation agreement.

Lecture topics include, but are not limited to the following:

• Business Environment in Asia
• Cross-cultural Management: Asian and Western Approaches
• Negotiating in Asia
• Service Operations in Thailand
• Retailing in Thailand
• Direct investment in Asia: Legal considerations

Examination

Before the study trip, students have to prepare and submit a 10-page seminar paper (on a specific issue within Asian Management). The seminar topic will be given in March, the submission is before the course in Bangkok starts. On the last day of the study trip, students prepare a joint group paper (ca. 10 pages).

The grade will be composed of:
a) the individual seminar paper (40%),
b) the group paper (30%) and
c) the participation and commitment during the study trip (30%).

Costs

The fee for the courses, including bus transfers from the hotel to the university and to the company visits, most lunches, and some of the dinners, will be 37,000 Baht (CHF 1’050). This has to be paid directly to CMMU.
In addition, accommodation in the Hotel “Century Park Hotel****” has to be paid by the students (but it is centrally booked by CMMU). The hotel is close to the metro station “Victory Monument”. Accommodation is rather cheap in Bangkok. We expect about CHF 300 per Person for accommodation for 9 nights in a double room incl. breakfast. Meals, etc., in the evenings are very affordable and cost about CHF 5-10 per meal. Flight costs will be another part of the total costs. Check any online ticket platform for your orientation (flights are from ca. CHF 850). We will leave travel arrangements to each student individually. Thus, you could extend the stay in Bangkok/Thailand and use it for your vacation as well. Once in Bangkok, travel costs within Thailand, e.g. to Phuket or Koh Samui, are very low, as are additional hotel nights.

Pre-departure Information

To inform about all the details, prepare for the study strip and provide information on the readings, travel, etc., a pre-departure meeting with all registered participants will take place in Fribourg during the spring semester.