Learning the Language of World Business The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies
In a conference room in a large city, high-level Russian, German, and French officials gather to discuss Russia's entry into the European Union. As the nations tackle important economic, political, and cultural issues, each in its own language, simultaneous translations are underway.
At the conclusion of the three-hour conference, participants shake hands, promising further discussion.
Then they turn back into graduate students, grab their stuff, and head off to their next classes.
It's just another day for students in the Lauder Program, where role-playing scenarios like this one, involving advanced language skills and complex cultural perspectives, are held monthly. This interdisciplinary, dual-degree program allows students to earn both a Wharton MBA and an MA in International Studies from Penn's School of Arts and Sciences.
"These are truly Renaissance men and women, equally at ease in the boardroom and in the culture of a foreign country," says Leonard A. Lauder, co-founder of the Institute. Highly diverse in nationality, background, and interests, the students arrive at Wharton with a common goal: to make a difference in the global business community. They leave with a passport to international dream jobs like Managing Director of Asian Activities for GE Capital Aviation Services; Marketing Manager for Electronic Printing, Xerox Corporation, Rio de Janeiro; and CEO of Telesystem Wireless, Montreal.
Each student begins by choosing a specialization in East Asia, Europe, Latin America, or the Middle East, then selects a concentration in one of eight languages. MBA and international studies coursework on campus is enhanced by summer experiences at one of the Institute's eight international program sites, in locations from Shanghai to San Salvador. In all, roughly a quarter of the two-year program is spent abroad, including an internship at a multinational corporation.
Advanced language skills are a requirement for entering the Institute, and students must attain "professional proficiency" in their language — the ability to negotiate, hypothesize, make proposals, and otherwise conduct business. In addition to the monthly seminars, opportunities like long-distance learning, through which students are linked via computer and video conferencing with classrooms in other countries, help them hone their skills further.
Students give the program rave reviews. Explains one student, "It opens your mind to understand cultural differences, to be sensitive to issues, to know how to approach other people" — abilities that have become critical to success in today's global marketplace.
