UNCG’s Study Abroad Committee has approved a Bryan School proposal for a study abroad in Brazil for MBA students. Dr. Moses Acquaah, an expert in international business at the Bryan School, will lead a group of twenty students on the trip to Brazil during the modular break this fall. The students on the trip will enroll in MBA 663: Doing Business in Brazil and upon completion of a research paper will receive 3 hours of academic credit for the ten-day trip to South America’s largest country.

The Bryan MBA had been running trips to Mexico for several years, but this trip to Brazil will be the program’s first offering in South America. With Brazil accounting for half the territory of South America and a third of the population of Latin America, it is a country that is too large to be ignored. “The appeal in selecting Brazil as the next destination for our study abroad is the opportunity it presents to our students for firsthand exposure to one of the BRIC economies,” says Dr. Gargeya, Bryan MBA Program Director, “and while many of our students have already visited Europe, for most students on the Brazil trip, this will be their first experience in South America. We also have several faculty members, one of which is Dr. Acquaah, who are researching developing economies and this trip ties in nicely with their research.”

The host city for the study abroad is Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná. Located in the South region of Brazil, Curitiba has a population of approximately two million people. With ample bike paths and an efficient public transportation system, 26 parks and 55m² of green area per resident, and the country’s first recycling program, Curitibanos enjoy the highest standard of living on the continent and the city is considered by urban planners to be the most innovative city in world.

Corporate visits for the trip include Volvo, Instituto de Pesquisa e Planejamento Urbana de Curitiba (Institute of Research and Urban Planning of Curitiba), health services provider - Amil Assistência Médica, and O Boticário, the world’s largest perfume and cosmetics franchising network. Also on the trip’s itinerary is a day excursion to the coast to visit the port city of Paranaguá. With global demand for agricultural products soaring, bustling Paranaguá is the principal port in southern Brazil. Along the way to the port, the group will make a stop in the small, historic town of Morretes where they will enjoy a lunch of Barreado, the state’s traditional dish.

Students will attend lectures on Brazilian culture, current affairs, business and economics at Centro Universitário Franciscano do Paraná (UniFAE). UniFAE, which has two MBA programs, is considered one of the best business schools in the state of Paraná.

MBA students will stay at the Bristol Dobly Brasil 500 hotel located just a few blocks from the UniFAE campus in the Batel neighborhood of Curitiba. Adjacent to the city’s center, the Batel offers numerous options for shopping, dining, and nightlife, making it Curitiba’s liveliest neighborhood.

Students interested in learning more about the trip can stop by the MBA Office to pick up a brochure.

-April 2008