ACADEMICS & ADVISING

Wharton International Program (WIP)

Destinations:

Cuba/Panama: Havana and Panama City
March 2-11, 2012
Social impact theme - program is generously supported by the Wharton Program for Social Impact

Hong Kong/Shanghai, China
May 9-20, 2012
Retail/fashion theme - program is generously supported by the Jay H. Baker Retailing Center

Australia: Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney
May 14-26, 2012
General business theme

Applications are no longer being accepted for the 2012 WIP courses.

WIP is a short-term international business course that is fully escorted by the Wharton Undergraduate Division. The program gives undergraduate students an amazing global opportunity featuring business site visits, faculty lectures at our partner schools, cultural excursions, and networking opportunities with undergraduate students and business contacts from the destination countries.

In addition to learning about another country's business environment and culture, students earn 0.5 course units that can be used towards business-breadth or elective credits. Three WIP courses are offered each year.

WIP courses are designed to:

• Provide an understanding of a region's business and cultural environment
• Help students gain a working knowledge of local business practices through lectures at partner schools and direct interaction with business managers
• Explore the value of different business models
• Promote intercultural awareness and communication
• Help prepare students for careers in the global economy

All Penn undergraduates are eligible to apply. Students must be in good academic standing and selection to this short-term global adventure is through a highly competitive application process. Financial assistance is available.

For more information, please contact Lee Kramer, Director, Wharton International Program and Student Life, at lkramer@wharton.upenn.edu.

WIP 2011 Highlights:

Botswana & South Africa: May 17-29

The Botswana/South Africa WIP course had a general business focus and included visits to businesses, universities and cultural sites.

Students visited a wide range of companies and industries ranging from manufacturing to consulting to entrepreneurial ventures to product design. While in Gaborone, Botswana, the students visited the Botswana Meat Commission and Debswana, the world's leading diamond producer by value and the largest non-government employer in the country. In Johannesburg, South Africa, the students visited Kaelo, a healthcare consulting company and Raizcorp, an entrepreneurial incubator. In Cape Town, students visited the Coca-Cola Company, Tsiba Business School, and two innovative product-design companies, XYZ and Skeg.

Students also attended lectures at the University of Botswana, which is a partner school with the University of Pennsylvania, and enjoyed sightseeing excursions in Gaborone, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Soweto, Cape Town, and the Cape of Good Hope.

"The Botswana/South Africa WIP trip was incredible and exceeded my expectations. I loved every single second of it, whether we were visiting universities or companies, sitting down for a hearty meal, learning about the culture and history, taking in the breathtaking views, or chatting with our new friends."

London & Milan: May 16-27

The London/Milan WIP course had a retail focus and was generously supported by the Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative.

WIP participants received an inside look at a wide range of retail companies in both London and Milan,Burberry, Harrods, Dunnhumby, Estee Lauder, Zegna, VF, Gucci, and Polo Ralph Lauren. The students also had the privilege of meeting with executives from the respective companies who provided truly unique perspectives on their businesses and the retail industry in England and Italy.

In addition to the business site visits, the students enjoyed lectures on the Italian retail industry at Bocconi University in Milan and spectacular cultural tours of London, Milan, and Lugano, Switzerland.

"I was so impressed by the mix of business and cultural visits. Everywhere we went we were learning something new and seeing something different."

Quito & the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: March 4-13

The Ecuador WIP course focused on social impact and was generously supported by the Wharton Program for Social Impact. Students visited socially responsible companies, participated in service-learning projects, attended lectures at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, and went on cultural and sight-seeing excursions in and around Quito and the Galápagos Islands. 

Students visited Repsol, an oil and gas company; Banco del Pichincha, the largest private bank in Ecuador with several social impact initiatives; Pronaca, a socially responsible food processing and marketing company; and the Fundación Niños de María, a school that serves children living below the poverty line.

In addition, students attended a waste management tour of Santa Cruz Island, and in Quito, presented recommendations to micro-entrepreneurs on ways to market handmade goods in the United States.

"What I liked most about this trip was its ability to inspire me and show me that companies and individuals still do care about doing the right thing. Being in school keeps us in this bubble, but going to Ecuador really showed me that there are good people out there who are truly doing the right thing, and that inspires me to do more at Penn and to contribute as much as I can."

Previous WIP Destinations:

May 2010: Jakarta, Indonesia & Hong Kong, China	May 2010: Barcelona & Madrid, Spain
March 2010: Rio de Janeiro & Sao Paulo, Brazil
2009: Costa Rica	2009: Buenos Aires, Argentina
May 2009: Hong Kong, China
2008: Milan, Italy	2008: Seoul, South Korea
2007: Hyderabad, India	2007: Hong Kong, China