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Dear AIB-L members,

 

Please find attached information about this project which I consider may be of interest to those of you teaching international business/management/marketing or related courses.

 

For further information you may contact Professor Vas Taras  ([log in to unmask])

 

Best regards,

 

 
 
 
 
Improve learning in your courses, boost your teaching evaluations and research productivity.
 
X-Culture is accepting applications for the 2013 season.
 
Concept: X-Culture is an experiential learning project designed to enhance learning in International Business/Management/Marketing and related courses.
We team up students from different cultures (5-7 students, each from a different country) and they work on an international business-related project for a 2-month period. In so doing, X-Culture provides students with the valuable opportunity to gain first-hand experience in cross-cultural communication and collaboration.
 
X-Culture provides all materials, training, individual/team performance monitoring and administrative support.
 
Instructors interested in research will also have ample opportunities to co-author papers based on the longitudinal multi-level multi-source data that are collected as part of the X-Culture project.
 
Participants: nearly 3,000 from 70+ universities in 40+ countries on 6 continents participate in X-Culture every semester (roughly 50:50 MBA/Undergraduate).
 
Task: Students have a choice between developing a business plan for an international company or working on real-life business challenges faced by our corporate partners. The report structure is designed to fit with the content of International Business/Management/Marketing/Entrepreneurship courses. The task typically involves product development, market entry analysis, staffing choices, marketing plan development. 
 
Communication: Our philosophy is that the tools students use in X-Culture must be usable in the workplace upon graduation. Therefore, we rely on free online collaboration tools and do not use proprietary platforms. At the beginning of the project, all students receive basic training on the use of Email, Skype, Dropbox, Google Docs, Doodle, Facebook, etc. Teams are free to choose their preferred collaboration method.
 
English is the working language and sufficient fluency in English is required. Students who do not speak English may be able to participate under special arrangements – contact us for details.
 
Schedule: The tentative dates for the 2013-3 season (dates may be adjusted +/-5 days for best fit to all participants’ academic calendars):
Early track: August 20- October 15
Late track: October 1 – November 25
 
Instructors may also add time before or after the project for training, discussions and presentations.
 
X-Culture Certificates: Upon successful completion of the project, students receive X-Culture Global Collaboration Experience certificates. Instructors also receive Global Educator certificates. Additional appreciation/reference letters can be sent to instructors’ department chairs or deans upon request.
 
X-Culture Prize: Contingent upon funding availability, top 3 student teams will receive $1000 cash prizes and Best Team certificates. Additional travel stipends may be available to the members of the best teams to attend the X-Culture symposium. 
X-Culture Symposium: Twice a year, we bring X-Culture participants together. The last X-Culture Symposium was hosted by Mercedes-Benz and involved a Mercedes-Benz challenge/prizes, factory tour, meeting with the company management, and other events aimed at helping students launch successful careers.
 
Does it work? Yes, it does. For empirical evidence on how X-Culture affects course evaluations, course grades/marks, cultural intelligence, attitudes, behaviors and performance, please visit the X-Culture Publications page.
 
More information: For additional information on X-Culture and research on its learning outcomes, please visit http://www.x-culture.org Also read about X-Culture in AIB Insights and Academy of Management Learning and Education
 APPLY HEREhttps://uncg.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_a4CxtDdoWK5DvaQ
Application deadline: August 5, 2013.
 
Enrollment is competitive. Please apply early to ensure your application is given full consideration.
 
Due to a large volume of inquiries, it may take us several days to process your application.
If you do not receive a response within five days, please contact us directly at [log in to unmask]
 
Sincerely,
 
Vas Taras, PhD
X-Culture Project Coordinator
336-256-8611
[log in to unmask] 
www.vtaras.com  
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