The Global Enterprise Experience is an international business competition that aims to develop skills in managing across cultures, time zones, world views and levels of wealth and poverty.
Participants from around the world enroll as singles or in pairs to compete in teams of eight. Multinational teams compete, not countries.
Participants are generally students, graduate or undergraduate, who are studying international business, international relations, development, peace studies, management, business communications, information systems or marketing. Participants have also included entrepreneurs and citizens seeking to foster their skills in working in global teams. To date 155 universities and polytechnics in 64 countries have participated.
Each team is presented with an international business challenge for the team to agree on and write a six page proposal. In 2012, participants will be set the task:
"Write a six page business concept proposal for a profitable product or service that links developed and developing countries for mutual benefit. Your project needs to draw on the diversity of your team members and their countries. The proposal is a preliminary investigation of a concept and sets out the rationale as to why your team should receive a grant to undertake a full business plan. Your proposal will need to convince funders that this is a worthwhile project to pursue, with evidence of information,thoughtfulness, understanding of business issues, and an action plan for how your team would proceed with the venture.”
In addition, each participant is required to submit a one-page journal that outlines their experience and insights. The one page journal is essential to be eligible to win any of the prizes.
Participants communicate using interactive technology on the web. Easy access to computer resources and broadband helps but many participants have won using internet cafes, dial up services and meagre access to computers.
The 2012 contest will run from April 26 to May 17 and the prize giving will be in June. Under "Archives" are examples of past reports and journals as well as heart warming stories of extraordinary commitment. Please click here for an A4 poster.
For eight years we have had participants from the Baha'i Institute of Higher Education(BIHE) in Iran. This was a university set up in kitchens and living rooms across Iran to educate members of the Baha'i Faith in response to the Iranian Government ban on Baha'is studying in university. On May 21, 2011 the BIHE professors were imprisoned charged with educating Baha'i youth in diverse subjects like accounting, science and information technology. We fear for their safety. In October they were sentenced to between four and five years. The Baha'i Faith is a peaceful religion with no political agenda that accepts the unity of all religions. We invite you to endorse the Nobel Peace Laureates' open letter to the Iranian Government to allow the basic human right of Baha'is to education - www.educationunderfire.com/nobel-laureates-letter.php
