Academic programmeOur International Business Summer School offers a varied and intensive programme of specialised studies in International Management and Economics in a Swiss environment.The Summer School is a two-week seminar, taught in English by internationally experienced lecturers. The courses build on at least two years of business studies; they are academically challenging with a strong applied management focus. Interaction between students and lecturers is highly encouraged. Lecturers are experts in their fields and experienced practitioners.Our programme offers two different modules; each module includes field trips to different Swiss companies related to the programme topic.Cultural and social programmeAttractive cultural and social events will make the participants%E2%80%99 stay an unforgettable experience. The programme features a guided tour of Basel as well as excursions to cultural and historical sites in the city and beyond; it also includes field trips to different Swiss companies. The School of Business provides extracurricular support for the participants.

Course leader
Stefan Philippi M.AUniversity of Applied Sciences Northwestern SwitzerlandSchool of Business

Target group
The programme is designed for international and Swiss Bachelor students. Participants need to be fluent in English (advanced level: European levels B2 written / C1 oral). A letter of motivation, an updated CV and a transcript showing the most recent grade point average are also required.

Course aim
Swissness in ActionBy international comparison, Switzerland's economy is thriving and the country is ranked at top positions in most international economic surveys. This is reason enough for you to take a closer look at the Swiss way with a special focus on Basel, one of the most dynamic cities in Switzerland.Global Competitiveness and InnovationOur programme offers two modules. The two subjects Global Competitiveness andInnovation will be taught and knowledge transfers from world leading companies arrangedfrom a specific Swiss perspective. Each module includes field trips to different Swiss companiesrelated to the programme topic.The two week program begins with the Global Competitiveness module. This has been designedto set the scene and shows how public institutions in Switzerland try to foster and benefit fromSwitzerland's advantages which strongly revolve around innovation.Innovativeness also explains Switzerland leading position in World Economic Forum'srankings about global competitiveness. Besides performance measures like GDP per capita,companies' profits, current account or public budgets as clear indicators of competitivenessother crucial input factors like public sector efficiency, resource endowment and infrastructurewill be analyzed. Switzerland's comparative advantages from the macro level will becombined with competitive advantages from the micro level.The second part of the first week will be focused in International Negotiations. The secondcourse week will start with innovation, especially product innovation and business modelinnovation. The second course week ends with a synthesis of competitiveness thanks toinnovation and thanks to favorable international agreements.With literature and practical lectures, students first get a theoretical insight. Then with governmentand company visits they earn a practical insight into the fascinating world of howcompanies try to improve or even revolutionize their products and hone their business modelsconstantly.Learning Objectives of the Summer School:Participants of the summer school learn in pre-course readings (~ 180 pages) about internationaltrade and companies' competitiveness and the main drivers behind this concept and respectivemeasurements.During a first course week they get to know concrete analysis methods about the concept ofcountries' comparative advantages and their companies' global competitiveness, and howgovernments and companies negotiate favorable terms and conditions.During the second course week students become familiar with private product innovation andbusiness model innovation.Students understand the links between public support factors, innovation and companies'competitiveness.



Credits info
6 ECTS The modules include contact hours, self-study time, preparation work and companyvisits. The duration of each module is one week. Our Summer School participantsobtain 6 ECTS credits (or 3 US semester credits) for the two modules.The ECTS credits are awarded for:- Adaptation of the preparation literature.- Writing short briefing papers on questions based on the preparatory literature.- Participation in the Summer School.- Review Essay at the end of the two weeks.

Fee info
CHF 1350: The programme fee of 1,350* Swiss Francs covers the tuition fee for the course(two modules), the organisation of all company visits, the cultural and social programmesincluding a welcome and farewell dinner, transfers for the company visitsas well as the cultural and social programme.Not included in the fee: transport (except company visits, cultural and social activities),health insurance, visa costs, meals, additional individual sightseeing trips andpersonal expenses. CHF 600: The accommodation fee of 600 Swiss Francs includes overnight stay in a 2 or 3 bedstudio (incl. own kitchen and bathroom, no air-condition) or a similar accommodationand taxes.

Scholarships
Unfortunately, the Programme is unable to provide any financial assistance to candidates.

University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, FHNW
Address: School of Business, Peter Merian- Strasse 86
Postal code: 4002
City: Basel
Country: Switzerland
Website: http://www.fhnw.ch/business/summer-schools
E-mail: stefan.philippi@fhnw.ch
Phone: 0041 61 279 18 86