International Field Trips

PROGRAM CLOSED FOR 2011

Montclair in Austria and Slovakia
International Business Program for MBA Students
May 12 - June 5 with travel May 27 - June 5, 2011

Download MBA Study Tour 2011 Slide Show

Locations and Cultural Activities
Explore some of Europe’s most beautiful cities while examining patterns of development in both established and expanding economies.

The program includes guided tours of Vienna, Graz and Bratislava. In Vienna, Austria’s magnificent capital full of old-world charm, unmatched artistic and musical history and yet a modern metropolis, participants will enjoy a panoramic city bus and walking tour including St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the heart of the old city and the Hofburg, residence of the Habsburgs for nearly 650 years. The tour will also include the baroque Schönbrunn Palace, built in 1713 and used as the Habsburgs’ summer residence. A World Cultural Heritage Site since 1996, the beautiful location, magnificent architecture, splendid gardens and 40 rooms open to visitors (out of a total of 1141 rooms) make it one of Vienna’s special gems. Participants will also have time to explore Vienna’s museums and famous coffee houses on their own.

Graz, which has been a Sister City of Montclair for 60 years, is Austria’s second largest city. With a significant university population, it has a lively cultural and artistic scene as well as numerous chic restaurants and busy sidewalk cafes. Its well-preserved medieval center has an Italian Renaissance and Mediterranean feel and its Old City quarter attractions can easily be explored with the guided walking tour that will be provided.  The first Sunday will be devoted to a visit to the lush, wine-terraced region outside Graz, home to some of the best wineries in the country.

Bratislava's long history - as home to Celts, Romans, Germans, Hungarians, Jews, and of course Slovaks - means there is an impressive range of architecture, languages and cuisine. Just an hour outside Vienna by train or by boat along the River Danube, the handsome homes of the Austro-Hungarian noble families who built palaces here dot the city, and many of them are now open to the public as museums and galleries.  The castle, with its long and checkered history, offers great views over the medieval old town and the Danube valley from its fortifications.

Academic Program Overview
Leadership and Behavior (MGMT 513) is designed to help students understand leadership behavior through a review of current theoretical and empirical literature from the behavioral sciences as it relates to leadership. Topics covered include leadership styles, power and leadership, leader-follower interactions, and the manager as leader.

The course will expand its international perspective through a specially designed program on-site in Austria and Slovakia. These two central European countries were chosen especially to demonstrate business trends in established and up-and-coming European Union economies.

Austria has assumed a hub role for Western and nearby Eastern European countries. Austria takes leadership positions in the areas of economic and political stability, prevention and crisis management, and environmental conservation. Since the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the collapse of Communism, it has taken advantage of new forms of partnerships emerging in present-day Europe. 

Slovakia experienced a less painful transition than some of its neighbors from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, without, for example, hyperinflation or high poverty rates. Driven by rapid productivity growth accompanied by low inflation, the Slovak economy today is among the most dynamic of the ten mainly Central and Eastern European countries that joined the EU in May 2004. However, it still lags behind some of its peers in terms of per capita income levels.

Slovakia has traditionally had a strong focus on heavy industry. Under Communism it was an important center for heavy machinery, metals and steel production. Building upon these manufacturing traditions, Slovakia’s key industries today are automobiles and electronics, both of which have attracted a large number of foreign investors eager to take advantage of a cheap and skilled workforce, favorable tax rates and geographic location, and a relatively liberal labor code.

The combination of Slovakia’s emerging economy and Austria’s established leadership in the European Union market economy will give students ample opportunities for comparison and contrast.

Corporate Visits
Participants will have the opportunity to visit and meet with executives in several corporations such as:

Magna-Steyr: An automotive supplier that designs, develops and manufactures automotive systems, assembles modules and components, and engineers and assembles complete vehicles for sale to original equipment manufacturers throughout the world.

Steirmarkische Bank: One of the largest and oldest banks in southern Austria, with subsidiaries or joint ventures in Bosnia and Herzegovinia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia, and expanding throughout southeast Europe.

Zotter Chocolate Factory: With its emphasis on sustainability, fair trade and creative design, founder Josef Zotter was the first Austrian entrepreneur to be the protagonist of a Harvard Business School Case Study.

Andritz Group: A customized plant providing systems and services for hydropower, pulp and paper, steel and other industries, with 14,300 employees worldwide.

Volkswagen Slovakia: The Bratislava production and assembly plant of the German Volkswagen AG group, which manufactures passenger vehicles and assembling gearboxes. Volkswagen Slovakia is one of the largest Slovak exporters and accounts for more than 7% of the Slovak Republic’s total exports.

Slovnaft: Bratislava-based refinery whose core business is production, warehousing, wholesale, retail and distribution of motor fuels and lubricants.

Faculty
Dr. Stacey R. Kessler received her Ph D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of South Florida and is a faculty member in the Montclair State University's School of Business. Dr. Kessler teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in leadership and organizational behavior. She has also taught a course centered on micro-finance and analytic decision making to U.S. and Thai students in Chiang-Mei, Thailand. Dr. Kessler is the recipient of a 2010 foundation grant from Target to conduct a leadership workshop for MSU business school students.

Dr. Kessler’s research centers on counterproductive work behavior (deviant behaviors in the workplace), Machiavellianism/leadership, and organizational structure. She is the author of numerous articles published in such journals as the Journal of Management, the Journal of Vocational Behavior, and the Journal of Applied Social Psychology. Recently, Dr. Kessler earned the Ramie Sagie New Scholar Award from the International Society for the Study of Work & Organizational Values.

Guest lecturers may be provided by faculty at local universities such as the University of Graz, Joanneum University Graz, Comenius University Bratislava and the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

Academics
This Study Abroad program will be offered as part of the MGMT 513 - Leadership and Behavior course.  This course is a required capstone course for MBA students admitted as of Fall 2009, and an elective course for MBA students admitted prior to Fall 2009.  If you have not completed all the prerequisites for MGMT 513, and are interested in the Study Abroad program, please contact the MBA Office at 973-655-4051.

All students register with MSU for the following Summer Sessions 2011 course:
MGMT 513      Leadership and Behavior
MBA degree students only. Special Fee. The purpose of the course is to help students understand leadership behavior. The course reviews current theoretical and empirical literature from the behavioral sciences as it relates to leadership. Topics covered include leadership styles, power and leadership, leader-follower interactions, and the manager as leader.

Accommodations and Meals
Participants will stay in centrally located hotels in double occupancy rooms with private bath. Breakfasts are included throughout, as well as two group dinners and two lunches.

Program Cost: Approximately $1,500 + airfare + tuition
The program cost has been partially subsidized by the School of Business to encourage all MBA students to take advantage of the study abroad program. The program cost includes

• 4 nights in Vienna and 4 nights in Graz in 3 star hotels
• 8 continental breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 dinners
• Inter-city and local transportation
• Corporate visits in Vienna, Graz and Bratislava
• Cultural tours such as local winery
• Vienna Panoramic and Palace Tour
• Walking tour of Graz

Optional group airfare is available for an additional $1,400, with a minimum of 10 participants flying together. Payment for the airfare portion is required by February 25.

Program costs are based on 10 participants and current exchange rates and are subject to change. Participants not using the group airfare will meet in Graz on May 28 and depart from Vienna on June 5.

Application Procedure
Applications should include the Global Education Center Study Abroad Registration Form, one Faculty Reference Form, and the signed Pre-Enrollment form, along with the $100 non-refundable application fee. Forms are available on the Global Education Center website.

Payment Schedule
Once accepted into the program, the payment schedule for program costs is as follows:
Non-refundable Application fee by February 1:         $100
1st Deposit due February 15:                                    $600               
Final Payment by March 15:                                       $800 (estimated)
Make checks payable to “Montclair State University”.

Forms
Pre-Enrollment Form

Faculty Led Short-Term Study Abroad Institutes Forms

For further information:
Contact the Global Education Center at 973-655-4185 or email simonW@mail.montclair.edu or the MBA Office at 973-655-4306 or mba@mail.montclair.edu.

Visit us on the web at www.montclair.edu/globaled