New Zealand & Australia: Business, Leadership, and Culture

This study abroad program is intended to give students experience and exposure to the Business, Culture and Leadership environment in Australia and New Zealand – MGT 3954. The program will visit the city of Auckland on the North Island of New Zealand; and two cities in Australia, Cairns and Sydney. The program will be a mixture of classroom lectures from university faculty in Auckland and Sydney, executive speakers from businesses in Asia Pacific, visits to businesses, outdoor adventure activities, and excursions to cultural sites on the island and the continent.

We will fly into Cairns and spend 6 days there, then fly to Sydney for 4 days.  We will next go to Auckland for 7 days before flying back to the U.S. from there. It will be summer, but it could be cool in the mountains. Throughout the trip, the group will be visiting businesses and meeting with business leaders to learn how they operate and their leadership style. We will also visit important cultural and ecological sites on the journey.

• We will visit the Great Barrier Reef, which includes swimming and snorkeling; take a day trip to the rain forest; in Sydney we will have the majority of our content and time to enjoy the city. 
• Next, the island nation of New Zealand is known for adventure and eco-tourism, and has gained more fame recently as the location for filming of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy movies. We will experience lots of seacoast and mountains and the natural beauty in this English-speaking country with a heritage similar to the US.  While in Auckland we will visit Piha Beach, Kite Kite Falls, and the Waitakere Ranges.  We will travel to Waiheke Island to visit a local farm, to Hobbiton, and then a day and evening in Auckland to reflect and celebrate our opportunity before returning home.

The program has the following components:

• Business visits to learn about business functions
• Executive business speakers to learn about leadership philosophies and business styles in New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region
• Cultural visits to areas of interest in Australia and New Zealand
• Learn about the history, geography, and economics of the region
• Interpersonal leadership and emotional Intelligence