Analytics in Africa: South Africa

Required courses: BIT 3424 (Introduction to Business Analytics Modeling) and BIT 3954 (Study Abroad)

For BIT 3424, students will receive spreadsheet modeling instruction in Cape Town, will complete foundational lab exercises and quizzes, and then undertake a spreadsheet project, to model the current and proposed future operations of an assigned small South African business.

For BIT 3954, students must read an assigned book about South Africa and do a short book report, prior to the program. During the program, students must write a group paper on an assigned South African company, keep a detailed journal and observations on cultural differences between South Africa and the US. A poster project will be due at the end of the program. Participation in all activities of the program is required.

Tentative travel schedule

• 1 day travelling to Cape Town from Washington DC
• 6 weeks in Cape Town, with:
  • 4 half-days of spreadsheet modeling class at the University of Cape Town, rated as Africa’s top university
  • 2 days at game lodge, on safari
  • 1 day at Langebaan boathouses
  • 1 day in Outdsthoorn, the ostrich capital of the world
• 1 day travelling back to Washington DC

Likely business visits:

• Western Cape wine farms
• Tech startups
• Local craft manufacturers
• Social upliftment enterprises
• Ostrich farm

Likely cultural visits:

• Table Mountain summit via cable car
• Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens one of the world’s best botanical gardens
• Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned
• Boulder’s Beach penguin encounter
• Langebaan and West Coast Nature Reserve
• Chapman’s Peak drive and Cape Point
• Lion’s Head hike
• Cape Malay cooking class
• Cango Caves

Preparing

Check that your cellphone is unlocked for international roaming – call your cellphone provider ahead to unlock your cellphone for overseas usage.  Also, check if you have a TriBand-GSM-capable cellphone (insertable SIM card), as cellphones in South Africa run on GSM (not CDMA). Check ahead with your cellphone provider if your device will operate in South Africa.  You may be able to use international roaming with your current cellphone provider (e.g. some T-Mobile plans provide free international text messages and free unlimited international 3G data roaming in South Africa, with calls charged per minute).  You can alternatively obtain a South African SIM card in Cape Town, to insert into your phone, or purchase a cheap GSM cellphone in Cape Town.

South Africa runs on 220V, round-prong wall outlet plugs, unlike US 110V flat-prong plugs.  Laptop and cellphone chargers and electric shavers typically already have universal 110V-220V compatibility, and require only a simple round-prong to flat-prong wall outlet adapter.  However, other appliances, such as hairdryers, typically require a 220V to 110V voltage transformer, and are not recommended due to fire risk and appliance-damage risk. Hotels may have in-room local voltage appliances, such as hairdryers, or they can be affordable purchased in Cape Town.

Most South African hotels do not use Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) - to avoid electric shock, check all your appliances for damage prior to use, and do not use any appliances in damp or wet areas.

There are up to 28 seats available for the program.  The application deadline is February 15, 2020.

ELIGIBILITY

• Sophomores through Seniors
• BIT 3424 requires BIT 2406 pre-requisite
• Minimum GPA: 3.0 (We will use mid-term grades for freshmen to determine eligibility).
• Students must have a clean conduct record