International Consulting Project & Global Capstone

Global Business Experience

In this signature Georgetown McDonough course, student consulting teams work together to solve a pressing business problem facing companies with operations overseas. Each year, the course focuses on one city in one country. Recent locations include Seoul, Istanbul, Delhi, and Dubai. 

After an on-campus module, students and faculty travel to the host city for a week of organized programs, culminating with EMBA teams presenting recommendations to their clients’ senior leadership. Past clients have included companies from deeply varied industries, including Boeing, IBM, Infosys, FedEx, MasterCard, Philips, Samsung, Turkish Airlines, Vodafone, and the World Bank.

What students say about their experience

My global residency was in Sao Paulo-Brazil, where I consulted for global aerospace giant Embraer. It was particularly exciting given my background in aviation. Even more exciting was the ability to be a part of Embraer’s eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) division, which I focused on during the second year of my EMBA program and have now incorporated this emerging industry into my new career.

Eddie Silva, EMBA’23

On our Global Business residency we had a tremendous opportunity to work for a Brazilian minerals company that was pursuing a strategy to enter North American markets. I was drawn to this client through my previous work experience in commodities and heavy industries. I enjoyed the work alongside my colleagues to gain an understanding of niche minerals markets and design a supply chain that would enable a successful go-to-market strategy. Our client’s management team was incredibly generous with their time, both virtually and while in-country, picking us up from the airport and transporting us to the mines for a tour, lunch, and discussion during our time in Brazil. They were pleased with our presentation and deliverable, and we have remained in contact since.

Blake Barfield, EMBA’23

Prior to joining the Georgetown program, I had extensive international experience, but my exposure to East Asia, particularly Korea, was limited. I had always admired the competitive spirit, perseverance, diligence, teamwork, and commitment to rigorous learning displayed by colleagues and friends from Korea, so the Seoul Global Business Experience Residency stands out as a significant experience for me. Participating in this residency provided a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between East and West, working together toward a common goal of accelerating decarbonization and understanding the shared economics necessary for making informed long-term business decisions. Witnessing our Korean colleagues and their unparalleled energy and passion, along with their culture and business environment, had a lasting impact on my personal journey. It continues to shape my perspective and understanding of global dynamics while enriching my emotional intelligence.

Jason Dodier, EMBA‘19

Global Capstone Project

This capstone course integrates the EMBA course curriculum through student-designed, in-country experiential, field research-based projects. Student teams explore and investigate practical challenges of global strategy through analysis of global industries and environments. The course consists of on-campus classes and team meetings, non-classroom library research, experiential field research conducted in a variety of locations around the world, and concluding presentations in the knowledge-sharing symposium.

Previous Projects Include

Below are abstracts from recent Global Capstone Symposium presentations by members of the Class of 2024.

Tech Pipeline Argentina

The American economy needs more tech talent. Technology talent provides the human capacities that enable technology innovations and embeddedness in public and private practices that drive economic growth and productivity increases. Argentina has unappreciated tech talent within a well-developed tech ecosystem anchored by quality university programs, tech incubators, tech public-private partnerships, and an array of big global tech, local tech companies, and nonprofit tech groups. Nevertheless, Argentina poses challenges of macroeconomic in stability, political dysfunction, labor regulation complexity, and arcane business practices The team is studying the Argentina tech ecosystem, especially in Buenos Aires, with focus on technology talent sourcing strategies for the benefit of stakeholders in both Argentina and the United States.

Kyle Johnson, Casey McKinley, Sonia Menon

Agrifood Smallholder Farmer Innovations in Bangladesh

Climate change has contributed to growing farmer vulnerabilities to flood, famine, and harvest disruptions in many developing countries. Smallholder farmers, especially women and girls, in many developing countries have been described as “climate refugees” because they are especially impacted. Solutions require multi-stakeholder engagement and governance strategies. Bangladesh is among the most climate-impacted countries in the world. The project is studying agrifood smallholder cooperative governance within a multi-stakeholder framework in collaboration with Syngenta to propose a pilot project for implementation in Bangladesh.

Serena Stepanovic

Africa Business Charter Air Travel

Business air travel has long been challenging in Africa. Business trips into many smaller cities and more remote areas are underserved by commercial airlines. Startup entrepreneurial venture Charter Connect will provide business travel solutions from a base in Johannesburg by brokering charter flights from and to a diverse array of African airports through a network of small aircraft charter carriers.

Tad Dadisman

US-Ukraine Investment

The Russian invasion and war in Ukraine has killed and injured many Ukrainians and encouraged many Ukrainians to flee as war refugees to Europe, the United States, and other countries. Ukraine’s physical infrastructure—buildings, roads, bridges, energy grids, communication systems—have been destroyed or degraded in many places around the country. The war is not over, but planning and actions have been taken by American government administrators to reconstruct infrastructure and to encourage private investment that will promote redevelopment and transformation of the Ukrainian economy. The project focuses especially on markets, institutions, and investment opportunities in agriculture, energy, IT, and critical minerals. Desk research and virtual meeting research with Ukrainians will be supplemented by field research in Estonia with its large Ukrainian refugee business community.

John Cherry, Salomon Prieto Dominguez, James Hart, Andrew Neely, Brittany Wzontek

Medical Tourism with Fintech Innovations

Singapore has historically been a global leader and regional leader in medical tourism owing to the high quality of healthcare and the attractiveness of Singapore as a destination. Nevertheless, medical tourism volumes in Singapore has been in decline for some years because of high treatment and stay costs in the city. Indonesia seeks to capitalize on the emergence in recent years of alternative sites for quality medical care. The Indonesian government and local stakeholders are building health care capabilities. The team seeks to explore the emerging med tourism ecosystem in Indonesia and will put special emphasis on Smart Healthcare, Smart Hospital, and fintech innovations.

Quanda Allen, Michael Barrera, Sal Sulimay

Veteran Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment with Stem Cell Therapies

Three million American military service people have deployed to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. A significant number returned home with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Special operation forces have been especially impacted. The team seeks to contribute to improved care of SOFs with TBI by focusing especially on innovations in stem cell therapies. The team will conduct desk study regarding stem cell treatments of TBIs globally and will conduct field research in Colombia, Mexico, and Panama.

Davin Michaelis, Claudia Montoya Naranjo, Geneen Tobey, Omar Wilson

Lahaina Wildfire: Cultural Rebirth from Ashes

On August 8th, 2023, Maui experienced the worst natural disaster in State history and the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. The fires rapidly swept through homes and businesses in Lahaina, the cultural heart of the island. Along with the tragedy of lost people and homes was the devastation to the historic sites and artifacts of Maui. Lahaina was the original capital of the Hawaiian Islands and the center from which the Hawaiian Kingdom maintained its cultural and spiritual traditions. In the aftermath of the fire a unique process implementing both cultural heritage preservation and federal aid has emerged. Beneath the scorched ruins of the town, the literal lost foundations of the Hawaiian Kingdom have been rediscovered. The resolute people of Hawaii desire to turn their great misfortune into a tabula rasa, to wipe away the ruins of the modern tourist town and bring back their heritage. My field research includes investigation of the FEMA recovery site, review of the recovery effort, and discussions with key cultural leaders. I offer recommendations for how local, state, and federal organizations can continue this innovative partnership with cultural preservation stakeholders to achieve the unique and complex opportunity of this vision.

Adam Rogers