IAE - Universidad Austral
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Host Institution
IAE, the business school that will host the Argentine GBE, is among the most highly ranked in Latin America. The school's facilities are attractive and located approximately 35 minutes from downtown Buenos Aires. IAE's faculty teach by case method. http://www.iae.edu.ar/web2005_eng/home/home.html
Academic Program
Each GBE has a formal Orientation component that will meet approximately three weeks before the GBE begins. The Orientation serves several purposes. It allows all students going on the trip to meet one another; introduces the Darden faculty GBE leader, Luis Pereiro; provides an historical and cultural overview of the country and region to which you will be traveling; resolves any outstanding logistical problems or questions; and provides any pre-course reading assignments. Specific dates and locations for each GBE Orientation will be announced.
From discussions with IAE's faculty, we anticipate that this year's GBE will follow a syllabus very similar to that used for the last two years. While there may be changes in the companies that are visited, the case material should remain the same. Here is a copy of the schedule (pdf).
Advice
Students who went on the Argentina GBE last year offer the following advice and information.
What should I wear: "Bring plenty of nice/fashionable clothes--people look nice during the day and get dressed up at night." "Business casual to class, but more trendy attire at night. Weather will be warm, so bring warm weather attire. Note: Argentines don't wear shorts except to work out."
Where should we go to shop, eat, drink, dance: "Buenos Aires News for the latter two." "Lots of leather and clothes available for purchase." "Buy Argentine wine." "They have a special caramel--dulce de leche--that they use on desserts. Definitely worth trying."
Any special sights to see: "The President's house and the zoo." "Bring sneakers--there are plenty of sights to see while walking around."
What should I avoid: "Thieves. My wallet was stolen out of my purse while I was eating lunch."
Other advice: "Most of us got very little sleep. Bring whatever is necessary to keep you awake and/or help you sleep better."
Students Who Attended the Argentina GBE Last Year
Michaela Baxter, David Cash, Colin Clark, Guido DeAscanis, Mitch Debrah, Jerald Gaines, Nick Romig
Country Links
In order to give you more information on Mexico and Mexico City, here are some very useful sites to visit.
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/
http://www.invertir.com/
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/south_america/argentina/
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ar.html