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Global Business Institute

Registration Details

Registration Details:

  • Open to Students Age 14-17
  • Date: Stay Tuned

Global Business Institute (GBI) Overview

Ready to experience what life is like as a college business student?

Enroll in our GBI program and work with other students, and our expert faculty, who are interested in global business challenges. As a participant of GBI, you will be assigned a virtual team to create a solution, service, or product with an entrepreneurial mindset that includes launching your ideas as a successful business—management operations, marketing, data analytics, ethical and societal dimensions of business. This program is a fantastic résumé builder and will culminate in an exciting competition to determine the most creative and viable solutions. Winning teams will receive their certificates at a special online award ceremony. The Global Business Institute has limited availability—apply today!

Theme for 2020

Pandemic Business Challenge 

What would you do to mitigate a pandemic? How would your solutions support a new civilization post pandemic? Students will have an amazing opportunity to compete on global teams to develop entrepreneurial solutions—including innovative ideas for services, products, and enhanced supply chain management to mitigate the impact of potential future pandemics.

Earn a Scholarship

If you choose to attend the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business as your college of choice, your successful completion of the Global Business Institute will provide you with a $2,000 annual scholarship renewable for all four years of undergraduate study at the Barney School of Business.

The College and Global Teamworking Experience

Experience academic content in support of your service or product ideas taught by our world-acclaimed professors of the Barney School of Business. Our undergraduate students will also participate as mentors to your virtual teams working on your ideas and building your business. While there are intensive teamwork and expected deliverables each week, there will also be planned “virtual” social activities to build cultural connections across the world.

Interacting with Business Coaches 

Business coaches are the faculty from the Barney School of Business and business leaders from industry. The coaches will help you refine the business plan and answer any questions you may have about the project. You will build your business acumen, acquire global teamwork experience, develop leadership skills, and exercise your creativity by interacting with these business experts.

Global Guest Speakers and Virtual Company Tours

Students will have a chance to broaden their global professional network by attending online speaker sessions and virtual company tours.

Certificates and Recommendation Letters

All teams will receive their certificates at a special online awards ceremony. Students will be able to get recommendation letters from the coaches and Barney faculty members who teach in the program.

Information and Requirements

At the heart of the Global Business Institute is an intensive business immersion exposing students to entrepreneurial thinking and broader opportunities to develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills through participation in this interactive, team-based business simulation. The program will run for five weeks including academic content in video-recorded lectures, virtual corporate visits, and global visiting speakers. Our own Barney School of Business faculty will bring their deep professional expertise to help you understand the intricacies of business success.

You will be introduced to academic content areas such as:

  • Fundamentals of business, including leading and managing businesses
  • Marketing
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Operations/Supply Chain Management
  • Fundamentals of Risk Management
  • Data Analytics

*The following is a sample one week schedule of the GBI program. Participants will receive a finalized schedule after they enroll in the program.

Program Track 1: Strategic Replay—Review/Reflect and React
(11 a.m. to noon EDT, SYNCHRONOUS)

Monday

  • Introduce Business Case #1 Cross-Cultural Communication

Tuesday

  • Challenge of the Week - tied to the theme and the Business Case

Wednesday

  • Team spotlights - highlight a team accomplishment and learning from it based on Challenge of the Week (record and submit)

Thursday

  • Global Scavenger Hunt 

Friday

  • Scoreboard (team badges) for accomplishments of the week in this track
Program Track 2: Gold Business Lecture Series 
(1 - 3 P.M. EDT, ASYNCHRONOUS)

*A suggested time to watch the recorded lectures

Monday

  • Lecture 1.1: Pandemic overview and issues
  • Lecture 1.2: Introduction to business concepts (both for-profit and social entrepreneurship)

Tuesday

  • Lecture 1.3: The process of brainstorming and examples of innovative business ideas
  • Lecture 1.4: Understanding market forces: Demand-Side Economics (buyers)

Wednesday

  • Lecture 1.5: Understanding market forces – Supply-Side Economics (sellers)
  • Lecture 1.6: The environment, climate, and business

Thursday

  • Lecture 1.7: Business organization and the nature of competition

Friday

  • Work on your virtual team deliverable building in and applying the content from the week.
Program Track 3: Virtual Team Collaboration
(Understanding Chaos" Teams will meet EVERY DAY at an agreed-upon time that works for their team)

Monday

  • “Forming and Storming” and Organizing the Team

Tuesday

  • Organizing the Team and Rapid Brainstorming Challenges

Wednesday

  • Select top 3 – 5 challenges and Assess each of these conceptually

Thursday

  • Select one challenge or opportunity for transformation into a solution

Friday

  • Prepare and upload team deliverable for the week:  Defined and Agreed Challenge for Transformation
Program Track 4: Corporate Visits and Visiting Speakers  
(6 - 8 P.M. EDT. )

Monday

  • Business Lead, Cigna

Tuesday

  • Founder/CEO, Workplace Success Group

Wednesday

  • Aydin Oksoy, BSB Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship
Program Track 5: Faculty Open Office Hours   
(Tuesdays 9 - 11 P.M., Thursdays and Fridays 9 - 11 A.M. EDT. )

Tuesday

  • Prof Oksoy, Prof Thomson 

Thursday

  • Prof Kamal and Prof Erwin

Friday

  • Prof Lofink and Student Preceptors

Please direct any questions you may have about the program and/or the application process to:

Celia R. Lofink, PhD         
lofink@hartford.edu

860-768-4362
Undergraduate Program Director, Barney School of Business         
University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT  06117

Hartford, Connecticut, is a diverse and exciting hub for business and culture. The city has always been known as "The Insurance Capital of the World," housing companies like Travelers, Aetna, and Cigna.


Hartford has more recently has gained a reputation as a city for entrepreneurship—a “hotbed” for growth companies such as InsureTechs (intelligent innovation in the insurance industry), TechStars (manufacturing innovation), and FinTech Village (cutting-edge blockchain, AI, and financial technology) to name a few. 


During our program, we will have planned virtual “corporate visits,” interactive visiting global speakers, and social activities for making lasting global connections and friendships.

Who is eligible for the Global Business Institute (GBI)?

The program is ideal for rising high school students in the age range of 14 to 17 years old. The program will include domestic USA students and international students from China and other countries creating a wonderful mix of a social and cultural cohort to study and exchange customs and culture.

How selective is the process of admission?

The process of admission will occur as a rolling admission decision based on the date of receipt and subsequent review of your application. Admission will continue to remain open up until the application deadline or until the session reaches its maximum enrollment.

Is there a tuition charge for the program?

Yes. The fee of $1,250 for the Barney Global Business Institute covers tuition, materials fee, final competition, and certificate of completion. If you apply before June 15, 2020, an early-bird rate of $1,100 is available.

Cancellation policy: The program is subject to cancellation in accordance with University policy. Students choosing to cancel their participation may receive a 100 percent refund of the payment up to one week before the program starts, an 80 percent refund of the payment up to one week after the program begins, and a 50 percent refund up to two weeks after. No refunds will be granted more than two weeks after the program begins.

Can the student's parents take part in any of the activities?

Yes. In fact, we encourage your parents, family, and friends to join the livestream celebration on the final day of the program. There will be a highlight of the program, announcement of the winning team, and a brief graduation/awards ceremony. A recording of the final day of the program closing session will also be available for domestic or international attendees’ parents/families who are not able to join in the livestream.

When will the students be informed as to whether or not they have been accepted?

The applicants will be informed of their status by rolling admission based on the receipt date of their applications.

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