Virtual Exchange International Business Case Competition with the Mediterranean School of Business in Tunisia, Fall 2021
By Dr. Mourad Dakhli, Clinical Professor, GSU
In Fall 2021, professor Mourad Dakhli worked in partnership with his colleague Professor Asma Chaibi at the Mediterranean School of Business (MSB) in Tunis, Tunisia on a semester-long virtual exchange project. The project saw teams of GSU and MSB students collaborate in researching and drafting an original business case dealing with important international business and economics issues. 120 students participated and were divided among 31 teams. GSU-CIBER (Center for International Business Education and Research) sponsored a case competition, and three finalists were selected by faculty members from GSU, MSB, and CIBER.
In attendance at the case competition, which was organized on Zoom on December 16, 2021, were members of the business communities in Tunisia and Georgia, representatives from the America Embassy in Tunis, faculty members from MSB, GSU as well as others from partner schools in Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia, and selected partner NGOs including the World Trade Center-Atlanta, Tunisia-American Young Professional, and Green Chamber of the South. The Robinson College of Business, the Office of International Initiatives, and the Atlanta Global Studies Center were also represented.
The winning case, Ethical concerns in the Global Jewelry Industry won the first prize of $2,000. The second prize of $1,500 went to the Airbnb and Covid-19 case, and the third prize ($1,000) went to the Starbucks in Turkey case. The three winning cases were submitted and accepted for presentation at the 2022 Academy of International Business Research & Practice conference, part of the MBAA International annual conference in Chicago. The first and second place cases are also under review for publication at the Journal of International Business Research & Practice.
