Where will we go?

Beckett Bridge over the Liffey 2019

Well, Ireland of course. Our home base will be Dublin, but we'll also get a chance to see some of the rest of the island as well.

The are several reasons why Ireland, and why Dublin. Dublin has become "the Silicon Center of Europe". During the 1990s, Ireland began an unprecedented economic boom called "The Celtic Tiger". Much of the sucess was due to the influx of technology (e.g. an Intel plant) and pharmaceutical (e.g. Pfizer) investments. Since that time, the technology sector has moved more towards software & services, with companies such as Google, Facebook, and other 'Net companies establishing a presence to serve the European Union. This makes Dublin an idea place to learn about business.

Why not just stay in the US? Well, there are many cities that would make great locations for the BUS 490 course, but Dublin offers other advantages as well.

  1. First, it's "global" - it ISN'T in the US, so you'll gain an international perspective that you wouldn't get if you stayed domestic.
  2. Second, it's part of the EU - the European Union, the third largest market in terms of GDP (behind China and the US, each around 16% of the world economy).
  3. Third, it's English-speaking, making it easier for most of us to communicate.
  4. Fourth, it's "do-able"; Dublin's metro population is around 2 million people - much smaller than Chicago (over 8 mm), little smaller than Minneapolis/St. Paul (2.5 mm), but larger than the Des Moines area (around 500K). And because it's a European city, it's compact and easy to get around.
  5. Fifth, it serves as a "gateway" to Europe - it's a hub for trans-Atlantic flights, and it's major carriers (AerLingus & Ryanair) offer VERY reasonable prices on flights all over Europe, making Dublin an excellent business travel hub.
Belfast City Hall

And we won't just stay in Dublin. We will also get the chance to explore Belfast, in Northern Ireland. Belfast is part of the UK (United Kingdom), which after January 2020, left the EU as part of "Brexit". We will get a chance to see not just a slightly different "culture", but a different economy as well.

Finally, we will get a chance to think strategically by assessing the cultural, historic, social, and political environment that these businesses operate in. We'll have time to explore the cities, learn from "local experts", and soak it in over a 10-day visit. Some stops we'll see include: