This course is aimed at exposing students to recent development in sustainability accounting in the country that is the focus of the study trip. In addition, the trip will also provide students with an understanding of investment and business opportunities in the country, as well as the social, cultural, economic, and political environments under which companies operate. It will give students a better appreciation of the country’s macro-economic environment, its key industries, financial and capital markets, investment climate, and economic policies and systems. During the trip, students will visit companies and interact with executives and entrepreneurs.
They will also be exposed to the country’s history, culture, traditions, and values as these play an important role in determining business and financial strategies and operations of companies. At the same time, this is an SMU-XO module, which offers an overseas experiential learning opportunity for students. The course allows students to translate classroom knowledge and theory into practical solutions for real organizations. In addition to visits to companies and organizations, student will also participate in a consultancy project. Through the project, students will learn how to solve real problems with guidance from the faculty and project sponsor mentors, from problem definition to final client presentation – while simultaneously testing their skills in real world settings. The project will focus on issues related to sustainability accounting that is faced by the accounting/finance and other functions of the companies in the country that will be visited and recommending/applying solutions to these problems. These issues (eg: implementation of sustainability reporting) are becoming very important for companies all around the world. Prior to the trip, students will be required to undergo intensive pre-trip preparations involving talks by experts, individual and team research of assigned topics, and project presentations and discussions.