Immersive Field Courses: IFCs require a firm commitment and carry a financial obligation. Financial aid is available in the form of a student loan, a need-based HBS scholarship, or a combination of both depending on your individual circumstances. The Add/Drop process at the start of the term is the mechanism for any IFC enrollment changes, and, after that point, the course fee is non-refundable. Refer to the GEO website for full details on IFCs and be sure you understand the Course Policies and Course Fee & Financial Aid. Visit IFC Financial Aid for a quick assessment to determine your eligibility and process or contact finaid@hbs.edu for more information.

Enrollment: Limited to 45 MBA students (due to the nature of IFCs, auditing is not permitted)

Educational Objectives:

Saudi Arabia, the largest economy in the Middle East, is implementing its hugely ambitious Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to transform the nation and diversify its economy away from oil dependency. This transition entails massive change for the country, along multiple dimensions. The nation has also elevated its prominence on the global stage. While Saudi Arabia has tended to be seen through a set of limited lenses in the West, like any other society it is multifaceted and should be understood through diverse lenses.

Over the past few years, the country has poured enormous resources towards diversifying sources of economic growth away from petrochemicals. Societal change has been rapid in some dimensions – exhilarating and sometimes disconcerting – and on others has been glacially slow. This has triggered new entrepreneurial opportunities as well as identified some vulnerabilities for entrepreneurs, incumbent enterprises, and financiers.

Emerging sectors such as tourism, media, hospitality, entertainment, mining, metals, finance, and digital technologies, including fintech, AI, and clean energy, are gaining prominence, and this diversification opens doors for innovation and investment.

This Immersive Field Course presents a unique opportunity for students to explore first-hand the breadth, and the nuances, of Saudi Arabia's transformation. Through discussions, on-site visits, and interactions with alumni, companies and business leaders, and government officials, students will gain perspective on the Kingdom's trajectory, opportunities and challenges.

Course Focus and Format:

Five sessions will be held on campus in the fall. These sessions—which will include case discussions, non-case readings, guest speakers and panel discussions—will help prepare students for their in-country experiences. These sessions will explore the business and economic setting, along with aspects of the social and geopolitical context. They will also introduce students to frameworks for better understanding the broader institutional context they will encounter. Students will grapple with the extent to which lessons from their RC courses can either transfer over to the Gulf context, or need to be adapted. Professor Khanna’s work on Contextual Intelligence will be a central part of these discussions.

While students’ learning during the Saudi Arabia Immersion will be broad by design, they will also be organized into teams of 5-6 students, with each team focusing part of its learning (and ultimately writing a report) on a particular agreed theme.

Students will be in Riyadh for most of the Immersion, but will also travel as a cohort to Jeddah to continue to explore course themes.

Course Faculty:

Professor Tarun Khanna

My work for three decades at HBS and Harvard has been purely about economic development in emerging markets, typically through an entrepreneurial lens. An article I wrote in HBR in 2014, “Contextual Intelligence,” is used as part of the preparation for RC students in FGI, and I expect will be one of the conceptual anchors for this IFC. Similarly, frameworks that I have developed for competing in emerging markets, some with Krishna Palepu and then with dozens of PhD students over the years will be used in the Fall preparatory sessions for this IFC.

Senior Lecturer Andy Zelleke

I have previously led eight FIELD Global Immersion cohorts, including most recently the School’s first Cairo cohort. I currently serve as the Faculty Chair of the HBS Middle East, North Africa & Central Asia Research Center.

Grading:

20% - Fall interim presentation

20% - January pre-trip submission

60% - Team final paper and individual reflection paper

Course Credit and Fees:

Students will receive 3 credits upon successful completion of this course.

HBS will provide logistical support for the immersion (including hotel accommodations, select meals, and local travel arrangements). Students will be charged a course fee to help defray a portion of these costs. Students are responsible for booking and paying for their own round-trip air travel and any costs associated with required visa documentation and immunizations. Students should ensure adequate processing time for all visas, as travel fees are not refundable if a student does not secure visas on time.

For detailed information about what the course program fee includes and excludes, as well as information about student accommodations, please visit the GEO website or email geo@hbs.edu.

GEO continuously evaluates the safety and logistical feasibility of running Immersive Field Courses in each location. Please be aware that IFCs can be canceled at any time due to changes in global health and safety or other unforeseen circumstances. Students will not be redistributed into another IFC, nor will a new course be developed. Course fees will be refunded.

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