One of the most important features of the KR program, and perhaps the most significant one, is the opportunity to spend an elective week at one of the partner programs of the Kellogg global network, in Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, Chicago and Miami. “The program makes you feel like you have second family, a family where each person has a very interesting business experience that sometimes even overlaps with yours,” says Evi Rachmilewitz, Managing Director at Emyoli Technology Consulting, who spent his elective week in Hong Kong. “Suddenly the whole notion of family extends all over the world and that gives you more power as an individual and as a business person, and increases the means at your disposal.”

Kellogg-Recanati Global Elective, Tel Aviv May 2012

If you are a KR student you probably already know all about the attractions of the places in which you can study and the courses, but you need to check your options carefully. For most of the students the decision on where to take an elective week is based on the relevance of the courses it offers at any given time to their particular fields. Ran Simha, Economic Advisor at the Office of the President of the State of Israel, spent his week in Miami. He says: “It is very important to make the appropriate tradeoff between professional expectations and relevance of content.” Assaf Sella, CTO, Texas Instruments Israel, who also spent his week in Miami, was particularly impressed with Professor Sergio Rebelo: "It isn’t every day that you get the chance to hear a lecture from a professor as important as he is."

Kellogg Miami Global Elective April 2012

Kellogg-WHU Global Elective Germany May 2012

Dori Chitayat, Marketing and Branding Manager at Amit Trading Japan, was in Hong Kong as well: “You get to meet with colleagues from different fields, gain exposure to other markets and learn new working methods.” He adds: "The ability to consult with someone from across the globe, with a different perspective, is something that you cannot get from any amount of advice.” Yaniv Shoshan, Product Design and Human Factor Engineering Manager at Elbit Systems spent his week in Germany. He confirms what Dori had to say: "I was totally fascinated by one of the courses on luxury brands. It is really interesting – you sit in a classroom in Europe with students from all over the world and you hear how they feel about luxury brands. Suddenly you can really understand the cultural differences. You start to understand things you only felt in the back of your mind.”

The global electives week is very busy and intense. Apart from the courses, which are conducted in a full academic framework, students share social and cultural activities, team work, and, of course, tours in the area. In fact, the power of the global electives week lies in the connections between the academic and social aspects, connections that expand the network of the KR alumni network. “The evenings are as important as the days. The students go out together to pubs, movies, events – the opportunities to strengthen the ties are beyond expectations,” says Dori, and Yaniv adds: “Students from all over the world remember their time in Israel, the fun they had, the warm welcome and the high level of the courses. When the Israelis come to their homes, they reciprocate with the same warmth and kindness.”

Kellogg-WHU Global Elective, Germany May 2012

Evi recalled that one afternoon, a few students got together for a soccer game. Evi loves sports and although he didn’t know anybody at the time, he decided to join them. “Now,” he says, “they are my friends and I’m sure we will soon meet in the business arena as well. It is very hard to explain, but I strongly suggest to future students of the program that they prepare for a week without sleep. Come with ears and eyes open, and a great desire to meet other students and to talk to each and every one of them. The more active you are, the more you will gain from this week and what it has to offer.”

Edoe Cohen, Founder and CEO, Omanoot – Israel through Art, shares Evi’s and Dori’s opinions: “In one of the courses we had to work as a team of 10 students from India, Canada, Europe and China. This is a unique experience in itself – how often do we get the chance to work with such an international team?" Edoe, who doesn’t come from a business background, felt that his elective week contributed much to his business skills. “When we came back home we had to keep on working together. Suddenly we came across new challenges such as coordinating schedules, cultural differences, including new work approaches and collaboration. I am positive that now we all know what international team work is.”

Kellogg-HKUST Global Elective, Hong-Kong, December 2011

Evi, Ran, Assaf, Dori, Yaniv, Edoe and their classmates have just completed their studies in the EMBA program. “The program enriches you, not only academically but socially as well,” said Yaniv. “The level of trust between the students, the experiences and the strong connections will surely help us in the near and more distant future. I can say with complete confidence that I took a step forward from being a product designer to being a product designer who thinks business and understands much more about the rationale behind the scenes.”