Rice Begins Summer Business Program for High School Students
Rice University Jones Graduate School of Business began their Rice Summer Business Institute (RSBI), a summer program that aims to introduce ambitious high school students to the world of business.
The program will run from June 13 until June 27. A group of 40 juniors and seniors from high schools in the Houston metro area will congregate at McNair Hall on Rice University’s campus. During the first day, they will introduce themselves, take videos and class photos and get to know one another.
The first week of RSBI will concentrate on skills development and an introduction to business topics. Here is a list of activities for the first week from the university’s website.
- Lectures on business topics by prominent Jones School faculty and alumni
- Instruction and exercises in behavioral business skills such as team building, individual initiative, and time management
- Excel, PowerPoint, and internet exercises facilitate hands-on internalization of skills and curriculum topics
- Usage of TI BAII Plus financial calculators, which become a gift to each student who successfully completes the Institute
- Information sessions by the Rice admissions office and Jones School career placement
During the second week, students will split in to cross-school teams to preform an in-depth business analysis of a retail corporate entity. This activity will lead up to a team presentation to the entire group on the last day of class. Students will answer questions like:
- What are company’s primary businesses?
- What is the company’s competitive strategy?
- Why is the company making or losing money?
- What is the nature of the customer base?
- What is the company’s marketing strategy?
- Is the strategy working?
- Is the company launching new products?
- How is the company’s stock performing?
