[6] These new initiatives, under the auspices of Dean Stephen W. Bosworth, were part of the Fletcher school's strategy of connecting the study of business with its larger social, cultural and political context.

[5] Inc. magazine noted IBGC's thinking that as more businesses become global in scope, leaders must become experts in geopolitics as well as economics and must be conversant in topics as diverse as the domestic agendas of foreign markets and the ways those countries use natural resources and resolve regional disputes.

[7][19] IBGC's founding dean noted that the MIB program is different from traditional business schools MBA programs in that the MIB trains its students to not only understand markets and private enterprise, but also to understand the underlying international socio-political forces that impact them: "the political framework, legislative environment, security issues and historical considerations that are specific to each country, as well as the widening gap between rich and poor that plagues many economies".

[16] In addition, Dean Chakravorti argues that the program, infused with a liberal-arts education, prepares graduates to understand ambiguity and the constant shifting of the world.

[21][7][19] Students who undertake the MIB often have previous international experience, coming from both the private sector (including consulting, banking, multinational organizations), as well as NGOs.

[14] Besides housing the school's Master of International Business and other course-based programs, IBGC is organized around three other "core activity areas": research, dialogue (conferences), and a lab (practical experience including consulting and entrepreneurship).

[2][22][23] IBGC’s research areas of focus include Country Management and Doing Business in BRICS,[17][4][24] Inclusive and Sustainable Growth,[17][25][26] Innovation and Change,[17] and Sovereign Wealth Funds and Global Capital Flows.

[51][49] IBGC published a series of papers to examine the cost of cash (in contrast to electronic transactions) worldwide for consumers, businesses, and government.

[52] CEME fellows established in 2011 the Sovereign Wealth Fund Initiative within IBGC, in partnership with the financial services company State Street Corporation.

It was founded to provide strategic analysis and quantitative research focused on public policy issues and investment challenges facing sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, central banks, governments and international organizations.

[17] CEME's founding purpose was the study and application of best practices in emerging market enterprises through research, conferences, and visits from senior business executives.

[63][66] At its inception Thomas Schmidheiny donated two million dollars, stating that it wanted to support its "unique approach in understanding the social and cultural issues of other countries".

[17][18] As a council, it transitioned from being a think tank into serving as the nexus point of experts from multiple areas, that engage with IBGC by lending their expertise for conferences, research, and student coaching.

The council’s areas of expertise include: Inclusive Growth, Sovereign Wealth and Global Capital,[62][27] Innovation and Change, Country Management and Doing Business in BRICs.

[63][24][69][70][71] In 2009, in partnership with the Bretton Woods Committee, CEME held a conference entitled Strengthening Capital Markets in Emerging Market Countries[72] In 2011 CEME held the Strategy, Operations, and Leadership for Emerging & Frontier Economies Conference and Killing Cash - Pros and Cons of Mobile Money for the World's Poor, A Look at Both Sides of the Coin.