Contact: Maridith Geuder
A dozen Mississippi State University students enrolled in an international business class are learning more about overseas economic challenges by going directly to the source.
The students--all seeking master's of business administration degrees--recently have completed an intensive nine-day cultural and business immersion in London designed to show them firsthand what it's like to manage business in Europe.
Before departing, they had to develop a business plan for preparing a selected U.S. industry to enter the European market, said Barbara A. Spencer, director of graduate studies for the College of Business and Industry. Also a professor of management and information systems, she said the university's first-ever MBA study abroad experience illustrated many issues students already had explored in a regular academic class.
"Students were asked to analyze case studies for companies that had successfully marketed their products, and in many cases, opened new operations in Europe," she said. "They studied the European market in detail--now the largest market in the world. And they learned about the European Monetary Union and its implications for U.S. trade."
Once in England, students met with three U.S. companies successfully competing in the global market. Among stops were a small London advertising agency, Odiorne, Wilde, Narraway & Partners, whose home office is San Francsico; Universal Steel, a Eupora-based company with a Birmingham (United.Kingdom) manufacturing facility; and St. Paul, Minn.-based 3M Corp., which has a technical site near London.
"Because students had selected their research topics prior to travel, they were paying attention to very precise details during these visits," Spencer observed. Among field research topics, she said, were the square-foot cost of office space, identifying competitors for particular businesses and learning about market size.
"One student who manages a health club chose to write a plan to expand into London," she explained. "While there, he was able to visit a health club and talk to its manager about what is involved."
For the students with no previous travel abroad, the experience offered a firsthand view of how large the global marketplace really is, Spencer said. "Although their textbooks talk about global competition, it's a different matter to see it in practice. Based on their own observations, they now can develop realistic business plans to compete in the important European market."
Students participating included [alphabetical by hometown]:
AMORY--Kevin Evans.
COLUMBUS-- Gregory P. McBryde; Wendy M. Patterson; Lisa E. Perkins; and David S. Rhea.
EUPORA--Mary A. Avent and Betty J. Rodgers.
GULFPORT--Leslie J. Regala.
JACKSONVILLE, Ill.--Jeffrey A. Withee.
MERIDIAN--Benny J. Duett.
STARKVILLE--Mollie J. Fondren.
WOODBRIDGE, Va.--Jeremy McGlaughlin.