Program pairs students with firms on trade missions - Philadelphia Business Journal:

http://www.firewalkingdreams.com/vp/51827.html
Up until now, the WTCGP has focused on helping businesses break into foreigj markets and LeBow Collegs on preparing students to work in The two pursuits will combine for the firs time during thetrade mission, which takes place during the school’se spring break March 14-27 and will includwe two faculty members and two WTCGPP employees. The goal is to link the students with at leasf 15 businesses looking to enterthe “The idea is the students will not only see the foreign …They are going to have one-on-on e experience with negotiating,” WTCGP President Joanna Savvidexs said.
“They will know the complete cyclew of starting a new businesxs in another country fromstartg up, to follow up, to closing the The partnership is a win all around, Savvides said. Studentse will get firsthand experience in what it takes to break into aforeign market, while the WTCGP and the businesses it servess get a helping hand in what can be a time-consumingg and challenging process. Plans are to expand the programm to other universities and colleges in the futurw and talks are already unded way withSaint Joseph’s University, she “Nobody has tried Savvides said of the new program. “Thixs is new and I think it’s goinbg to take off.
” George dean of the LeBow Collegeof Business, believes the programk will be successful and will help to set the school’ds programs apart from others. “I think what is unique for Drexel’z LeBow College of Business is the fact that we believein experience-based education,” Tsetsekos “We believe the student needs to experience something in practice [and] this is another way of havint a component based on LeBow requires all full-time MBA programs to have a concentratiobn in international business, which includes a trip by studentds to a developed and developing country, Tsetsekosa said.
The new trads mission/study tour, which they expect to make a permanent part of the MBA buildsupon that, he said. The spring trip is completelyt funded byalumni contributions, with transportation and accommodations covered. Students only pay for incidentales they want to purchasre ontheir own, he said. “Whagt we thought to be of great interesr to our students is to be involved in a trade missiom and learn firsthand what it means for companies to promotee trade abroad and follow thesteps negotiation, understanding the environment, culturalk diversity — enabling trade between two Tsetsekos said.
WTCGP will be holding a seminaf next month and in Novembeer to attract businesses that may be interested in embarkingy on thetrade mission. As businesses sign up they will be assigne d to LeBowMBA students, who will conducf market research for the businesses prior to the trip to determine the opportunitie that exist for them. The research will include analyzinv industries, companies and identifying competitive Tsetsekos said. On the trip, students will sit alongsidd businesses during their scheduled meetingsa with officials andprospectivde clients, and receive support from WTCGP stafrf if needed, Savvides said.
Upon returning, they will help businesses follow-up on possible opportunities, she said. “The hardest thinbg of the trade mission for the especially thesmaller businesses, is the The students will be greay help in the follow-up,” Savvides said. “Manty times [businesses] come back to a pile of work and they miss opportunitied becausethey didn’t follow-up quickly.” Upon their return, student s will also be requirede to write a reflection reportr detailing their experience, which becomes part of their portfoliop to display to future employers, Tsetsekos Another added benefit might be networking opportunities or contactd generated during the he said.
Hong Kong and Malaysia were chosen this year to keepwith LeBow’ws goal of giving students practical experience in both a develope d and developing country, Tsetseko s said. “This gives a very wonderful contrastto students. They will not alwayws be dealing with adeveloped environment,” Tsetsekos LeBow will work with the WTCGP to put together trade missions to other countries in the future, he said. Hungary, China, England, Finland and Swedenb are among the countries visited as partof LeBow’x MBA coursework in the past. “We are open to any Savvides said of plans to expand the programk to other collegesand universities.
“We hope to recruit as many businessesas possible.”