\u201cWhether you’re talking operations, supply chain, marketing, finance, you need to understand it on a global scale,\u201d says MBA Director and Professor Nicole Koppel. In South Africa, that meant the students also came to understand what it\u2019s like to adjust to life in the dark.<\/p>\n \u201cThe trip opened my eyes and put in perspective how grateful we should be to live where we are in the world,\u201d says Justin Martinez \u201922, a member of the accelerated 4+1 MBA program and an operations partnership manager for a sports memorabilia company.<\/p>\n International experiences are integrated into the curriculum at the Feliciano School of Business<\/a>, with the MBA program remodeled 12 years ago to expose students to experiential opportunities in the global environment, says Natalie Jones, Feliciano\u2019s assistant director of global programs. Over the past decade, nearly 1,000 MBA students have taken part in immersion trips.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only do they familiarize students with live business environments, but by taking them to emerging or reemerging markets, they’re really learning about companies, both local and multinational, and how their operations exist and adapt within a different country,\u201d Jones says.<\/p>\n The most recent trips in January presented opportunities to understand world cultures and business customs in South Africa; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. During their 10-day visits, the MBA cohorts visited multinational and regional companies and cultural landmarks.<\/p>\n In South Africa, that included visits to a diamond mine to learn about the industry and a local nonprofit literacy project. The group experienced \u201cloadshedding\u201d \u2013 as it\u2019s known locally \u2013 the rolling power outages that occur across the country and saw firsthand how it impacts business operations. In Tel Aviv, a focus included telecommunications and smart mobility, and in Dubai, its sustainable city.<\/p>\n That visit especially impressed Joe Balestrieri, an MBA student who works in banking in an anti-fraud governance and investigative department. \u201cIt was almost like, if the world ended, this place would stay alive. It ran on its own solar energy, reused the water. Sustainability was through the roof.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think employers really like the idea that our graduate students have this global experience,\u201d Koppel says. \u201cUnderstanding business in a global economy, you can’t do it reading a textbook or watching a video. It’s not until you’re seeing it live in action that you can understand the underlying things that are happening.\u201d<\/p>\n MBA student Joanna Choinska, who works as a small property manager and developer of housing in New York City, says the visit to Dubai was enlightening. \u201cVisiting the city definitely brings it to life. It\u2019s like your five senses \u2013 you could read it and see it. But then you go there, you feel it, you hear it, you smell it.\u201d<\/p>\n Kathryn Fellin \u201922, a combined BA\/MBA student, says gaining cultural sensitivity was among the takeaways from the trip. \u201cThis was definitely a big learning experience both personally and professionally in understanding cultural differences and what life is like outside of our bubble.\u201d<\/p>\n Story by Staff Writer Marilyn Joyce Lehren<\/a>. Photos courtesy of Feliciano School of Business.<\/p>\n You May Also Like:<\/p>\n![\"oup](\"\/responsive-media\/cache\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/03\/2023-03-07_mba-02.jpg.0.1x.generic.jpg\")
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