The Opportunity of A Lifetime
If anyone has a chance to study abroad or has ever even thought of it. Do it! In a changing global economy it is very important to grasp what is happening on other parts of our globe. As we have learned the winds of change can blow quickly and unexpectedly, and it is important to understand what others are doing to brace themselves for the storm. As an International Business MBA I was blessed to be able to attend the European Union Seminar MBA 686, Doing Business in the EU. I attended the program the previous year where we experienced programs and lectures by Loreal Paris, Stella Artois, US Commercial Services, EU Government Offices, Lobbyists, Euro Disney and Mercier Champagne. This year I was able to attend as an observer through the International Office and was really given the opportunity to see what the value of this information is. This year without the pressure of being in the class I watched as students from SLU and Canisius interacted as remarkable talent from a variety of industries spoke about their strategy to hedge the coming winds of change. The trip’s focus was on the financial and economic decisions of firms in different industries, and what they were doing considering the economic downturn. The major noted difference between US firms and those in the EU is the focus on price stability. This year we met with the Secretary General of the European Private Equity & Venture Capital Association, a representative of Galerie Athena a vendor of million dollar art pieces being used as investment tools, an Engineering firm known as “Setec” responsible for Paris’s drainage system as well as the construction of a high speed railway into Spain, Huertry Petrochem which is a firm that develops refining equipment for major institutions such as Exxon and EuroDisney where a senior member of their staff discussed the changing market and what they have done to capitalize on it. Each discussion with our presenters led to phenomenal questions and answers that really exposed the scope of knowledge our hosts had. We even met with acclaimed journalist for the New York Times and Canisius Alumni Elain Scoilino in the NYT Paris office. It was close and personal each time, which led to the opportunity of my lifetime. Learning about doing in business in the EU is one thing, but doing business in the EU is another. And on our visit to US Commercial services in Brussels this year I was able to sit down with a Senior Trade Advisor to develop a four phased plan to export my small businesses services to European markets. They spent four hours with me and constructed a plan to work in Brussels and Berlin in the comming months all as a result of a relationship developed with our International Office and our class experience. Brussels, Paris, and Bright future in an economy focused on price stability. Its good to see the new parts of the globe it is also great to know that one can become a part of them.
my two cents
Clark Banach
cbanach | After Canisius, Evening/Part-Time MBA