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Faces
Dateline: Istanbul
With notebooks and flip cameras in hand, Professor Tamer Cavusgil’s
Maymester class stepped out of their hotel and on to the pavement
of bustling Taksim Square, wondering where their 10 days in Istanbul
would take them.
Born out of the Center for International Business Education (CIBER),
which is housed in the Institute of International Business, the idea for
a media, journalism, and business in a global world course stemmed
from unusual sources. Cavusgil said that inspiration for the program
came from conversations with Phil Bolton, publisher of GlobalAtlanta,
and Brad Ferrer, executive vice president of finance and administration
at CNN Worldwide.
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“They were talking about how important it was for students to have
international experience and exposure to international business
knowledge,” said Cavusgil, who is executive director of CIBER.
The course featured a unique curriculum of both journalism and
business with a specific focus on emerging markets.
“The emerging market focus gives students not only exposure to
international business and aspects of business in media, but also
how these phenomena take place in emerging markets - which are
transformational settings,” said Cavusgil.
The first two weeks were spent at GSU, studying the fundamentals
of global journalism and business journalism topics. Next came the
immersion in an emerging market setting.
This year’s destination was Istanbul, Turkey. Paula Huntley, business
manager of the Institute of International Business and a primary
organizer of the trip, said the impact of the immersion on the students
was striking.
“They went one way, but came back totally different, with eyes wide
open,” said Huntley.
While in Istanbul the students visited Coca-Cola Eurasia, UPS, CNN,
and Turkcell, among other firms.
As the students returned to complete their final projects and
reflection papers, Huntley heard multiple students comment on the
trip.
“We heard more than one student come back saying ‘this had a major
impact on my life,’” said Huntley. |
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Cannon Keynotes Green Symposium
Debby Cannon, director of Robinson’s Cecil B. Day
School of Hospitality, gave the keynote address on
June 25 at the International Symposium on Green
Tourism Management in Guangzhou, China. The
symposium is a joint effort between Robinson
and Guangzhou’s Management School of Jinan
University. Held in Atlanta last year, Cannon said
the symposium helps forge new relationships for
the School of Hospitality. “We’re always looking for
some exchange opportunities.”
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Massell, Diaz join Business Hall of Fame
They embody the American dream - the first Jewish mayor of Atlanta and
a Cuban immigrant who arrived in
Miami as a boy with only the shirt on
his back. Former mayor and Buckhead
Coalition President Sam Massell (BBA
1951), and Diaz Foods Chairman and
CEO René M. Diaz (BBA 1987) are the newest members of the
Georgia State University J. Mack Robinson College of Business
Hall of Fame. Their induction in May drew a record crowd of 450,
who gathered to celebrate the two’s contributions to business
and community. The Business Hall of Fame is the highest honor
bestowed by the college. Seventy-two executives have been
inducted since its inception in 1985. |
Kenya Connection
When Allison Jacobs went to Kenya on a mission trip in 2010 she
did not realize how much that short time would shape her future.
One day during lunch, Jacobs got into conversation with a
professor from the University of Nairobi. He described to her the
difficulty of attending college for Kenyans. In a nation where 60
percent of children are unable to attend school, the value of an
education to Kenyans is priceless. The average fee for a four-year
college education in Kenya is equivalent to $2,000.00, a small
price to pay for Americans but often an impossible hurdle to
cross for the majority of Kenyans.
“To want something so badly and have no way of getting it - it’s a
foreign concept to us,” said Jacobs.
She returned to Robinson with a plan. As the student services
director for the School of Accountancy and faculty advisor to
Beta Alpha Psi - a professional fraternity for financial information
students and professionals - Jacobs suggested that the student
organization raise enough money to send a Kenyan to university.
After a short search, Beta Alpha Psi found an eager partner in
Imbako Public Health, a local nongovernmental organization
focused on educating Kenyan women and children, and providing
accessible healthcare to rural communities.
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“In 2010, Imbako was looking for a collaborator who would
highlight the problems in Kenya,” said Irene Okech of Imbako.
“We linked up at an opportune time.”
The plan was to send Kenyan girls to school, focusing on women
due to the fact that the majority of uneducated Kenyans are
female. Beta Alpha Psi was aiming to send one student in fall
2010 and one in spring 2011, but the group quickly surpassed
their goal. By the end of spring semester 2011, Beta Alpha Psi had
raised $27,000 - enough to send 10 young women to school for
four years.
After an initial sum was raised to send five girls to school, Okech
traveled to Kenya to distribute the awards in person. As a part of
the ceremony, the community planted two trees in honor of the
donors.
“In Kenya, trees represent life and growth,” said Okech. “These
trees represent the life that they hope will stem forth from this
relationship with GSU.”
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Copyright © 2011 J. Mack Robinson College of Business/Georgia State University
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