Kean University Launches Global Business Practicum

On Jun 23, 2015

Union-based Kean University say its newly launched Global Business Practicum provides student consulting teams with uniquely immersive professional opportunities as they put their business skills to the test against real world challenges.

“The Global Business Practicum was designed to meet the growing demand for professionals with the cross-cultural literacies needed to excel in today’s marketplace,” said Kean University President Dr. Dawood Farahi.

Consisting of a strategic consulting project and a site visit, the Global Business Practicum was developed under the leadership of Dr. Michael R. Cooper, Dean of the College of Business and Public Management; Dr. Geofrey T. Mills, Associate Dean for Global Business; and Ms. JoAnne Beiter, Director of Internships for the College of Business & Public Management. The course is being offered for the first time this summer, with three class sections taught by Dr. Valerie Vaccaro, Dr. Michael Chattalas, and Dr. Janine Black.

At the program’s recent launch event, Dr. Cooper touted the value of creating multi-cultural teams with diverse professional experiences. He urged the students to see the world through “multiple lenses.” “Looking at the world through a single lens only gives you one perspective, and today’s world is incredibly complex,” said Dr. Cooper.

The program’s initial cohort includes fifteen Chinese students from Wenzhou-Kean University, who will work on three consulting projects in Dr. Valerie Vaccaro’s GBUS 4810*15 Summer I class at Kean University’s Union campus. The Wenzhou-Kean student teams are being led by three Global MBA students: Anthony Brown, Walter Dioses, and Calvin Lewis. The student teams will provide thorough research, thoughtful analyses, and new project solutions for three clients: Wakefern Food Corporation, the largest retail cooperative in the US; ZRG Partners, a global executive search firm; andGASP, a nonprofit organization that advocates for a smoke and tobacco-free world.

The launch event included presentations by Dr. Michael Chattalas and Dr. Janine Black. Dr. Chattalas is taking Kean USA students to Panama in June to work on consulting projects for Noritex’s Concepts Life, a furniture/interior design brand and flagship store, and for Dräger Panamá, the regional office of a manufacturer of medical and safety technology. Dr. Black will oversee a team of Kean USA students in Germany this summer as they complete a consulting project for Spedition Bischoff International, a German freight company.

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