College of Business News

Current business trends have been shifting more and more towards sustainability, the need to have a positive or neutral impact on the global or local environment, community, society or economy while still maintaining a profitable and stable business. Also, there has been an increasing trend among Generation Y to focus on sustainability. With students growing up in an age where terms like ‘global warming,’ ‘recycling,’ and ‘being green’ are mentioned in everyday, students are more socially aware and are actively pursuing more sustainable practices.

In order to address this need in the business world and with the new generation, the MSU College of Business has a new course designed to focus on sustainable business practices, MGMT 491, to be offered this fall on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:00 am. This new course is offered for seniors in all disciplines and will address current issues and actions focused on sustainability.

“Businesses across the nation are recognizing that a healthy environment and strong communities are vital to their long-term prosperity.” (Yellowstone Business Partnership, 2010)

This shared idea is where this course will start. It will help students identify key sustainability and environmental issues currently faced by business managers and addresses how managers can analyze and respond to these issues. This course is approached from a business perspective and designed to serve a cross-disciplinary audience of students interested in 1) learning how to mitigate some of the impacts and implications humans are having on the environment and 2) taking a leadership role in the professional arena.

For more information about this new course, please contact Martha Joh Reeder-Kearns, mjreeder@montana.edu

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Keegan Latta
Degree Option: Business Management
Year: Graduated December 2011

1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you came to participate in the summer China program.
I am from a small town in Wyoming, and was enrolled in my second to last semester at MSU when I attended this program. I have since completed my undergraduate program at MSU, and now have a degree in business management. My interest for traveling to China began years ago. I have always been very excited to travel and experience new places, however, Asia had yet to make my checklist. As soon as I learned of this opportunity, I immediately applied for the program. I was accepted and began communicating with the trip leader, Dr. Fengru Li of the University of Montana. She is an amazing woman, and helped guide me through the necessary steps of the trip.

2. Could you please tell me more about this program, its structure and your counterparts?
The program was based around U.S.-Chinese business negotiations. Essentially we worked with our counterparts in a classroom setting revolving around mock negotiations. It was very interesting to see how the different groups interacted throughout the negotiations. I feel the U.S. students had the upper hand because we were required to negotiate in English, but many of our counterparts were very persistent and extremely knowledgeable during negotiations. Aside from the classroom, we spent much of our time exploring the cities with our counterparts. The Beijing counterparts spent the most time with us, and we all became quite close during the two weeks of study there. The other educational focus was tours of U.S. based companies within China. This was a great experience to explore these businesses, and gain a greater understanding of international business.

3. What were some of the activities that you engaged in while in China? Where did you visit?
When we were not engaged in classroom activities, we toured many cultural sites in and around the cities where we stayed. These sites included: The Summer Palace (Beijing), The Great Wall (Beijing), The Forbidden City (Beijing), The Miao Village (Guizhou), Panda Research Center (Chengdu), and many other interesting areas throughout the trip. During our stay in Guizhou, we were fortunate enough to play a game of basketball with the college team. It was an amazing experience to say the least. There were several hundred students who turned out for the game, and they were kind enough to cheer for both teams. We were defeated by several points, but a life altering experience nonetheless.

4. What were some memorable parts of the trip?
The basketball game I mentioned was one of the most memorable parts of the trip. Other memorable parts included staying in the ancient Miao Village located in the mountains outside of Guizhou. Airport security in general throughout the country was quite memorable. Arriving in Shanghai and finding Italian food, and mostly the great friends I made during the trip, both counterparts and UM students. You really get to know people when you spend a month with them, especially when you are travelling in a foreign country. One particular counterpart that really made our stay in Beijing that much more enjoyable was named Super Li, and he became a good friend during our two-week stay in the city.

5. What were the most interesting things you learned while on the trip?
Aside from the negotiations, the most interesting thing I learned and experienced was people’s reactions in certain settings. It was fascinating to watch my peers react differently to certain negative experiences we encountered on our journey. I also learned a very small amount of Chinese, which I plan to expand upon in the very near future. Learning about the Chinese culture was absolutely amazing. Completely immersing yourself in such a foreign setting takes your breath away. I hope to return to China soon, and potentially live there for several years.

6. Was this international program a positive experience for you?
Very much so! This is an experience I will never forget. I was fortunate enough to be accompanied by some of the greatest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Especially Dr. Li and Suhan Chen. These two women organized the trip, and made the trip what it was. I gained new knowledge, and was able to experience the “real” China.

7. Has this experience impacted your future goals?
It has made me think twice about what I actually want to do when I grow up. I definitely plan to return to China, and may potentially pursue a career in international business with a focus on China. So, yes this trip did in fact impact my future goals significantly. I feel it was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life, and would encourage anyone, student or not, to travel to China and experience their culture.

8. Any advice for future participants of the program?
The best advice I can give to any individual considering the program is to expect anything and have an open mind. The culture of China is so dramatically different than anything I had previously experienced, and going into the trip with an open mind greatly benefited my overall experience. Another tip, if possible, study the language and try to have a grasp of basic phrases. This is one area in which I wish I had spent more time. Overall, have fun with it and don’t pass on any opportunity to see more of the country while you are there. You only live once, so experience as much as you possibly can, while you can!

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Through study abroad programs, internships and independent studies, the Montana State University (MSU) College of Business (CoB) encourages students to formulate the educational experience necessary to work and succeed in an international marketplace. More and more, employees are required to interact with coworkers and clients from different cultural backgrounds and are expected to have relevant expertise to excel and be competitive. The CoB has partnered up with the University of Montana (UM) to help provide these international opportunities.

Last year, two students participated in a joint program with the UM business school where students spent two weeks in Bresica, Italy, exploring business and culture for the first time. This year, four students were able to take advantage of this great opportunity: Leigh Enselman, David Johannessen, Hannah Taylor and Kate Snapp.

This program is a faculty-led, intensive two-week summer program that focuses on international business and world trade. Students are exposed to topics related to international strategies such as global competitiveness, foreign markets, world trade and commerce, etc.

Students participated in classes at the Universita’ degli Studi di Brescia with American and Italian professors and spent time visiting Italian companies and cultural landmarks. Students also participated in group projects and each team put together marketing plans for the World Trade Center Brescia. Enselman, Johannessen and Taylor created a marketing mix plan for the Gun Expo consulting group and Snapp helped create an expansion plan for a museum partnership in Brescia.

David Johannessen really valued the experience. “I think that the Italy program was terrific. I could list off a million and one things that I learned about international business, or working as a consulting group in a professional setting, or how Italians conduct business…. However, when it comes right down to it, the things that I learned outside the classroom…are the life experiences that I am going to remember and build on. It has been one of the greatest learning opportunities of my life.”

This is just one of a number of opportunities the CoB offers students that provides unique international business experiences. For another great example of international opportunities, please see the Q&A story with Keegan Latta, recent CoB alumnus, and his experiences with another program partnered with UM to China.

For more information about international opportunities, please contact Linda Ward in the Bracken Center, lward@montana.edu or 406-994-1995.

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