College of Business Administration Quarterly Newsletter
                                                                                                                       July 2006 - Volume 7.1

COBA Homepage :: The Executive :: MBA Students from Thailand Visit USF

  































 

 

 

MBA Students from Thailand Visit USF

East met west when the College of Business Administration hosted a one day seminar for Thailand’s Ramkhamhaeng University. The event took place Tuesday, May 30, at the University of South Florida’s Alumni Center and welcomed more than 120 Ramkhamhaeng faculty and students for a day of learning, networking, and global awareness.
 

Participants were welcomed by USF Dean of International Affairs Maria Crummett and the College's Associate Dean Richard Meyer. They took part in three lectures related to marketing strategy and international business presented by special guest speakers, including two business professors.
 

Though English is considered the international language of business, discussing global marketing strategies to a student group from Thailand can still prove daunting. According to Ramkhamhaeng University MBA student Gatewalee Cheewapun, the best way to overcome language barriers is to speak slowly and use examples everyone can relate to. That’s what Dr. Paul Solomon did in his lecture on Strategic Planning. “I was definitely concerned about the language element,” said Solomon, professor of marketing at USF. “I worked very hard to try and use examples that were relevant to an international audience and also a young audience.”

Ramkhamhaeng University in Thialand
 
What examples worked best? “McDonald’s, Budweiser, Wal-mart; these I understand- we all understand.” said Cheewapun.
 
Steve Baumgarten, Director of USF MBA Programs, was less concerned in his lecture on International Marketing. “The Thai people have an especially polite and gracious culture, so I wasn’t worried about bridging the culture gap,” he said.
 
Guest speaker Jefferson Knott, President and CEO of Tintagel Holdings LLC, and former Vice President, International for Rooms To Go Corporation, was particularly impressed with the number of women scholars in attendance, and shared with students the importance of corporate responsibility to the countries with which they do business. Knott, who holds several degrees including an MBA from USF, has worked with 121 countries world wide, including Thailand.
 
The USF seminar was just one of many stops on the Ramkhamhaeng student’s itinerary which included trips to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. And while USF may not be Vegas, Prof. Baumgarten is confident the seminar was a true success. “I believe they appreciated the quality and value of the presentations, and gained substantial insight into developing global strategy,” said Baumgarten. “I thought it went extremely well.