Exploring an unfamiliar culture

As part of the IFIM’s agenda of continuous learning, the students and faculty of Howard University School of Business (HUSB), USA, recently visited the Bangalore campus. 

Under the ‘International Business Consulting’ course offered at HUSB, the students have to visit other countries and explore the workings of different business models. 

IFIM’s role was to facilitate the programme and articulate the business models in India while helping the students understand the requirement and challenges of Indian companies like Getit Infomedia and Rotomotive based in Bangalore. 

On the occasion of their visit, students made presentations about their Indian projects, throwing light on subjects like ‘trends and influences in online marketing’ and ‘trends in macro-environment influencing industrial sale’ that they studied in their time here.

“This is a new challenge for us to find and adjust to the working modules of another country. Working with organisations like Getit Infomedia and Rotomotive, we have been exposed to varied products and services. We have been given the opportunity to explore various topics and understand and work on the areas that we associate to best. Other than that, it’s also been a great platform for an enriching cultural exchange,” said Shelby Edmond, a visiting student.

“It was different and exciting collaborating with different individuals both from the IFIM as well as from the companies. The IFIM students have been very helpful in explaining the different work processes to us and connecting us with the right people in the organisation,” she added. 

 Accompanying the students was Barron H Harvey, the dean of HUSB, who spoke of the global perspective that this exchange offered. 

“Coming to India has broadened my perspective as I had no idea of the complexity and the advancement that this country has achieved. It’s a tremendous learning opportunity that has allowed our students work on a project here for the entire semester and I think they’ve grown in their understanding beyond the traditional practices of the United States,” he noted, adding, “The students made certain assumptions and some of these were corrected if they were incorrect.

 But throughout, they continued to learn and develop. We hope to enable many more such interfaces in the future. Maybe a sizeable number of our students could find their careers here in India as they go forward.”

 Samuel S Paschall, associate dean of HUSB, added, “There are more people in India than in North America, South America and Europe put together. So the youthtoday needs to have a global perspective and should be able to create solutions that are applicable around the world.

Coming here has been an exceptional opportunity for our students to explore a new culture. For them to be taken out of their comfort zones and see how other people live and work has been amazing.”