Students See Inner Workings of International Business

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Students at the Sam M. Walton College of Business got a chance to see the workings of international business from the inside when they accompanied a recent trade mission to Brazil and attended the General Assembly of World Trade Centers in Sao Paulo.

Student participation in the trip was fully funded and the faculty participation partially funded by the Walton College Global Engagement Office. The World Trade Center Arkansas organized the trip.

Katie Terrell, Alice McMillan and Walton College professor Andrew Horowitz shadowed Arkansas businesses during meetings with Brazilian companies and participated in the sessions and networking events of the general assembly.

“One thing I got out of this was that I actually got to see what doing business internationally means,” McMillan said. “You can’t get that out of a classroom. This is what our books and our classes can’t do for us.”

McMillan, who is from Kansas City, Mo., is an honors program student majoring in marketing with a minor in Spanish. Terrell, from Fayetteville, is enrolled in the Managerial MBA program and is employed by Tyson Foods Inc. as a training specialist in information systems.

“Experiencing international business on such a global stage was amazing. A tremendous opportunity,” Terrell said.

Another Walton College student, Natalia Moreno, went on the trip with the World Trade Center Arkansas, where she works as their Latin American Trade Development intern.

Joe Ziegler, co-director of the Global Engagement, said, “The Arkansas World Trade Center is unique because it has a strong focus on education, which makes partnership ideal.  We are very glad to have Walton students participate in the trade mission as it has been part of our long-range plan to further internationalize the college.”

The students had experience traveling abroad before their Brazilian trip in October, but all three said this trip was special.

“It is something that opens a new window, a new opportunity,” McMillan said. “Study abroad is a good introduction and a good immersion. This one was more business and professional.”

“This was a totally different experience,” Terrell said. “Studying abroad immerses you in a country’s culture; this experience immersed us in the culture of doing business internationally.”

By participating in the general assembly, the students and Horowitz spent the week developing contacts and ties to businesses from all over the world.

“The general assembly was phenomenal,” Terrell said. “It was more than just exploring business opportunities with Brazil. It was working with world trade centers and business leaders from across the globe and exploring business ventures that are mutually beneficial for all players.”

Interacting with business leaders from many different countries gave the students a chance to present a better picture of Arkansas and businesses in the state. “A lot of people don’t even know where we are,” Moreno said. “So we want to highlight Arkansas.”

The goal of the trade mission to Brazil was to provide small- and medium-sized Arkansas enterprises opportunities to enter the market in Brazil or expand their market share. Participating companies network with leading industry professionals and learn more about doing business in Brazil.

The Arkansas World Trade Center and other world trade centers arrange trade missions to promote global enterprise. There are more than 300 such trade centers around the world.