By KATIE MEYER
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
For Fordham University students interested in global business, last week’s International Business Week offered an opportunity to learn about businesses around the world while networking with a variety of prominent international businesspeople.
International Business Week was organized and sponsored by Global Learning Opportunities and Business Experiences (G.L.O.B.E.), and kicked off on Monday, Feb. 4 with an event called the Global Business Mixer. Held in Hughes Hall from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., the mixer featured 20 different tables set up on the first and second floors. Each table represented a different country and had a student from that country stationed there to teach about their culture and unique business practices and to give samples of traditional food that they had prepared themselves. The event was co-sponsored by the International Community of Fordham (ICF).
Represented countries included Argentina, Bulgaria, China, France, Morocco, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.
According to Suliman Al Aujan, GSB ‘15, who represented his native Saudi Arabia, students who attended the mixer were receptive, and in some cases even shocked to learn about lesser-known aspects of many of the countries.
“Having to represent Saudi was a challenge due to the minimal understanding that many people have about Arabian and Middle Eastern countries,” Al Aujan said.
He was glad for this opportunity to educate interested students about Saudi Arabia’s economy, tourist industry and other lesser-known cultural aspects and was very pleased with the outcome.
“Having to provide a small part of culture to my fellow colleagues was an honor,” Al Aujan said. “What added to the beauty of the event was the seriousness and eagerness from students to learn about various cultures.”
The rest of International Business week included a variety of other events and notable guests, like Juan Carlos Vignaud, ambassador in residence from Argentina, who gave a talk about sociopolitical contexts driving the economies and markets in Argentina, Brazil and Chile on Monday evening in Daleo Hall.
On Tuesday, the activities started with a lunch chat with a group of 15 students and Bloomberg LP’s Sustainability Manager Lee Balin, who did a presentation on global supply chain sustainability efforts. A lecture by alumnus Alfonso Fanjul, GSB ’59, company chairman of Florida Crystals, a major sugar producing company, followed, and featured a dessert tasting after the presentation.
Head of the Brazilian Government Trade Bureau and Deputy Consul General to Brazil, Pedro Murilo Ortega Terra, led a discussion on Wednesday that focused on the state of the economy in Latin America, specifically Brazil.
International Business Week concluded on Thursday afternoon with another lunch chat, this time between 15 students and Scott MacDonald, senior managing director of MC Asset Management Holdings. The group talked about the relationship between politics and financial markets in Europe.
International Business Week is an annual event that aims to uphold the mission of G.L.O.B.E. by embracing diversity, raising cultural awareness, connecting students with international business sectors and enabling them to become proficient in global business.
“Fordham’s G.L.O.B.E. is for students who aspire to get their foot in the door at some of New York’s most interesting international firms and organizations,” said the club’s current president Deanna Ceriano, GSB ’13. “[Club members] receive an international business designation on their diplomas at graduation, which offers an immense competitive edge in the workforce.”
An important part of success after graduation is the ability to function in a world that is constantly breaking down geographic boundaries. G.L.O.B.E. events like International Business Week are designed to to help students prepare to work in an ever evolving, ever expanding global economy. Al Aujan, for one, thinks that such events are very effective.
“[International Business Week] was a great opportunity to expose students to different cultures and learn more about how the world interacts economically, politically and socially,” he said. “I believe that such events should be organized annually, as it adds a great feel of what international business contributes towards our education.”
