Business students to visit India

While most IU students will sit through classes until Thanksgiving break, 49 Kelley School of Business students will travel to India for a week to see places such as the Taj Mahal and visit a member of India’s parliament.\n“IU has a network of alums in India and the youngest member of parliament in India is an IU alumni. It fit our needs and the ability to do things,” said business law professor Jamie Prenkert.\nThe students are set to leave Friday and will return on Nov. 19. The students are sophomores in the business school’s honors program and all take the same classes. As such, missing a week’s worth of classes is not an inconvenience.\n“The program has been nice because you get to know people in your classes,” said sophomore Ryan Stevens. “It almost reminded me of high school. I’ve enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t want to do it all four years.”\nApart from their coursework, the students have been preparing for this trip all semester. One of their classes this semester is titled Business and Culture in India, and prepares them for the challenges they will face in traveling overseas. They have discussed the process of international travel and what to pack, and have also had experience tasting Indian cuisine. Guest lecturers have also spoken to the classes, and students have discussed India as a whole and compared its business practices with those of the U.S.\n“One of the focuses is to have experience looking at business and marketing in emerging markets,” Prenkert said. “(India) is a national scene of business and productivity. It’s a site for business with the U.S.”\nWhile the students are in India, they will participate in a mix of government and business visits along with typical tourist activities. They will visit the cities of Delhi, Agra and Chennai.\n“I’m really excited about seeing the Taj Mahal. I’ve heard it’s the most amazing thing you’ll see in your life,” Stevens said.\nThe students have been doing research projects this year on different aspects of India including business practices in India, the history of the country, media, Bollywood and the current state of the country. The students will then report back to their classmates on what they learned about the subject matter when they return.\n“I hope to gain a greater awareness of things on a world scale, both in business and culturally,” said sophomore Melinda Hohler. “I hope to learn about the relations between Indians and Americans, how adapting they would be to western experiences. I hope to see the globalization of India and the U.S. and their ability to work together.”\nThe business school also has a program in which students can travel internationally over spring break. This year, they have the opportunity to visit China, Croatia, Brazil or Ghana.\n“I think they will bring back a real understanding of global business. It’s a rigorous program of five honors classes,” Prenkert said. “They’ve had exposure to business they wouldn’t usually have.”