GLOBASE sends MBAs abroad

MBA students from the Kelley School of Business left this weekend as part of five trips that will enhance their global business skills. Students went to Ghana, Peru, India, Eastern Europe, Australia and New Zealand for about two weeks as part of the Global Business and Social Enterprise initiative and Kelley International
Perspectives Program.

“We are working on consulting projects that provide international business experience and the challenge of working in a different culture,” said Blake Grosch, a leader of a consulting team traveling to Ghana. “We like to make a difference in the business and provide solutions and recommendations that are implementable given the
business’s resources and capabilities.”

Two years ago, the Kelley School started the GLOBASE travel courses. Initially, the students and faculty worked on projects for businesses in Peru. This year, the programs were expanded to include trips to India and Ghana.

“GLOBASE is just a great program that allows us to go and make a difference in a different part of the world while also just gaining a lot of leadership skills and understanding what it takes to work in another culture,” said Joni Lewis, who is a part of the leadership team traveling to India. “It is an amazing opportunity for us.”

Students work on different projects with local businesses in each country. The students traveling to Ghana will be putting together strategies for business in Accra, Ghana, said Grosch, who is leading a team of students at All Pure Nature, a company based in Ghana which advertises itself as an eco-friendly distributor of cosmetic products.

“We are working hand-in-hand with a business over there to come up with solutions to help the owner bring their product to the United States,” he said. “We hope to come up with solutions that she is able to implement using the resources
she has.”

Grosch said he hopes to teach other Kelley students about his experiences upon returning to IU.

“We hope to learn and share the culture and bring it back to the Kelley School of Business and share that with the other students there,” he said. “It is a learning experience that goes both ways.”