REPOST: Out in the field: postgrad students make the world their business

An increasing number of business schools are sending their students overseas to learn firsthand valuable lessons on entrepreneurship and management. The Guardian’s Stephen Hoare discusses further these immersion trips in the article below.  

Image Source: theguardian.com

Their international cohorts include students from as many as 40 countries, but instead of bringing the world to their classrooms, an increasing number of business schools send groups of postgraduates on overseas visits, to learn at first hand what it means to be a global citizen.

In September this year, around 200 postgraduates from ESCP-Europe's London campus – at the start of their two-year master's in management (MiM) programme – spent three days at the European parliament in Strasbourg, which was then at the end of its summer recess. They were joined by postgraduates from the business school's other European campuses – Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Turin – making a total of 834 students.

After learning from officials how the European parliament worked, the students took part in role-play exercises in which they debated the EU's proposed financial regulations and banking union. Working in multicultural teams, they practised soft skills – such as collaboration, negotiation and chairing meetings – as they took on the roles of members of the European parliament, policymakers and lobbyists.
"We call our visit an immersion seminar," says Patrick Gougeon, director of the Paris-based school's London campus. "The aim is to reinforce the students' knowledge of the EU and its institutions, and to develop their reflection concerning the European challenges."

Overseas study visits now often include a hefty dollop of social responsibility. Field trips to developing countries are more popular than ever and present an opportunity for postgraduates to work with NGOs, helping small businesses and social enterprise. For the past five years, students on ESCP-Europe's master's in marketing and creativity have raised money to go to Uganda, where they have helped local charities with their business plans.

Cranfield School of Management has seen a switch away from study tours to major growth markets – such as China and Brazil – towards field trips to developing countries. This year, around half of all MBA students volunteered to work in Uganda, Egypt, Ghana, Mongolia and Nepal. Lasting 10 days in June – and co-ordinated by Cranfield and the charity Challenges Worldwide – the trips take place towards the end of the course.

"MBA students can apply their knowledge to help small businesses in the developing world to structure their ideas and meet some daunting challenges. This is no easy option. There is real value in it for both parties," says David Simmons, Cranfield international director.

US postgraduate and former teacher Evan Schiff was one of a group of six sent to Mongolia. "When I called my parents in the States, they said, 'Mongolia? Where's that, again?'"

While most of the group set to work in Ulan Bator, Schiff and a colleague – together with a translator and a representative from international development NGO Mercy Corps – flew a further 1,500km to a mountainous region in the west of the country. "We landed on a dirt strip in the middle of nowhere. And stayed in a village with no clean running water or electricity."

Schiff talked to a producer of yak's-milk yoghurt, a local business adviser and a trader in wool. Tact, respect for cultural differences and an ability to relate to people were much-needed qualities. "If I asked them to tell me how much they had sold the previous week, and then repeated the question, I would get three or four different answers."

By the end of 10 days, Schiff had demonstrated the value of simple record keeping. He had also learned a lot. "I was inspired by the way these businesses rose to the challenges they faced. I will remember the lessons I learned in my new adventure education company, Travelling Classroom."

London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) specializes in bringing students to the forefront of business through industry-relevant programmes, exclusive career support, and uniquely global student experience. Read more about the prestigious institution here.