The importance of international educationThe Carlson School will require an international experience for all undergraduate students

GLOBALG O I N G

A NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AT THE CARLSON SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

FALL 2007

T he Carlson School of Manage-ment will require all undergradu-ate students, starting with those

who enter the school in fall 2008, toparticipate in an international experienceas part of their four-year degree.

The school is the first undergraduatecollege at the University of Minnesota toestablish an international requirement,although many students already take partin such opportunities. In 2006-2007, 219undergraduate Carlson School studentsstudied abroad, up 321 percent from 52study abroad students in the 1997-1998school year.

“In the business world, the globaleconomy is growing, and there is an influxof careers that cross borders,” saysCarlson School Dean Alison Davis-Blake.“It is essential to develop global citizensand broaden their skills and knowledgeabout the world.”

Understanding international businessissues is key to students who want careersin business, says Michael Houston,Ecolab-Pierson M. Grieve Chair inInternational Marketing and associatedean of International Programs.

“Being able to work cross culturally isimportant to organizations that areincreasingly operating on a global basis,”says Houston.

“An extensive process is occurring to determine the various options thatstudents might pursue to fulfill the

The internationalrequirement comple-ments the CarlsonSchool’s undergraduateprogram expansion.Hanson Hall is due toopen in 2008.

requirement,” says Anne D’Angelo King,assistant dean of International Programs.

The Carlson School currently offersseveral study abroad options for under-graduate students, including seven short-term global enrichment courses and 15semester exchanges, as well as severalother opportunities in collaboration withthe University of Minnesota’s LearningAbroad Center. New short-term globalenrichment courses for undergraduates inthe spring of 2008 include opportunitiesto study entrepreneurship in Shanghaiand Beijing, China, and logistics andsupply-chain management in Madrid andZaragoza, Spain. The school plans to raisescholarships to help students meet therequirement and graduate in four years.

In addition to the internationalrequirement, the Carlson School added

a public/nonprofit management major this fall, and will add a contemporarymanagement course for freshmen and animmersion core set of classes in students’sophomore year, beginning next fall.

New students like Tommy DeMarcocouldn’t be more pleased with thecurriculum enhancements. “When Istarted to think about business as a careerchoice, I knew I wanted to use mybusiness education to help society,” saysDeMarco, a Carlson School freshman. “Ialso knew I wanted to study internationalbusiness. Knowing that the CarlsonSchool values international experienceand is offering a nonprofit major madethis school the clear choice for me.”

2 G o i n g G l o b a l

A sel Kalykova came to the Univer-sity of Minnesota this summerfrom the American University

of Central Asia (AUCA) in Bishkek,Kyrgyzstan, to improve her teachingmethodology.

For six weeks from June to August,Kalykova and four other faculty membersfrom universities in Kyrgyzstan andUzbekistan visited the University and theCarlson School as part of the SummerTraining Institute, an innovative program

to strengthen edu-cation in the region.

While here,Kalykova learnedmore about evalua-tion techniques,case writing, andthe use of informa-tion technologies ineducation. She alsogathered informa-tion from realbusinesses to

incorporate in her courses. She found agreat mentor in Sid Benraouane, seniorlecturer at the Carlson School, whoeagerly accepted the opportunity to workwith her.

Early in 2007, the University acceptedan invitation from the American Councilsfor International Education, a non-profitorganization that advances education andresearch through international programs.This group asked the University toorganize an initiative for furthering thedevelopment of faculty in Central Asia,says Barbara Kappler, assistant director of International Student and ScholarServices (ISSS) at the University.

ISSS approached the Carlson School’sInternational Programs office with theopportunity. Together with the Univer-sity’s Center for Teaching and Learningand the involvement of Carlson Schoolfaculty, they developed the SummerTraining Institute, the first offering in the initiative.

“Participating in such a rich collabora-tive effort with stakeholders fromWashington, D.C., the University ofMinnesota, and institutions in Kyrgyzstanand Uzbekistan is an ideal fit with ourmission,” says Anne D’Angelo King,assistant dean of International Programs.

Among other activities, the institutepaired the Central Asian faculty withCarlson School faculty mentors. As aresult, Kalykova observed the MBAcourses that Benraouane taught. Eachweek, the two met to talk about whathappened in the classroom.

“My philosophy is to involve studentsas much as possible,” says Benraouane,who introduces a new activity, such asvideos, presentations, or discussions,every 15 minutes or so to keep thestudents focused.

“My mentor within this program, SidBenraouane, has become my particularinspiration as a real professional,” saysKalykova. “His classes finally became alive demonstration of everything learnedin the program. I have enjoyed andlearned so much and have so many ideasdue to his assistance, advice, andsupport.”

Spotlight on Central AsiaCarlson School collaborates on professional development programfor faculty from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan

Kalykova valued her time in Minne-sota. “By the results of this trip, I havebeen able to apply many things, and I also have ideas for the future. So this isnot only about immediate changes butstrategic ideas as well. In particular, Ihave updated delivery of all my courses,making them more interactive and apply-ing smart lectures and different evalua-tion techniques, as well as incorporatingvideos.”

Kalykova also says that another impor-tant outcome will be the impact of herprofessional development on studentsuccess. “The final outcome will be in theclassrooms of the AUCA, which could bemeasured by the enhanced motivation tolearn, higher interest in subjects, andcompetitiveness of our graduates in thelabor market.”

The Summer Training Institute wasjust the start of programming for CentralAsian faculty. The University will bedeveloping more offerings in the future,which also will involve the CarlsonSchool. “We really used a very strongmodel that brought together officesthroughout the University in partner-ship,” says Kappler. “The success of thismodel will only help us as we moveforward.”

Senior Lecturer Sid Benraouane

Asel Kalykova (fourthfrom the right), withBarbara Kappler fromISSS (third from theright) and the otherCentral Asian scholars

F a l l 2 0 0 7 3

Entrepreneurship abroadInternational residency supports Romanian entrepreneuras he builds his business

R omanian entrepreneur Voicu Opreanvisited the Carlson School ofManagement this summer and walked

away with a valuable understanding of businessin the United States.

“The market isbecoming more andmore international, andthe world is gettingglobal, so it is a must inthe new economy to beexposed to the interna-tional market,” saysOprean.

The knowledge thathe gained continues tohelp him as he buildshis Romanian software

business, AROBS, which he founded in 1998 asan outsourcing firm for software engineers. Thebusiness currently focuses on software solutionsto support the growing regional market.

“I was able to analyze the differences betweenU.S. and European business models and learnfrom the best of each,” says Oprean, a student in the Romania Executive MBA Program, anoffering of the Vienna University of Economicsand Business Administration. The CarlsonSchool arranged a U.S. residency for theseRomanian students in summer 2007.

“I also validated my own theory about whereand when one system works the best. Eventhough Romania is in the European Union, Iconsider the U.S. business model more suitableto Romanian entrepreneur companies.”

Oprean benefited from his work with theschool’s “excellent professors,” such as DileepRao, Carlson School senior lecturer. Rao focusedclassroom discussion on the topic of entrepre-neurship and ways to make the most of newopportunities.

“There is interest in developing new businessin the region,” says Rao, who also teaches Execu-tive MBA classes in Warsaw and Vienna. “Theresidency participants were interested in thenuts and bolts of evaluating opportunities and intaking the opportunities to the next level andgetting involved personally in entrepreneurship.”

To offer students a perspective on the role ofventure capital in the United States, Rao invited’91 U of M alum Scott Litman, managing direc-tor of SDWA Ventures, to speak to the residencyclass.

“We had a pretty wide-ranging discussion,”says Litman, whose venture catalyst companyinvests in businesses in the early stages ofgrowth. “They wanted to know more abouttaking risks in entering the market with a startup and about how you know what to go after.”

When looking for resources, Oprean spottedan opportunity to experience the 2007 SummerVenture Camp. Rao helped arrange Oprean’sparticipation in the camp, which broughttogether Minnesota entrepreneurs.

Oprean views his Executive MBA educationas a way to complement his technicalbackground and to improve his business skills.The international residency helped confirmOprean’s desire one day to reach a significantmilestone.

“We have many ideas in the company thatmight create a state-of-the-art software solutionfor companies all around the globe,” saysOprean. “The ultimate goal is to get quoted atthe Romanian stock exchange and later to belisted in London or NASDAQ.”

Oprean is likely to succeed, says Rao.“Central and Eastern Europe need businessleaders who can build their own companies andform major corporations, and he’s the kind ofguy to do that.”

Voicu Oprean

Oprean views hisExecutive MBAeducation as a way tocomplement his technicalbackground and improvehis business skills.

■ LOCATION / southeasterncentral Europe

■ AREA / 91,725 sq. miles

■ POPULATION / 22 million

■ CLIMATE / temperate withfour distinct seasons

■ CAPITAL CITY / Bucharest

■ GOVERNMENT / Parliamen-tary republic with twolegislative bodies: the Senate and theChamber ofRepresentatives

■ MAIN CROPS / wheat, corn,sugar beets, sunflowerseed, potatoes, grapes

■ NATURAL RESOURCES /timber, natural gas, coal,iron ore, salt

■ MAJOR INDUSTRIES /mining, timber, construc-tion materials, metallurgy,chemicals, machinebuilding, food processing,petroleum production and refining

SNAPSHOT

R O M A N I A

4 G o i n g G l o b a l

Ted Tarsa, sales and marketing operations manager forthe international business development group at 3M,looks for opportunities to strengthen the company’s

already significant global operations. The long-standing collaboration among 3M, the Carlson

School of Management, and the Vienna University of Economicsand Business Administration supports 3M international activi-ties and offers Carlson School MBA students the chance toapply their expertise to a real-life business issue.

“This is a win-win for all involved,” says Tarsa. “3M benefitsfrom the efforts of talented students with fresh thinking and anongoing connection with the Carlson School, and studentsbenefit from exposure to the real-life issues of internationalbusiness.”

The Vienna Seminar model helps strengthen the ties betweenthe Carlson School and 3M, and the ongoing collaboration offersits own advantages in areas such as recruitment and research.“It’s important for us to continue to invest in our relationshipwith the Carlson School,” says Tarsa. The Vienna Seminar is also a great way to extend the relationship to 3M internationalsubsidiaries.

Before traveling to Vienna, Carlson School graduate studentsanalyze a business issue that impacts one of 3M’s internationalsubsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe. Then the studentstravel to Vienna for a week where they collaborate with ViennaUniversity counterparts who also have spent time examining the case. The next week, both groups of students visit the 3Msubsidiary to present their recommendations to management.

Win-win modelVienna Seminar collaboration benefits3M and Carlson School students

On the most recent seminar, students tackled a market seg-menatation and opportunity analysis project in the electronicsmarket for 3M Poland. The company provided information forthe students, who also participated in a teleconference to talkfirsthand with representatives from 3M Poland.

When the students presented the results of their work duringtheir trip in late May and early June 2007, 3M Poland executivesappreciated the analysis and recommendations. “They wereimpressed with the findings of the class,” says Tarsa. “They willbe reviewing these to see what can be applied within their localplanning framework.”

In the meantime, Tarsa already has begun the search for thebusiness issue that students in the next Vienna Seminar willinvestigate. “We look for the right opportunity for both 3M andthe students,” says Tarsa, whose business development groupsolicits possibilities from 3M subsidiaries throughout the world.

His own participation in the Vienna Seminar has beenpositive and rewarding, says Tarsa. “I had a very rich experienceinteracting with the class.”

Other connectionsOngoing relationships with corporate partners make possible a variety of globalexperiences for students, including these recent examples:

Global Executive MBA students from the Carlson School have participated in theopening and closing bell ceremonies at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York City.

Twenty-five Carlson School graduate students worked on a live case study forInternational Dairy Queen in Shanghai, China in 2006-07.

In 2006-07, Global Executive MBA students from the Carlson School visited Fortune 500 companies such as General Mills, Medtronic, 3M, Best Buy, BostonScientific, Ecolab, Bear Stearns, and Caterpillar.

2007 marks the fifth year of the Carlson School’s Ethics Seminar, which has providedmore than 120 students the opportunity to study business ethics and corporategovernance in Brussels and London. Students have met with executives from Toyota,Nike, Royal Dutch Shell, and GlaxoSmithKline.

Vienna Seminar 2007 students at 3M Poland.

F a l l 2 0 0 7 5

Benjamin Ilhardt expanded his studies at the Berlin School ofEconomics with an international internship for a powerful, life-changing result.

“My experience abroad has been one of the defining parts of my lifeso far,” says Ilhardt, an undergraduate student at the Carlson School. “Iwould definitely recommend studying abroad to others.”

Ilhardt was an intern at Werkstoffe Technologien-Transfer Consult-ing, a Berlin-based firm that specializes in new venture consulting. Hearranged his internship through IES, a program that helps students tostudy, work, and live abroad. He started part time during the schoolterm and then worked full time for three months during summer 2006.

The internship was a great fit for his interests. He collaborated witha team to help a Russian group find funding and development partnersin Western Europe for a new technology patent. “I had a variety ofresponsibilities, ranging from industry and organization research, tothe creation of marketing materials, to language translation work,” saysIlhardt, a finance major and German minor.

Those responsibilities put him in direct contact with the diversity inglobal business.

“The most interesting part was interacting with individuals from avariety of different countries,” he says. “Everyone has different atti-tudes and ways of looking at and completing work. My work experiencegave me a good insight into the business culture of Europe.”

Ilhardt spent this past summer as an intern with the financialrestructuring group of Houlihan Lokey Howard and Zukin in Chicago,Illinois, which also provided good preparation for his career. ButIlhardt points to his international journey as especially valuable. Set tograduate in 2008, Ilhardt will make good use of those lessons in thefuture.

“For me, the biggest value of both my study and work experiencewas simply interacting with people who act and think about thingsdifferently than I do,” he says. “I think you become a more flexible andadaptable person because of it.”

Defining momentInternationalinternship teachesimportant lessons

“The most interestingpart was interactingwith individuals from a variety of differentcountries. Everyonehas different attitudesand ways of looking atand completing work.”

Benjamin Ilhardt

6 G o i n g G l o b a l

Internat ional Programs Staff

Michael Houston, Associate Dean 612-625-2075 mhouston@umn.eduMahmood Zaidi, Founding Director 612-625-0578 mzaidi@umn.eduAnne D’Angelo King, Assistant Dean 612-626-8182 adking@umn.eduWendy Witherspoon, Program Director, Global Enrichment 612-624-4334 withe031@umn.eduJoe Mosher, Program Director, Global Immersion 612-625-0562 jmosher@umn.eduMatthew Goode, Program Director, Global Executive MBA 612-626-8727 mgoode@umn.eduAbby Pinto, Associate Program Director, Global Enrichment 612-626-7669 apinto@umn.eduDeirdre Opp, Global Enrichment Coordinator 612-626-4814 dopp@umn.eduAnita Stiles, Associate Administrator 612-626-8323 astiles@umn.eduLibby Jensen, Program Support Specialist 612-626-4813 jens0597@umn.eduMichael Chlipala, Project Assistant 612-625-9361 chlip002@umn.edu Kira Jepsen, Project Assistant 612-625-9361 jeps0018@umn.edu Danielle Julien, Project Assistant 612-625-9361 juli0057@umn.edu

In support of global experiencesAlumni establish scholarship for Warsaw ExecutiveMBA students to visit the Carlson School

A vacation to Poland inspired Carlson School alum Kim French, ’89MBA, and her husband Mark Spartz, ’79 U of M alum, to supportbusiness education in the region.

“We were so taken with Poland,” says French, deputy director ofcommunications at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. “We wanted to see if we could find a way to support the school’s work there.”

The couple established an annual scholarship thatallows a student in the Warsaw Executive MBAProgram, a joint offering of the Carlson School and theWarsaw School of Economics, to visit and study at theCarlson School as part of the Carlson School’s GlobalExecutive MBA International Residency.

In 2007, the Carlson School welcomed the first inter-national residency scholarship recipient, Pawel Szajner,who works as a human resources and services manager

for Termoizolacja in Poland.“We see the scholarship as a way to help out,” says Spartz, owner of

Infinity Pictures, a Boston, Mass.-based producer of documentaries andcommercials. “We are just happy to do it, and hopefully it will be verybeneficial to the students.”

The Carlson School is currently expanding its international offerings,which makes donor support of scholarships for all kinds of internationalexperiences vital, says Michael Houston, associate dean of InternationalPrograms. “Kim and Mark’s creative support of our international activitiesis greatly appreciated.”

Pawel Szajner

F a l l 2 0 0 7 7

Participants in GlobalEnrichment Electives ACCOUNTING 3001Faculty: Charlie Caliendo

Hal BrownCarla DaggitNehal DesaiAllison EusonStephanie FixJana FjerkenstadAbigail GoshertClark HaakeAlexandra HardingerBriana HassettSarah HennesNathan JonesKevin KozaColleen LauLauren McGowanAlex MeiLan NguyenJames O’HaraTori RolfsmeierKelly SchmidtCollin SmithSamuel John Yoshio TashimaPaul TranMike ViethJason WongKevin Zinter

CHINA SEMINARFaculty: Seth Werner

Maureen ArbogastMatthew BelstraPatrick BohmbachJason DalebrouxJody DePenningMatthew EllingsonDebra FitermanMatthew FrauenshuhNicholas HeisickMelissa JordanBroc KrekelbergAbby LosTaeko McFaddenBenjamin PearsonKristin RauschJulie StoberJonathan TeichroewJenna TietjePhuong TonAlex van OosteromHeather WahlKeeley YenAndrew Yue

Fall 2007 students atpartner universitiesabroadMBA CANDIDATES

University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen,SwitzerlandSheldon Lannette

MA-HRIR CANDIDATES

Hong Kong University of Scienceand Technology, Hong Kong, ChinaJoey Martin

UNDERGRADUATES

Vienna University of Economicsand Business, Vienna, AustriaNicholas Treat

Hong Kong University of Scienceand Technology, Hong Kong, ChinaAdam JustinHenry Lau

Copenhagen Business School,Copenhagen, DenmarkNicholas BauerLindsey Weber

Manchester Business School,Manchester, United KingdomMitchell MandlerKayla RodriguezChristina Stael Von Holstein

Bordeaux Business School,Bordeaux, FranceJohn Pokorny

University of Cologne, Cologne,GermanyPeter Hansen

L’Università Commerciale LuiguiBocconi, Milan, ItalyNatalie ChanAndrew DwyerWilliam Schumacher

Universiteit Maastricht,Maastricht, NetherlandsAlyson Wise

Singapore Management University,SingaporeSami KhwajaSteve KnierChristina LuahMichael NavarroAlexandra Starr

COSTA RICA SEMINARFaculty: Alfred Marcus

Scott AckermanNikolas AnastosTeruya AsaiRyan BergeronKelly CarlsonBrian EdquistAmy Fox AndersonBeth GallagherJoel GoldsmithToni GuidarelliStephanie HoepnerDaniel KaskubarHolly KellarJonathan KishTakeshi KosugeAaron LauingerAlexander MarshJoey MartinMeagan MartinKarmi MattsonKatherine Ann McIntoshAaron MonizaJill PravatinerMike SaltersBenjamin ScheinMargaret SchniedersSeth TribonAmber VadnaisBernhard Zimmermann

INDIA SEMINARFaculty: Mani Subramani

William AndersonSara BanksNicole BrooksAndrew CombitesNicholas CurtisGlen DeSouzaAndrew ForsbergAdam HankinsBrenda HenkemeyerTimothy JacksonAshu JaiswalLuke JenneyAudrey LickhartRonindra MukerjeaBenjamin NelsonAndy PetersonPatrick SchottlerLogan SchulzePaola SerrateSteven ShepherdSteven TixJason Van de Loo

GLOBALC A R L S O N S C H O O L O F M A N A G E M E N T

G O I N G

Fall 2007 exchangestudents at theCarlson SchoolAustriaKaroline Banfield-Mumb-

MühlhaimFurian Jürgen

ChinaBenny GuSherring Yick Yam NgMichael Zhou

DenmarkEske Lind AndersenLea Wølk GøtskePeter Ingemann HansenMikkel Søndergaard HolckChristel Ladegaard-PedersenJonas Lund-JacobsenStine Jersie OlsenFrederik Winther Struve

FranceJordi Aznar PeyraVictoire LenfantAurelie Marest

ItalyLaura BarbagliaFabio BonaRita BonviciniLorenzo BoscoloSilvia GiovanelliRoberto GrazianoGiorgia PanepintoAntonio Papadia

JapanTakuya Maruyama

NorwayJørgen IngierXunhua Su

SingaporeAmanvir Singh AtwalDennesa Ka-Ling BoonYing Zhi ChanYan Stephanie Lim

SpainAlbert Ferrer Carillo

SwedenOlof Fredericson

SwitzerlandJohannes Otmar ÖhriChristian Stucki

United KingdomTom BirtwhistleShing TungYu Zheng

International ProgramsCarlson School of ManagementUniversity of Minnesota

321 Nineteenth Avenue South, Suite 4-104Minneapolis, MN 55455612-625-9361carlsonschool.umn.edu/internationalprograms

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

© 2007 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota. All r ights reserved.

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Global brandingResearch shows differences in the ways that cultures perceive theextension of brands from one type of product to another

Cultural influences impactperceptions of productsthat are associated with a

brand, according to the researchfindings of Michael Houston,Ecolab-Pierson M. Grieve Chair in International Marketing andassociate dean of InternationalPrograms at the Carlson School.

“We’ve been trying to understandwhether people in different cultures process and organizebrand information differently,” says Houston. His research is helping marketers understand the reactions amongconsumers from regions throughout the world to brandextensions, or product lines that are marketed under thesame general brand as a previous item or items.

A recent project points to variations in the perceptualprocessing of other products that are associated with thebrand. The research, conducted with former doctoralstudent Sharon Ng, now on the faculty of Nanyang Techno-logical University in Singapore, contrasted the reactions ofAmerican and Asian students to brand extension ads.

The work showed that Asian consumers perceived brandsdifferently from North American and European consumers. In general, Asian consumers in the study were more likely toassociate the products in ads with the way that they classify the company’s products. On the other hand, Americans and Europeans were more likely to associate the advertisedproducts with their beliefs about the company.

For example, when Asian consumers think about Sony,they may think of Sony as a maker of televisions. WhenAmericans and Europeans think of Sony, they may think ofSony as an innovator in consumer electronics.

The fact that Asian consumers organize and categorizebrand information differently from European and U.S.consumers has big implications for international brandextensions.

“This means companies will have to do a lot more work tomake a convincing brand extension in Asia,” says Houston.“But it also means that once work is done, the extension ismore durable and can include products that consumers inthe West would think are outside the company’s corecompetencies.”