Success Story Archive
Win-Win! Students Gain International Experience
Developing Export Plans for South Carolina Companies
University of South Carolina – A Darla Moore School of Business professor and the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers (SC SBDC) joined efforts to create experiential learning opportunities for students while assisting South Carolina companies.
International business students, Hongrui Zhang and Rodney Beeks make final formal presentations to their export clients. They were part of a six student team that researched countries with potential to market solar powered security cameras.
Six teams of undergraduate international business majors, led by Professor Daniel Ostergaard, worked for 17 weeks to develop export plans for a variety of products and services. Four of these companies were clients of the SC SBDC. Working alongside SC SBDC business consultants Beth Smith, Bob Pettit, Forrest Norman and Mickey Conway, students learned the challenges and rewards of negotiating the international business environment. Final formal presentations were held at the Moore School.
“This is as real as it gets,” stated Professor Daniel Ostergaard, “These international business students drew from the entirety of their Moore School education to meet with clients, work in teams to manage the projects, communicate with all concerned parties and ultimately produce a professional quality report.”
Students made decisions about which markets to recommend for globalization. They examined licenses, financing opportunities, shipping costs, insurance, competition, roadblocks, taxes, government contracting opportunities, political climate and business friendliness of countries from five continents. Students spoke with U.S. and foreign regulatory agencies, developed market entry strategies and international marketing plans.
“It was the crucible of assignments. I would consider this to be the capstone project of my international business major,” said James Tunidor, a Moore School international business major. “The entire process was an invaluable professional experience. The export project taught me how to plan, strategize, but most important, lead.”
The student teams also made recommendations about bi-lingual marketing materials such as websites, trade show opportunities and unique product angles in countries where competition exists. Often the projects focused on B2B products such as restaurant supplies, plumbing fittings and security cameras.
Moore School Prof. Daniel Ostergaard (second from left), lead six student teams in semester long exporting projects. The team pictured worked for clients John Eric Smith and Vivian Smith owners of JES Restaurant Equipment (4th and 5th from left). SC SBDC business consultant Mickey Conway (far right) assisted students in creating proposals.
One of the CEOs was so impressed with a presentation for his company that he stated he intended to act upon the student recommendations quickly. “We are very impressed with the work that you’ve done. I intend to assign business resources to move toward implementation of several of your recommendations as quickly as possible,” stated Dr. Kevin Harkins, President/CEO of Harkcon, Inc.
SC SBDC State Director, Michele Abraham, helped judge the success of the student presentations. She was impressed by the professional manner of the students and their thoroughly considered plans.
“These bright students are our future business leaders. They developed realistic and actionable export plans that could potentially bring more business and jobs to South Carolina,” Abraham said. “They expressed to me on numerous occasions that this was the most involved and difficult project of their academic careers. We were so pleased to be able to connect students with SC SBDC clients. It was a winning experience for everyone.”
Reflecting on the project, international business major Lauren Davis remarked, “This project pushed me beyond what I considered my capabilities. It became less about earning a good grade and more about delivering a quality product, which is what the real world will be like after graduation. I’m inspired to pursue a career that involves similar skills and direction.”
Information on the international business program at the Moore School can be found at http://mooreschool.sc.edu. Information on the SC Small Business Development Centers can be found at www.SCSBDC.com.
