THE IB GLOBE
THE FRIENDS OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS NEWSLETTER
Founding Father Retires
Professor Alvord Branan, a founding father of the International Business program, will be retiring at the end of the spring semester. The International Business program will lose its greatest visionary and advocate when Professor Branan steps down after 28 years of service at SDSU. He will be truly missed.
It is hard to imagine what International Business will be like after Professor Branan's departure. His tireless efforts and total dedication to excellence have been an inspiration to everyone associated with International Business at SDSU. His circle of friends and supporters is vast - students, faculty, managers, and colleagues around the nation will all miss his great sense of humor and boundless energy.
Al Branan played a pivotal role in the history of the International Business Program at San Diego State University. The earliest roots of the International Business program can be traced to the mid-1980's when Professor Branan noticed that a significant percentage of the students in his French classes were Business majors. As is true for so many innovations on college campuses, the students were the first to respond to an important need in society, in this case the need to incorporate language training into the education of a business manager. Professor Branan looked at the enrollments of other language classes and realized that this phenomenon was not unique to French, and that students wanted to combine language skills with business training in order to prepare for the economy of the future. This was the inspiration for Professor Branan to propose a truly unique new program - which evolved into the international business degree as we know it today.
It has been an exciting period for the last 10 years. SDSU now has the largest international business degree program of its type in the United States. It is not only the biggest, but also one of the best. The entrance requirements are among the most demanding of any major on our campus. This program has brought wonderful visibility to San Diego State University. Professor Branan has traveled extensively throughout the United States to assist other universities in designing their international business programs, primarily because they would like to model themselves after ours.
In addition to his innovative ideas, Professor Branan has brought more tangible rewards to this University. During that same period, Professor Branan has been awarded over $2 million in federal grants to support International Business programs at SDSU. This money went to support student scholarships, research, academic programs, and faculty development. All of these have contributed to the national reputation of International Business at SDSU. Among other things, this greatly increases the value of the degree IB graduates receive, both today and in the future.
But it is more than money that Professor Branan has brought to this school. The most important asset has been his unwavering dedication to quality. From the beginning, Professor Branan has pushed to make the International Business program the absolute best it could be. As he now moves on to a well deserved and busy retirement, he leaves with us a legacy that will help take SDSU into the 21st century. We congratulate Professor Branan on his outstanding achievements and contributions to San Diego State University.
Editor's Note: Dr. Branan received the College of Arts and Letters Distinguished Faculty Award in 1994, and has been selected as this year's College of Arts and Letters Commencement Speaker. We are indeed proud of our "founding father."
James Joyce (1995 - Spanish/Latin America)
It is an honor to be asked to provide an update of my career path to all of you through the IB Globe and especially to have the opportunity to wish Dr. Alvord Branan all the success and happiness in his retirement that he so admirably deserves. Thank you, Dr. Branan, for your advice and friendship throughout the years!
As a graduate of the Class of 1995, I was filled with excitement and ambition to begin my career. However, I did take a slight detour. Three days after graduating, I continued my advanced studies at Thunderbird-The American Graduate School of International Management. Many people were skeptical about me going straight into grad school, but in my mind, it was the right choice for me.
To my surprise, after completing my overseas MBA studies at the Helsinki School of Economics, I was offered a position with the Intel Corporation in Hillsboro, Oregon to develop their distribution channel in Latin America. This was the job I had waited my whole life for. With our pioneering staff of eight people, we were able to raise sales in the region almost 400% during my first quarter with the company. Following our record-setting sales effort, we put together the most aggressive marketing plan yet for 1997, which we are currently implementing. To our fortune, senior management approved almost 100% funding for our budget, and along with very aggressive strategic pricing moves company-wide in networking products and processors, the building blocks were put into place to ensure that 1997 would show Latin America to be one of the strongest emerging markets in the world for Intel.
Intel has given me a great amount of responsibility in my position managing marketing programs, advertising, in-country sales and technical support, and all financial reporting for Latin America. My work keeps me busy 50-80 hours a week, but I enjoy every minute of it. I've worked my whole life to be in an ideal career position like this that allows me to work at my best and travel all over the US and Latin America. I do, however, have to return in the summer to Thunderbird to finish my degree, but I am committed to continuing my work with Intel. To accommodate my class schedule, my boss and I worked out an agreement for me to fly from Oregon to school in Arizona twice a week for class, while working in the office three times a week.
I've always had faith that I would find the right career, but I had no idea it would come this soon. I am grateful first to the IB Program at SDSU for giving me the foundation to build from, and secondly, to Thunderbird, for helping to open the door. I've learned that you should never undersell yourself and always go after exactly what you want with patience and ambition. Good luck to all of you in your career and personal pursuits!
Jeff Forster (1992 - Japanese/Asia)
Since early 1993, I have been based out of Tokyo and working with The Gallup Organization, a management and marketing research firm. Currently, I act as a Vice President developing business for our Japan office; however, I also have responsibility to ensure sales and growth in the Asia region. On March 15th, 1997 my assignment in Asia was complete and I am moving back domestically to Gallup's Irvine offices to spearhead business development for the west coast territory, or everything west of the Rockies. Nevertheless, I'll still play an advisory role for Gallup's Asian operations.
While best known for The Gallup Poll (founded in 1935), Gallup's current activities consist largely of providing marketing and management research, advisory services, and education to the world's largest corporation and institutions. Gallup has wholly or majority-owned operations in over 20 countries. These operations encompass nearly 60% of the world's and 70% of global economic activity. Over 2,000 research professionals work together to provide clients with comparable operating standards, products, and services across national, cultural, and linguistic borders.
I started this journey to Asia in the fall of '89 with Semester At Sea where my wife, Laura, and I first met. Semester At Sea is a floating university on a large ship where over 700+ students travel around the world one full semester of academic study. Upon completion of that program, my desire to work internationally increased so I spent the next two summers of '90 and '91 in Japan on an intensive study program and an internship, respectively. The internship was sponsored by the Japan Management Association Research Institute (JMAR) who eventually became Gallup's official joint venture partner in '95. I worked at JMAR since coming to Japan in early '93. Both Larry Emond (SDSU, International Commerce, '89), and I helped form this joint venture between JMAR and The Gallup Organization in '95. Today, this joint venture in Japan is considered Gallup's "best start up ever" as stated by Jim Clifton, Gallup's CEO, and it is attributable to a number of SDSU alumni including Selena Emond (Pol. Sci. '90), Chris Stewart (Economics, '87), and Stephen Pierce (IB, '90).
Slightly unrelated to my profile but important, I want to thank SDSU's International Business department, particularly people such as Lynda Hamilton, Al Branan, Higurashi-sensei, etc. The 'Friends of IB' program, IB Globe, etc. are important and encouraging developments for alumni such as myself. It satisfies both alumni and current students in the major to know there is an organized program for their benefit. For all others behind the scenes that we don't know about, thanks - it is valued more than you can possibly realize. Finally, as a loyal Aztec football fan, I'd like to propose that the program organize a BBQ for a game this season. It would be a great way to see each other. My wife and I will be back in Irvine, CA on March 15th.
Jason Green (1995 - IB/Accounting, Spanish/Latin America)
When I completed my service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, I knew that the emphases of business, culture, and language which the I.B. program offered was the ticket to get me back to Latin America (this time with a paycheck). After graduating from SDSU, I enrolled in Thunderbird's Master of International Business program at the encouragement of Dr. Branan, I.B. Department Chair. I soon learned that SDSU had prepared me well for the challenge, particularly in areas of management and international finance. I graduated from Thunderbird in May of 1996 and was recruited by Chiquita Brands International to join their two year Tropical Management Development Program.
At Chiquita, I am gaining exposure to all aspects of the banana business. My four six month long rotations include Financial Planning, Internal Audit, Materials & Supplies, and Production. During my current Internal Audit rotation, I am traveling extensively to perform financial and operational audits of our Central and South American divisions. The program not only provides for a broad range of exposure to our international operations but also requires constant interaction with top management. At the completion of the two year program, I will enter a full time upper management position in the tropics. It's the opportunity that I had always hoped for when I first began the IB program. (Jason's work number is available upon request.)
Tuyet H. Le (1994 - Japanese/Asia)
I was hired as an English teacher by the Yokohoma City Board of Education in Japan just before graduating. As some of you may know, Yokohama is San Diego's sister city. Each year, Yokohama's Board of Education hires 2-3 people (usually graduates from SDSU or UCSD) to work in the City's public schools, junior high and high school level. Working there for a year was quite an adventure. It was very rewarding and sometimes frustrating due to major cultural differences (something I expected). The experience gave me an opportunity to truly learn the language, customs, and the basics of daily life. I returned to the States after only one year because, while it was enriching to teach, I wanted to apply my studies in a business environment.
I worked in San Diego for nine months while I was looking for real work in the Bay area. A recruiting firm hooked me up with several employers in the Silicon Valley and after discovering that I'm from San Diego, none of them had any interest in relocating me. Just when I thought the prospects were incredibly bleak and that I'd have to pay for my moving expenses, a company named AKM Semiconductor was willing to fly me up for an interview. I flew up for an interview, met with everyone, and was offered a job the same day.
Ever since last spring, I've been employed as a Marketing Coordinator for our company. We are a high-tech firm primarily designing and manufacturing multimedia and telecommunication integrated circuits (ICs) for worldwide applications. Our parent company is Asahi Chemical, one of the largest and top ranking chemical conglomerates in Japan.
My role is to coordinate all marketing and public relation activities for our company. My job includes handling our advertising budget for the North America market, corresponding daily with our Tokyo office, working with our artist to design ad campaigns, product guides, data books, and product launches, writing press releases, and orchestrating all efforts for trade shows as well as attending them, public relations, and keeping over 100 sales reps and distributors abreast of our company's marketing activities (i.e. informing them of new products and which clients to target).
I really enjoy what I'm doing. I have this great opportunity to be exposed to so much because I work directly under the VP of Marketing. It's quite a plate I have (and can be stressful) but I enjoy the variety and pace. The Silicon Valley is a very unique place to work - it's the center of cutting edge technology making it extremely exciting to work in such an innovative environment. I've become so intrigued with engineering that I've decided to go back to school for my BSEE in the fall. Coupled with a business degree, the opportunities are endless. There is definitely a glass ceiling without an engineering degree in the high tech field.
I look forward to every IB Alumni publication so I can see how my colleagues are doing and to look for lost college friends. If anyone is interested in opportunities in the Silicon Valley or is one of my lost colleagues, please feel free to send me a message at tuyet@akm.com.
Seda P. Mansour (1989 - Spanish/Europe)
The summer I graduated from SDSU, I left for Europe to work with Operation Mobilisation, an international, non-profit organization involved in cross-cultural training. I spent a year and a half in Gibraltar and the south of Spain, directing the expansion of our training program in the region. My responsibilities were not only to develop a study program consisting of language learning, (Spanish, Arabic, English), cultural training, comparative religions of the area, and community service, but also to function as a liaison with Spanish, British and Gibraltarian community members.
I came back to the US, and after some deliberation, decided to enroll in the English Language and Linguistics program at the University of Arizona, planning to continue my career in international education (teaching, recruiting, administration) somewhere in the Middle East or North Africa. I spent one semester as a Foreign Language and Area Studies scholar at UC Berkeley, but had to stop my studies because of a family medical emergency.
Right now I am working at Stanford's Graduate School of Business, managing the MBA Admissions Office. Along with the administrative and supervisory aspect of this position, I have the opportunity of representing our MBA program at corporate forums and international conferences, and sitting on the admissions committee. Because of my background in international business and travel, I have also worked as resident expert in the areas of political and educational systems overseas, foreign financial and currency issues, INS visa regulations and other matters related to international recruitment and admissions.
Scott Frazee (1993 - German/Europe)
Unlike the other IB alums who have written these profiles, I did not get a job with a company involved in international trade, as I had hoped. I landed a position with the Federal Government as a bank examiner. I work in L.A. (which I am not thrilled about) and examine primarily west L.A. banks.
Although it may not sound exciting at first, I enjoy my work very much. On an aggregate level, I get to see how banks are run (both large and small banks), and how the economy and banks are so incredibly intertwined. On a individual level, I get to see how various management teams both pursue profitability and avoid adversity. For example, I saw the effects the recession of the late 1980's and early 1990's had on banks. Many failed because of the recession and the drop in the real estate market but many survived due to innovative and/or prudent management.
The actual examination process is also interesting work. I analyze bank operations and investments, recommend methods of improvement, and rate performance. The most interesting part of my job is discussing banking strategies with senior management. It sounds a bit pretentious, but I enjoy that, even though I have only three years experience, I am treated as an equal to senior bank management. It's nice on the ego. The most uncomfortable part of my job, however, is that I often have to present unwanted examination findings to management (including the Boards of Directors).
The one downfall of this type of work is the dry style of writing. Writing reports for the government has drained all the life out of my writing.
Elizabeth Butcher (1992 - Spanish/Latin America)
I started to work for Deltec, a UPS (Uninterruptible Power System) manufacturer in August of 1993. My first job within the company was related to the administrative side of exporting. My daily tasks included processing Letters of Credit and preparing export documentation. A year later, I was promoted to where I really wanted to be, International Sales. My responsibilities include supporting our distributors in Mexico, Central and South America. I often travel to promote our product at trade shows in Mexico, Sao Paulo, Costa Rica and Las Vegas. Sales opportunities in Latin America continue to get better. It is truly exciting to work with a growing economy and such wonderful people. I have no regrets in choosing this career path!!
Consider David Horst (1994 - Japanese/Asia). In January of this year, David flew to Japan to ask permission from her parents to marry the girl of his dreams, whom he had met while studying on the IB's Japan exchange program in 1992/93. No easy task for any man; but David did it in Japanese! David's fiancee reports that her father was honestly "VERY IMPRESSED" and gave his approval! Talk about delicate negotiations! Go to the head of your class, David.
Dr. Michael Hergert is the recipient of the 1996-97 Distinguished Faculty Award for the College of Business Administration at SDSU. The annual award is presented to honor faculty, alumni, and staff for their significant contributions to the University.
Dr. Hergert serves as Professor of Management, Associate Dean and Director for Graduate Programs in the College of Business Administration, and as Co-Director of the Center for International Business Education and Research. This award recognizes his contributions to the College, his leadership in CIBER and his work as an outstanding teacher and scholar.
Congratulations!
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