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MAY-JUNE
2006 |
International Business Society Holds Inaugural MeetingNew club is associated with nationally recognized International Business Program
Officers of the new IB Society are (l to r): Zephan Fischl, V.P.; Amna Siddiq, V.P. of Public Relations/Marketing; Tom McCarthy, President; and Massoud Saghafi, Faculty Advisor. Students in SDSU's International Business Program created the International Business (I.B.) Society and held their first meeting on April 25, with more than 120 students in attendance. The I.B. Society's purpose is to act as a central resource for SDSU students to assist them with integrating into the international business community with the goal of enhancing their educational, social and financial well-being. They aim to do this through enhancing cross-cultural competence by developing a forum for members to interact and share international educational experiences; facilitate interface between members and I.B. practitioners; and serve as a catalyst to other academic, professional and government organizations with a similar mission. Solely designed to meet the needs of the students, the I.B. Society will provide its members with access to: keynote speakers from around the globe, file sharing privileges, alumni contact information and study/internship abroad information sessions, just to name a few. It serves as a vehicle to other academic, professional and government organizations with similar goals, and enables members and practitioners to meet and discuss business, economic, culture, and professional issues. Tom McCarthy, IB Society president and International business senior, said the club was created to assist IB students with completing their major, as well as connecting them to networking and employment opportunities all over the world. “One of the things that inspired me to start it was I've been looking around for jobs myself, and I've done study abroad and not had a whole lot of support. I realized this was a problem many other international business students were having as well,” McCarthy said. Zephan Fischl, co-founder of the Society, said that students decided to implement ways to assist one another with employment opportunities. “We are establishing a database where students can log-in and have access to the names and contact info of students, alumni and employers, to help make the process of finding a job or internship abroad easier. We want students to be able to find internships that allow them to use their skills and abilities they've been learning in the classroom,” Fischl said. During the inaugural meeting, students were given the opportunity to learn from Michael Cunningham, Ph.D., clinical professor of Entrepreneurship at SDSU and Kenn Morris Director of Crossborder Business Associates. Cunningham, a CBA professor, was the founder, CEO and President of Cunningham Graphics International (CGI). CGI was recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in the graphic communication industry. It became public on Nasdaq in 1998 and was acquired by Automatic Data Processing Corporation (ADP) in 2000. Morris is the Director of Crossborder Business Associates, a San Diego-based consulting firm. Morris is an expert in NAFTA and crossborder strategic thinking, USMexico industry and politics, and free trade and Latin America/Hispanic market issues. Clientele of the firm have included Fortune 100 firms, major universities, state and federal government agencies, and consumer product companies. McCarthy and Fischl hope to see the society grow at SDSU and abroad. “We hope that students who are studying abroad at SDSU and learn the goals and mission of the I.B. society,” Fischl said. “We would like for them to be able to take what they've learned here and bring it back to their home country and start a similar club there. Ultimately, we'd like to create a communication forum for all international business students around the world.” Additional information about the International Business Society can be found at www.ibsoceitysdsu.com. About the International Business Program |
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