The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, July 17, 1975, Page Page 9, Image 9
International Business
'Unique,' Necessary.
For S.C. Growth
IF YOU NEED EXPERIENCE
TE GAMECOCK NEEDS YOU
The summer Gamecock needs reporters. If you are
interested in becoming involved in what is happening at
USC - we need you. We offer experience in newspaper
work that can be of value in your professional career,no
matter what type career that may be. If interested
please attend our meeting at 7:00 tonight in room 317 in
the Russell House. If you're interested but can't attend
the meeting, please call Marion Elliott at 777-8178 or 787
5491.
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BY KAREN PETIT
of The Gamecock staff
Unique in concept and design for
both USC and the international
business world, the Masters in
International Business Studies
(MIBS) is a two-year program
developed to give the student a
course of study in business among
multi-national firms.
MIBS began in 1971 when ad
ministrators at the College of
Business Administration (BA)
realized the school had reached the
stage in its development where it
could find areas in which to excel.
"I have tried to look at our en
vironment in terms of state,
region, and nation to determine
where we can provide a service
which is both unique and needed,"
Dean James Kane said.
THE INTERNATIONAL
business world is just beginning to
blossom, Kane added, and the
situation became one of finding
where the BA school could belong.
By looking at growing foreign
investment in the state, the
development of the Charleston port
and the constituency that would
recruit USC's business students, it
was obvious that becoming in
ternationally oriented was a
worthwhile project.
The task of formulating the new
program was primarily Kane's.
"At that point, I appointed a
committee of people who were
interested in the international
scene and were tops in their
diverse fields."
The question still was one of
direction and invesiment. Other
business schools had international
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courses of study. "With this type
program," Kane said, "you can
make it a kind of minor and attach
it to another program. We decided
there was enough subject matter
and need that we had to make it a
separate degree program."
SINCE COMING to USC in the
spring of 1973, Oscar Holtzman,
managerial accounting professor
in MIBS, has served on Kane's
committee. "We decided what
specifically would be part of the
program -- such as language, the
general orientation, the kinds of
material to be used, how heavily
the business aspect would be
stressed, and the cultural items."
Language and culture studies
were considered a fundamental
part of the international business
scene as were politics, geography
and history.
It was then decided that a
student wishing to enter MIBS
would not have to have a BA
degree in business. Instead, the
program was opened to all who
were willing to put in the necessary
hours of study.
The committee decidcd that a six
months business internship in a
foreign country would be one
feature of the program. There are
no other U.S. business schools that
now offer such a program.
Once the committee dealt with
general items, the specific task of
putting together an operational
program began. Student schedules
and the coordination of the various
course areas were subjects of
importance requiring vast
research of international business
to select the appropriate
materials.
After this, the MIBS program
came closer to becoming a reality.
The process of recruiting and
selecting students began and staff
and faculty were hired. Choice of
internship locations was largely
the work of Dr. Allen Dickerman,
former director of the in
ternational development depart
ment at Syracuse University.
"My primary role," Dickerman
said, "was to contact the various
multi-national firms and get their
opinions of the program and
evaluation of the curriculum."
THE -LANGUAGE requirement
and the experience of a cross
cultural experience which would
be a part of the internship seemed
to most impress the companies.
Top executives from 15 companies
were persuaded to come to the
business school to talk with
students about their ;jusinesses.
Question and answer periods were
a feature of these discussions. This
experience has also provided the
opportunity to introduce South
Carolina to some international
companies.
Dickerman then visited Ger
many and South America to
arrange the six-month internships.
With 25 years of experience in
international business at Syracuse,
Dickerman has many contacts
abroad.
The first MIBS students began
classes on June 15, 1974. Of the 40
students accepted on the program,
23 remain for the overseas ex
perience that will begin next week.
The second year MIBS class is
composed of 89 students, 18 of
whom are internationals. Those
students who remain from the
original group of 40 have been
willing to work hard and learn
much in a short period of time,
D)ickerman said.
STUDIENTS BEI1N the
program by deciding on the
language tract they wish to follow.
The first year, German and
Spanish were offered. English was
also taught as a foreign language
to all international students who
enter the program. This year
French and Portugese were added
to the language list so that now,
students have the choie of five
language and cultura) areas in
which to study.
The MIBS program is divided
into six areas of study. First, the
student studies the language and
culture of the selected country.
SECOND, THE student is
acquainted with the business
courses mandatory for a career in
international business. Areas
studied include financial and
managerial accounting, financial
management, personnel and labor
relations, production management
and many others.
Third, the student is prepared for
an internship in the foreign
country. He receives final in
struction on the cultural and
political background of his area.
Fourth, another intensive
language training course takes
place abroad. The internship is the
fifth step.
USC's first class took internships
in Germany. Colombia, South
America will be the internship
location for the second group of
USC students.
The final step taken is the
preparation of a final paper on a
particular area of business through
a directed study course. The
overseas work experience should
form the focus of the study. In this
report the student should put
together all the business, cultural,
political and language experiences
of his classwork and internship.
There have been essentially two
reactions to the program from
other business schools. "Some ask
why in the hell we are trying to do
something like this," Kane said,
"and others are vitally interested.
We will not get the national
publicity for this program until the
first class graduates. It will be
another year from now."
WHILE ON its way to wide ac
ceptance, the MIBS program was
first met with some skepticism.
There was difficulty in taking the
program through all the steps of
approval, Kane said. Business
faculty members were afraid the
new program would take money
away from existing funds and
projects. The tight budget has
been hard on the MIBS program.
Two new faculty members are
needed but there just isn't the
money. Yet, Kane said the
problems were mainly routine for
a new program and were nothing
really unusual.
"The MIBS program is going to
have a dramatic impact upon the
South Carolina businessman.
Even though the MIBS graduate
may go to work for a South
Carolina business, he is going to be
more attuned to the opportunities
of the business field," Kane said.
More than half the German in
vestment in the United States is in
South Carolina said Arnold
Stebinger, BA lecturer and former
vice president of Mobil Oil In
donesia in Jakarta. These com
panies need people with in
ternational business experience,
he said, and they come to the
business school to find out what
USC is doing to train the students
for international careers.
Nestor A. Moreno, professor of
culture and politics for the spanish
students, said students will be able
to relate to the multinational
business world with a knowledge of
cultures and languages provided
by the MIBS course.
Student reactions to the program
vary, but generally the im
pressions are favorable. When the
program was begun, students
admitted to the inconvenience of
schedule changes but said faculty
members were open and easy to
talk with about any problem.
Studies were intense, they said,
and by second semester the
students found themselves at each
other's throats. Still, they look on
one another as just part of the
family.