Supply Chain Specialization Enhances Georgia State One Year Master of International Business Program

Editor‘s note: This comment by Mourad Dakhli, redirector of the Master of International Business program at Georgia State University, is published as part of an annual sponsorship of Global Atlanta by Robinson College of Business and State of Georgia CIBER.

With recent disruptions in global supply chains, tariff disputes and calls for supply network transparency, it is no wonder that supply chain and logistics skills are on the rise. more in demand by hiring companies, especially in large logistics centers such as Atlanta.

Georgia State UniversityMaster in International Business (MIB) is listening. We have improved our premium one-year program to offer new specializations: global supply chain and logistics from fall 2021 and entrepreneurship and innovation in fall 2022.

The new direction in the supply chain is particularly timely in light of the logistics delays associated with COVID-19 affecting businesses around the world. Hiring managers tell us that supply chain experts are increasingly needed to tackle these challenges.

“We have seen a shift from marketing and sales executives to supply chain and procurement managers who have become CEOs because of their ability to make things happen in any situation and to have a positive impact on the results of the company ”, declared Marie lyle, purchasing director at Superfoods Terrasoul, who graduated from GSU’s MIB program in 2013.

The new supply chain specialization will stand out for the diversity of MIB teachers and their experiences, Lyle added. “At the end of the day, you can read a manual, but the context and real-life experience is invaluable, as is [the program’s] networking and connections.

While many master’s degrees are very academic and time consuming, students learn as much in GSU’s one-year MIB program as they would while working for a company.

Our practical program, which was class # 16 in the United States and # 26 in North America, offers experiential learning with practitioners in the field, virtual exchange projects with universities and partner companies abroad, and synthetic international experience – which should be in person over the coming year .

The 11-month MIB program consists of 10 modules spread over two “mini-masters” of eight weeks each in the fall and two more in the spring. During the summer, students take a special-subject course designed to include topical and cutting-edge topics in international business, such as crisis management and cross-border innovation, and complete a field study or a consulting project for a company.

Our MIB program is distinguished by its links with the business community; we bring 40 to 60 speakers from local companies to meet our students and share real world experiences.

The interactive program is known to provide a hands-on trading experience. Last year, students worked with companies from London and Berlin develop appropriate modes of entry into the American market. Others have helped US companies enter the markets of Egypt, Ethiopia, South Africa, Vietnam and more.

In addition to courses and counseling projects, MIB students have access to to a rich portfolio of professional development workshops, ranging from “emotional intelligence and resilience ”and“ an effective team ”to“ effective communications ”and“ networking and career skills ”.

All registered students become members of the Atlanta World Affairs Council engage in networking opportunities, and all receive Atlanta Global electronic newsletters.

The 2022 specialization in Entrepreneurship and Innovation comes at the request of our participating companies and future students. When the one-year MIB program started in 2012, most incoming students said they wanted to work for large companies. Today, some 40 percent of our incoming cohort say they finally wand to set up their own business or take up entrepreneurial positions within companies.

Companies are increasingly looking for employees “willing to explore new areas of opportunity,” according to Don williams, CEO of Princeton Healthcare and member of the GSU international advisory board J. Macon Robinson College of Business. He added that recent graduates who have been exposed to the challenges of international business are essential for global companies like his.

Employees who bring global awareness, an entrepreneurial perspective and innovative ideas to help businesses solve complex problems, maintain a competitive advantage and grow internationally “will be in high demand,” said Williams. “I don’t know of any university in the United States that focuses on entrepreneurship and innovation from a global perspective; this makes GSU’s MIB program very unique.

Students, too, see the benefits of the MIB program and look forward to the entrepreneurship specialization. Current student Andrew reid stated that the practical experience of international business and research with students from Israel, India and South Africa and developing business proposals for real companies was the most impactful part of the program.

“Literally, we were handed the keys and given the opportunity to have a direct impact on small and medium-sized foreign businesses,” he said. He added that the entrepreneurship / innovation certification will help him “formulate ideas into practical answers” to launch sports diplomacy and travel guide businesses.

For new certificates of specialization, we will continue to use our growing network of alumni to invite speakers and organize visits to companies abroad. MIB students participate in a number of study abroad programs, including those aimed at Morocco and South Africa. Dubai is one of our study abroad destinations where we currently have at least three alumni, one of whom has started his own business and others who work for leading organizations there.

Whatever new specialization certificate an MIB student obtains, they must be data proficient. Thus, we have partnered with the GSU library to offer self-paced data and analytics certification as a condition for exiting the MIB program. This certificate goes into graduates’ LinkedIn profiles and helps them build career bridges with alumni and employers.

MIB alumni are now working around the world in places like Brazil, Canada, France, India, Korea, the Netherlands, South Africa, Tunisia, turkey, the United Arab Emirates and more. This growing portfolio of alumni provides each new cohort of students with invaluable connections for future employment and guidance.

The new structure of the MIB program is flexible to adapt to the needs of our students and our partner companies. Certification programs will enable students to gain in-depth knowledge and experience in areas in high demand in the international business world, while gaining a solid foundation of skills relevant to any business career.

In addition to the focus on the global supply chain in 2021 and the entrepreneurship trail 2022, we plan to add a new specialization every year or two. Future additions may include advanced data and analytics and overall human resource / talent management.

Whether you are looking to change careers or add skills and experience to enhance your current career, we welcome applications from all walks of life. Completion of a one-week online core module is required before entering the MIB program in August.

Learn more about https://robinson.gsu.edu/program/master-international-business/, and apply with Gharbeela Sami: gsami1@gsu.edu