Utah State University - » Business students London-bound for spring break

Business students London-bound for spring break

February 27th, 2015 Posted in Education

From Logan to London, students from Utah State University’s Jon M. Huntsman School of Business will explore international business this spring break.

Fourteen undergraduate students from Utah State University’s Jon M. Huntsman School of Business will leave for a trip to London on March 7 as part of the Global City Breaks program.

The trip will take place as part of a one-credit course in international business and economics.

“The goal is to combine academic rigor with professional preparation,” said Christine Arrington, a senior lecturer for the Huntsman school who planned and coordinated the trip.

Each day the students will have both business and nonbusiness engagements with various organizations. Vijay Kannan, the college’s director of international programs, hopes the students will gain a deeper understanding of business dynamics on an international level from this experience.

“I want students to really understand that Cache Valley, Utah<comma>, is not what the world looks like,” Kannan said. “It’s not the way most people live.”

This year’s trip will allow students the opportunity to visit London’s Google innovation campus. The students will work through the process of designing a business model that aims to create methods for faster product development. The group will also tour companies including Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, Apollo Global Management, Kantar Media and Medopad Ltd.

“It’s an amazing networking tool, especially if you’re interested in working internationally,” said Michael Kane, one of the business students. Kane hopes to use the trip to secure an internship with Deloitte.

Arrington, who has led the trip for the past three years, said students from previous years have been able to secure jobs through networking with companies on the trip.

“One student from a previous year ended up working for Medopad in London,” Arrington said. “Ideally, we love to see people find it interesting enough to consider going back there to work.”

St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and the Burghley House are also scheduled stops on the trip.

“I want to add some visits to cover tourist bases so students will feel like they really saw London,” Arrington said. Students will also be given free time to go exploring on their own.

“It’s a win-win,” Kane said. “I’ll get to experience the culture and touristy things but also take some steps to further my education and career.”

Winter Enright, Sadie Hughes, Alyssa Roberts, Kelsey Schwab and Madi Watson contributed to this report.