Flavorman Teams Up with Yum! Brands and Papa John’s to Mentor Students Studying International Business

 

Louisville's international businesses give back to students.

Louisville students to learn international business skills

Business First by Stephanie Clouser, Reporter

Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 3:07pm EDT – Last Modified: Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 4:38pm EDT

 

Area high school students will learn skills related to international business as part of a new initiative.

 

Stephanie Clouser

Reporter – Business First

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Los Monitos Language Center Inc., Greater Louisville International Professionals and Crane House The Asia Institute Inc. will launch a new educational program introducing high school students to the world of international business, cultures and languages Oct. 22 at Bellarmine University.

The Amazing Global Marketplace is an educational program that enables students, with the help of mentors from companies established in the Louisville area, to participate in simulated international business scenarios. The program has been designed to expose students to rigorous international culture and business practices, while encouraging them to think globally and develop fundamental business skills.

Eastern, Seneca and Atherton high school will participate in this year’s program, which will begin in Bellarmine’s Hillary Hall at 10 a.m. on Oct. 22.

Companies that will be participating in the program include Sud Chemie Inc., Linak U.S. Inc., Papa Johns International Inc., Yum! Brands Inc., Flavorman, and Glowtouch Technologies. The program’s goal is to have six teams and six mentors.

“The program is designed to encourage young students to seriously consider a career in international business, where they can clearly see the application and competitive advantage of studying other languages and cultures,” said Bill Heinz, president of Los Monitos Language Center. “The world economy is interconnected, and we can no longer concentrate only on the economy of North America.”

During the next two semesters, AGM will provide teachers five lesson plans to teach basic competencies for doing international business. Students will learn skills in networking, interviewing, international marketing, global supply chain and global cultural norms.

The project also will engage volunteers with international backgrounds ranging from France, Japan, Mexico, Germany, China and India.

The culmination of the program will be on April 4, 2012, when each team will return to Bellarmine’s campus to compete in the Amazing Global Marketplace. Each team will be asked to fulfill an order with the most profit in the shortest amount of time. In doing so, they will learn to navigate immigration and customs in an airport, exchange foreign currencies, hire a translator and interact with foreign executives.

“In the global marketplace, workers not only need business knowledge, they need the soft skills of cultural awareness and social negotiation,” said Bryan Warren, executive director of Crane House The Asia Institute. “One of the measures for success in the culminating program is the team’s ability to negotiate cultural differences and communication between different languages. In the real world, a misstep in introductions or misunderstanding of time issues can be costly. The simulation will give students real opportunities to experience the complex nature of international negotiations.”

Stephanie Clouser covers these beats: Distribution/logistics (UPS), manufacturing (GE), restaurants, retail, environment, K-12 education, arts and entertainment, small business, travel, minority/women’s affairs, Oldham County, Shelby County.

 

 

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