In a global market that is constantly expanding, companies that wish to succeed must understand how to apply business strategies and models to a plethora of cultures and peoples. Through the efforts of dedicated faculty at the BYU Marriott School of Business, students in the marketing program are getting firsthand knowledge of what it means to market to a global audience; they are also learning how to truly make the world their campus.
For Lee Daniels, an associate teaching professor of marketing at BYU Marriott, the first step to providing students with a powerful education starts with the experiential knowledge of faculty. “There are a number of professors here at BYU Marriott who are able to share their tremendous expertise and experience when it comes to the international marketplace,” says Daniels, who has more than fourteen years of experience working globally in Japan and currently teaches international marketing classes.
Teaching the importance of global marketing is a priority for professors because the industry doesn’t just need marketers who can speak to global audiences, the industry demands it. “I don’t think there is such a thing as nonglobal marketing these days,” says Bruce Money, the Fred Meyer Professor of Marketing and International Business and executive director of BYU Marriott’s Whitmore Global Business Center. “The companies that recruit students from BYU Marriott are multinational companies with a presence all over the world.”
In order to train future leaders of international marketing, faculty members craft unique classes and projects for students to undertake. In Daniels’ international marketing classes, students study a country and complete a full analysis on how to market a product to that country and culture. “As faculty, we try to make class assignments as realistic as possible in order to prepare students to be successful in their future careers,” he says. “Because of these in-class experiences, students are going to be able to say ‘I know how to do this’ when presented with the responsibility to market to global audiences.”
In addition to simulating business experiences in their classes, marketing professors ensure that their students are trained on the latest marketing analytics tools, including R, a data software program. “As faculty, we give students the tools they need to go out and compete with marketing students from schools across the country,” says Money. “By teaching students the latest in analytics and technology, they stand out in the crowd.”
Beyond using the skills they learn in classes and projects, marketing students can also participate in study abroad programs around the world. During his time at BYU Marriott, Money has taken marketing students to observe companies such as IKEA in Sweden, Disney in France, and Procter & Gamble in India. Daniels has also led sixteen student study abroad trips to various countries in Asia, Europe, and South America. Marketing professors Darron Billeter, Mike Bond, Glenn Christensen, and Ryan Elder are also involved in leading students on global marketing study abroad trips. Through these trips, students are able to see firsthand how multinational companies approach their global marketing efforts.
Despite COVID-19 setbacks that have caused many 2020 study abroad trips to be cancelled, BYU Marriott marketing faculty and students are gearing up for next year, provided the right things happen. “At this time, the Kennedy Center is directing that we go ahead with planning for spring and summer 2021 programs to run. We are keeping our fingers crossed that they can run,” says Money. “We are doing everything we can to give these students amazing experiences.”
Money says that through the many opportunities at BYU Marriott, marketing students learn how to become future leaders in across the globe. “The world is not staying in Provo,” he says. “It’s one thing to say the world is our campus, but it's another thing to believe it and act like it.”
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Writer: Emily Atwood