A key concern in business education is creating solid and sustained bridges between school and career. Career readiness remains a central focus and challenge. Recent studies by Pew Research points to the lack of preparedness of college graduates for the workplace and the need for novel approaches in what we teach, and how we teach it, to address the skills gap. In international business, partnerships and virtual exchange are increasingly valuable ingredients in developing the skills required of today’s global managers. Using selected virtual exchange projects with partners in North and South Africa, we discuss how global competencies, cultural awareness, and international virtual-teaming skills can be imparted as integral aspects of an international business curriculum. The three panelists representing academic and business groups will describe their roles in designing and implementing these collaborative cross-border projects, their value to different stakeholders, including students and employers, and propose ways to assess and sustain these career readiness, impactful initiatives.
Key Takeaways
- Conceiving, implementing and assessing team-based, virtual exchange projects, involving international partners.
- Leveraging academic-business partnerships to ensure career relevant virtual exchange initiatives for students.
- identifying funding sources for signature international business projects.
Thursday, November 17th, 2022
11:00 – 12:00PM EST
About the Speakers:
Mourad Dakhli
Mourad Dakhli is a Clinical Professor of International Business at Georgia State University and serves as the Director of the Master of International Business. He teaches international business and related, courses and leads faculty development programs at several schools in Africa, Europe, and Asia. Dr. Dakhli is the recipient of the 2020 GSU Instructional Innovation Award and the 2021 Robinson College of Business Teaching Excellence award. He is currently leading a Department of Education project to develop student cross-cultural competencies through virtual exchange with several university partners in Africa.
Kike Ehigiator
Kike Ehigiator is the Director of International Partnerships and Agreements at Georgia State University, where she leads activities related to partnership development, support, and outcomes. Kike supports academic partnership negotiations, agreement development, and the university’s internationalization seed grant administration. She leads academic outreach to diverse global academic stakeholders, including managing incoming and outgoing delegation visits. To highlight Georgia State’s global footprint, Kike also leads partnership outcome efforts, including data advocacy and the collection, analysis, and reporting of international data and activities.
Phillip Karaya
Phillip Karaya, MBA, CNP, is the President of the US. Africa Chamber of Commerce-Atlanta Chapter. The Chamber serves as a platform bringing together Georgia-based firms interested in Africa, and African SMEs, startups, nonprofits with existing ties or interest in Georgia. The U.S. Africa Chamber of Commerce is an institutional partner with the Institute of International Business on the department of Education grant “Building Global Competencies in Turbulent Times Through Local and Global Partnerships in Africa.” Phillip is also an entrepreneur, a financial consultant, and the founder of Karaya Capital Management, a real estate investment company that focuses on retail investment. Phillip is a graduate of the Robinson College of Business with an MBA in Finance.
Cuneyt Evirgen (Moderator)
Cuneyt Evirgen serves as senior academic professional at the J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University. He is also a faculty member at the Institute of International Business (IIB) and Faculty Director for GSU-CIBER. Evirgen is a seasoned executive, educator, scholar, mentor in international business and strategy. He holds bachelor’s degrees both in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics as well as an MBA from Bosphorous University in Istanbul, and a doctoral degree in Marketing and International Business from Michigan State University.