Ten Executive MBA (EMBA) students and College of Business faculty recently returned from a ten-day international business visit to Zurich, Switzerland and Milan, Italy. Students gained a global perspective on management, economics and trade during this international trip, the culmination of a 16-month intensive EMBA program.
EMBA faculty accompanied the cohort, ten students who remain together in classes until they finish the program, on the trip. In Zurich, the group visited Deutsche Bank, MetaDesign (a Swiss PR and marketing firm), and Chocolate Frey, a leading Swiss chocolate manufacturer. They also participated in a seminar with Swiss EMBA students at Lorange Business Institute, where UTC’s Dr. Mark Mendenhall and Lorange faculty co-taught a course on HR training and development.
The Milan visit included a study of Italian banking, as presented by McKinsey & Co; an overview of the European electronics and appliance industry by Euronics; and a look at the fashion industry by Brioni, high-end Italian suit designers. At Bocconi University in Milan, students gained a new perspective on the Italian Food and Beverage industry, in a seminar with Dr. Massimiliano Bruni, director of Bocconi’s Food and Beverage MBA program.
UTC EMBA students also scheduled their own business visits at several sites including RUAG Aerospace and Victorinox in Switzerland and Whirlpool and KPMG in Italy.
This international learning experience will be the focus for these EMBA students as they work in teams this summer and later present their findings to the business community and EMBA alumni.
According to Kristina Montague, Assistant Dean of External Affairs for the UTC College of Business, the global perspective provided by the EMBA program is essential to working in today’s business world.
“The opportunity to engage with European industry leaders about our global economy is vital to staying competitive in today’s market,” Montague. “With global industry on Chattanooga’s doorstep, this kind of experience is all the more critical for business success.”
The current UTC EMBA cohort consists of business executives from a variety of sectors, including healthcare, technology, engineering, and manufacturing.
For more information on the EMBA program, contact Michael Owens, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs at UTC College of Business michael-owens@utc.edu
