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The Master’s of Science in International Marketing program at St. Joseph’s University (SJU) is primarily focused at providing students with a commitment to enhancing their education in today’s dynamic global business world. The program is consisted of 10 unique classes within the Haub School of Business coupled with an International Marketing Study Tour. The International Marketing Study Tour enables student’s to study international marketing first hand with visits to Fortune 500 companies and also experience each country’s unique heritage. The combination of real world company presentations and cultural tours affords the students with an education unmatched in a normal classroom setting.

The MIM Study Tour at St. Joseph’s University proved to be the opportunity of a lifetime for many to experience places they never imagined. In January 2006, the tour took 25 students on a journey reminiscent of the East India Tea company, starting at the home base, London, England, passing through Delhi and finishing up in the great Indian city of Mumbai. The reasoning behind this couple was to show how England’s influence in colonizing India has positioned India to be the largest outsourcing location for services and technology.

The tour was designed to expose the students to diverse cultures and marketing practices. The cultural part of the trip was compiled of guided tours and the student’s random outings into the local scene during their off-time. The business end of the trip was very well networked and prepared by the program itself and the participating companies. Topics were chosen based on current international strategies the companies were experiencing. The students were privileged with visiting distinguished companies as Cadbury’s, Lloyd's of London, GE, Tata Group, Xerox, Pantaloon and a special visit by the US Ambassador at the Embassy in India.

Saint Joe's did a great job. It began with London, England and Hyde Park. The students were placed across the north end of the park at the Corus Hotel. Provided with a flexible itinerary, the group was able to experience the city, visiting the many pubs and museums it had to offer while also walking the legendary halls of Lloyd’s of London, one of the spotlights in the international finance capital. The presentation at Cadbury’s was also a favorite due to mostly to the content. Cadbury was currently introducing a chocolate product to India in which refrigeration would be a non-issue. To most international marketing majors, a presentation followed by a lengthy Q&A gave a great insight to real world strategies of which was only read about before. Not only did they get to experience Cadbury’s from the corporate end, they actually saw the strategies taking place while touring India.

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India… five words that describe a dumbfounding experience. Not only did many students never travel outside of the US, but even fewer traveled to a developing country, where poverty lived on the footsteps of luxury. When arriving to India, we weren’t given too much time to adjust to the culture. As you get out of the airport, you are bombarded with people. It was like jumping into the deep end and then trying to learn how to swim. For some on the trip, India was a little-bit of a culture shock, especially when it came to lavatory habits. The use of toilet paper versus the old water and soap system was very evident, even in the offices of western companies such as Xerox, where there was no toilet paper in the bathrooms.

The city of Delhi has over 13,000 historical sites and is the political capital. Our visit to the United States Embassy was almost scheduled at the same time as Senator John Kerry’s, who was sighted on the flight over from London. The presentation at the embassy was very insightful to the economic environment of India. This was a good way for us to start our Indian leg of the study tour. Getting relevant statistics and keeping those figures in mind as we travel around the country helped us get a grasp as to what was happening before our eyes. As we listened to the new strategies the companies were presenting in order to capitalize on a very immense developing country, we were able to understand even more their direction.

The SJU MIM study tour was able to obtain a good portfolio of visits in India: Xerox, GE, Yahoo, Tata Group (conglomerate, auto), Pantaloon (Retail – Indian Walmart), Panacea (Biotech), and BDP (Logistics). The cultural tours and rides around the city gave the group a good feel for India as a country and where they are headed, literally growing right before them. One of the biggest experiences was the bus ride up to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. It was an awesome sight hidden in the small town north of Delhi. On the way, the countryside was immersed with agriculture and one pet bear (a Kodiak which obviously did not meet PETA’s requirements as an entertainer).

Mumbai, the financial center of India, was very different than Delhi. It had a more established infrastructure (still in need of improvement) and was situated on a picturesque coast along the Arabian Sea. Our hotel, The Suba Palace was extremely well placed. The street market, where haggling is expected and encouraged even when you say no, was a short walk away and right near Mumbai University. The city seemed like a gradual step back to the western cities the group is used to and a good end to the study tour. Our last leg of the journey exposed us to how modern India functions with historical and growing India. In order not to give the group a feeling of being in western society, there were plenty of people living literally in their makeshift shops attached to the fronts of modern buildings and in the evening, even more laying the head on the cool pavement along the back streets near the hotel.

In the end, the St. Joseph’s University MIM Study Tour was extremely educational and provided plenty of material for the students to complete their writing requirements. In many cases, tours usually function on a tight schedule with little down time and focus more on logistics and quantity rather than quality. Without such a well planned itinerary, the trip would have been unfruitful and would have not provided a sufficient educational experience. After all, getting a chance to walk through the halls of Lloyd’s of London and the Taj Mahal in the same trip does not come often.

PS – Not only was our MIM study tour pretty sick, we were able to customize it and add an extended trip to Prague before heading back home. And yes, we made a very important company visit… Pilsner Urquell Brewery. I was a great time all around. The Saint Joseph's University Masters in International marketing is excellent if want to take your career and life overseas.

St. Joseph's Masters in International Marketing Degree

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