Students had time to sightsee, here packing into a traditional British telephone booth.

This spring, seven students took an international marketing course that included a 17-day trip to London and Berlin.

Organized by Dr. Larry Burgee, dean of Business and Information Management, the European Study Tour helped students develop an understanding of global markets and create strategies for building and protecting market share in light of significant economic, cultural, political and legal differences from the American marketplace.

The course included pre- and post-trip classes, and visits to several large overseas companies: 3M New Ventures, Aberdeen Asset Management, British American Tobacco, Essentia, GMR Marketing, Johnson & Johnson, Oracle, and Philip Morris Manufacturing. Students were in Europe from May 22 to June 8.

	Students from Neumann and Stevenson University visited King’s College in London.

Course requirements included daily entries into a "marketing and cultural observations journal" in which students recorded and analyzed cultural differences of which Americans should be aware when traveling abroad on behalf of their companies. Students also worked in teams to complete a guide to introduce a good or service to the countries. Sections of the guide were cultural, economic and market analyses, and a preliminary marketing plan.

Student response to the trip abroad was very positive. "It was fascinating to see first-hand how foreign countries conduct their daily business," wrote Christopher Lyons. "Study abroad has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone, and explore new and unfamiliar parts of the world."

Michael DiPierro wrote "It was a great opportunity to get to experience the business world in England and Germany. This is something that I can add to my resume and which could benefit my job opportunities in the future."

"I got a chance to study cultural differences and learn how to apply marketing first hand," wrote Andrew Farrell. "This made me gain respect for not only other cultures but also our own."