23 graduating BSBA major in Marketing Management Students of the College of Commerce and Business Administration went to Seoul, South Korea for their international exposure trip, held from April 22 to April 28, 2016. They were accompanied by Asst. Prof. Maureen H. Gelle, College Secretary; Asst. Prof. Riaz Benjamin, Department Chair; and Asst. Prof. Robert U. Lao, Faculty Member and a College Council Member.
The international exposure trip of the department is done annually, and students are exposed to marketing practices of various countries and cultures. For this year, the students were oriented to the various types of markets available in Seoul. From the simple Mangwon market, to the upbeat stores of the Hongdae district, to the popular Myeong-dong area, to the modern Dongdaemun, and to the duty free stores of Dongwha, the students witnessed and experienced diverse marketing practices and strategies. They were also given an opportunity to visit Nami Island, which, after being featured in a popular Korean series, made this island to a market of tourists. From being a simple piece of land, it has been converted into a very popular tourist destination, where thousands of people come every day to enjoy and appreciate its natural charm. The continuous increase in Nami Island’s popularity has led to its growth and expansion by means of having shops and restaurants within the island to cater to its daily visitors.
As an added treat, the group learned how to make kimchi and seaweed snacks. Kimchi is a part of Korean culture and learning the art of preparing it from a Kimchi School was a unique experience.
This was also an opportunity for the Department to have benchmarking with Seoul National University (SNU). Asst. Prof. Gelle and Asst. Prof. Benjamin met with Ms. Hyun Ji Lee from the Office of International Affairs and two representatives from the College of Business Administration (CBA), one of whom was Ms. Michelle JungYoon Choi, Associate Director of the Office of International Relations of CBA. They discussed the international student exchange program of SNU, as well as the program innovations and activities specifically of the College of Business Administration. It was an opportunity to have initial talks of possible partnership and exchange program for students. Simultaneous with the meeting, the Marketing Management students and Asst. Prof. Lao were accompanied by a student from SNU for a tour of the campus grounds.
These activities are part of the initiatives being undertaken by the College geared towards the strengthening of its programs by means of internationalization. The representatives of SNU share the College’s optimism with regard to the partnership and linkage of the two Universities.
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