Program News
ECI-Moore School partnership prepares IMBA students for success in global business world
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| (L to R) ECI Project Manager, Anita Patel; IMBA Students: Benjamin Bach, Lourdes Guiulfo and Anand Deekaram. |
Students enrolled in the University of South Carolina’s International MBA (IMBA) program need look no further than the Moore School of Business in applying their classroom experience to real world situations. Through a unique partnership between the Moore School and ECI-Find New Markets students are able to easily integrate academic coursework with a graduate assistantship.
Founded in 1997 as the South Carolina Export Consortium, the organization which now goes by the name ECI, currently has 10 graduate assistants representing eight countries. Over the last decade, ECI has helped prepare more than 100 students for the opportunities and challenges of international business. ECI-Find New Markets specializes in helping small-to medium-sized companies grow in the global market through customized, in-depth market research.
"Working with ECI has helped me understand how small businesses with limited resources can do big things on a local, national and international level," said Anand Deekaram, a second-year Spanish track student.
And ECI’s location in the Moore School helps first-year student’s such as Tsvetelina Eneva of Bulgaria deal with the hectic pace of the IMBA program. "The location in the Moore School is extremely helpful considering the time-restraints students often face. It also makes communication among the students and the staff much easier," said Eneva.
The ECI-Moore School partnership allows students to stay connected to the business world while training for a career. Applying the business knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to actual client projects keeps students in touch with the realities of the industry.
"Students tend to get accustomed to the educational environment and the transition back to work can be a challenge. However, by being both a student and a graduate assistant at the same time, I feel like I never really took a break from my professional life," said Jozsef Czukor, a second-year global track student from Hungary. Czukor plans to work in corporate finance or controlling with a multinational company. He recognizes that the experience he gains from his assistantship will help him prepare for such a career. "I worked on projects related to fuel cells, lumber, open-source software and project finance. It's difficult to imagine other graduate assistantships that offer such an exposure to a variety of industries and topics as ECI does," he said.
Not only do students work with a variety of companies, but a diverse group of students as well. The combination of different personalities and characteristics brought to the table can contribute positively to the students' projects and allow them to build interpersonal skills.
"Interestingly, the best teams I have worked on during my time here at the Moore School were the most diverse with students from all different countries. When I say best, I mean both most fun to work with, but also most productive in terms of being successful," said Czukor.
Anand Deekaram, a native of South India, also enjoys the opportunity to work with fellow students from around the globe. "We talk about our culture, our language and nationalities. It really makes the job interesting," he said. Deekaram recently started his own technology business with another IMBA student. He recognizes how ECI has allowed him to develop personal connections that can be just as valuable as the knowledge and skills he has acquired. "I have gotten to know a lot of great people here at ECI. They have become my mentors and I know if I need anything I can go back to them for advice," he said. The connections that students make with their peers and supervisors through the IMBA program also helps to create a network in the business world, further aiding students as they begin their careers. "We have a culture here through the program. During a job interview, the interviewer and I realized we had a connection through ECI. Having this in common helped break the ice," said Deekaram.
These connections combined with the experience, knowledge and skills gained from ECI and the Moore School create a solid foundation for students seeking to make an impact in the global marketplace.
For more information on graduate assistantships with ECI-Find New Markets, contact Anita Patel, ECI project manager, apatel@findnewmarkets.com or 803-777-1177.
Kara Anderson
March 2008