WCBA students gain impactful international and collaboration experience without leaving the country. During the Spring 2020 semester, students in the WCBA International Business course participated in the X-Culture program, a global initiative where teams of students from around the world solve business challenges. Over 5,000 students from 132 universities representing 102 countries participated in the 2020 X-Culture program. 975 total teams, made up of students from around the world, created business solutions for real international clients.
28 teams were recognized as the 2020 Best Teams for their creativity, clarity, plan viability, and overall style, with seven WCBA students being among their ranks. Bashar Rasoul, Brandon Stowe, Issabell Leeper, BenJamin Rubinic, Matthew Stephens, Vincent DiRenzo, and Sean Peterson were each on separate teams with fellow students from an array of other countries.
Unlike case studies or other projects, X-Culture participants solve challenges that real multinational companies are facing. Business partners from around the globe submit their challenges for teams to solve over the course of a semester. Teams analyze the issues, coordinate to find solutions, then present their plans in the form of a team report.
Despite the inherent challenges of collaborating across time zones and overcoming language barriers, the experience was well worth it, says Matthew Stephens, junior Business Administration major. “The X-Culture project was by far one of the most challenging, yet valuable experiences I have been a part of. Our team, which consisted of students from Ghana, Italy, Colombia, and the USA, decided to create a business plan for Nomad Travel, a travel agency in Colombia. In the end, our team worked tirelessly to make this project a success, and I learned a lot through this unique experience.”
Teams not only create business plans for their clients, but also strengthen valuable career skills. “The project helped me further develop an array of skills such as teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, and business analysis,” Brandon Stowe, junior Finance major. Brandon’s team consisted of students from Colombia, Ghana, Russia, and the US. Issabell Leeper, who completed the project as one of her final classes before graduating in May, said, “I was blessed with an amazing team. No one within the group slacked when the project was up and moving. Overall, it was a great experience!”
In addition to the skills they gain, students who successfully complete the program also receive a Global Collaboration Experience Certificate, which signifies global collaboration experience and can help with career advancement.
As more workplaces are expanding into global operations, having international experience and cultural intelligence will be skills students need to succeed. Bashar Rasoul, sophomore International Business major, values learning about cultural diversity and its increasing importance in the workplace. “This project is a great way to understand how students from around the world think differently. It is a unique experience that can provide challenges that most students have not faced yet.” Bashar collaborated with students from the US, Colombia, Ghana, and Mexico.
Dr. Omer Genc, Assistant Professor of Marketing, also received recognition this year. Out of 171 instructors from 102 countries, he was recognized as one of the top 40 Best Instructors for his students’ intellectual contribution, effort, teamwork, and share of the work completed by his students in comparison to their team mates.
“We started implementing the X-Culture project during the Spring 2018 semester. Since then, 534 students have participated in the project and this past Spring semester, 108 students participated. This project is housed in Principals of International Business, a core course that all Business students take. Our goal in implementing this project is to provide a hands-on international experience to our students. While students work virtually with people from various countries, they develop intercultural communication skills, international and virtual collaboration competencies, and interest in cross-cultural interactions,” Dr. Omer Genc.