"India for me was a country with a lot of contrasts. Rich and poor. Public and private. Barren and very rich in terms of its geography,” says Smeal College of Business Dean James B. Thomas. “The other thing about India was its sense of energy. Whatever end of the contrast spectrum you were on, there was a sense of excitement, a sense of energy, a sense of ‘we’re making a real difference in the world.'"
Thomas visited India late last year to meet with leaders in government, business, and education. His mission was to lay the preliminary groundwork for future collaboration between Smeal and various Indian entities. The trip is one aspect of an enhanced international business focus at the college.
Another component of Smeal’s global business strategy is its MBA international immersion, which offers students firsthand exposure to the particular challenges and opportunities of doing business in another culture and under different laws and regulations. First-year students in the full-time MBA Program visited one of four destinations in March: Santiago, Chile; Shanghai, China; Prague, Czech Republic; or San Francisco, California—the latter for international students. In April, second-Year EMBA students will visit Istanbul, Turkey. Learn more about past global immersion experiences at our Go Global website.
MBA Career Planning in a Time of Uncertainty.
The normal anxiety of the MBA job search is amplified in tumultuous economic times. As hiring companies pull back, students must work even harder to uncover and seize opportunities. The Smeal MBA Corporate Relations staff works closely with students to provide guidance, plan personalized career search strategies, and offer ample networking opportunities via the expansive Penn State alumni network. Director Paul Poissant stresses the importance of flexibility. “While we never suggest a shotgun approach to the search, being extremely limited with variables such as location and company is rarely effective either,” Poissant says. “And when you do get an interview, preparation is more critical than ever. Know the position. Know the company. Know the industry.” Learn more about the Smeal MBA approach to career development.
Professor’s Book Influences Generations of Strategic Management Researchers.
Smeal Professor of Management Charles Snow’s 1978 book Organizational Strategy, Structure, and Process has been called one of the most influential books in strategic management. At a recent conference marking its 30th anniversary, business scholars from around the world shared research that continues to emerge from the ideas first presented in the book. "We studied organizations in four industries and how they adapted over time, and categorized the various adaptations they make according to three categories of problems—the entrepreneurial problem, the engineering problem, and the administrative problem," explains Snow, now Smeal's Mellon Foundation Faculty Fellow. Learn more about Snow’s influence on strategic management knowledge.
