A mail from Greg- another wonderful MBA student from UMass, Boston USA

Hello sir,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to study with you in India. It was an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I learned many things, and my outlook of the world and of business practices has been changed for the better.

In regard to the recommendation, I will answer your questions below:

1.)International exchange programs in MBA education are not only important, but also essential to developing the type of mind that is necessary to excel in international business. Only through cross-cultural and cross-border interaction can a student gain the type of exposure and experience that will help them develop an academic and career path that will lead to success in the International Business world. The lessons and assignments of International exchange programs provide students with learning that is more valuable to anything that can be taught in the classroom. Being placed in a completely foreign situation, and having to work collaboratively with International students teaches you to remain calm, stay open-minded, be patient, and to act quickly to achieve goals and tasks effectively. It is true that you will be forced to do group work with unfamiliar people within your Institute; but only through traveling and intimate exposure with International students and businessmen will you be able to accurately duplicate a real life business situation that involves you being prepared to share your thoughts and use rhetoric to sell or market your ideas.

2.) India is an extremely important place to visit as an exchange destination. It is a country rich with diversity, making the cultural exposure even greater and more significant. The peoples of India share many similarities and many differences, and to witness the interaction among Indians, while taking part in this interaction is an added benefit that can further enhance a westerner's perspective of how to listen and work in the International business arena. India is also an economy that is growing at a rapid pace, and its citizens are becoming more educated and prepared for business interaction. In India there is a refreshing energy, and the students and businessmen are ambitious and enthusiastic about all levels of work. The students at Indian Institutes are well prepared and competitive, but also aware of their strengths and weaknesses, which makes them push harder to learn as much as they can from every individual they meet, and from every assignment they might have. These qualities are also seen in the work force. India has many levels of workers, from those in an assembly line, to those running the major divisions of International Companies. From an exchange program perspective, India provides an opportunity to witness the capabilities of each level of worker, and analyze how they fit within a company. As one of the worlds fastest growing economies, studying in India should be a priority for any business student who hopes to work at globally.

3.) The course format of this exchange program is well designed, in that it combines cultural and business lessons parallel with each other. The course does not revolve around structured classroom work, but focuses on creating levels of interaction between the exchange students and the students and businessmen of India. The homework assignments include reading case studies that are specifically written to inform the reader about a company, and what change it is going through. Some key information is left out of each case, and this is a good design because it then allows the student to think critically and form his or her own course of action to help the company. The cases include work in marketing, branding, and sales. Students are also required to present their theories and findings, and this is the most important part of the course design. By pairing the exchange students with each other, and then again pairing them with Indian students from Indian Institutes, a real life simulation of a business meeting is created, where cultural differences and actions need to be put aside so that the common goal of completing the presentation can be achieved. Being placed in this situation is the most valuable part of the course structure. This interaction will teach students to think quickly, and work well with peoples who they do not know and who are from different backgrounds. The incorporation of Cultural visits and Company visits is also one of the benefits of this course design. Being able to see some of the temples and markets of India, along with the visiting the major companies and their executives provide value added to the exchange students. The experiences gained by the visiting major companies and cultural sites can be used when trying to find a bond with the Indian students and other people that the exchange program guests will meet. These lessons are also translated into the case study presentations.

4.) My overall evaluation of this exchange program is very high, I regard this course a 10 out of 10. Excellent. The mentor and host in India was most gracious and patient with the visiting students. He also was diligent in finding comfortable living conditions and eating conditions to make the transition very smooth. The text for the course was well written and designed so that students would be given plenty of room to be creative and learn by trial and error in formulating ideas and business plans. The selection of companies we visited, and the lectures we heard from their executives was a priceless aspect of this trip. Being able to get an up-close and personal look at major companies like LG, Dell, and the Amrapali Group are sure ways to create lasting impressions of the correct ways of doing business. The cultural visits are very beautiful and peaceful. Places like the Taj Mahal and Lotus temple provide an opportunity to reflect on what you are doing while you're in India, as well as think about what it is you want to do in the future.

Some recommendations for this exchange program would be to: Be more organized with the execution from the UMass side. Much of the planning and preparation for this course was done last minute. Be informative about how the students should arrange their own flight, or provide and earlier meeting so students can get together and plan to fly together. Also, be more descriptive of the living conditions. Let students know that wi-fi might not always be available, that the infrastructure is strained in India, and showers might not be readily available. Describe the course in detail, as far as what types of assignments and requirements are expected of the students, provide course readings by email attachment early for review, tell students to bring the course fee in cash. Travelers checks are very inconvenient and hard to redeem in India. I also feel that the number of students should be limited in this course. I think it is important to expose as many people as possible to this trip, however, I think that it would be difficult for more than 9-12 students to attend the course because of logistical issues; such as car services to transport the students from the hotel to the school and to all the other sites we visit. Also, I think it would be difficult for one mentor to manage too many students without more assistance.


I thought this trip was an excellent experience and I had a wonderful time. It was everything I was hoping for and more. It would be my pleasure to continue working with both parties on this exchange program, and I would strongly encourage anyone pursuing an International career to take this course and any other course that involves overseas travel.

Thank you again, and please do not hesitate to ask for anymore assistance from me. It would be a pleasure to help in anyway I can.

Best,

Greg Messina

20 years ago businesses with foreign partners were only occasional and the companies’ units dealing with foreign partners were not of a great importance. However, today the situation is drastically different as the search for new human, natural, technological resources is vital to the survival of many companies. A demand for managers, who are prepared to make decisions of a global level, is highly increasing. Therefore, MBA programs have to be constructed in the manner, which would be the most effective in preparation of international business managers. International exchange programs are the most efficient tools to reach this particular goal of the MBA programs, as they give MBA students a chance of a real “hands – on” experience of what it like to run a business in a foreign country. Such experience is not to be found in textbooks and lectures.

India is a hub of the world’s intellectual human resources, as very many outsourcing, technological decisions of foreign companies are conducted in India. Therefore, India as an exchange destination of international MBA programs is naturally one of the most important in educating future international managers. Couple of years later many of them undoubtedly will come back to Hyderabad, Bangalore, New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai as representatives, directors of international companies.

The joint international exchange program between University of Massachussetts Boston and Multinational Business Academy is a perfect balance of daily classes, 4 to 5 visits to major international and local companies in India, constructive 4 case discussions  with Indian students of various business schools and visits of well – known speakers, presentations by students not only in front of the academia but also real professionals. The program not only educates American students on the peculiarities of Indian businesses, but also introduces students to Indian culture, traditions and people. This aspect is of a great importance, as many misunderstandings in the world of international business develop from not knowing the culture of the foreign partner.

As a participant of the joint international program, I would like to think that I learned many aspects of how to run business with Indian companies. I also had  a chance to experience the wonderful hospitality of Indian people and made life-long relationships with Indian students and perhaps my future business partners, bosses (?).

Professor Mohan Agrawal not only was a great instructor, but also a great organizer of the educational, cultural trips, accommodation and transportation. Due to his contacts in the business world, we were able to visit major Indian companies, which do not open their door to everybody.

I highly recommend this international program as I gave been able  to experience many benefits of it.

Ms. Goda Kalila

Current student of UMASS Boston MBA program

One of the coolest apps (iPhone application) on the iPhone isn't Pandora or Facebook: It's recipes and shopping lists for Kraft products. Believe it or not, enough Kraft Food devotees are actually paying to be marketed to on their beloved iPhones that the company's iFood Assistant is now one of the device's 100 most popular paid apps, and No. 2 in the lifestyle category.

Kraft's app was launched in December and is a helpful tool for consumers looking to make dinners faster, easier and more convenient. The app offers a host of recipes, browse-able by ingredients, meal type or prep time. Recipes come with instructions simple enough for the uninitiated. Of course, the dishes incorporate Kraft products. There are a number of instructional videos, with guides to portion sizes and knife skills, as well as step-by-step directions for making dishes.

With its endeavor, Kraft is pulling off a rare trick: getting consumers to pay a one-time 99-cent fee for the app and also sit through ads on it. And in the process, it's collecting useful data for targeting them more closely.

For now, Kraft is using the data to understand when and how consumers are shopping, what they're making, and which ingredients they prefer. Information is sent directly to the company, allowing Kraft to gather information on which recipes are the most popular and which ingredients are most used. Kraft is, of course, running ads throughout the app, some before the instructional videos and some with searches.

The lesson: When a marketer creates something that's actually useful, consumers don't really see it as straight marketing, or they're at least willing to accept advertising as the payoff.

What iFood Assistant can teach marketers:

1. Consumers are willing to pay for utility and convenience.
2. They will share personal information in exchange for useful ideas.
3. Use information gathered in a targeted manner.
4. 4. Look for the "sweet spot" of what your brand can offer consumers.
5. Mirroring Apple software is a selling point.

I read a very interesting happened on the book by Kishore Biyani which was launch in 2008. Check out the review at

Book Review

This is the first blog post of MBA Academy.

From 24th January 2009, this blog is open for MBA students and general public. Liven it up!