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Executive MBA participants collaborate with students in Vietnam

Posted December 10, 2024 | Read the full article on Boise State News

A group of people in business casual dress sit around a long table and examine a pile of white, cloth-like items.
During their international residency in Vietnam, EMBA participants partner with National Economics University students to work on real business projects. Here, a group examines petroleum-absorbent material from a Vietnamese manufacturer.

Boise State’s Executive MBA (EMBA) program offers a unique international residency in Vietnam. During this week-long immersion, EMBA participants work on real international business projects, but they’re not the only ones gaining hands-on experience. Undergraduate students from the National Economics University (NEU) in Hanoi, Vietnam, are paired with the EMBA groups and serve as liaisons with the business community.

“The trip was a blend of vacation, tourism, culture, social, education and business. I view it truly as a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” said Kristal Searle, EMBA participant and director of strategic projects for Coleman Oil. “It didn’t feel like a fabricated educational environment. We were there doing real projects and representing our businesses. Working with the students was a highlight.” 

A tailored, business-focused experience

When Boise State’s EMBA program started in 2008, their inaugural international residency in Mexico City took a more standard “industrial tourism” approach. However, Boise State’s EMBA team wanted to offer participants a more tailored and enriching experience abroad. 

Image of the inside of a factory with rolls of fabric-like material on manufacturing equipment.
EMBA participants work on real business projects during their international residency, often touring Vietnamese factories to source materials for their projects.

Beginning in 2009, the EMBA team leveraged Boise State’s long-standing relationship with NEU to offer business interactions and experiences that would normally take years to develop. During their week in Vietnam, EMBA participants meet with government and business officials, take factory tours and work on targeted business projects in small teams. Past team projects were sourced from Treasure Valley businesses (like finding manufacturers of mesh for a local raft company, or fabric for an area backpack manufacturer), but over the last few years, EMBA participants have brought projects from their own companies.

“It’s very much practical and applied, and it fits right in with the EMBA international business class, Business in a Global Environment,” said Brian O’Morrow, senior director of Executive Education and MBA programs for working professionals. “The biggest goal of this immersion is for EMBA participants to learn what it’s like to do business in a foreign country. Since they’re doing a tangible project, they get deep insight into international business. We could teach a class for an entire semester on what they learn in just a few days abroad.”

Read the full article on Boise State News.