Joe Rottman speaks to the group of students from UMSL, Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences in Finland and Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

Students who participated in a unique class offering over Thanksgiving week at Anheuser-Busch Hall on the campus of the University of Missouri–St. Louis were presented with a real-life business scenario and tasked with working together on finding solutions.

In this scenario, Dot Foods, a food transportation company operating in the United States and Canada, was considering opening up operations in Australia. Students had to consider and solve for all the real-world issues that Dot Foods would face and need to overcome to make such a move.

But it wasn’t just students from UMSL involved. Students from Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences in Finland and Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany were on the case – students were divided up into three teams for this scenario, with a mix of students from each school on each team – as part of the long-standing collaboration between UMSL and the two European universities. Students earn credits from their universities.

“The students come from all parts of the world, so each cohort is diverse, and the environment is dynamic and collaborative,” said Renita Miller, the program manager for UMSL’s International Business Institute, which organized and hosted the event. “Students get to establish long-lasting relationships with their peers from around the world. Run biannually, this course equips students to tackle complex global problems with strategic thought, under the guidance of faculty experts from three top-tier institutions.”

Jeff Barry, an UMSL alum and the chief innovation officer for Dot Food, kicked off the week with an introduction to his company. During the five-day event, students listened to lectures from professors from each university, tailored toward helping each team create its final presentation.

“Obviously we are talking about business competence and very important things like strategy and social media and things like that,” said Elisa Kannasto, the head of degree programs for the Master’s School at Seinäjoki. “But I think the core is still in the international collaboration and the innovation and learning by doing, stepping out of your comfort zone, not knowing what is expected, and then kind of incorporating everything you’re learning during the week.”

Visiting professors (from left) Elisa Kannasto, Margit Narva and Marcel Rother chat with student Susan Ho Thanh Xuan from Finland’s Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences during a lunch break. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

Margit Narva, a principle lecturer in Seinäjoki’s food and biotechnology program, was also a speaker, along with Marcel Rother and Carsten Reuter from Aschaffenburg. They each added unique insights from their years of research and experience in the real world. Reuter, for example, guided students through a supply-chain simulation that was particularly relevant for the project.

“Dr. Reuter’s simulation showed the critical importance of accurate projections and more importantly, the disastrous effects of poor forecasting,” said Joe Rottman, director of the International Business Institute. “Since Dot Foods is a redistribution company, the simulation showed how challenging it is to manage a global supply chain which contains 50,000 separate products.”

The students enjoyed the experience.

“Irrespective of our different culture, they were great team members,” Taofeeqat Shittu, an UMSL junior in the Accelerated Master’s program in accounting. “I found that interesting, because I thought we were going to have a lot of clashes in the way we do things, but it wasn’t like that.”

“I think it’s cool how we can connect with different cultures and also improve our speaking skills, learn teamwork in general, how to work in a team and how to divide everything, and just to see how different teams are trying to get to a solution,” said Maria-Regina Weidenauer, a junior studying international real estate management at Aschaffenburg. “That was very interesting to see.”

The teams worked together to create a 30-minute PowerPoint that they presented to Barry and the faculty members at the final presentation at the end of the week. Each team had a specific task.

Team 1: What is the competitive landscape Dot would face as it considers entering the Australian market, and how would that landscape shape Dot’s market entry strategy?

Team 2: What are the political and geographical challenges Dot would face as it considers entering the Australian market and how would those challenges shape Dot’s market entry strategy?

Team 3: What changes would Dot need to make to its business model to succeed as it considers entering the Australian market?

“The quality of the students’ recommendations exceeded all of my expectations,” Rottman said. “Dot Foods gave the students very complicated and critically important questions to answer, and they did very well. Their solutions were very well researched, took advantage of the diversity of the team members, provided creative and passionate viewpoints and were actionable.

“Jeff Barry mentioned he was impressed with the quality of content and delivery of the strategies. The international teams used the week to improve their research, analytical and presentation skills.”

Rother, a principal lecturer at Aschaffenburg who spoke on the topic of strategic management, has been involved with this collaboration for more than a decade, first as a student and now as a faculty member. He’s enjoyed the progression of this program.

The group also had the opportunity to explore sites around St. Louis, including a trip to the Gateway Arch. (Photo courtesy of Joe Rottman).

“I think our program has become more diverse,” he said. “Nowadays, we basically cover all continents with our students that we are having here, and how we work with the clients, it’s very smooth. It’s wonderful to get this input from the client. I was personally fascinated by the history of Dot Food and that there are still like 45 family members active in such a big company.

“This kind of learning method is good, what the students get tasked with and how they have to produce solutions without strict guidelines of what they have to do. They have to find it for themselves. And, of course, this kind of group work involves students from many universities, so they will learn about different cultures. This is really good experience for the students.”

Rottman was thrilled with how the week unfolded. The event also provided the international guests with an opportunity to experience St. Louis, with trips to the Gateway Arch, Flamingo Bowl, Top Golf and a wrap-up/celebration dinner at Lombardo’s.

“We had students from Germany, Finland, Vietnam, Nepal, Nigeria and St. Louis,” he said. “That diversity created a positive and creative environment where students were able to work a real strategy for a global company and present those strategies to the chief information officer. As business students, they have their goals set on reaching the C-Suite. Getting feedback from a senior executive allowed them to understand how executives think, the problems they deal with every day and what it takes to be a global leader.”