KNOXVILLE — Twenty-two faculty, staff and students from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Aerospace & Defense MBA program are in Japan until July 21 for their international nine-day study of global business. Their experiences will be documented at http://ADMBA.utk.edu.
This international experience exposes students to the world of global business, emphasizing aerospace and defense business activities and issues. The group is spending four days in Tokyo and five days in Nagoya, Japan.
“Today’s marketplace is international,” said Andy White, program director. “To excel as a leader in the aerospace and defense industry, you have to understand global business issues. Nothing compares to the perspective gained and learning achieved when you go abroad to study global business.”
This unique trip and its study of international business principles constitute almost 15 percent of the Aerospace & Defense MBA curriculum.
“By designing the curriculum around the unique development needs and business issues of this industry, we provide students and their organizational sponsors a very valuable educational experience,” White said.
This year’s trip highlights include:
– Visits to historical and cultural sites across Japan.
– Meetings with U.S. Embassy leaders representing commerce and defense.
– Briefings on Japan’s unique and highly successful public education programs and the country’s contributions to economic success in high-tech industries.
– Industry visits to Japan Air Lines, Toyota and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, including aviation and rocket propulsion system operations.
– A visit to Nagoya University to better understand how Japanese higher education institutions support Japan’s strength in aerospace programs.
“The international residence periods are a very important element in all of UT’s executive MBA programs,” said Carolyn Cuddy, executive director of UT’s College of Business Administration’s Center for Executive Education. “We are posting student and faculty observations and images to provide alumni, students and friends a real-time impression of the tremendous learning experience this trip is providing.”
The Aerospace & Defense MBA is an MBA program for working professionals across the country in diverse organizational roles and sectors of aerospace and defense. Students sponsored by both government and commercial organizations complete the program in a year while continuing to work.
C O N T A C T :
Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, craines1@utk.edu)