School of Business students visit New York
LAU’s Headquarters and Academic Center in Manhattan organizes first-ever Global Marketing and Finance course for School of Business students.
Posing with marketing professor Dr. Nadia Shuayto.
Mohamad Yatim, vice president at Wafra Investment Advisory Group, lectures on the various aspects of working on Wall Street at LAU NY.
Students pose with guest lecturer Mohamad Yatim, vice president at Wafra Investment Advisory Group.
Getting to know the Muppets at FAO Schwartz, the oldest toy store in the United States.
Practicing diplomatic skills at The United Nations.
A guide tests a student’s knowledge during a tour of Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange.
Twenty-seven LAU MBA and EMBA students crossed the Atlantic for a 10-day trip to New York for the first-ever Global Marketing and Finance course at the LAU’s Headquarters and Academic Center in Manhattan.
The course covered the dynamics of New York’s economic system, and included lessons on American leadership style, the role of New York’s history and culture in business, and the uniqueness of New York entrepreneurship. Students enjoyed lectures by guest speakers and site visits, which included a special two-hour tour of Wall Street involving stops at the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Braving the bitter cold, they also took in touristic sights, such as Times Square, Central Park and Ground Zero.
According to Associate Professor of Finance Dr. Elias Raad, the course gave the students valuable experience: “In Lebanon, our financial markets are not developed, especially the Beirut stock exchange. Here, they were exposed to one of the most efficient financial markets in the world, and saw how those markets contribute to economic productivity.”
While MBA students have had the opportunity to travel overseas before — visiting China last year — this was their first visit to New York. The newly minted LAU New York Headquarters and Academic Center welcomed them with open arms.
“In every school in the world, Executive MBAs are exposed to other countries, other universities, to other companies even. This inspired me to organize something for our students,” says Hisham Hishash, the senior academic assistant at the School of Business, who coordinated the trip. “Not only did they get to see Wall Street, they got to network with some LAU alumni, which was very valuable for them.”
Other networking opportunities emerged through interaction with visiting lecturers. Mohamad Yatim, vice president at Wafra Investment Group in New York, gave the students a lecture on finance, in which he discussed stock market investment strategies, the significance of brokers’ roles, the volatility of financial markets and the need for caution amidst unstable economic environments.
Marketing professor Dr. Nadia Shuayto, who teaches both in the U.S. and in Lebanon, packed in two days of global marketing lessons for the visiting group. “The world is one market now,” she says, “so one of the things we need to develop in these students is the cultural awareness to be able to develop products and services with a global reach, and to tap into markets outside of Lebanon.”
Plus, she adds, having LAU students tour New York is not only valuable to them, but to New Yorkers as well. “It’s beneficial for people here to meet these wonderful students, to show how similar people from the Middle East are, and not focus on the differences, or the negative things they might see in the media.”
“Here we were exposed to a much more diversified market,” says MBA student Nicole Smiley. “And we were taught by people who had hands-on industry experience, so we were able to go beyond theory in the classroom.”
Aside from professional knowledge, the students also enjoyed the chance to become better acquainted with each other.
“We got to know the MBAs for the first time, and we got to know each other better,” says EMBA student Zeinab Ankouni. “We are communicating better, and making plans together.”
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