International competition provides global experience for business students, travel to Italy

International competition provides global experience for business students, travel to Italy

An international business project recently provided Northwest Missouri State University students with more than a classroom assignment. It gave them a chance to connect with students around the globe, navigate cultural differences and solve real-world problems.

Mary Kush, a senior business management major from Smithville, and recent Northwest graduates Madi Allen and Christian Towne advanced to the final rounds of the X-Culture Symposium last spring through the multinational management course in the Melvin D. and Valorie G. Booth School of Business. The seven-week program brought together students from different countries to work in virtual teams and develop solutions to a real-world business problem.

A total of 6,165 students from 162 universities participated in the project. At the end of each term, faculty members evaluate the teams' projects, and high-performing groups advance in the competition.

Placement leads to work with Italian manufacturer

Towne, a native of Bellevue, Nebraska, graduated last spring from Northwest with a bachelor's degrees in international business and business management. His group developed a teen program for X-Culture designed to bring more international business opportunities to teenagers.

The work earned Towne's team the chance to advance to the Global Business Week Symposium in August in Trieste, Italy. There, Towne was placed on a new team representing Modiano, the largest playing card manufacturer in Italy.

"One of my biggest takeaways from the symposium was the value of people," Towne said. "In such a big and diverse world, it can sometimes feel difficult to believe that one person can make a difference. But after meeting so many talented and passionate people from around the world, I left with a lot of hope for the future and a belief that each of us has the ability to make an impact."

The competition took place at the University of Trieste, where students participated in orientation activities, presentations and cultural expeditions. Towne said the experience taught him that collaborating with people from different cultures and stages of life can be one of a team's greatest assets.

"We all leaned into our strengths and genuinely wanted to help our client company succeed," Towne said. "I didn't necessarily expect us to win, but I also wasn't surprised because of how hard our team worked and how intentional we were throughout the entire process. Everything we did, we kept Stefano (Crechici), the CEO of Modiano, and the company's goals in mind."

After competing against 30 other teams, Towne's group was selected as the winner of the competition. He said receiving recognition on an international stage was a moment that allowed him to step back and appreciate how far he had come and the people who helped him along the way.

"Being given the opportunity to represent Northwest Missouri State University in Italy was a win in itself," Towne said. "Standing on stage, holding a trophy alongside my teammates and wearing a name tag with 'Northwest Missouri State University' on it was surreal."

Strengthened leadership, communication skills

Allen's team, which created a plan for English Helper, an Indian company that provides AI-powered English language learning and literacy solutions, was also selected as a winner of the competition.

Allen, a native of Kidder, Missouri, graduated from Northwest last spring with bachelor's degrees in business management and marketing. She is now a graduate assistant in the Booth School of Business while working toward her Master of Business Administration degree with a marketing emphasis.

When she began the project, Allen was apprehensive about the potential barriers of working with students from different countries. Language differences and time zones were among the challenges the team had to navigate.

"This gave me great firsthand experience not only working with other people, but working with people who come from very different backgrounds," Allen said. "It challenged me in ways I hadn't experienced before. Through the project, I definitely strengthened my communication and leadership skills, but it also gave me more confidence that I could use those skills in a professional setting."

Allen also was impressed with the different perspectives and ideas each member contributed to the team.

"I was definitely shocked when we found out we won," Allen said. "I knew our project was good, and I was proud of what we had put together, but I definitely didn't expect it to win. I knew there were a lot of strong teams putting work in, so it was a really nice surprise."

For Allen, the experience extended beyond the competition. She said the relationships she formed with her teammates have lasted well after the project was completed.

"I also think having this experience while still in college is really valuable," Allen said. "A lot of people may not get the opportunity to work with a group of people from all over the world until they are already in their professional career, if they get the opportunity at all. We got to figure out how to communicate, work through challenges and accomplish something together while we were still in school."

Collaboration key in global environment

Dr. Kyungjoong Kim, an assistant professor of management at Northwest, teaches the multinational management course and mentors students throughout the X-Culture competition.

Through X-Culture, Kush, Towne and Allen gained skills that go beyond traditional classroom learning. They developed communication, leadership and problem-solving skills while working with peers across international borders.

"Success in today's global business environment requires the ability to collaborate effectively with people from diverse cultural backgrounds," Kim said. "Through X-Culture in our multinational management course, Northwest students cross geographical and cultural boundaries, gaining firsthand experience in understanding different perspectives, navigating cultural differences, and working together to solve real-world business challenges."