Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Fifty students from Stephen F. Austin State University’s Rusche College of Business traveled to Ireland and Scotland May 11 through 21 to explore businesses, including a smokehouse near the Cliffs of Moher, the home of Guinness beer in Dublin and a kiltmaker on Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile.
“For many of the students, it was their first opportunity to experience another culture and learn the fine art of international travel,” said Dr. Matt Lindsey, chair of the Department of Management and Marketing, who led the trip with Dr. Mikhail Kouliavtsev, chair of the Department of Economics and Finance. “Students who attend SFA have opportunities to take their learning beyond the classroom to help them think more globally.”
Ian Lahera, a management junior from Katy, said he gained a better understanding of why companies value international trade and how they build awareness about their products abroad.
“Traveling to countries to learn about foreign businesses and interacting with them to understand their processes is a lot more valuable than simply learning about them in class,” he added. “There’s a big difference in seeing in person how different businesses run things and what obstacles they may face than just reading about it in a textbook.”
One of the students’ stops, the Burren Smokehouse, was established in 1989 in Lisdoonvarna, Ireland, and locally sources its fish, salt and smoking process materials, including oak shavings. The business prospered because it quickly embraced such trends as online sales, sustainability and creating a hub for tourists visiting the Cliffs of Moher. The company then gave back to its community by helping to establish the Burren Ecotourism Network and working with other local companies to promote sustainable practices.
Holland Davis, senior marketing major from Kingwood, appreciated the business benefits of sustainability and said she’s ready to work abroad.
“Professionally, I was educated on the benefits and mechanisms of sustainable business; but, personally, I realized how important it is to expand my horizons and how international business can help me achieve this goal,” she said. “If I was given the opportunity to work internationally, I would in a heartbeat. This trip was an eye-opening experience that gave me an incredible opportunity to grow not only as a business student but as a human being.”
The students also explored market competition, branding, supply chains and the history of tartans at the countries’ more traditional businesses, including Galway Hooker Craft Brewing Co. and Guinness Storehouse in Ireland and Glengoyne Distillery and Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers in Scotland.
At a meeting with two board members of the British American Business Council, the students discussed immigration law with Grace McGill, a partner at the Burness Paull law firm, as well as running a Scottish business with 100% U.S. clients with Jim Rae, CEO of docs24.
The trip wasn’t all business. The students literally herded sheep at the Dingle Peninsula, dipped a toe in the Atlantic Ocean at Inch Beach, visited the bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond, and walked carefully along the Burren in southwest Ireland, which is famous for its cracked pavement of glacial-era limestone, as well as cliffs and caves, fossils, rock formations, and archaeological sites.
Some of the students’ best discoveries during the trip were about themselves.
“When we would gather for class, I didn’t meet many people and I was kind of nervous about going on the trip,” said Katie Newman, accounting junior from Kirbyville. “On the very first day of our trip, I found my group, and I flourished in Ireland and Scotland. I learned that I could meet new people, step outside of my box and take a chance. That will be helpful to me not only in life but also in my future career.”
For more information on the business college, visit the college's website.
ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at the SFA website.