Director: Gary P. Mahan, Ph.D.
A. J. Palumbo Center 2212
(814) 871-7588
E-mail: mahan@gannon.edu
Fax:  (814) 871-7210

For more detailed information on the International Business (IB) Program visit the IB Program Web site, to which the hypertext below is linked.  The bottom of each page on the site contains a link back to this Fact Sheet.

OVERVIEW

One of the most significant world developments in the last half of the 20th century has been the internationalization of business.  Over this time period, more and more businesses began selling their products in other countries; buying parts, components, raw materials, and other inputs from foreign countries; establishing production facilities abroad and selling product from those subsidiaries; and encountering competition from products that came from abroad.  The dramatic increase in international business activity within the last 25 years is revealed by the following statistics:

• the volume of international trade, including both merchandise and services, expanded from $200 billion to $6.3 trillion, which was twice the growth in total world output, and
• foreign direct investment (FDI) grew fifteen fold from $211 billion to more than $3.2 trillion

The business world of tomorrow will be quite different from that of the past requiring that business people of the future have a global perspective.  The increase in international business activity will create a growing need for individuals who are properly educated and trained in the area of international business, including technical competence, foreign language proficiency, cultural awareness and sensitivity, overseas experience, and familiarity with worldwide business practices and institutions.  The Gannon International Business (IB) Program, described below, is designed to meet this need.  

CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS

The curriculum of this multiple disciplinary program includes a total of 129 credit hours and consists of the following components:

• Liberal Studies core, a requirement for all students (42 credit hours)
• Business core, a requirement of all business majors (48 credit hours)
• IB Major
• International business electives (12 credit hours)
• Foreign language (FL) competency (6 credit hours at the advanced level)
• International, non business, electives, such as geography, history, political science, law, and religion (9 credit hours)
• Free electives (12 credit hours)

Some of the features of the curriculum are described below.

Area/Regional Studies.  The courses used to satisfy the international, non business, and free electives components of the curriculum may be selected to correspond to a particular geographic region, such as Latin America, Europe, or Canada, which, combined with Foreign Language courses corresponding to that area, would constitute a area/regional study.

Due to the importance of foreign languages, the IB major is offered the opportunity to obtain a Certificate of Proficiency, Minor or Double Major in a Foreign Language.

Other Double Majors and Minors.  The flexibility of the curriculum also offers the student the opportunity to obtain a Double Major or Minor  in another business discipline, such as Marketing, or a non business discipline.  The recently developed Leadership and Web master minors are also available.

Five Year IB/Masters of Business Administration Program.  Through careful scheduling of courses, within a five year period of study, it is possible to obtain both a Bachelor of Science in IB and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree.

Internship and Cooperative Education Experiences.  One of the greatest strengths of the curriculum may be the many internship and cooperative education opportunities that it provides the student.  Each year there is offered the IB Internship Program, which consists of the following two semester sequence of internships.

• The first semester course/internship consists of the following two parts:
• During the first eight weeks, the student is presented with a series of seminars on specialized international business topics and job search skills.
• In the second part, the student gains hands on experience developing an export marketing plan for a local firm under the supervision of  the Gannon Small Business Development Center International Business Center's personnel.

• In the second internship of the sequence, the student is placed with a local small or medium sized business firm where they gain practical experience assisting the firm in various aspects of  it's international activities.

Study Abroad / Study Tour.   The curriculum offers the student an opportunity to Study Abroad at another university for a semester or a year and/or to participate in an approved Study Tour abroad of shorter duration. A student may receive Gannon University credit for courses taken at a foreign university by participating in a Study Abroad program offered by another American university, directly by the foreign university, or by Gannon.  The Gannon Foreign Language Department offers several study abroad opportunities each summer.  Other courses contain foreign study tour components.  In addition, the university sponsors several overseas Study Tours each year, usually during spring break, to various destinations, which in the past have included Rome, London, Paris, Athens, the Canary Islands, Egypt, Turkey, Australia and New Zealand.  The university makes available grants to support study abroad.
 
 PROGRAM FEATURES

 Location

With over 280 international businesses operating in the surrounding four county area, the City of Erie is located in a center of international business activity.  In 1996, exports were over $321 million, according to the US Department of Commerce.  Erie has more exports/capita than any other city in Pennsylvania.  The local business community not only provides the IB Program with adjunct faculty, guest lecturers, and seminar speakers who possess a wealth of practical international business expertise, but also presents opportunities for internships, cooperative education placements, and part time employment.

Small Business Development Center (GUSBDC) International Business Center

The Gannon University Small Business Development Center’s  (GUSBDC) International Business Center is another resource that is utilized extensively by the IB program.  The GUSBDC serves both start up businesses and small existing businesses in all industry sectors by providing counseling and consulting services.  To the more than 280 clients that are actively involved in international business, the International Business Center provides assistance in the following areas:  accessing company readiness to export, determining what products to export, identifying potential foreign markets, recommending an appropriate entry strategy, identifying various forms of export financing, assisting with export procedures, and translating foreign languages.

It addition to providing consulting services, the International Business Center also sponsors regular seminars and workshops on trade issues as well as offering an International Management Certificate program. It has access to over 850 computer on line data base programs as well as to computerized foreign language translation software.  In addition to providing supervision for the students enrolled in the IB Internship program, the International Business Center personnel, who are experts in the all the practical aspects of international business, serve as resource people and provide instruction in international business courses.

Student Organizations

In addition to several other student organizations for business students, such as Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity and Student Investment Trust, two that may be of particular interest to IB majors are the following:

• International Business Club, which is involved in such activities as locating internship, study abroad, and employment opportunities; visiting local international businesses; providing a forum for guest lectures and presentations by students who have studied or traveled abroad; and organizing study abroad trips as social activities, and
• International Students Association, which, among other things, sponsors a very popular annual International Night that provides food and entertainment from around the world.

Business School Moves Toward Accreditation

The Dahlkemper School of Business at Gannon University has cleared its first hurdle toward earning professional accreditation.  The school, in which the IB Program is technically housed, has achieved candidacy status with the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs, and school officials plan to seek full accreditation in June 2000.

• All foreign language courses are scheduled in two modern language labs equipped with state of the arts technology.
• The International Business course, as well as some other international business elective courses, are offered in tiered multi media classrooms equipped with the capability of projecting onto a retractable screen images from a slide projector, transparencies, print material (via a copy stand), VCR, video disk player, built in desktop computer (which is equipped with an Internet connection), auxiliary portable computer, and CD-ROM, as well as audio capabilities through large wall mounted speakers.
• Numerous computer labs around campus provide the student with ready access to current technology PCs with full Internet access..

A LISTSERV that is subscribed to by all IB majors is used to post and share information of common interest, such as study abroad, internship and employment opportunities, as well as to provide other information and announcements.

Faculty Highlights

The faculty who provide instruction for the various international courses are carefully selected, dedicated and effective.  Each IB major is assigned to an advisor who guides the student’s academic progress. These advisors are generous with their time, knowledgeable on requirements, and truly care about their students.

In order to increase his knowledge of international business and to be better able to advise students regarding study abroad and employment opportunities, the program director has participated in several faculty development in international business programs.  Those programs, in addition to extensive personal foreign traveling, have taken him to more than 20 countries.

Advisory Bodies

The International Business (IB) program receives advice and guidance from an internal IB Faculty Committee and an external Advisory Council.  The Advisory Council consists of international business people, some of whom are employed overseas, who provide advice regarding curriculum development, references for guest lecturers, adjunct faculty, and organizations willing to participate in an internship and/or cooperative education experiences, as well as assist in the placement of graduates.

Scholarships

The following two scholarships may be of interest to incoming IB majors.

• Business Excellence Scholarships.  Each year there are awarded two $2,500 awards which are renewable for four years, for a total value of $10,000.
• Business Technology Scholars (BTS) Program. The program consists of a sequence of computer intensive business courses, taught in a networked multi media teaching and learning facility by qualified faculty who integrate computer technology into the course curriculum.  Students accepted into the program receive a $2,500 renewable scholarship that is applied to the costs of purchasing a laptop computer.

Increased international business activity has created unprecedented opportunities for individuals interested in finding international jobs and pursuing international careers.  As a result of an increase in the demand for people suitably trained for international business careers combined with a limited number of people with the appropriate qualifications, salaries in international business have been rising.

Opportunities in Business

Businesses employ the largest number of individuals in the international arena.  One business career alternative is to work for a large multinational corporation.  Specialized international business positions with these firms require a great deal of education, preparation, training and experience.  Many of these positions require a master’s degree.  For those students intending to pursue graduate studies in international business, an undergraduate degree in IB is recommended.  Graduates of the Gannon program have been accepted at Thunderbird - the American Graduate School of International Management, considered to be premier graduate IB program in the country.

A second business alternative is to begin a career with a small or medium sized business.  While all firms will be seeking internationally trained executives to assist them with their international initiatives, this may especially be the case with small and medium sized firms.  More firms of this size have become involved in international business and more are expected to participate in the future.  Not only are these firms most in need of international expertise, but these are also the firms that have been doing most of the hiring recently and where the job opportunities in the future lie.  According to a local international business consultant, one of the four or five persons most in demand by businesses today is a a certified trade specialist, who often serves as the assistant to the manager of the international division.  The Gannon IB elective courses that are of a more practical nature are intended to prepare a student for such an entry level position.

Other entry level positions in international business for individuals possessing undergraduate IB degrees involve working in the area of export and  import documentation, language translation, international shipping, sales, purchasing, or tourism.

Businesses other than those directly involved in selling a product where international career opportunities exist include the following:

• freight forwarding companies
• export management or trading companies
• international trade consultants
• political risk assessment firms
• international department of commercial banks and other financial institutions

Numerous other positions are available at non profit organizations, educational institutions, international organizations, and government agencies.