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According to Karen Loch, professor and director of the Global
Partners program, the idea grew out of a discussion she had
with Robinson dean Fenwick Huss. "We started talking about
what the ideal global business program would look like and
realized that there wasn’t anything in the marketplace that we
felt hit the mark." Loch said that while they wanted the program
to be as rigorous in the classroom as any other MBA,
they also wanted to give students the opportunity to immerse
themselves into different cultures, giving them a chance to
fully grasp what it is like to do business internationally.
"
We also wanted the courses to be integrated across the various
cultures so that students could see how different countries
approach similar topics, in marketing, finance, and information
technology.
Therefore, it was critical that we found the right partners
and faculty who could work together to provide a
seamless yet truly global perspective," Loch said.
THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMERCIAL DIPLOMACY
In designing the program, two ideas evolved as underlying
themes: commercial diplomacy and executive leadership.
According to Loch, one of the more essential but least understood
aspects of doing business internationally is learning the
impor tance that culture has on the way different countries
conduct business.
 One Global Partners student, Anita Alidinia, came to the program
with first-hand knowledge about how culture impacts
both business and everyday decisions. Born and raised in
Kuwait, Anita was expected to marry at an early age. But she
wanted a career in business. Encouraged by her mother, Anita
attended college and worked at a financial company, marketing
investments. However, the decision to attend college was
not hers alone. “My family and I are Ismaili Muslims, and in our
religion our extended family and religious community are very
involved in all decisions,” Anita explained. When she decided
to complete her undergraduate studies in the United States,
she once again sought the support and approval of her community.
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