The BCom Honours (Marketing Management) students were introduced to Dr Nripendra Singh, Professor of Marketing at Clarion University in Pennsylvania, USA, at the beginning of the second semester for a collaborative project. The international collaboration required teams of the University of Pretoria (UP) Honours in Marketing Management class to advise teams of Clarion University students on how to start a business in South Africa, with the aim of developing an international marketing plan. This project was managed by Dr Michelle van der Merwe, the lecturer in the Marketing of Services module at honours level.

Dr Nripendra Singh (Clarion University) briefing the UP honours students on the international collaboration project.

 

The students interacted via virtual conferencing tools and a virtual community forum to give Clarion students insight into services marketing from a South African perspective. Teams were assigned to various service product categories, such as lodging, personal care, and restaurants, and explored three aspects of a marketing plan, namely a cultural, economic and market environment analysis.

 

Playing a consultative role in the project contributed tremendously toward developing the strategic and critical thinking skills of the UP students. Answering questions posed by international students not only assisted the UP students to gain insights into the frame of reference of other nationalities and cultures, but also gave them the opportunity for introspection and reflection on their challenges as future leaders in the country. Furthermore, being exposed to working virtually with students in different time zones also added to the students’ skill set.

 

Apart from their consulting role, UP students also had to write a reflection paper summarising their experience and learnings from the international collaboration. Below are comments from some of the students:

 

 

The Department of Marketing Management wishes to thank Dr Nripendra Singh for approaching us to collaborate. We are excited to continue this partnership into the future to allow our students to gain international exposure, over and above the industry projects that have become synonymous with the UP Honours in Marketing Management programme.