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Emerging Markets student profile: Marie-Eve Pouliot-Grancher

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Marie-Eve headshotName: Marie-Eve Pouliot-Grancher

Major: BMgmt

Career aspirations: With a passion for sustainable practices, organizational culture and international business, I want to use my critical thinking skills and strong abilities to apply creative and innovative ideas to complex and complicated situations.

Why were you interested in taking the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course?

While having a very diversified travel portfolio under my belt, I want to gain stronger expertise and constructive knowledge on doing business in emerging markets. I believe that being informed about the next booming economy will help me achieve my professional goals by allowing me to grow professionally and personally as an international ambassador.

What do you expect to learn from your visit to China?

I have had the chance to travel and to get a strong sense of the Chinese culture based on my previous leisure travel in China. However, this time, I expect to get a stronger sense on how businesses are operating in China while integrating all resources learned—knowledge gathered from personal experience, research and guest speakers’ work experience.

How do you think this experience will impact your future career?

First and foremost, I feel honoured to be part of such a program and having been selected to participate in this “pilot” course has been a personal and valuable enrichment. I believe that this experience will not only give me the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of China’s complex systems, but also it will provide me with hands-on experience that will be valuable for my prospective career. It will give me an opportunity that is much in line with the growing economic and international business trends, and provide me with a powerful competitive advantage for my future careers.

Emerging Markets student profile: Bryce Cross

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Bryce headshotName: Bryce Cross

Major: BComm, major in accounting

Career aspirations: Likely working in either my current role or one that is very similar, as a risk consultant for a large accounting and consulting firm.

Why were you interested in taking the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course?

I was interested in Business in Emerging Markets because of the opportunity to help a local business working to break into the Chinese market. This sort of hands-on learning is incredibly valuable in my opinion, and it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

What do you expect to learn from your visit to China?

I’m expecting a significant change in perspective on a lot of issues. Because China hasn’t been influenced by the West nearly as much as other countries I’ve previously visited, I think I’ll learn that they have a completely different approach to problems, and solutions to those problems. An excellent example is the approach to growth in the West versus China. Here it’s been the assumption that liberal capitalism leads to prosperity, but that assumption may not hold in China.

How do you think this experience will impact your future career?

I think this experience will help me become a more well-rounded consultant. Throughout my career I’ll be meeting people from all walks of life, from all kinds of places. Having many experiences engaging with different perspectives can only supplement the strength of a consultant’s toolbox.

Emerging Markets student profile: Arnaud Kubwakristo

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Arnaud headshot 2Name: Arnaud Kubwakristo

Major: MBA, concentration in finance & international business

Career aspirations: Global Markets (Risk Management or Investment Banking)

Why were you interested in taking the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course?

I was interested in the course because it provides a unique opportunity to learn, not only the theoretical angle of global business but how things are currently being done, and where future trends might be.

What do you expect to learn from your visit to China?

A trip to China will definitely be a unique experience in many aspects, from the culture to the weather/climate. One thing I am most looking forward to is proving to myself that I can adapt and thrive in any environment, even one where I don’t speak the language at all. I’m looking forward to the meetings with various players in business, and hopefully to build relationships that will last for many years to come.

How do you think this experience will impact your future career?

With a dream career in International Business, a visit to China is undoubtedly a fascinating opportunity, especially considering that this nation is forecast
to be the world’s next economic superpower.

Emerging Markets student profile: Yasmine Babaei

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Yasmine headshot copyName: Yasmine Babaei

Major: BComm with a major in finance

Career aspirations: Strategic consulting

Why were you interested in taking the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course?

What initially interested me in taking this course was the opportunity to work with real companies. I think it’s important for business students to get hands-on experience throughout their degree, and this program is the perfect chance to do so. Furthermore, I was interested in learning about the Chinese business environment and what it takes for companies to successfully enter new markets.

What do you expect to learn from your visit to China?

China’s way of doing business is very particular thus I hope to better understand customs that affect how business is conducted. I’m excited to emerge myself in China’s culture and apply what we’ve learned throughout the term in our company meetings.

How do you think this experience will impact your future career?

This course has allowed me to learn so much about the complexities and challenges involved in doing business globally. This experience has already opened my eyes to careers in international business I wasn’t aware of. I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned in this course throughout my career.

Emerging Markets student profile: Francis Laing

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Francis headshotName: Francis Laing

Major: BComm, major in finance

Career aspirations: A career in the re/insurance industry as an actuary.

Why were you interested in taking the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course?

My primary reason is to be able to expand my horizons and broaden my experience in regards to conducting business internationally. Emerging markets fascinate me because of the extreme differences in the way business is conducted in these countries, as opposed to the Canadian market.

What do you expect to learn from your visit to China?

I hope to gain an appreciation of China’s unique culture and business practices through company tours and visiting historic sites during our two-week stay. In addition, I want to see first-hand how China has grown to be the largest economy so successfully and so quickly.

How do you think this experience will impact your future career?

I think this experience will help shape my perspective of foreign businesses. The opportunity to immerse yourself in a foreign culture through a program like is incredibly rare and I plan to make the most of this experience. In the future, I hope to be able to apply my knowledge and skills in an international context and this program will help me achieve that goal.

Emerging Markets student profile: Joy Tagboto

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Joy headshotName: Joy Tagboto

Major: BMgmt

Career aspirations: JD/MBA, combining my business experience and my graduate program to broaden the scope and demand of my future career

Why were you interested in taking the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course?

Attending 10 various schools on three continents has increased my confidence working alongside diverse cultures. My interest in this particular course stems from the expansion of my knowledge about people and customs existing outside my comfort zone.

What do you expect to learn from your visit to China?

My understanding of China is from a research-based standpoint. During my visit I hope to gain more tacit knowledge about the country, experiencing its history, modernization and culture first-hand.

How do you think this experience will impact your future career?

Along with Law, Investment has always been an area of interest for me as I understand its instrumental ability in the economy. This experience — learning to grasp the concept of emerging markets – allows me to locate future indicators and gain footholds in areas of promise.

Emerging Markets student profile: Mathew Hepburn

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Matthew headshot2Name: Mathew Hepburn

Major: MBA with a concentration in strategy and international business

Career aspirations: To work in a strategic capacity with a large Canadian or US multinational on developing market entry strategies for developing markets.

Why were you interested in taking the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course?

I have never visited China and the opportunity to explore Beijing and Shanghai was too good to turn down. Aside from this, I am passionate about the idea of Canadian firms expanding their global presence. I wanted to be a part of this project because it would be exciting to help a local firm develop a strategy for entering the Chinese market!

What do you expect to learn from your visit to China?

What I am most looking forward to is gaining a better perspective on Chinese culture. As students we spend a lot of time analyzing trends in the Chinese consumer market, how culture affects consumption, business practices etc. I want to learn first-hand how this culture shapes the way the Chinese live.

How do you think this experience will impact your future career?

I think this trip will have an enormous impact on my future career. The consulting project we are taking part in is exactly what I want to do for a living. I know the skills and knowledge I have accumulated in this course will go a long way towards making me a better candidate and a better professional when I am helping Canadian firms expand into emerging markets for a living!

Emerging Markets student profile: Alexandre Tremblay

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Alex headshotName: Alexandre Tremblay

Major: BMgmt, majoring in leadership and organization

Career aspirations: MBA, then return to the Royal Canadian Navy where I will continue to serve as a Maritime Surface Sub-Surface Officer (MARS)

Why were you interested in taking the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course?

To be honest, it seemed to be an opportunity that one should not miss. To begin with, the ever-increasing globalization that we have been witnessing is a fundamental component of today’s economic reality. Then, selection for the course was a highly competitive process, and as such there is an opportunity to mix with and learn from a keen group of students from Management, Commerce and the MBA program. Lastly, while visiting China is quite exciting, we also have the opportunity to apply class material to a real-life scenario and work collaboratively with a local company in order to export their products.

What do you expect to learn from your visit to China?

I expect that visiting China will allow for a better understanding of its global influence. I expect to learn quite a bit about the culture as whole, from business practices to tea etiquette. I hope to gain an appreciation for the vast diversity within China itself, from the major cultural differences between regions to the ones between cities.

How do you think this experience will impact your future career?

Well, I can already attest that meeting with business leaders such EDC’s Chief Economist Peter Hall and Clearwater’s CEO Ian Smith has been quite exciting in itself. But in addition to privileged time with business leaders, the course provides an opportunity to take one’s academic endeavour to another level. Lastly, this select experience – exposure to business leaders, working collaboratively with local companies, and applying class material while in China – has to become a significant differentiating factor for anyone and any prospective career.

Emerging Markets student profile: Camille Chandra

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Camille headshotName: Camille Chandra

Major: MBA, a concentration in enterprise analytics

Career aspirations: Join a company that enables me to build on this knowledge base and continue to be a part of this technology wave in business today. It feels great learning about business tools and applications that are forward-focused, rather than a lot of traditional education built on models or trends of the past.

Why were you interested in taking the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course?

I was interested in this course because I spent a lot of time in my undergraduate degree volunteering (and even working for one year) in international contexts. It had been some time since I had an immersive experience that exposed me to a new culture and this opportunity immediately stood out for this reason. The ability to combine course credits with an area I was keen to learn more about, and working with a live client aspiring to enter the emerging Chinese market, was a win-win situation for me.

What do you expect to learn from your visit to China?

I expect to connect the dots in the information I spent the past four months gathering, but also for some of those pre-conceived notions to be proven otherwise. I expect to learn how consumers who fall under different cultural dimensions place value on products/services that are distinctly different than in the Western world. I also expect to learn about the complexities of doing business in a market as unique as China, from the vast opportunities, to key nuances and regulatory risks.

How do you think this experience will impact your future career?

This experience will impact my career in ways I can list here, but I guarantee it will also manifest in ways I could not have imagined, until I find myself drawing upon the experience. For instance, it will further build my cultural competence and diversity of thought. It will also allow me to think much more broadly than the obvious factors surrounding me. I hope it will also spur moments of innovative thinking and consideration for parties that do not think or act in the same ways as those in the immediate environment surrounding me.

Emerging Markets student profile: Maxwell Clark

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Maxwell headshotName: Maxwell Clark

Major: BMgmt

Career aspirations: The two main career paths I hope to explore throughout my life are the consulting industry and international business.

Why were you interested in taking the Doing Business in Emerging Markets course?

My primary reason is to be able to expand my horizons and broaden my experience in regards to conducting business internationally. Emerging markets fascinate me because of the extreme differences in the way business is conducted in these countries, as opposed to the Canadian market.

What do you expect to learn from your visit to China?

I expect to learn about cultural differences and about the differences in the way business is conducted in China as opposed to North America.

How do you think this experience will impact your future career?

I believe that this experience will greatly benefit my future career by providing me with valuable information I would never have been able to retrieve solely via the internet. The importance of having your ‘feet on the ground’ in China is stressed by many of the program’s guest speakers.