The Winter Term course for first-year Business Fellows at Elon includes a global engagement piece with site visits in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
A group of first-year Elon Business Fellows visiting the Middle East as part of a Winter Term course on the United Arab Emirates landed in the media during a visit to a manufacturing facility in Dubai.
The more than two dozens fellows traveled in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to cap their experience in Business and Culture in the United Arab Emirates, a course headed by Danny Lanier, assistant professor of accounting, that helped students gain an appreciation for the cultural, attitudinal and behavioral differences that impact international business.
The study abroad component included a variety of business visits across a variety of sectors, including manufacturing, financial, logistics and tourism, as well as cultural visits to museums and palaces, along with lectures from business leaders in both countries.
Nawar Chaker, assistant professor of marketing, who offered several lectures during the course and accompanied the group in the United Arab Emirates. Interviewed during the trip to Intercoil, which manufactures premium beds, bedding and bedroom furniture, Chaker said “we are extremely grateful for the ongoing relationship between Elon University and Intercoil International.” Elon students have visited the company’s plants in the Middle East during past Winter Terms.
“They provide an invaluable and insightful approach to learning and the opportunity to observe the similarities and differences in transacting business in the Middle East and US,” Chaker said of the company. “The visit to Intercoil International is an integral part of this trip for student learning and we are grateful that Intercoil International has graciously welcomed us to their facility once again, introduced the students to their world-class technology and manufacturing processes, and strengthened the students’ understanding of the UAE as a region.”