Learning and business are both global concepts. College of Business Dean Dr. Kathy Kennedy-Ratajack put that premise into action during her recent 10-day trip to Goa and New Delhi in India.
Her travels provided her with hands-on research on a case study for the policy and strategy course she teaches to Doctor of Business Administration students at Wilmington University. Her topic: United Parcel Service and the logistics of expanding delivery to India. UPS faces such challenges as navigating dirt roads, which motorists share with roaming cattle and dogs. Private investors who charge tolls to use them build Indian highways.
“We learned about infrastructure and the lack of infrastructure and how that impacts the logistics of moving goods from Point A to Point B,” says Dr. Kennedy-Ratajack.
She also met with representatives from two businesses, a textile maker who produces sheets and blankets, and an importer of goods made in China.
During her visit, she videotaped a virtual class for her DBA students, showing that education knows no boundaries.
“It was 5 in the morning and I could hear the birds in the background,” she recalls.
She enjoyed learning more about the culture of India during a homestay with a family in Goa.
“We did a vegetarian-type Thanksgiving dinner,” she says.
Dr. Kennedy-Ratajack also had the opportunity to spend time with her daughter, Amanda English, who is studying abroad.
“The trip was multifunctional,” she says. “I even got to see the Taj Mahal.”
Photo of Morjim village, North Goa, India, by Ssr CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL, from Wikimedia Commons