Study abroad gives business students new perspective

 A 10-day study abroad program gave 19 Moody College of Business students a chance to learn how some Costa Rican companies have successfully incorporated sustainable practices.

Costa Ricans have a strong commitment to protecting local ecosystems and to creating a green society. The Central American country is a pioneer in ecotourism and has earned a reputation for its environmental policies.

“The Costa Rican culture is centered on protecting the environment and the culture while still making a profit, and they willingly open their business doors to us and speak frankly of the successes and the challenges of sustainable business,” said Dr. Patricia Lanier, a UL Lafayette management professor who led the program in May.

Participants in the Summer Intercession Study Abroad Program visited EARTH University, home to an organic banana plantation. Some fruit, flowers and coffee that are grown by that university are sold exclusively at Whole Foods Markets in the United States.

Students also toured Five-Leaf ™ certified sustainable businesses including Cafe Britt, the largest coffee producer in Costa Rica, and Hospira, one of the top medical device manufacturers in the world.

Fourteen UL Lafayette MBA students and five undergraduates heard lectures from several leading Costa Ricans, including Ronald Sanabria, vice president of Sustainable Tourism of Rainforest Alliance. That alliance is a non-profit organization working to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.

Students in the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration are eligible to take the study abroad course, which is in its fourth year. It’s a joint program offered with Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La.; four Nicholls students participated with UL Lafayette students in May.

Courtney Svendson is a second-year MBA student at UL Lafayette who traveled to Costa Rica. “I’m now more aware of what we, as a country – and also as individuals – do and what we can change. Sustainability is endurance and the ability to have a long, purposeful life span,” she said.

Christopher Faulk, a first-year UL Lafayette MBA student, was impressed not only with the sustainability factor but other business lessons that he learned during the course. “In Costa Rica the competition works together so that in the end there are a multitude of quality products at decent prices, which results in healthy profits for businesses and great experiences for the consumer,” he noted.

The first six-days of the trip were spent in the capitol city of San José. The remainder were spent in Tamarindo, a town on the Northern Pacific coast.

“International Business” is a required course for UL Lafayette MBA students, while “International Management” is a required course for all undergraduate management majors.

Participants in the Summer Intercession Study Abroad Program can earn three credit hours.

Scholarships are available for all study abroad programs through the University’s Study Abroad Office.

Shown, from left, in Costa Rica are students Tiara Stroud, Ashlin Leblanc, Chris Faulk, Ethan Hebert, and Logan Doucet.