Business in Ireland

here’s no better way to learn about doing business in Ireland than to study there. The Emerald Isle is the focus of both a new graduate program beginning this fall that will offer one year of study at the University College Dublin (UCD) Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and a new Professional MBA course that includes a weeklong immersion abroad.

Professional MBA students spent a week in Ireland working at a Dublin-based small business incubator and visiting multinational companies and cultural sites.

Photo by Elizabeth Holub

The “1+1” program with the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School makes it possible for graduate students to complete two MS programs in two years: one at the Gabelli School where they will earn a master’s degree in media management or applied statistics and decision-making; and another at UCD Smurfit where they will earn a master’s degree in human resource management or management consultancy. In addition to completing two master’s degrees on an accelerated schedule, students will graduate with cross-cultural business experience and a global network of contacts.

“We believe the program will nicely complement our students’ skill sets and personal portfolios within business,” said Francis Petit, Ed.D., associate dean for global initiatives and partnerships at the Gabelli School. “Offering international immersions like this will equip our students with an understanding of global markets that is now a standard requirement for any business executive.”

Last fall, Professional MBA students got a glimpse of what it’s like to launch and grow a business in Ireland during a weeklong visit that kicked off the new course, Global Industry Project: Ireland, taught by Meghann Drury-Grogan, Ph.D., associate professor of communications and media management.

Students worked with clients at the Guinness Enterprise Centre, a Dublin-based small business incubator, conducting market research and developing marketing plans for firms in different industries, including technology, life sciences, and manufacturing.

Besides creating marketing plans and website updates for her client, an augmented virtual reality firm, Elizabeth Holub, MBA ’20, honed her communication skills and learned to navigate cultural differences. “I worked with people from India and Spain who had different perspectives than my own and who lived in different time zones,” she said. “This taught me how to manage a global client and meet deadlines under very challenging circumstances.”

In addition to conducting fieldwork, students visited the Dublin offices of Facebook, Fidelity, and Mazars Ireland to see how multinational companies operate in different countries. Back in New York, they continued to manage their Irish clients virtually and wrapped up with final presentations they delivered via webinar.

“Our clients knew the scope of work for their projects was overly ambitious and were floored by the volume and quality of the students’ work,” said Drury-Grogan. “One said they would hire their entire student team if they could. The positive relationships and networking opportunities the students built will lead to valuable connections in the future.”