International Business Center

International Business Webinar Series: "Practical AI Tips for Educators"
2025-10-09 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Detroit)
There are a number of AI tools and resources that can be useful for educators. We will explore some useful ones such as:

Planning engaging AI-powered class activities
Build interactive quizzes, infographics, and simulations with Gemini
Creating artifacts (interactive learning tools) using Claude
Time allowing: Developing alternate modes of learning (podcasts, videos) from lecture notes using NotebookLM; creating interactive flashcards using Kuse.ai; creating presentations using Gamma, Skywork

Takeaways:

Discover practical AI tools that save time and increase teaching efficiency.
Explore ways to create interactive learning materials for students.
Discuss various application examples and resources.

From Exports to Exit: How International Business Can Fuel Startup Success
2025-10-23 11:00 - 12:00
When Sean Casey helped found helicopter parts supplier Rotorcorp, he quickly noticed that companies who deploy these “flying pickup trucks” weren’t confined within U.S. borders. From far-flung fisheries and oil wells to expansive cattle ranches and infrastructure monitoring, Robinson helicopters were being put to use all over the world in a variety of utilitarian, and sometimes unorthodox, applications.
The problem, he soon found, was that those who served them with spare parts were largely focused domestically, and online ordering, if it existed at all, was a far cry from the e-commerce ease most consumers expect in their personal shopping.
Mr. Casey set to work expanding in two interlinked directions: digitizing inventory and improving online sales, while also broadening company’s geographic reach, relying on a variety of freely available resources — and carefully crafted personal relationships — to become an expert in exports.
Rotorcorp achieved liftoff, and Mr. Casey exited the company in early 2025, taking his talents and hard-won international business lessons to Dragon Q Energy, a startup that distributes solar power poles outfitted with batteries to off-grid locations in need of reliable electricity. The company is set to launch a pilot project in Zambia as it raises capital to scale into disaster relief, telecom, commercial and military applications. With this new venture, Mr. Casey is building exports into the strategy at the outset, rather than bolting it on as an afterthought.
Attendees will glean the following takeaways:

How to bring e-commerce solutions and scale to a fragmented legacy industry stuck in analog processes
Lessons on growing globally as a startup, and how international business can boost resiliency, attract capital and accelerate a business sale
How local connections, free resources and commitment to global business can help unlock export success, pairing U.S. strengths with global demand

This webinar is FREE and open to all, but registration is required. Zoom details will be sent to registered participants.

Navigating Uncertainty: Dynamic Capabilities and Entrepreneurial Opportunities in a Volatile World
2025-11-06 11:00 - 12:00
In today’s global business landscape—marked by geopolitical tensions, market instability, and institutional flux—uncertainty has become the norm. Yet for entrepreneurial firms, disruption can also create space for innovation and opportunity. In this webinar, we will present findings from our research with SMEs in China and Tunisia—two emerging markets often characterized by volatility and institutional change. We explore how dynamic capabilities, such as resource reconfiguration, intelligence acquisition, and cross-border coordination, can support firms in navigating disruption through both opportunity creation and discovery. While our data is grounded in specific emerging market contexts, we aim to remain transparent about what our findings can and cannot speak to directly. Rather than drawing universal conclusions, we invite participants to reflect with us on how our theoretical insights may serve as a starting point for broader thinking about strategy, innovation, and resilience in today’s uncertain world. Following a brief presentation, we will facilitate a wider conversation with the audience, exploring timely questions such as: How might geopolitical and institutional shifts open up new “white spaces”—that is, previously unserved or underserved entrepreneurial opportunities? What are the strategic trade-offs between creating and discovering opportunities—and what are the risks of doing both simultaneously? How do cultural distance and globalization shape the boundaries of what firms can pursue?
Takeaways:
1.Turbulence Breeds Opportunity—But Only for the Strategically Prepared. SMEs with dynamic capabilities can uncover “white space” opportunities amid global conflict and trade tension.
2. Creation vs. Discovery: Choose Your Path Wisely. Opportunity creation and discovery require different strategies—doing both at once can hurt performance.
3. Context Matters. Cultural distance and industry globalization strongly influence which strategy will work best.
This webinar is FREE and open to all, but registration is required. Zoom details will be sent to all registered participants.

Research Spotlight Series - Consumer Behavior in a Diverging World: Navigating Demographic Change
2025-11-07 12:00 - 13:30
For this webinar, three international business scholars who have done important work in cross-cultural and international consumer behavior will discuss their perspectives on consumer
behavior in a diverging world, with specific emphasis on navigating demographic change. They will address key research opportunities in this domain and contemporary best practices
necessary for publishing work in this area. This webinar will include short presentations followed by a discussion moderated by the co-hosts; Ahmet Kirca, Michigan State University and David Griffith, Texas A&M University.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
* Learn some of the key cross-cultural consumer
behavior topic areas that are most likely to be effects
by the diverging world
* Gain insights into how the diverging world will
influence key consumer behavior concepts widely
employed in international business research
* Tips related to best practices for publishing research
in leading international business and international
marketing journals
This is a free event, but registration is required.

A Conversation with Ahmet Bozer, Author of Soulgery: Self-Surgery of the Soul
2025-11-13 11:00 - 12:00
In this in-depth dialogue with Ahmet Bozer, former senior Coca-Cola executive, about his book Soulgery: A Lifelong Guide to Unlocking Your Potential, we will explore Bozer’s unique framework that challenges conventional self-help by identifying the “sense of self”—our collection of thoughts about ourselves—as both necessary and potentially limiting to growth. Drawing from 20+ years in global business leadership and incorporating Sufism, Eastern philosophy, and cross-cultural insights, Bozer presents a four-act structure for personal transformation. The discussion examines both philosophical foundations and practical applications of managing one’s psyche while balancing self-reflection with collaborative growth.
Key Takeaways:
1. Reframing the Self-Concept: Participants will learn why managing (rather than building) the sense of self unlocks greater potential, and how to distinguish between healthy self-awareness and ego-driven limitations that prevent doing what is right.
2. Cross-Cultural Leadership Insights: Listeners will benefit from Bozer’s international business experience, gaining practical wisdom on how cultural contexts shape ego and privilege, and how these dynamics impact leadership effectiveness globally.
3. Actionable Framework for Daily Practice: The conversation provides concrete guidance on implementing the four-act Soulgery framework in busy lives, including how to balance introspection with collaboration and integrate practices like “smart bias for positivity” without adding stress.
This webinar is free and open to all, but registration is required. Zoom details will be sent to all registered participants.

Broad College and IBC's 5th Annual International Business Case Competition
2025-11-21 09:00 - 17:00 | Broad College of Business: Minskoff Pavilion – M025, 645 N Shaw Ln, East Lansing, MI, 48824, United States
The International Business Center (IBC) and the Broad College of Business are excited to host the 5th edition of the International Business Case Competition. This event brings together top undergraduate talent to solve real-world business challenges, and it is open to all Broad College undergraduate students. Students can register as teams of four to compete. They can also register individually to be placed in a team, depending on availability. Top Team prize of $2,000!
Participating teams will be evaluated by a team of judges, who are industry professionals, providing invaluable insight and feedback for our students.

The 2025 Tariff Shock: Perspective After Almost One Year
2026-01-15 11:00 - 12:15 | https://msu.zoom.us/meeting/register/1nAjKSf0RICHNZ5gw3s3qw
Speaker
Jason Miller, PhD, Professor, Michigan State University, Eli Broad Professor of Supply Chain Management
Join us for an insightful discussion on the global business implications of the 2025 tariff changes. Nearly a year after their implementation, this session will explore how these tariffs have reshaped supply chains, impacted trade flows, and influenced strategic decision-making for businesses worldwide. Dr. Jason Miller will provide data-driven analysis and practical perspectives to help organizations understand what has happened, what’s next, and how to navigate an evolving international trade landscape.
