Ireland is well known for its deep-rooted musical and dance traditions, captivating natural beauty and historical castles and monuments. But since the 1990s, the Emerald Isle also has developed a reputation as an economic powerhouse, with an educated work force attracting companies such as Intel, Yahoo, Adobe, Microsoft, Apple and HP.
It is this powerhouse, known as the Celtic Tiger, that students from Edmonds Community College will experience firsthand as part of the Global Business Research class being offered this spring.
“Ireland is growing tremendously in the area of business — Microsoft and in the software industry. If you look at the history of Ireland, from the potato famine (in the 1840s) to today, the country has come along a great deal,” said Marie Johnson, a business management instructor at EdCC.
According to IDA Ireland, the country’s industrial development agency, Ireland experienced employment growth of 4.4 percent in 2006 and an estimated GDP of 5.8 percent. It has among the lowest unemployment rates in Europe (4.4 percent) and the youngest population in Europe, with more than 35 percent younger than 25 years old.
In 2005, IDA Ireland said, the country had a record number of higher-education graduates, with almost 60 percent of those earning qualifications in engineering, computer/software engineering, business studies and science.
“These are all things we’ll be exploring in this class,” said Johnson, who will be leading the Global Business Research class, or Management 255, with students learning about international trade, its impact on U.S. markets and the importance of diversity in global business strategy.
The nine-day trip to Ireland and England is planned for May and will cost about $3,000 in addition to tuition for the five-credit class, and students must pay their own costs or raise funds through donations. Students not able to travel can do other forms of research during the trip time, Johnson said.
The trip is being developed in partnership with Bellevue Community College, she said. “It’s a good collaboration with other colleges as well as other parts of the campus. We have students from different departments (taking the trip).”
Prior to the trip, students will learn about Irish history and culture as well as the business climate. “I would love to get someone from Microsoft to come and talk,” she said of the Redmond-based software giant that recently selected Ireland as the location for its new European data center.
During the trip, students will write about their experiences in journals, she said, noting that every minute is an opportunity for learning. “On the tour buses, we have questions for the tour guides; I have students come up with questions.”
Planned destinations include Belfast, Omagh and Derry, Northern Ireland; Dublin, Ireland; and London, England.
The class culminates with students preparing a business research project to present to their peers, Johnson said. “I think when you look at the presentations, (you see) that the students really appreciate being able to experience firsthand awareness and appreciation of another culture.”
This is Johnson’s second Global Business Research course with EdCC; last spring she took six students to Japan.
“Japan was a wonderful learning experience for me,” student David Marker said in a prepared statement. “I learned a lot about my future career in international business and had the opportunity to meet a corporate chairman at NTT DoCoMo (a local cell-phone service company) in Tokyo.”
Johnson, who has a bachelor’s degree in business management as well as a master’s degree in business administration, also took students to China and Europe when she taught business classes at Skagit Valley College.
“It’s different each year,” Johnson said of planning for a new destination. “As faculty, it’s a learning experience for me.”
For those interested in taking the Ireland trip, reservations should be made no later than the end of January, Johnson said.
For more information, call 425-640-1637 or send e-mail to globalbusiness@edcc.edu.
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