In a global business environment, it’s important that students have some understanding of different cultures. Therefore, the Kelley School wants to send the maximum number of their students abroad. Of course, not all students can spend a semester or year overseas due to financial or curriculum constraints.
Thus, for more than a decade the Kelley School has been offering an 8-week course that takes place in Bloomington but culminates in spending ten days abroad. When Professor Ellie Mafi-Kreft was asked to teach a course that would take students to France, she was told she could pick the topic of the course. She knew that in G202, they discuss a case on the diamond industry and another on the garment industry.
Students showing off their best can-can moves outside of the Moulin Rouge in Paris, France.
“There’s always a lot of interest in those two cases so I thought, ‘A lot of people outside the U.S. associate France with the luxury industry. I’ll bet students would like a class about that,’” says Mafi-Kreft. Hence, G272: Luxury Brands in France was born.
Every semester students show an overwhelming interest in the case-based discussion class. According to the International Office, it’s the most competitive international program in the Kelley School. With room for just 24 students, the international office reviews applications and makes their selections.
“I have the privilege of teaching 24 students who either have a passion for the luxury industry or are very curious about it,” says Mafi-Kreft. “It’s rare to have such a captive audience.”
During the eight weeks in Bloomington, they discuss both the challenges and the opportunities the fashion industry faces. Each case has a topic. One day of the week the class debriefs the case. Another day students choose a current article that pertains to the topic that’s being discussed. Discussions are all student-lead.
Professor Ellie Mafi-Kreft is seated center in a group photo with students outside of the Pommery Champagne House where students learned how the iconic sparkling wine is made.
“The fact that I have such curious and passionate students makes it possible to count on them,” says Mafi-Kreft. “They’re there to learn.”
Their ten days in France is a whirlwind as they hit the ground running with workshops on Paris fashion shows and the fragrance industry. They also meet with a jewelry craftsman and an expert who has his own consulting group that has helped luxury brands expand overseas. In addition, they talk to an art historian who discusses the art of jewelry as well as an oenologist, which supplements a case they do in Bloomington about the champagne industry.
The Kelley School partners with IÉSEG School of Management in Paris that helps facilitate the learning.
Students watch an artisan craftsmen during their study abroad trip to France.
“It’s incredible what the students are exposed to in such a short amount of time,” says Mafi-Kreft.
They squeeze in cultural trips to Versailles so students can take in the opulence. They also travel to the Paris opera and take a French cooking class. In their free time, students visit the Eiffel Tower and the Moulin Rouge.
“Paris, by itself, is a museum,” says Mafi-Kreft.
One of the biggest surprises Mafi-Kreft saw following this trip was a shift in how students viewed their career paths. After hearing people enthusiastically share details about their careers, the resounding response from students was, “I must do something I’m passionate about!”
“That’s not the sentiment that prevails in the business world,” says Mafi-Kreft. “Usually it’s, ‘Tell me how I can make money,’ but at the end of that week in Paris, after meeting a craftsman, a fashion show manager, a consultant, and all of these people who absolutely love their careers, the students want to replicate that.”
Students visit the Ieseg School of management in Lille, France.
Visannya Saluja says that G272 was one of her favorite classes because it was so engaging and intellectually stimulating.
“The course readings and discussions were fascinating, and Professor Ellie, having grown up in France, was so passionate about the subject matter,” says Saluja. “The trip was so well organized and was my most memorable and cherished experience at the Kelley School of Business.”
Her favorite part was traveling to Reims, France, to visit the Pommery Champagne House where they got to see firsthand how the bubbly is made.
“It was fascinating to see the contrast between the fast-paced life in Paris and laid-back countryside life in Reims,” she says. “As an international student, studying abroad has always been an exciting prospect for me. I wish we had more opportunities in Kelley for short-term study abroad programs like G272!”
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