Students who took International Management with Rod Erakovich, Ph.D., this fall participated in a real world, problem-solving project with RadioShack Corporation.

"It was really exciting to learn from international business leaders at their corporate headquarters," junior business management major Emilio Emanuel Castrellon said. "The RadioShack team was amazing to work with and the class is something I'll never forget."

The class worked with RadioShack's Benjamin Simon, senior director of international franchise, and Martin Amschler, senior vice president of franchise, to develop analysis and consulting reports for RadioShack to enter the Eastern Europe and Balkans franchise markets.

"We were thoroughly impressed with the analysis presented to us by the students and their work throughout the semester," Amschler said. "RadioShack is proud to be a part of this real-world learning experience with Texas Wesleyan."

The class presented their findings and proposal to RadioShack on Dec. 3.

"I was very pleased with the presentation and proud of the students for the hard work they put in to the project this semester," Erakovich said. "We are so grateful to RadioShack, and to Marty and Benjamin, for dedicating their time, expertise and leadership skills to help our students grow."

The project, in its second year, allowed business administration students the opportunity to engage in strategic planning and critical thinking with a global company, and make an impact in their decision-making process. 

"This class is different from the average classroom experience," Castrellon said. "We had the opportunity to work in project teams and move away from the regular cycle of reading books and studying for exams."

Erakovich says real-world experience is critical to developing critical thinking skills.