Our students Isabell and Ana participated in the Company Case Challenge at the American Business School of Paris

Our Global Business Management/IB student from the Zagreb campus, Isabell Repalust, and Ana Vujović, a Hospitality and Tourism Management student from the Dubrovnik campus, shared their Erasmus experience from the American Business School of Paris. While on their exchange program in Paris, they both worked as junior consultants for different companies while participating in the Company Case Challenge.

Company Case Challenge is a project made for students with excellent academic profiles. This allows the students to work on real business cases that enrich their professional experience. The project is inspired by the Harvard Business School's method of bringing real business cases into the classroom. For Isabell, this was a great opportunity to „learn new skills, gain practical experience in the professional field, expand the professional network, but first and foremost work and meet students who live and study in Paris“.

Company Case Challenge is complimentary to the education system at RIT Croatia which is hands-on and promotes experiential learning. Because of that, our students can apply what they have learned through lectures, assignments, and projects outside the classroom. This aligns with our cooperative education as well which consists of 400 – 800 hours of working experience. Through work, cooperative education, and internships, our students gain the experience that employers look for when hiring. Co-op expands student's knowledge, refines their professional competencies, and advances their career development.

Objectives and challenges

The objective of the Company Case Challenge was to show students how real business life works, and for students to develop their skills. As junior consultants for different companies, they tackled genuine business cases, refining their skills in problem-solving, teamwork, and presentation. Despite the challenges they faced, both students earned recognition for their outstanding work.

Isabell, from the Zagreb campus, worked for the company Foundever.org, which is an operational non-profit organization of the company Foundever, a global leader in customer experience. The company is focused on uniting the CX industry in supporting opportunities through education on a global scale. „I was in a great team which was very supportive, and everyone did the part they were assigned. The company was also excellent, always available and it was easy to arrange everything“, said Ana.

Ana, from the Dubrovnik campus, worked with Auditoire, an international marketing firm. Her team had a task to come up with creative recommendations and marketing strategies for the multinational telecommunications company's flagship store opening in the upcoming Olympic Games 2024 in Paris. In the beginning, she had to balance her university obligations, remote work, life in Paris, and the time and dedication demanded by the challenge. The second challenge was coordinating all the team members with different ideas, and schedules. It was demanding because „(...) there were some clashes, which we overcame in the best possible way“, she explained.

Valuable experience for the future

The Company Case Challenge project provided both Isabell and Ana with invaluable real-world experience and professional growth opportunities. As they move forward, Isabell and Ana carry with them not only memories of a rewarding challenge but also valuable lessons in collaboration, adaptability, and effective communication, poised to thrive in their future endeavors. Reflecting on their experience, Isabell and Ana emphasized the lasting impact of the project, not only in enhancing their skill sets but also in expanding their professional networks and fostering personal growth.

Both of our students emphasized that their academic background at RIT Croatia prepared them well for the Company Case Challenge project. They knew how to present their work and deliver a speech to a live audience. They concluded that this project and experience is something they will always remember. Participating in the Company Case Challenge was a great opportunity to meet new students, and entrepreneurs, and to improve their already existing skills because according to Ana, „(...) you never know when there will be a new opportunity for cooperation or work.“ They also learned valuable lessons in time management. For Isabell, this project taught her how to better work in teams. She gained more confidence and learned how to communicate effectively emphasizing that “these skills will for sure be beneficial in both my personal and professional life moving forward”.