A Foreign Classroom – A Natural Learning Laboratory

by William Andrews

“…so I called to see what my Sprint International calling plan allowed in Moldova?”
“Of course, sir… and what country is Moldova in?”

I called my credit card company to ensure that they would not block charges made from this tiny former Soviet republic nestled just below the Ukraine and above Romania, and they did no better. They had never heard of Moldova. To be honest, even as the founder of our International Business major, I could not have placed it on a map. If Moldova is lost on the Western world, why would it be of any consequence to Stetson? See if you can answer the question from the story below.

Through a web of contacts including Peace Corp workers, Moldova’s Canadian ambassador, and on-the-ground NGO workers, I had received an invitation to teach a course entitled “Doing Business with the West” at their leading business school, Moldovan Academy of Economic Sciences in the capital, Chisinau.

Dropped off from its Soviet parent in 1991 like an abandoned child, Moldova entered statehood with virtually no political, legal or economic institutions intact, and has since struggled through the torturous process of state-building with the usual menu of calamities: protests, bloodshed, Russian incursion, emigration, massive corruption and predatory economic practices. The population dropped by about 25% to 3 million. If Moldova was known to the West at all, it was
known for human trafficking and cyber-hacking. Can we dare to believe we could make an impact?

My expectation was to find a country of scowling, downward-facing, broken souls intermingled with high- and low-tech thugs. What I found was a flower growing in a scorched place. My class of 51 students, who spoke excellent English, were eager for change. They conveyed a palpable thirst for both hope (“Could things really be different?”) and technique (How?). They were utterly exhausted from corrupt government and business. I presented to a rapt audience some recent research I had conducted in Colombia about how a major city defeated endemic corruption in just 8 years. You could almost see hope being rekindled.

Moldovan students in an after-class discussion with Dr. Andrews at the local café; Chisinau, Moldova

Yet beating corruption also means providing civil services and building institutions, which require a modern and educated technocracy. It’s requires more than just moral indignation. Moreover, Moldova is the fault line between Russian and European cultures. Russian and Romanian languages are both spoken – yet they are vastly different, not even sharing the same alphabet. Post-Soviet atheism clashes with a revived Orthodox church. In Moldova’s effort to embrace the West, Russia, their largest trading partner, embargoed Moldova’s exports exacerbating an economic crisis. My graduate Business Strategy class spent this past fall semester building a US market entry plan for a large Moldovan winery. I presented the plan to the owners while there; they expressed deep appreciation and anticipated pursuing the recommendations. Could these students have contributed at least a modicum to a better future for some Moldovans?

Stetson’s graduate students, who developed the U.S. market entry strategy for Tomai Vineyard, pause to strike a pose. (l-r) Gabriel Gallegos Fernandez, Stephen Flynn, Jennifer Valcourt, Melissa Margelos, and Anthony Brideau-Errigo

Moldova is of consequence to Stetson precisely because a window for change is open, and humans matter. We – faculty and students – can influence the outcome for good. We can live our values of global engagement and personal growth while learning lessons of courage and perseverance from the Moldovans. Contact me if you have an interest in a return visit! Seriously! [email protected]

About the Author

William Andrews, Ph.D., pictured left at Stetson’s Summer Innsbruck Program, is a graduate of the Thunderbird School of Global Management (M.I.M.), and the University of Georgia (Ph.D. Business Strategy). He is associate professor of management at Stetson University and a certified management accountant with the Institute for Management Accountants.

Dr. Andrews’ academic interests include business strategy and international political economy. He is actively involved in the Central Florida venture capital/start-up community and board-level NGO consulting. For fun, he competes in triathlons and writes short stories and novels.

Dr. Andrews gratefully acknowledges support from the Stetson School of Business Administration and a WORLD Class Travel Award from WORLD: The David and Leighan Center for International Learning at Stetson University.