International marketing students at the North Sydney campus of Australian Catholic University have teamed up with Indonesian students from BINUS University in Jakarta in an innovative project that involves identifying opportunities to market goods and services in both countries.
ACU students have been tasked with brainstorming ideas for Australian goods and services that could be marketed in Indonesia and vice-versa, with both groups sharing knowledge along the way.
Marketing lecturer Dr Al Marshall said the new 12-week initiative is giving ACU commerce students a unique insight into one of the world’s fast-developing economies.
“ACU students are working with their Indonesian counterparts in a culturally rewarding project that is really helping develop their international marketing skills,” he said.
“Working in small groups, the Australian and the Indonesian students are communicating through Skype, Facebook and other technologies to learn from one another about the differences in each country, in order to identify marketing opportunities that might fly in each country.
“This project is really the first of its kind and if it proves successful we plan to initiate similar projects with universities in other countries, such as the United States.”
The project shows ACU students how marketing is influenced by a variety of cultural, economic, environmental, legal, technological, logistical and political forces in the global marketplace.
It forms a significant assessment component of the unit, which places particular emphasis on the emergence of global marketing and patterns of consumption, as well as the need to develop specific strategies and plans for marketing in the international context.
Part-way through the project, students will present a status report via YouTube video for their counterparts to view and critique.
At the completion of the project, students will submit a written final report to their respective lecturers, and complete a mandatory peer assessment form.
“There is huge growth potential in the Indonesian market and this project is giving our students a better cross-cultural understanding of international marketing opportunities with one of our closest neighbours,” Dr Marshall said.