Student Group at the Marketing Education and Research Center with Its Client Styx & Leo Burnett
The Marketing Education and Research Center (MERC) at the International Academy of Business (IAB) in Almaty, Kazakhstan has been making its presence felt more than ever both among the local businesses and the international marketing community as a result of their key players’ visit to the United States. Since their return, IAB was asked to host the first international conference to take place in Kazakhstan devoted to direct marketing because of the increasing prestige of MERC with its innovative operation model. More and more IAB students have been coming to MERC for the US-style strategic and structured career counseling and successfully placed in internships.
MERC was founded by the partnership of IAB and the William Davidson Institute (WDI) at the University of Michigan (UM) in 2006 on the project titled “Marketing Education and Research Center (MERC) in Kazakhstan” administered by the Higher Education for Development (HED) through the American Council on Education (ACE) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Since the onset, the project has been enhancing the capacity of MERC to build a sustainable, cooperative partnership with the private sector that will foster the economic development and increased competitiveness of Kazakhstan businesses. Specifically, WDI has been providing MERC with technical assistance through the co-development of management plan, delivery of train-the-trainer workshops, among others to strengthen IAB’s capacity to provide commercially-viable solutions to meet local demands for specialized training and market research. MERC had identified a primary private sector partner in Brif Research Group, the very first private social and marketing research firm in Kazakhstan.
As part of the partnership project, Ms. Yelena Penchukova, Executive Director of MERC, and Mr. Alexander Ruzanov, President of Brif Research Group, have completed a visit to the U.S. in August to attend conferences, meet with the professors at the University of Michigan, and to receive trainings at WDI.
Through its Executive Director’s participation in the American Marketing Association (AMA)’s annual Summer Educators’ Conference during August 3- 6, MERC made significant connections with the AMA and marketing professionals in the U.S. Ms. Penchukova also attended the HED Synergy 2007 Conference held in Washington, DC from August 8th to 10th where she shared the accomplishments and challenges of the project at the roundtable and networked with colleagues in higher education around the world.
The highlight of this visit was undoubtedly the meeting with the AMA’s Detroit Chapter. Shown how AMA operates at the national, local and campus levels, Ms. Penchukova explored different management models and products that MERC might offer. “I’m thrilled to share this experience widely, particularly WDI’s insights into strategic planning, once we return to Almaty,” said Ms. Penchukova.
The MERC business model was further refined as she met with marketing professors and career service professionals at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the UM during her visit to Michigan. She was joined by Mr. Ruzanov in studying the operation and management models of some of the Ross School’s renowned research institutes and centers like the Samuel Zell and Robert H. Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies and the Tauber Institute for Global Operations. They worked closely with faculty members and WDI representatives to build the framework for joint executive education and student internship programs. “I hope Brif Research Group can play a part in strengthening the self sustainability aspect of MERC through our partnership,” observed Mr. Ruzanov.
Ms. Penchukova and Mr. Ruzanov’s visit to the U.S. generated increased interest among the UM community in the Kazakhstan economy at large and the importance of nurturing professionals in marketing. “She is back in Almaty already putting things into practice,”noted Ayako Ariga, Projects Administrator at WDI’s Development Consulting Services.