Schulich School of Business

The Kellogg-Schulich Worldwide Classroom: Tel Aviv

In today’s global economy, knowledge and experience of international business are essential. A compulsory component of the Kellogg-Schulich EMBA is the global electives program, where students have the exciting opportunity to study abroad, network with students from around the world and participate in the optional company visits and sightseeing activities many of the schools offer. In the coming weeks, we will provide you with a closer look at the international opportunities that await Kellogg-Schulich EMBA students through the global electives program. In this profile, we feature Louise Borins and her experience at the Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration, Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Louise Borins is a successful entrepreneur with a unique business concept. After completing a Bachelor of Education at York University, Louise combined her background as an educator with her experience in the corporate sector and founded Into The Kitchen, a culinary program that allows individuals the unique opportunity to learn the art of cooking from chefs working in some of Toronto’s A-list restaurants.

Louise decided to go back to school and pursue her Kellogg-Schulich EMBA because she wanted to explore other career paths, “With the economy constantly changing, I wanted to keep my options open and explore the professional opportunities an EMBA can lead to.”

It was the beginning of her second year in the EMBA program when Louise Borins (EMBA Class of ’09) traveled to Israel to complete the compulsory global electives component of her Kellogg-Schulich EMBA at the Leon Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration, Tel Aviv University.

Located on the Tel Aviv University campus in Israel’s cultural, financial and industrial heartland, Recanati is a leader in academic excellence and the largest and most prestigious business school in Israel. Recanati excels in the delivery of management education, conducts high-quality, internationally recognized research and has strong working relationships with leading business and management schools abroad.

Over an intensive ten-day period in January 2009, Louise and two Kellogg-Schulich classmates joined 200 students from Recanati and other Kellogg partner schools to complete two courses at Recanati, “Psychological and Organizational Influences on Financial Decisions” and “Securities Analysis”. Both classes were taught during the same lecture, with two professors teaching in tandem.

“One of the professors would talk to us about the qualitative aspects of financial decision-making and then the other would discuss the quantitative aspects,” says Louise. “The professors bantered and bounced ideas off one another. The interactive teaching style of theses two courses was unique and the take-away was memorable.”

Classes were held in the morning and group assignments were completed in multinational study teams with students from Kellogg and international partner schools in the afternoon. There were five team members in Louise’s group.

“My team was very diverse,” said Louise. “Three members were from Israel and one was from the United States. And everyone came from different backgrounds: one worked in finance and another was a lawyer. I am still in touch with my team members and even had the opportunity to visit with one again in Chicago. It was a great opportunity to network and I have very fond memories of the people I met in Tel Aviv.”

The international module consisted of four group assignments and two individual assignments. Readings and assignments were given to students prior to departure and Louise completed them before she left to give her more free time while she was in Israel.

“I am Jewish and was looking forward to visiting Israel for the first time,” said Louise. She arrived in the country prior to the start of her international module and went on walking tours of Tel Aviv’s many architectural and cultural sites, markets and museums.

“There was something electric about Tel Aviv that you can’t put into words,” said Louise. “The city is very modern, up-to-date and I always felt safe, never exposed. I could have been in New York as far as I was concerned. The restaurants and the food were incredible!”

Kellogg-Recanati planned optional sightseeing activities for the students. Louise went on a bus trip to the Dead Sea and climbed the historic and breathtaking Masada, the vast desert site of the 1st Century Jewish fortress built by King Herod high above the Dead Sea. Every night, the school invited students to dine at some of the city’s finest restaurants and to explore the night life in the Port of Tel Aviv, the city’s club district. After she finished the program, Louise and three of her classmates took the opportunity to visit the Wailing Wall, Mount Olive, historical churches and Old Jerusalem.

“Although I can’t compare Kellogg-Recanati to the other international schools, some of my classmates did and say that this module was one of the best,” said Louise. “I’m glad to recommend the program to other students.”

“The trip was a great blend of learning and traveling,” Louise recalls about her time in Israel. “The hospitality of the faculty, students and staff at Kellogg-Recanati was amazing! The course subject matter, the dynamic teaching style of the professors and group interactive games and negotiations resulted in an informative and unforgettable experience. It was one of the highlights of my EMBA.”