AUI-S Voice Staff Reporter
AUI-S Voice
A group of students at the AUI-S have established a business club in order to help educate students about the latest business practices and developments in the world.
The founders of the AUI-S Business Club say one of the major aims is to get students involved in business activities so that they can get a chance to practice what they have learned in their business classes. They hope through its activities, the Club can strengthen the relations between students and professors as well as between students and the local business community.
“I believe we can be the best club not only in AUI-S but also in the country,” said Peshawa Ahmed, 22, an academic student from Halabja, who is one of the founders of the club. “... [T]he AUI-S needs a Business Club to invite business people, entrepreneurs, and people who have some- thing about economic development in Iraq.”
He said the Club will try to educate students who have not taken any business classes about business.
In the coming week there will be an election among the students to chose the president, vice president and “secretary of treasury” of the Club.
Students view the establishment of the Club positively and hope its administrators will in practice offer a new window of opportunity for learning.
“I believe this club, especially at AUI-S, will be helpful for students as well as business people to exchange ideas,” said Shadman Hewa Karim, 21, an academic business major from Halabja. “This communication will improves the business in the region. Opening a Business Club at AUI-S is a sophisticated idea because it helps students who interested in doing business to be familiar with what business is.”
Afan Osman, 21, an academic student from Halabja, said the University “needs business clubs.”
“To collect ideas and turn them into practice, to collect the students’ wealth of knowledge, to be cognizant of the new business ideas, to impact the community, we should have a sustainable business club,” Osman added.
Ahmed, one of the Club’s founders, added that the Club would not have come into existence if it was not because of the efforts of Patrick Cline, the club’s supervisor.
“Patrick Cline who is AUI-S faculty stuff in Business Administration Department is a man who helped (us) a lot with establishing the Club.”
AUI-S Voice contacted Cline for comments, but he declined to make any statements.
As one of the activities of the club, there will be a business competition for writing the best business plan, and the winner will get a big reward, which is about $ 1,000 US.
For further information about the competition, AUI-S Voice interviewed Paul Craft, current Faculty Adviser of the AUI-S Voice, Deputy to thee Provost and Regional Director of Business Across Borders.
Can you please give us some specific details about the competition?
AUI-S has partnered with Business Across Borders (BAB), an American non-governmental organization, to host our first annual AUI-S Business Plan Competition. Students will form teams and then come up with an idea for a new business. The teams will write a business plan with the help of American businessmen and women. This plan will outline students’ vision for their business. By the end, the team will complete hopeful professional-quality business plan for their idea and will have learned a lot more about business.
BAB developed this competition because business plans are a key skill for entrepreneurs and entrepreneur- ship will vital to the development of Iraq’s economy in the coming years.
BAB then partnered with AUI-S because our students are uniquely positioned to become successful entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur needs to be, among other things, creative, analytical, intellectually curious and have a general knowledge of a range of fields. These are the exact same traits pushed by AUI-S’s liberal arts education. Also, business is the most popular major at AUI-S. We want our graduates to not only join big compa nies, but to start their own companies and help develop Iraq!
All the information about the business plan competition can be found at auis.org/businessplans or businessacrossborders.org.
What will be offered for the winner?
There will be one winner and two runners-up. The winner will receive $1,000 dollars in order to invest in their business idea. Certainly this amount is not enormous amount of money, but it will be a great start for any potential business.
All three final teams will also receive free business consulting from Business Across Borders and media exposure from Iraqi media.
Who will be able to participate in that completion, and who will choose the best plan?
The competition is open to all undergraduate and MBA students at AUI-S. Each team must have more than two members and less than 5. Also, each team should have at least one girl! We want to make sure girls at AUI-S get involved, too.
The winner will be chosen by a panel of American and Iraqi businessmen and women. The Americans mostly work at banks and corporations in New York and Boston. They have great experience in the business world. The Iraqis judges have successful business experiences in Sulaimani and all over the country.
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