January 16, 2001

Contact: Teresa Watt (509-963-3468/fax 509-963-2301/email: loweryr@cwu.edu)

Central Washington University students will get a firsthand look at global retail management and advertising in central Europe this summer.

Dr. Robert Lupton, CWU administrative management and business education professor, developed the 10-credit "International Comparative Retail Management" study tour as a way to teach CWU business students about central European retail management and advertising techniques.

During the four-week trip, the students will visit 12 retail businesses, two advertising agencies, five cultural attractions and several business management schools in the Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Austria. Guest speakers will also address the students in classroom seminars.

"This type of study-abroad course is popular among students as a tool to acclimate themselves for global competition," Lupton says. "It will allow them to experience firsthand what is going on outside the U.S. The world is growing global and business is under tremendous pressure to become global."

Lupton's goals for the students are to study central European retail management techniques; meet and learn from central European managers; observe and compare distribution, retailing, and promotional systems; and to have an overseas academic and cultural experience.

During their visit, the students will use the School of Management in Trencin, Slovak Republic, as their home base.

Jan Rebro, managing director of the school, says, "This is an excellent opportunity to see central European retail business up close and experience the unique culture of so many diverse countries."

Lupton previously developed a similar program at Colorado State University.

"I remember unloading an entire busload of students and their luggage at the port in Split, Yugoslavia, only to wait three hours for permission to enter the country," Lupton says, noting the need for flexibility when traveling abroad.

More information about the course is available at www.cwu.edu/~luptonr/ International/, or by contacting Lupton at (509) 963-1789, or via email at luptonr@cwu.edu.