Global Collaboration in Action: International Residency 2025
The Atlanta International Residency is one of the highlights of the Executive MBA program at ASEBUSS, developed in partnership with Georgia State University (GSU), J. Mack Robinson College of Business. This year, Romanian and American Executive MBA participants came together for an intensive, transformative experience of joint learning, teamwork, and cross-cultural leadership.
EMBA Participant Voices
Feedback from both cohorts highlights the unique value of working in international teams:
• “A collaboration of a lifetime.”
• “The experience has touched so many aspects, from theory to practice, proving the success of a holistic program.”
• “Most of all, the opportunity to know and understand other perspectives and opinions, that can only enrich us and our way of seeing and doing things.”
Beyond the classroom, participants emphasized the impact of company visits, such as Coca-Cola Headquarters and AJC International, which offered an insider’s perspective into global business operations, supply chains, and marketing strategy.
Faculty Perspective
The joint EMBA project was co-led by Professor Mourad Dakhli, Associate Dean for International Student Engagement & Partnerships at Georgia State University, and Florin Marin, Dean and Professor of Strategic Management for International Business at ASEBUSS Business School. Guiding the students through cross-cultural collaboration and global strategy design, the professors created a truly immersive learning environment.
As Florin Marin shared:
“At ASEBUSS Business School, our International Business course is designed to prepare students for the real challenges of the global marketplace—by combining strong academic foundations with practical, hands-on experience. A highlight of the program is the Virtual Global Market Assessment Project, developed in partnership with the Georgia State University – J. Mack Robinson College of Business. In this project, students work in cross-cultural, international teams, tackling global business challenges while navigating time zones, cultural differences and remote collaboration. The experience culminates in an unforgettable residential week in Atlanta, where students deliver their final presentations, visit top international companies such as The Coca-Cola Company and AJC Group, expand their professional networks, and build lasting friendships across cultures and continents.”
Special thanks were extended to Professor Mourad Dakhli, for his leadership and vision in creating the course, and to the faculty and administrative team at GSU for their continuous support.
EMBA Testimonials
From the American side, Maurchét Hillery, Director of Technical Content at S.P. Richards and GSU EMBA student, reflected:
“Global partnerships like ours offer critical insight and resilience. Diverse cultural perspectives and leadership styles are not barriers—they are strategic assets. This partnership is a living example of what forward-looking global partnerships should be: collaborative, cross-cultural, and deeply relevant to the evolving international landscape.”
From Romania, Cătălina Nicolae, Senior Tech Lead – Global I&T Services Strategy, Governance & Operations and EMBA ASEBUSS participant, emphasized the transformative aspect of the residency:
“This experience was not only about academic learning, but about building bridges across cultures, sharing leadership styles, and discovering how global perspectives enrich the way we see and do business. Working side by side with our American colleagues, presenting in front of senior executives at Coca-Cola and AJC, and spending a week fully immersed in such a dynamic environment was both challenging and rewarding. It is an experience I will carry with me throughout my career.”
Looking Ahead
The Atlanta Residency once again proved that globalization is not just a theory—it is a relationship built through dialogue, shared projects, and trust. For EMBA participants, this experience was more than an academic module: it was a hands-on journey into the realities of international business and leadership across borders.
