Upcoming panel, lunch explains ways of Indian business
Josh Ray

Diversions Editor

The International Trade and Quality Center will be hosting a symposium for people interested in business in India.

Two different events will be put on for anyone who wants to know more about trade in India. Dr. Bo Strombom will be one of the members of the panel of the first event. Strombom was a professor at Missouri Southern for a year and a half. He has worked in numerous business positions and helped with such things as the Chilean exchange program. He will also be talking to a few classes throughout the last week of October.

The event, organized in part by Terry Marion, director of International Trade and Quality Center, will be held at 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29 in Billingsly Student Center Room 310. It will be a open-discussion with lunch. Marion says the event will be of interest to people in business. The $10 price covers the Indian cuisine served at the event.

"It is for people who have an interest in doing business internationally, specifically India to come together and network so they have contacts and they have questions," he said.

The event will be a time for people to meet people in Indian business and find out answers to what they did not know already. Dr. John Lewis, associate professor of international business with the International Trade and Quality Center, said the symposium will also be a place to "make business people more comfortable."

"This is really an informal opportunity for people to learn how to, and how not to, do business in India," he said.

The second event, called "How U.S. Companies Improved Their Foothold in India," will be geared more towards the student body. There will be at least three definite speakers on the panel to discuss business in India. Lewis said some of the discussion will be about how the government of India hurts business in the country. The speakers will also talk about how changes have happened in the country over the last 10 years.

Marion said the discussion is really good for students going into international business.

"It's an international enrichment," he said. "There will be an extensive question and answer session."

The event will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31. It will be in Matthews Hall Auditorium and free to everybody.

For more information on the events or to buy tickets to the luncheon, persons can call the Center at 625-9530 or Marion at extension 9507.