MBA students learn from local success story

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MBA students learn from local success story

Tuesday, 29 June 2021

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As part of the restructured Master of Business Administration, a new unit called MBA6016 Strategic Management & International Competitiveness ran for the first time in June as an intensive one week class. Some units in the School of Business and Law MBA program will now run in a range of modes including intensive (meaning over five continuous days), in order to offer more flexible study options to cater to the modern professional juggling widespread commitments.

As part of the unit, students undertook a company visit to local company Sea to Summit based in Rivervale. Sea to Summit is a high-end adventure and expedition outdoor equipment company developing products such as sleeping bags, sleeping mat systems, tents and a variety of accessories.

Started by Roland Tyson in 1990 to develop equipment for an expedition into the Himalayas, the company has grown to serve approximately 70 countries, and features three overseas subsidiaries and host of distributors around the globe. In this highly competitive market, the company seeks to compete on the basis of unique designs and highly innovative products. To do this, the company has a significant design team based in Perth who then work with global suppliers to source the materials and capabilities needed to bring these products to life.

“The MBA students got a tour of the facility and a demonstration of some of their most innovative products from National Sales Manager, Rob McSporran (an ECU alumnus), before hearing presentations from Brendan Harris (GM, Export) on their international strategy,” said MBA Director, Professor Peter Galvin.

The students also heard from John Withnell (Director, Australian Sales), who discussed Sea to Summit’s domestic distribution strategy, followed by ECU alumnus Dave Thompson (GM, Product Design) explained the design process and the various considerations that went into creating products that can effectively compete on the global stage. The tour then finished with a presentation and tour of the logistics and operations area from Steve Owens (National Operations Manager).

After almost three hours at Sea to Summit, students then returned to the classroom to debrief and discuss how the company was applying many of the ideas previously discussed in the unit and how the business model has evolved with the growth of the company over time.

Many of the students, including Aoife O'Shea, said the company visit was one of the highlights of the unit and put theory into practice.

“I really enjoyed the Sea to Summit excursion as it certainly put the theoretical aspects of the course into a real-life context, clearly illustrating the importance of strategy to be and remain competitive on an international stage.”

Did you know that we offer the Master of Business Administration course and its units in flexible modes such as Intensive, Block, Online and Semester (on-campus) mode? Download the flyer to find out which mode suits you best.

School of Business and Law