Northwood hosts international auto program

Northwood University’s Michigan Campus became the short-term home for 49 students from Germany, Denmark, France and the United States during the Northwood University Computerized Automotive Retail Simulation (NU-CARS) earlier this month.

Steve Brazill, Cedar Hill, Texas, Automotive Marketing Chair, explained, “NU-CARS mirrors the global nature of the auto industry by drawing top students from Europe and North America, engaging them with a week of case study, business simulations and high-energy debates to explore challenges facing the industry in the 21st century. These creative students will be future leaders of the world’s automotive enterprises in an era of explosive technological innovation.”

The intense automotive industry simulation integrated on-site visits to the LaFontaine Dealership, the Serra Auto Dealership, and a visit to Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth and a business management synopsis presented by Bill Parlberg, president of Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth. Class time featured guest speakers Jason Yaeger, AutoTrader.com; Dr. Tim Nash, Northwood University’s David E. Fry Endowed Professor & Vice President of Strategic and Corporate Alliances; and Mark Serra, a Yeo & Yeo consultant who served as a panel judge for the student team presentation.

The on-site visits and guest speakers engaged the students to delve deeper into the purpose of NU-CARS. The students in global teams traversed language barriers and industry barriers to come together as a unit to dissect the Tata Case Study and present their research to a panel of judges. The Tata Case Study, created by Brian Bastin, MBA, adjunct professor, and Timothy K. Gilbert, Automotive Retail Management Chair at Northwood University’s West Palm Beach, FL, Campus, explores Tata Motors. The students become responsible for researching and developing a marketing plan for the Tata Motors “micro-car.”