The Tourism Team on the DYFA Radio Show

Author: Kaitlyn Guest | Major: Supply Chain Management, Marketing | Semester: Spring 2024

Hello, I am Kaitlyn Guest! I’m a rising senior and conducted international development research in Belize in the summer of 2023. I am double majoring in Supply Chain Management and Marketing, as well as minoring in Economics. I went along with nine other University of Arkansas students. We all were looking to study development related issues, but were separated into three different groups: tourism (my team), agriculture, and a national park duo. My task while abroad was to act as a small business development consultant and assist business owners with anything they would like with the hopes of growing their enterprise. My group was able to accomplish success in many different business facets, including web-design, marketing, supply chain, accounting, and a few others. I completed a blog post in the fall, which dove a bit deeper into the technical side of our project, especially regarding social media marketing, so in this entry I would like to broaden the view of my work to be more focused on what it is like to complete a developmental project.

I initially discovered this opportunity through an email from a Business Honors Advisor. I had always wanted to study abroad in some capacity and thought the chance to spend a few months away internationally while simultaneously helping others and conducting research sounded like a perfect fit for me. After meeting with the other students and our mentor, Dr. Amy Farmer, a handful of times we got to choose which team we would like to be on. As aforementioned, I chose the Tourism team. I have always had a passion for interacting with small businesses and have for many years in part-time jobs. My cohort’s calls were fantastic preparation for our trip. We discussed what to expect, had the opportunity to ask questions to Dr. Farmer, and also learned the basics of cultural norms in Belize.  Additionally, I completed individual formal research  when crafting my grant proposal documents. This technical research was beneficial for understanding the economic history and current condition of the country.

There are two pieces of advice I would have to anyone embarking on a similar adventure: 1) you don’t know what you don’t know, and 2) it is your job to listen, not prescribe.  Firstly, when traveling somewhere with an unfamiliar culture, you truly won’t know what to expect until you get there. You can create a roadmap to achieve your goals, but also it is important to recognize that likely your roadmap will shift. For example, our group initially planned to host many workshops for Belizean businesspersons going into depth about the social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. It never occurred to us that locals may not use those platforms. In Belize, Facebook is the primary social media used, Instagram occasionally, and rarely ever TikTok. Upon arrival we realized it would have been useless to teach business owners about a variety of social sites because it wouldn’t aid them in reaching prospective customers. You can research as much as you want, however, you are still bound to run into surprises with the new culture you are immersed in.

My second piece of advice revolves around the idea of listening to the locals and offering solutions when asked for them, not unprompted. It may be assumed by some that us U of A students were going to act as doctors, prescribing solutions to help the Belizean businesses grow based on our knowledge. However, it would be more accurate to compare a student to a junior resident going into medicine and the business owner as the doctor running their practice. Us students had general knowledge, maybe some hands-on experience, but we were primarily there to learn and assist with what is asked of us. Additionally, it is a common fallacy among participating students to believe that your business classes will translate directly internationally. Although basic principles will remain the same, when you are learning you are viewing the material through an American-ized lens. This makes sense, as most students are from the U.S. and will later work in the U.S., but you need to be cognizant of the different point of view you will have to take abroad. When working with a small business in Belize, it was easy to brainstorm different ideas our group thought would be beneficial. However, if we were just to present them to the owner without her/him asking for suggestions in that area of their company, it would appear as if we were looking for holes in their business and questioning their capabilities, even though it was never our intention. At the end of the day, the owner knows their business best. I advise any student in a similar position to our team to listen as much as you can to the business owner, their goals for the company, and what they are asking for assistance with before you offer any suggestions of your own. For example, our group was working with a radio show owner/host. He asked for ideas on how to grow his business and our group quickly proposed different directions he could expand in, such as a children’s station. This was somewhat helpful, but after digging deeper and asking more questions we realized that what the owner really wanted was for us to be guests on his broadcast. The more you understand the company, the better foundation you can lay, and the more beneficial your suggestions will be for them. While abroad you are going to learn just as much, if not more, as the locals you are working with.

I am grateful I was able to embark on this journey due to Honors College funding. I sharpened my soft skills of being flexible, the ability to pivot, and working with those who come from a vastly different background than I. I know these tools will translate directly into my future job and I am glad I was able to gain hands-on experience utilizing them while still in school.