Business School news
Read news relating to the University of Sussex Business School.
Sussex MBA Study Trip to Istanbul: Learning Beyond the Classroom
By: Naomi Adams
Last updated: Tuesday, 21 July 2026
In June, the Sussex MBA students travelled to Istanbul for an international study trip that brought classroom learning into a global business setting.
The visit was led by Dr Maja Golf-Papez, Director of the MBA Programme, and Dr Benjamin Everly, Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour.
The cohort included students from the UK, Turkey, Thailand, Nigeria, Chile and India. Between them, they brought professional experience from sectors spanning hospitality, banking, HR, law, energy, automotive and more.
Exploring international business in Turkey
During the trip, students heard from two major Turkish businesses: SANKO Towel and Arçelik.
SANKO Towel is part of SANKO Holding and manufactures towels and bathrobes for international markets.
Students heard from a guest speaker and former MBA alumnus, Turker Guldemet who spoke to the group about how decisions about production, innovation and customer demand are made within a large international manufacturing business.
Tackling a live strategy challenge at Arçelik
Students visited Arçelik, the global home-appliance company behind brands including Beko.
Working on a live strategic case, they explored questions involving business growth, international market expansion, product development and brand consolidation. They then presented their recommendations to members of the company’s strategy team.
The exercise required students to draw on several areas of the MBA curriculum while working with the commercial realities faced by an international business.
MBA student, Simon Ejobona especially enjoyed hearing about the development of Arcelik, and how “the company started as family owned business and is currently emerging global with stakeholders outside its origin country”.
Connecting MBA theory with global business practice
The Istanbul study trip showed how economic conditions, regulation and business culture can influence organisational decision-making.
It also demonstrated how skills developed through the Sussex MBA, including strategic analysis, collaboration, problem-solving and communication, can be applied across industries and international markets. MBA student, Amanda Grey said “the experience to apply learning from across the MBA to a real-world scenario with issues that are happening now, shifted the abstract to active business problem solving”.
Students experienced Istanbul as an international centre for trade, manufacturing and culture. The trip offered a challenging and memorable opportunity to learn directly from businesses operating in a complex global environment.
For our Sussex MBA students, it was a clear example of how management education can extend beyond the classroom and into real-world business practice.
MBA student, Francisca López shared how “this trip reinforced my desire to continue working in Human Resources (HR) within multinational organisations, it’s broadened my perspective on the possibility of working internationally in the future”.
Are you ready to take your learning beyond the classroom? Discover the Sussex MBA.