AUS business students offered marketing internships and visits to prestigious Van Cleef & Arpels school of jewelry in Paris

Marketing students at American University of Sharjah (AUS) are being noticed by industry giants in luxury marketing and communication, earning them internship opportunities with the renowned French multinational advertising and public relations company Publicis, and a visit to Van Cleef & Arpels’ L’Ecole, School of Jewelry Arts in Paris.  

“Providing students with hands-on experience that allows them to put theory into practice has been one of the main work pillars of the School of Business Administration (SBA). We are constantly engaging industry partners and including them in student classwork to ensure that students are immersed in their fields and can see how crucial concepts play out in real-time. Our collaboration with Van Cleef & Arpels and Publicis opened doors to students for new experiences and further enhanced their skills,” said Dr. George Christodoulides, Professor in Marketing and Information Systems and Chalhoub Group Professor in Luxury Brand Management.

In SBA’s MKT 310 Marketing Communications course, Publicis gave a brief to the class on a marketing communication issue faced by VISA to which students responded by pitching integrated marketing communication plans. Twenty-three students competed in 5 groups to win internships with Publicis. Students were evaluated on the robustness of their ideas, the quality of their strategic insights and creative strategy.

Winning students were Omar Ahmed, Rimaz Bakhsh, Ghina ElSaleh, Dana Ghalayini and Tasneem Misbah.

“Winning the competition felt amazing. My team and I worked really hard on the project. We decided to give our absolute best and we did not care about it being a competition, which is why the acknowledgment of our efforts felt great. I felt extremely proud that we managed to impress both the panel from Publicis and our professor. This was also a very enriching experience since we gained many skills, including communication, coordination and creativity,” said Ghalayini, a marketing major minoring in integrated marketing communication. 

She added: “I believe it is very important for universities like AUS to offer their students work-integrated learning opportunities to prepare them for the real world. By doing so, students can gain genuine business insights and further develop their workplace skills like communication, leadership, and collaboration. I look forward to finishing my education in AUS and graduating with honors then finding a position with a reputable organization to further expand my knowledge. I also have strong leadership and team collaboration skills that I would like to continue developing. Eventually, I would like to pursue an MBA in marketing.” 

In SBA’s MKT 354 Luxury Marketing course, students  were challenged to do projects that answered the question “How should Van Cleef & Arpels recruit new clients in the Middle East whilst respecting its core values and identity?”.” 

Thirty-five students competed in seven groups presenting their projects to Marc Leplingard, Commercial Director of Van Cleef & Arpels in the Middle East. Students were evaluated on the quality of their acquisition strategies, their understanding of the Van Cleef & Arpels brand and the specifics of the luxury strategy. 

Winning students included Sarah Abdulazeez, Abdulla AlMarzooqi, Najla Alhajri, Omar El Zanaty and Milad Shikhani, who won a Van Cleef & Arpels-funded three-night stay in Paris and an opportunity to attend courses at L'Ecole, Van Cleef & Arpels’ School of Jewelry Arts. 

“My team and I worked on client retention and acquisition strategies for Van Cleef & Arples. We analyzed case studies from the luxury brand sectors as well as identified key points where Van Cleef & Arples can better target new client segments. It truly felt amazing to win and I am so privileged to have had this opportunity. I gained in-depth insights into the luxury sector and learned how to work as a team leader and member. It was also a great opportunity to apply concepts I learned in class within a real-life case study. I am looking forward to gaining another perspective on Van Cleef & Arples and learning about high-end jewelry luxury,” said Al Marzooqi, a marketing major in his final year. 

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing at AUS introduces students to the dynamic, exciting, media-driven, people-centered world of marketing.The regionally renowned program offers excellent facilities, highly qualified faculty members and an exciting curriculum that blends both theoretical and practical knowledge to provide students with the best possible training ground for their future endeavors in the fast-paced world of international commerce. SBA also launched a new minor in Luxury Marketing in Fall 2022, positioning itself as a leading provider of luxury marketing teaching and equipping students for a future successful career in luxury brand management. AUS is also home to the Chalhoub Group Professorship in Luxury Brand Management, a center of excellence for research and teaching in luxury marketing.  SBA graduates are sought after by employers all around the Gulf in a number of diverse fields such as in consumer science, financial services and business-to-business.

For more information about the program, visit www.aus.edu/sba/bsba-mkt.