Through the creation of manuals and the provision of training on costs and marketing, the Department of Art and Culture and the School of Business Sciences have formed a partnership to advise ceramic artisans.
ZAPOPAN, Jalisco - For the past three years, Universidad Panamericana Campus Guadalajara, through the coordination of the Art and Culture Department, and the School of Economics and Business Administration (FCEE), have been carrying out a project called "Workshop on Introduction to Costs and Marketing" in conjunction with the National School of Ceramics (ENC).
Objective of the collaboration with the National School of Ceramics
Its objective is to provide ceramic artisans with the basic tools to calculate their costs and prices, increase the perceived value of their product, improve their negotiation techniques with customers, and develop their brand and logo, thus improving their own and their community's commercial and economic situation.
"The interest of the ENC is to create a sense of community through an ecological oven that is built to be used by a group and that will benefit them by reducing respiratory diseases; they teach them techniques to work the clay and we participate by teaching the courses that will allow them to manage their small businesses," explained Mtra. Guadalupe Torres Pulido, participating teacher.
What does the Project consist of?
The project consists of training and professionalization courses in costing and marketing for artisans working with traditional handcrafted ceramics in remote communities throughout Mexico, such as: Tonalá, Jalisco; Santa Fe de la Laguna, Michoacán; Creel, Chihuahua; and Los Reyes Metzontla, Puebla.
This training is done with the help of manuals that were created by FCEE professors for this unique purpose; Ms. Guadalupe Torres Pulido and Ms. Gloria Lizárraga Álvarez, authors of the Manual de Introducción a los Costos and MBA Guillermo Pérez Villalón together with Dr. Jessica Rubiano, guest professor from Colombia, authors of the Manual de Introducción a la Mercadotecnia.
In addition to the above, Ms. Guadalupe expressed the following: "Classes are taught in a small space in a house or in a makeshift tent, so technology may not be useful, you never know what you are going to find, being prepared for everything reaffirms your vocation as a teacher and in this type of project I am convinced that you receive more than what you deliver," she concluded.
How many people are participating in the project?
To date, 80 artisans have participated, and more than 30 Art and Culture collaborators and FCEE students have been involved in the general coordination, logistics and dissemination of the project.
Rebeca Guerrero López, eighth semester student of the Administration and Marketing career said: "the experience I lived was very nice, I had to go to Chihuahua and lived with people who unfortunately did not know the value of their work, to advise them was a unique experience and the way in which they open their doors to you is unforgettable".
Dr. Ignacio Acosta Nieto, Director of Arts and Culture, informed that, in agreement with the ENC's directors, the project will continue; and will be enriched with the full incorporation of the Social Commitment department, led by Ekatherine Acosta Demerutis, and the Alumni department, under the leadership of Dr. Rafael Hernández Cazares, Vice-Rector for Outreach.
To conclude, Dr. Carlos Carlos Lopez Hernandez, Academic Vice Rector expressed the following words: "I want to thank the participation of our professors who generously gave their time and knowledge in the development of a course that not only required an academic contribution but also a different teaching methodology where the concepts and applicability of the same could be given immediately and with tangible contributions".
The approach of students during their university life with culture and social projects sensitizes and inspires them to continue promoting and supporting social initiatives with a high degree of commitment as they advance in their professional careers.
