While most students relaxed or took beach vacations over spring break, 33 Johnson School students spent an intensive six days in Colombia, advising business leaders on ways to grow their operations, forge into new markets or stay current in the online world.

The consulting projects were the culmination of a new half-semester course taught by Wesley Sine, assistant professor of management and organizations. Groups of Johnson School students teamed with MBA students from a university in Bogotá -- Universidad de Los Andes -- to devise business solutions for clients ranging from a flower exporter to an organ-transplant specialist. By week's end, the student teams presented findings to their clients.

Keith Romero '09 worked with Grupo Chia, a leading exporter of fresh flowers in Colombia. His group helped the company identify a business model and come up with strategies for staying ahead of the market over the next 10-20 years.

"The value we could provide was just the fact that we were not only business-savvy Americans, but also American consumers," said Romero, noting that the company does the majority of its business with the United States.

The students also met with a string of prominent business officials, including: Alejandro Figueroa, CEO of one of Colombia's largest banks, Banco de Bogotá; Beatriz Fernández, founder and owner of the chain Crepes and Waffles; and Luis Carlos Sarmiento Jr., MBA '85, president of Colombian banking conglomerate Grupo Aval.

A handful of students also enjoyed the limelight of Colombian television, appearing on the talk show "Día a Día."

Since joining the Cornell faculty in 2003, Sine, who has studied entrepreneurship in Colombia for nearly 10 years, had wanted to create a course that would immerse students in both the culture and business potential of the South American country.

"Colombia is a place with lots of opportunities, but it is also badly misunderstood," Sine said. "It has this gigantic reputation that often doesn't match up with reality."

Sine referred to Colombia's lengthy struggle for stability in the face of armed militias and street gangs fueled by narcotics trafficking. In published research, Sine has linked Colombia's lack of entrepreneurial growth over the past decade with persistent or perceived violence. He has also concluded that the country is now enjoying a period of relative stability, and businesses -- from local retail shops to large corporations -- are growing.

Access to business and government leaders and easy navigation of a foreign land were helped by the group's many Colombian hosts, including Johnson School students Margarita Blanco '09 and Santiago Canela '09.

"We wanted to help the course be successful and also show off our country," Blanco said. "We wanted to show a different face of Colombia and change the perspective of how Colombia is seen."