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International Residency: Understanding the Balance

 

 

:Photo of NC State Poole College's Jenkins MBA students in ChinaHalf a world away, the NC State Jenkins Professional Online MBA students stepped out of the Shanghai Pudong International airport into the hustle of one of the world’s busiest and most populated cities.

Students from NC State's Professional Online MBA were given the opportunity to travel to China's economic hubs, Shanghai and Hangzhou, to visit some of the country’s largest companies. With one being China’s largest city and the other being one of the most important cities in the world economy, Shanghai and Hangzhou were the ideal setting for the Jenkins MBA students to hone their non-verbal communication, global business understanding, presentation and networking skills in an environment few students get to experience.

This international study tour provided students with a unique exposure to the Chinese business environment. Because of the dramatic economic growth in China – one of the most important developments in business and finance over the past 20 years – understanding the role China plays in international finance is of increasing importance to managers of all disciplines.

The focus of the trip was for the Professional Online MBA students to gain exposure to and a deeper understanding of the global economy. This trip also gave these students, who had been interacting primarily online, a rare opportunity to meet and interact with each other in person. “I think it was a really good experience and a really good platform for us all to study together,” said Jenkins Professional Online MBA student Bimal Kaur. “You do feel closer after spending so much time together.” 

The week-long trip, led by Dr. John McCreery, Director of the NC State Poole College of Management's Master in Global Innovation Management (MGIM) program, is a unique aspect of the Jenkins Professional Online MBA curriculum and is one of the highlights of the student experience.

Dr. McCreery, who launched the China Summer Experience for MGIM students in cooperation with Zhejiang University, has an enthusiasm for this experience that’s palpable to his students. “I think [Dr. McCreery] was just as excited about our experience as we were,” explained second year student, Kate Barrow. “That makes a huge difference.”  

“The intent was to give the students some exposure and experience in the global economy”, explained Barrow, “and to see how quickly [China] is growing. Second year student, Bimal Kaur added, “We wanted to get a feel for the cultural differences in doing business in China.”

Students were given a list of Chinese companies prior to the trip and asked to do thorough research as preparation. They needed to have more than just a basic understanding of the culture as well as the businesses. Students toured businesses and agencies in Shanghai and Hangzhou and interviewed business leaders in a variety of fields like the US Commercial Service, Lenovo, Suntech and Brandtology. 

MBA student Bimal Kaur discussed the macro-forces that have influenced China’s rise to global economic power. “It's all dualism,” said Kaur, “China has a philosophy of Taoism, agricultural and social harmony with economic prosperity. It's a really ambitious country.”

Students also prepared for the trip by reading Rob Giffords’ “China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power” which Kaur said was an excellent resource used to gain familiarity with cultural, religious and business issues, as well as issues related to censorship and access to world news.  “It's hard to prepare yourself for that kind of experience, but it was much richer because we were prepared using these methods,” said Barrow.

Offline Learning

But it wasn’t without its challenges. Kate Barrow learned that a serious case of jet lag and craving American food wouldn’t be the only challenges she would have to overcome while visiting China. There was also the issue of time management. “You're there for such a short time and want to make the most of it,” Barrow explained, “but [it] was something I was definitely up for.” 

This trip wasn’t all business. Students like Kevin O’Donnell seized the chance to experience as much as they could while there. “I visited a Buddhist temple and got to see a carving on the side of a mountain that was hundreds of years old,” he described. “It was pretty intriguing to see the rush of people at the open market,” he said, “You get a feel for how that coastal part of the country is.”

Students gained a close look at the Chinese business landscape that is largely government controlled. They discovered how different China’s “top-down”, or “command-and-control”, management style is from the American free enterprise system.

Jenkins Professional Online MBA students came back with more than just great memories from this once in a lifetime experience, they returned with an entirely new perspective about China, the global market and the issues to be encountered by China as it hopes to evolve from a low cost producer of goods to a global provider of higher-end services and innovative solutions. 

“This was an experiential hands-on learning experience that was different than any class I've ever taken,” Barrow confessed. She went on to say, “You really learn not only about Chinese culture and business, but about yourself and your classmates. And you come back with a broader perspective of where you are and where you want to go.”

China has been, and continues to grow as, a major economic influencer in the world economy. China’s sustained global power makes it critical for business students to understand the importance of its culture and its role in the business environment. These students from NC State’s Jenkins Professional Online MBA will be a step ahead of the game because they’ll understand not only how China works, but what it will take to work with them in the future.