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China becomes two-week classroom for KU MBA students

Monday, June 25, 2007

A group of University of Kansas School of Business MBA students discovered first-hand why China is such a dominant player in today's global economy.

From May 19 to June 1, KU MBA students met with managers and executives at U.S. and Chinese owned firms in Beijing and Shanghai. They visited with China-based executives of Kansas firms like Black & Veatch, Invista, owned by Koch Industries and
Meridian IQ in Shanghai, a joint-venture of YRC Worldwide, to learn about adapting U.S. businesses to Chinese corporate and social culture. The students also toured textile factories and listened in on the latest plans for Beijing's Internet promotion of the 2008 Olympic Games.

In addition, the trip included lectures at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. The topics included lessons learned from entering the China market as well as expectations for the future of the Chinese economy.

"It seems like almost every business is global," said Mark Best, a second-year MBA student. "It's really good, especially for MBA students, to see businesses from a different perspective. You learn so much more when you're actually there first-hand."

Several School of Business faculty members traveled with the students during the two-week tour, including the course instructor Jane Zhao, assistant professor of management, and Doug Houston, director of finance, economics, and decision sciences.

Students researched the firms they visited and gave presentations to fellow MBA students and KU faculty. Students assigned to delving into a particular company would lead questions after the firm made its presentation to MBA students, Zhao said.

"We had a very thorough preparation," Zhao said. "We wanted to entice deeper insight from the managers."

U.S. interest in China has moved well beyond basic manufacturing—the industry sector to which many U.S. businesses outsource jobs. Companies from around the world are now focused on developing partnerships with Chinese firms, which is the key to survival in the 21st century, Houston said.

Business in China is "not just a matter of cheap labor, but having extremely effective management and people," Houston said. "China is a more complicated and diverse place than people give it credit for. It's a good place to have an educational presence."

Zhao said the key goal for the trip was to enhance cultural and workplace adaptability in MBA students.

"If you can survive in China you can survive any other place," Zhao said. "The level of adaptability learned is universal."

The KU School of Business Institute for International Business and the KU Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) sponsored and organized the trip. KU MBA students receive several opportunities during their graduate studies to take academic trips across the world to places such as China and Italy.

Future employers often look favorably on international experience, and costs for the study abroad trips often stay reasonable.

"What you get out of the trip far exceeds the cost to go," Best said. "You can't expect to just graduate from the MBA program and just remain where you are the rest of your life."