China’s Upcoming Leaders - Joint MBA Class with Shanghai Jiao Tong University
by Bernard Ablola
Sep 29, 2008 Bernard, China Study Tour 2008
Joint MBA Class with Shanghai Jiao Tong University
One of the most valuable and memorable parts of the China Study tour was the joint MBA class with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Seattle University. We discussed two important topics, doing business in China and marketing to the Chinese consumer.
I walked into the classroom thinking that the Chinese students would be quiet because we were foreign students and that they may not know English too well. In contrast, as we walked into the room, these students firmly shook our hands and engaged us. They had tons of questions and stories and provided answers to all of our questions. It felt like any class back home in the United States.
I was surprised that language was not a barrier. Before I entered the room I did not know what to expect. I did not know how well they spoke English, and of course I did not know Mandarin.
The SJTU students were able to understand and clearly present their ideas to the entire class. These students clearly were China’s next managers and leaders in the business world. They were vibrant, smart, entertaining and well educated. The only difference was their background. The average Chinese MBA student in the room was from a local town, did not own a car and was paying out of pocket for their tuition, with help from family and friends. They were here because they are the best and brightest of the pack.
As a business person and student in the United States I am interested in opportunities to learn business on a global level. Shanghai would be a good option. It would give me the experience of doing business globally and provide something I could take back home and apply. However, the time to do so is now. As Chinese business students learn the skills and language needed to grow U.S. companies in the local market, there will be less need for U.S. employees. Most of our company visits were facilitated by expats, Americans who work in China. They established a career in China to help U.S. companies set up management and operations. I predict that next year’s business leaders will be from local and surrounding Chinese areas. U.S. companies based in China will look more towards local talent for their management and operation needs of their global operations. There is a ton of local talent from the China Universities that will be able to cross the language barrier and have the management skills needed to run business on this level.
I was fortunate to learn and connect with these future business leaders. This experience outweighs any text book or article I have read about doing business in China. It was great to experience it all hands on from the students.
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