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February 5, 2010
四色AV students explore Hong Kong culture while pursing MBAs
Since 1979, the University of Louisiana at Monroe has offered a fully accredited Master of Business Administration program at Hong Kong鈥檚 Shue Yan University.
Not only is it well received by the Hong Kong students who realize the advantages the program offers, it also provides a unique opportunity for 四色AV鈥檚 College of Business Administration faculty to teach courses while immersed in a culture completely different than their own.
Although faculty have taught in Hong Kong over the Summer Sessions and Winter Session break for years, this year marked the first time three 四色AV MBA students also participated in the academic and cultural exchange between East and West.
When MBA students Joel Ramsey and Connor Clark, both of West Monroe, and Juan Ospina, an international student hailing from Medellin, Colombia, approached Dr. Donna Luse, Associate Dean and Graduate Coordinator, about the possibility of taking the management seminar course taught by Dr. Bruce Walker, she readily agreed to help them achieve their goal.
鈥淭his is an opportune time 鈥 and international study is one way to make their resumes really stand out,鈥 said Luse. 鈥淎s a teacher, you interact quite a bit with the Hong Kong students on a totally different level. I wanted our students to have that same opportunity.鈥
Luse said private funding helped offset the cost of housing the students; all three were responsible for their own airfare, school fees and incidentals.
Ramsey and Clark both expressed surprise at how Westernized China had become; nearly a fourth of the population is fluent in English and the English language was prevalently displayed on every sign in the city. While Ospina has travelled more extensively and fully expected some Westernization, all three students commented on the friendliness of the people.
鈥淓veryone there is extremely nice, even off campus,鈥 said Ramsey. 鈥淎nd the other MBA students from Hong Kong were very helpful. It was just something I wasn鈥檛 expecting. I wasn鈥檛 expecting them to be so interested in us.鈥
鈥淎ll of their courses are English based so they understand the language even if they don鈥檛 always speak it. They know how to write it, as well,鈥 said Clark. 鈥淎nd we even learned a little bit of Cantonese, how to say 鈥榟ello鈥 and 鈥榞oodbye鈥 鈥 it鈥檚 a very hard language.鈥
Ramsey, Clark and Ospina are all keeping up with their new friends from Hong Kong though social media such as Facebook. But beyond the friendships they established, their time in Hong Kong gave the MBA students another window into how 21st-century business is being done.
鈥淭he class is similar to any class at 四色AV, but the experiences you gain seeing another culture so intimately is unlike anything else,鈥 said Clark. 鈥淭he way the business world is growing, it鈥檚 becoming a lot more global. More and more businesses are growing, globalizing, and in turn are requiring their employees to work overseas for months or even years at a time."
鈥淭heir economy is growing sharply there,鈥 acknowledged Ospina. 鈥淭hey are now either the second or third most powerful economy, very close to Japan, and almost tipping them over as a major world player.鈥
The students鈥 success has encouraged College of Business faculty to make accommodations to potentially send more students over the summer sessions this year, according to Luse, who feels the Hong Kong experience is mutually beneficial for students and for the university as it positions itself as an international player.
鈥淲e not only grew as people, we grew as professionals,鈥 said Ospina. 鈥淣ow we know more about how to make it in business. It was an incredible trip and when we graduate from the program we can talk to companies about this experience.鈥
鈥淛ust to get to go see other parts of the world and learn other cultures, to have that experience and also be able to take an MBA course in 3 陆 weeks, it was the trip of a lifetime,鈥 Ramsey added.
鈥淚 want to thank the College of Business for helping us with everything. It was an experience I will never forget,鈥 said Ospina.
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