A group of Lamar University MBA students immersed themselves in another culture and broadened their understanding of international business earlier this summer with a trip to China that included stops in Shanghai and Beijing.
"I see China as such a big player in what we buy on a day-to-day basis over here," said Wade Pettis of Beaumont, who is pursuing an MBA with a concentration in experiential business and entrepreneurship. "You could probably spend a month and not see everything, but it really gave us an overview of their culture and how business is performed over there."
For Courtney Mitchell of Sugar Land and several others, the 10-day China trip was their first outside the country.
"The best part was being able to completely see another culture," said Mitchell, who expects to receive an MBA with a concentration in marketing and management in August. "Seeing those other businesses helped us put a lot of things we've learned in the MBA program into perspective."
The 11 Lamar MBA students joined students from Southeastern Louisiana University and Nicholls State University for the educational trip, which combined business lessons with visits to landmark destinations.
Both Mitchell and Pettis cited visits to the Great Wall outside Beijing and the Urban Exhibition Center in Shanghai as highlights. The group also enjoyed stops at 2008 Beijing Olympic venues the Nest and the Water Cube.
The students had to adapt to several last-minute itinerary changes because the swine flu scare caused many business sites on their schedule to close to American visitors. The disappointment lasted no more than a second, Mitchell said. "At the end of the day we were in China so nothing about what we were doing could really be disappointing," she said.
Along with the lessons in business and culture, the group's guide - an American who has led such tours for several years - imparted ample street knowledge from avoiding being run over to recognizing counterfeit money, Pettis said.
"It's just a different way of doing everything," Pettis said. "We gained a lot of knowledge just by being out and about on the town."
The journey also gave students the opportunity to earn credit toward their graduate degrees.
Other Lamar University MBA students participating in the trip included Phillip Dillow of Beaumont; Jessica Gunst of Kansas City, Kan., (now living in Silsbee); Jiawei Guo of Beijing, China; Michael Johnson of Columbia, S.C.; David Moore of Boulder, Colo.; Rick Neely of Nederland; Michael Trevino of Beaumont; Jock Wagner of Dayton; and John Worthington of Port Neches.
For more information on Lamar University's MBA program and the many opportunities it offers, visit mba.lamar.edu or call (409) 880-8604.
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