Students learn more than business on China trip with Lowrys and faculty
Janel Shoun |
When 30 Lipscomb University students prepared to visit China this past spring, many knew they would have an exciting experience learning about global business and diverse economies, but they returned from China with much more than an economics lesson.
“China touches every aspect of our world, through the products we consume to the businesses and government positions we will one day fill,” said Stacey Smith, a senior political science major who participated in the trip. “We must be willing and able to see our planet for what it is and what it is becoming.”
Like Smith, most of the students said the 10-day trip in May, Lipscomb’s first travel venture to China, opened their eyes to new insights on social issues, their Christian faith, history and global issues as well as business practices.
- For more info on China's role in global business click here.
- For more photos of the Lipscomb China trip click here.
Lipscomb President Randy Lowry and his wife, who have been to China and Hong Kong several times before, accompanied 20 undergraduate students and 10 graduate students on the trip. The group, made up primarily of College of Business students, toured several companies and met with China-based executives.
Companies visited were Hyundai Merchant Marine & Hong Kong Port Terminal, Hong Kong Disneyland, APCO Worldwide, Deloitte & Touche, Fulbright & Jaworksi and Cummins Inc.
“It’s a different stage on which business is enacted today,” said Steve Yoho, professor of business, who went on the trip. “Students need to be comfortable acting on that stage. The actual business objectives are not really that different, but the cultural climate in which business is done is so important.”
Lowry, who has previously served as a visiting faculty member at the City University of Hong Kong and Shantou University, knew the trip would get students really thinking about the differences between American and Chinese culture and how that effects business operations and relationships. The Chinese culture engenders a very different view of the rule of law, individual rights and truths, all of which can affect a business relationship, he said.
“Most of us have very little appreciation of what’s going on in China and India and few of us understand the full impact of those countries,” said Lowry, noting that China is five times larger than the United States. As a small example of China’s impact, he mentioned an observation he made one evening while shopping for his grandchildren at Toys R’ Us during inventory time. He noticed that every single crate of toys was marked, “Made in China.”
“Today many organizations have an international dimension, either as part of a multinational organization, selling abroad or drawing on foreign suppliers,” said Yoho. “To compete successfully in a global marketplace is difficult, if not impossible, without international experience. China holds many of the world's most dynamic regions today, and its complexities make it an ideal study for future organizational leaders.”
In addition to the company visits, the student group attended an acrobatics performance, visited the Great Wall and took the ferry out to Macau Island. They had a guided tour of Hong Kong and visited Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City.
“I anticipated learning from the business meetings, but I never imagined the amount I would discover about Chinese culture,” said Braxton Kinchen, a Lipscomb freshmen.
“My perspective on the world was drastically changed when I studied abroad in Vienna, Austria, so I thought I was ready for what I would experience in China,” said Kedra Pharr, another student participant on the trip. “I was wrong. The trips impacted my thinking of the business world, what I thought of myself, and what I thought of China and its inhabitants as a whole.
“Going to all the different companies and meeting with people who work there made me realize how fast China is growing and how important it is in the business world. If I were an entrepreneur, China would be where I should go if I want to make it big,” she said.
Everything on the trip, from noticing street vendors (many with pirated products) outside the hotel to worshiping in Hong Kong on Sunday, was an experience designed to expand the perspective of Lipscomb students, Lowry noted.
The participating students earned three hours of credit in international business on the graduate or undergraduate level, said Yoho. They conducted research and group projects this past spring to prepare for the May trip.