Cal Poly Update | June 2007 | MBA Students in China

Cal Poly MBA Students In China on Study Tour

SAN LUIS OBISPO - Cal Poly Orfalea College of Business MBA students will embark on a 19-day trip to the People’s Republic of China beginning June 19. The international business tour is part of the OCOB intensive study program and culminates Cal Poly’s 11-month accelerated MBA program.

Chiniese stone statue Three faculty members and 33 students will visit the largest manufacturing economy in the world. The students will study international business, the global economy, Asian business practices and culture, and China’s unique place in the global value chain.

The group will see and experience the application of concepts they studied at the beginning of the 11-month program. They will learn some of the secrets behind China’s rapid economic development and competitive advantage. The students will also attend cultural events and visit a few of China’s most famous cultural and historical attractions. They return to the United States on July 8.

Chuck Rylant, a Santa Maria Police Officer and OCOB MBA student, said that since arriving on campus in August he and his classmates have been working hard to prepare for the trip. “We’ve gone through a series of intense pre-departure lectures and meetings, readings and assignments, on-line learning and discussions, and papers,” he said.

OCOB Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Chris Carr, coordinates the course and leads the trip each year. According to Carr, students will observe how multinational and local firms operate in a number of manufacturing and services sectors in Guangzhou, Macau and Shenzhen in southern China, and Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou and Beijing in northern China.

“The trip will be intense. The students will fully experience the fast pace, difficulty and complexity of conducting global business. They will return from the trip changed people and more effective managers,” said Carr.

For more information about OCOB’s 11-month MBA program and the annual China trip, visit http://www.cob.calpoly.edu/gradProgram/degrees/index.html.

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