Griffith University MBA students who undertook their program’s Asia-Pacific Tour elective have embarked on a journey to gain a heightened understanding of international business culture.
The group of students who chose the elective as part of their MBA studies were required to spend one week at a Griffith partner university in the Asia-Pacific region, where they took part in industry visits to study businesses’ evolution into the modern marketplace, and spoke with the people instrumental in their success.
MBA Director Associate Professor Chris Fleming said the MBA Asia-Pacific Study Tour elective was designed to enable MBA students to develop their understanding of doing business in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The week-long Study Tour gives students a first-hand experience in-country while visiting local businesses, meeting local trade development bodies and undertaking academic lectures at our partner Universities.
“The trip is enhanced with the addition of cultural tours and activities,” he said.
Travelling to Guangzhou, they also took the opportunity to immerse themselves in the local culture, explore the sights and experience the famous food culture.
As part of the travelling cohort, Griffith MBA student Pauline Mason said she found the course an invaluable addition to her postgraduate degree.
“The most beneficial part for me was how the trip broadened my understanding of the Chinese cultural context. I deal with numerous partners in the Asia-Pacific region in my role as a Marketing Executive, so it will really help me move forward in my career,” she said.
“The Study Tour is an excellent opportunity to broaden your perspective of doing business in the Asia-Pacific region and learn a range of other cross-cultural skills that will provide invaluable in any business, in any country.
“The tour is the perfect mix of theory and practical application with industry site visits providing and in-depth perspective on the opportunities available for trade with this region.
“As business opportunities continue to increase in the Asia-Pacific region, the skills we learnt will only become more valuable in the future,” Ms Mason said.
Lloyd Eley-Smith, another MBA student who participated in the Asia-Pacific tour, said he chose the Tour elective because he wanted hands-on global experience.
“I was going to learn more about visiting the country and experiencing the business culture first hand than I would have from home,” he said.
“For me the most beneficial things were our visits to local workplaces and seeing the different attitudes to how business was conducted and portrayed to visitors.
“This was very different to what we were expecting to see coming from an Australian experience, showing a lot more formality and less production.”
