Melbourne Business School students have their passports and MBA skills ready as they prepare for an intensive March study tour in China.
The study tour will see the Melbourne MBA students in Shanghai for 10 days as part of the ‘Doing Business in Asia’ subject, which is in partnership with global consultancy EY.
‘Doing business in Asia’ was crafted to focus on on real-world issues while working with a global consultancy.
It is a subject that helps to set the Melbourne Business School MBA program apart from the other, according to Associate Dean for Degree Programs Laura Bell.
“The purpose of the Business in Asia subject is to enable students to put their learnings from the classroom into practice in a different business culture,” Ms Bell said.
“It also showcases to employers such as EY and other leading global firms the calibre of our students how their time studying at Melbourne Business School has prepared them for contemporary business challenges facing organisations.”
This is the third year Melbourne Business School and EY have collaborated on the project, and EY Advisory Innovation Partner Gerald Marion said students would be working with clients to finalise research as well as refine and market test concepts and would receive mentoring and support in developing their solutions from EY’s Chinese offices.
“Innovating through an ecosystem and across borders is critically important for our clients, EY and university graduates,” Mr Marion said.
“The program allows us to reinforce the collaboration between industry and universities in a meaningful and practical way.”
Melbourne Business School alumnus Varun Wijewardane (MBA 2016) who completed the subject last year said the experience was one of the highlights of his MBA, with his project focused on logistics of for a global digital business operating in China.
“Market research is something everyone has heard of and knows what it is about but it becomes very different when you have to go and take on the challenge of doing it,” he said.
“It really takes your classroom learning and forces you to apply it — that’s where you get the value.”
While in Shanghai, students will also join with China-based alumni for the 2016 Global Alumni Celebration – an event which allows Melbourne Business School’s 16,000 strong alumni community to connect and catch-up with each other.
