Short term study away – Page 7 – Global & Experiential Education

Experiences in Shanghai, China

marielbaloJuly 11, 2019February 25, 2020

Group of Students at Fudan University, Summer 2019

Blog Post by Brandi Cook, MBA

Tomorrow marks a week into my short term study abroad to Shanghai, China with the Fudan University Beyond Program, and what a week it’s been! We are a very diverse cohort of 54 people from 28 different countries, comprised of education backgrounds from undergraduate up through lifelong learners. The theme of the program is Innovation, eCommerce, and Entrepreneurship, and Fudan School of Management has put on so far an incredibly interesting lecture series and four great company visits! Over the last three days, we were granted an amazing insider opportunity to visit one of the campuses of Tencent (the creators of WeChat) as well as the headquarters of Alibaba. These two megalith companies presented fascinating case studies because they are very different in their approach. Alibaba is the world’s largest retailer and eCommerce company, and WeChat is a suite of apps inside one giant app, and it can pretty much do anything you need in China (and I do mean anything). But these companies are so much more than just these two products! With the access granted through the Fudan program, we were able to learn about their corporate culture, philosophy, and values, see how they went from startup companies to basically ruling the world, and discuss business strategy for their futures. Even though the reach of these companies is not quite as extensive inside the US yet, I believe they are coming soon. And with all of their offerings, they will each give their western counterparts (ahem, Amazon and Facebook for starters) a run for their money. It was very cool to see how these companies foster innovation, conduct operations, and create magic!

And outside of class time, Shanghai itself is a sight to see. There is so much to do and see here, and the food!!! I had no idea there were something like 28 different types of Chinese cuisine, and believe me, I’m determined to try all of it!!! While I won’t lie and say it’s been easy to get around, as the only two words I know in Mandarin are “hello” and “thank you,” in general it’s been workable, and it’s certainly been fun figuring it out. There are many familiar things about Shanghai compared to other places I’ve been, but China seems to give things a flair all of its own! Tomorrow my new friend and I are going to take the speed train to Beijing for the weekend, with plans to hike the Great Wall on Saturday- and I am so excited to experience this icon of history. So please send us good vibes that we only get lost a few times, and that we maintain our sense of humor when it inevitably happens!

Expectations are always challenged by the realities of a situation, and that can be good, bad, or both. Lucky for me, Shanghai has, so far, been mostly good.

Featured Photo: Fudan University Beyonders at Taichi Zhenyuan

Secondary Photo: Brandi Cook outside Hudan University in Hangzhou, China

Cultural Perception; Shanghai, China

marielbaloJune 6, 2019February 25, 2020

Blog post by Brandi Cook

I remember one day, while studying abroad in Moscow during undergrad, my Russian friend asked me unexpectedly who had won World War II. Of course I replied that the United States and its allies did, because that’s what I had been taught in my US-centric cultural upbringing. Bemused, he simply stated that he learned it was the Soviet Union. It’s been many, many years since this exchange (I won’t date myself!) but I still reflect on this as an example of cultural perception differences- because really, we were both right.

Perception is a tricky thing. You and I can stand next to each other and experience the same event differently. Cultural experiences can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, let alone across oceans. Our worldview is shaped and molded by our experiences and how we perceive them, and I have found that the more you expose yourself to other cultures, the more open-minded you will be.

I’m very excited to be going to Shanghai in July as part of the Fudan University Exchange, and while I inherently have pre-conceived ideas about how the country will be and what to expect, I’m trying to balance that with education and research. I’ve devoured the program material, looked up things to do in the area, and researched cultural faux pas. I’ve also taken the Cultural Orientations Indicator offered by GW, finding the results compelling, albeit unsurprising. It’s always interesting to learn things about yourself objectively, and that test puts into words things I already knew- that time management is VERY important to me; that I’m a doer, not a relationship-builder; and that I’m very literal and frank in conversation, as opposed to using context to determine meaning. The test then allows you to compare yourself to your destination country, and I tended to score nearly the opposite on every measure of the “average” Chinese person. And that’s okay with me. I’m not going abroad to bring my brand of Americana to them, I’m going abroad to expand my worldview, learn about a rich, diverse culture, and hopefully make some new friends. I know that the people I meet will have their own positive and negative perceptions of Americans and our culture, but it is my hope that I will be able to challenge (in a good way) some of their ideas, as I know that the visit will change me and mine.

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Photo Credits:
Featured Photo: Six versus Nine [Digital Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved June 3, 2019 from http://www.nyspirit.com/spirit-reading/perception-tricky-thing/
Shanghai Skyline [Digital Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved June 3, 2019 from http://www.meet-in-shanghai.net/

Updates from STAP Chile

marielbaloMay 16, 2019February 25, 2020

In January, a group of George Washington students went with Professor Nam Pham to Chile to work with a well-known live music entertainment company, DG Medios. The students’ goal was to assess their corporate activities and calculate the social and economic impacts of the activities on local stakeholders.

After their week onsite, the students presented several recommendations around green events, becoming an equal opportunity employer, and taking a stand against racism to help the company improve its image and the impact of its activities on its local community. The team’s recommendations were received positively by the company and as the team left Chile, the company was planning on implementing many of their suggestions to start improving and becoming a better citizen of its broader community. Sole Di Pede, a Promoter Rep for DG Medios, even said, “I’ll continue trying to make our company a green company, so that music does not have a negative impact, but only of enjoyment and pleasure.”

This week, we received an update from DG Medios about the implementation status of the GW student team’s recommendations – they confirmed that implementation is well underway. They worked with their sponsor, Entel, to set up a phone and electronics recycling program in return for free concert tickets and may start setting up recycling stations at their shows. In addition, they have contracted a consulting firm to help them focus on sustainability at their events to minimize the environmental impact of their concerts.

Learning experiences such as this provide students with the unique opportunity to act as consultants for live clients, and see their recommendations come to fruition. It is this type of engagement that ensures that GW students are recognized internationally and their problem-solving and consulting skills are respected. For DG Medios, engaging with GW has led to significant internal initiatives, and they still feel a strong connection to the students and appreciation of their hard work and recommendations.

Rwanda STAP: Visionary

marielbaloMarch 27, 2019March 4, 2020

Blog post written by Drew Otto, GMBA '20

Vision is essential for long-term planning. You need to know your destination before mapping out the best way to reach it. As a former educator, we called it ‘backwards planning’ and a common message in our consulting classes is to ‘keep the end in mind’. We heard about the country’s prominent vision, Rwanda 2020, at the Ministry of Agriculture, the Development Board, and several organizations in the country. We had a unique perspective observing how Rwanda exemplifies the use of vision to align its stakeholders. And now, talks for Rwanda 2050 are already underway with clear goals.

Image 1: Group photo at the East African Exchange (EAX) in Kigali.

I taught my former students to write visions and SMART goals in my 11th grade history classroom. To see these same concepts used at the government level is inspiring and affirming, a reminder that sound reasoning and effective planning are universal for success in all contexts. There is much to celebrate given Rwanda’s growth rate but once removed from the capital city, the dense population in rural areas proved that the country’s vision has not yet been realized everywhere.

Our GW teams visited five cooperatives, each at varying stages of sustainable development. My cooperative framed images of their assets in their office; the truck, mill and barn each an achievement to long-term growth encouraging its annual growth of 30 farmers. But learning about a history of embezzlement with the former board reminded us of our context and the long-lasting effects of corruption and mismanagement. Our project’s focus to assess the financials to determine whether our cooperative is investment-ready required a wider scope into their past and daily operations. Many board members were still learning their roles since the past board’s dissolvement. Making the payment for the past board’s mistakes each month is a feat in an industry where the changing climate constantly creates hurdles.

Image 2: Inspecting the student-run grafting fields to help support imported crops (cauliflower) grown locally at the University of Kibungo.

The first-hand experience of bringing my business school knowledge to a small cooperative was a reminder that education is a privilege. As I consider my vision for my own future, the experience in Rwanda has prompted me to always consider the real-world application of what we learn in class. I feel challenged to find a position that creates social and environmental change. The inimitable feeling of having a positive impact for those in need, contributing to the country’s own vision of improving the quality of life for its kind and friendly people, is exceptionally rewarding.

As my team finalizes our deliverables, I hope our memorandum and recommendations will convince investors to fund our cooperative. It will take a while for the government’s vision to truly reach each Rwandan but knowing that foreign investment can promote the well-being of small farmers and others in need is all the more reason for us to continue to explore other countries. I look forward to returning to Rwanda, whether professionally or personally, and challenge myself to envision my future in which I utilize my resources to impact positive change.