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Tag: Global Study

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Brandi Cook, MBA, Class of 2019

While wrapping-up this short-term program to Shanghai, the main thing I learned was that two weeks is not enough time to truly appreciate China. The magnitude of the country certainly did not fail to impress me; every time I thought I was accomplishing a lot of “must see’s,” I was reminded how small of a corner of the country I was in.

Over two weeks, I took the bullet train to Beijing, hiked the Great Wall outside of the village of Shixia, made it to Nanluoguxiang Market for a cultural experience and shopping, went to the stunning Summer Palace on the Lake, visited the Bund and downtown Shanghai, saw Yuyuan Garden, Market, and the City of God Temple, experienced the tech hub of Hangzhou and its famous West Lake, and saw the canals in the water city of Suzhou. All of this on top of going to class every day! I know it sounds like a lot, but I just keep thinking of all the things I didn’t get to see! I found China to be so rich in diversity, history, and culture, that it is somewhere you must experience more than once.

Now that it’s over, I can sheepishly admit that I was fairly nervous about going to China, even though I’ve never felt nervous to travel before. And I can also say that visiting China turned out to be very challenging at times (way more than I expected it to be), but also incredibly rewarding (full of adventures!), and I’m so very glad that I went. The Beyond program was really well structured and the staff and content were great, which left a solid foundation for me to sightsee and experience the culture. I will never negate the value of hearing about Chinese business, innovation, and economy from the experts, but in my life I have found that the best way to gain a new perspective is to go out, have some crazy adventures, and just live differently.

Coming home from extended travel is always bittersweet. I am so glad to see my family and sleep in my own bed, but it is certainly hard to go back to the office, attend meetings, and sit in a cube. While the cultural perspective and change of mindset bestowed by traveling internationally is invaluable, I am definitely taking away more than just a new worldview. The most important thing about having unique experiences is learning how to integrate them into your life once you’re done. Both of the STAPs I did this summer- Italy and China- left me with some valuable practice synthesizing information, refining ideas, and creating presentations that give the “so what,” and these are the skills I’m applying in my professional environment. It’s only been a few days, but I am energized to identify what certifications I need to attain to take my career to the next level, and very excited to graduate from the MBA program this winter so that I can get started on the next phase of my life.

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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.

Brandi Cook, GWU MBA in Shanghai

Featured Photo: Fudan University Beyonders at Taichi Zhenyuan

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

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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/

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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.

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