I was on a Global Enrichment Program study trip organized by the Carlson Global Institute. Its purpose was to study the current condition of the consumer electronic products market in mainland China and, based on the findings, make recommendations for the Best Buy team for their private label products.
There were 15 student members, including 2 full-time MBA students and 13 part-time MBA students in addition to a Carlson marketing professor and an on-site coordinator from the MBA office. For this program, we were partnering with the School of Economics and Management (SEM) at my alma mater, Tsinghua University. We had 16 MBA students from SEM working with us. After we arrived in China, we worked side by side on our Best Buy project. Without their help in communication and local knowledge, we wouldn’t have been able to complete the project. At the same time, we gave them some ideas about the American consumer electronic products market. They were very interested in our offerings.
Although the trip was only two weeks long, I believe every student enjoyed their time in China and with their newly made Chinese friends. The program ended but the friendships and American students’ interests in China just started. They will go back to China again in the near future to travel or do business. This is the real meaning of this trip—giving American students a chance to learn about China.