China Experience (MBA 597E)
Concordia University's School of Management offers an innovative and highly acclaimed China business experience for working MBA students. Concordia's China Experience is unique. Built upon a key relationship between Concordia and Soochow University in China, the program creates career value for the MBA student consultants while solving practical problems for the participating client firms. The students deliver professional, proprietary consulting services while creating relationships that can advance their careers. The program is comprised of two elective courses of three MBA credits each:
First, Asian Business (China) is delivered in Portland for eight weeks each March, April, and May. The course covers important historical, economic, demographic, cultural, political, legal and environmental factors that characterize China today. Students study recent Harvard cases on China, and senior level corporate guest speakers share their personal experiences on doing business in China. Trainers conduct cross-cultural role-plays. During this time, Concordia's China Program Director works with "client" firms to match student strengths and interests with company needs.
The second course, China Consulting, runs each May, June, and July. The students' consulting teams are finalized, projects are planned, meetings are held (most firms will be in the greater Portland area), and non-disclosure agreements are signed. In late May / early June, the MBAs fly to Shanghai and travel on to Suzhou. For two weeks, they reside at Soochow University. Each morning, they attend specialized classes taught in English by Chinese professors. Subjects include Chinese Culture, Chinese Company Law, Negotiating in China, Marketing in China, plus Basic Spoken Chinese. In the afternoons, the students leave campus to work with their assigned company clients. Many of these companies are located in the Singapore-Suzhou Industrial Park. The consulting projects are designed to yield information or solve real problems in areas such as I.T., production processes, marketing strategy, HR management, supplier profiling and competitor analysis. In late June, the students return to the U.S. and write up their reports and recommendations. In mid-July, a special event is held in Portland for student presentations, recognition of program partners, and awarding of program certificates.
Concordia's China Program Partners and Supporters have included the following:
Bergström Trends -- ShanghaiBlack & Decker (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.
Davis, Wright, Tremaine, LLC - Portland and Shanghai
ESCO Asia-Pacific, Shanghai
Kraft Foods, Suzhou
National Oilwell Varco, Houston
NOV Fiberglass Systems (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.
Primus International (Suzhou) Ltd.
Portland-Suzhou Sister City Association
Skybridge International, Portland Office
Soochow University, School for Overseas Education
Suzhou Municipal Education Bureau
Thomas I. Kindel, Ph.D., Visiting Distinguished Scholar
Williams Controls - Portland and Suzhou
Wuzhong Group: Suzhou Education Investment Co., and Hi-Tech Ventures
For more information about Concordia's MBA Program and the China Experience, contact: Dr. Randall Donohue, 503-280-8567, rdonohue@cu-portland.edu