George Mason School of Business students who traveled to Beijing, China for the school’s online EMBA ’14 residency left with lasting memories of company visits, food, historical sites, even the smog.
Because classes in the online EMBA are taken on the internet, many within the cohort had never met face to face before the trip began. This is not unlike work in corporate America now where so much time is spent working over conference calls and in virtual environments. In the midst of all of that it is easy to lose track of the value of face-to-face interactions.
Students visited a variety of companies in Beijing, each one lending a diverse experience. Within the cohort, there was much discussion about how companies could justify paying employees so little, as Chinese workers have an average income is less than $5,000 USD annually. Students learned that standard of living is different in China and that citizens have different expectations for individual success. China is not America—one cannot look at business in China through the lens of American business models. Those models will not be successful in China.
Other highlights of the trip were the food, networking and sightseeing qualities. Members of the cohort walked through an open air market where vendors were selling plates heaped with items such as seahorses, starfish, baby ducks, squid and scorpions. They also attended a Mason alumni reception as there are actually many Mason grads in the Beijing area who network on a regular basis.
“The residency experience far exceeded my expectations,” Carrie Godbey, one of the students on the trip, said. “While I’m sure the in classroom cohorts enjoy their trips also, I think it is particularly meaningful for those of us who are getting our education online to come together as a group.