Smith Hosts Chinese MBA Students

Several dozen MBA students visiting from China this summer toured a factory here in Maryland, participated in a case competition, studied finance, marketing and cross-cultural management, and learned about American baseball while cheering for both the Nationals and the Orioles (although not on the same nights).  There were two groups of students from the Guanghua School of Management, PKU University in Beijing, each here for a one-week Global Business and Cultural Immersion course.  It was the third time the Office of Global Initiatives (OGI) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business hosted this group, furthering a partnership that includes student and faculty exchanges and joint participation in international case competitions.

Several local businesses welcomed each group, including the Chesapeake Bay Candle company, at its corporate headquarters in Rockville, Md., and its factory in Glen Burnie. Mei Xiu, the CEO and founder and UMD alumna, was born in China and now oversees the multi-million dollar company with worldwide product distribution. Having a woman at the helm and hearing her unique entrepreneurial story was an inspiration to all the students. Another inspiring personal and professional story was shared by Clifton Broumand, CEO & Founder of Man & Machine, Inc. Prior to their visit to his Landover, Md., headquarters, Broumand challenged the students to submit a written executive brief, which he then forwarded for feedback to his employees working in his China headquarters. 

Representatives from Smith’s 12 Centers for Excellence and several of Smith’s professors also addressed the group, providing a well-rounded and impressive body of knowledge for the Beijing residents to take home.  In January, OGI will again host a group of MBA students from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia for a two-week business and cultural immersion program.  Next year will mark the 16^th year that RMIT has sent students to College Park.  Earlier this summer, Smith undergraduates benefitted from the continued working relationship between our schools, when they were hosted in Melbourne on the RMIT campus as part of their 10-week global internship course led by Mary Harms, clinical associate professor of marketing.

For more information about OGI, go to: The Office of Global Initiatives, Robert H. Smith School of Business.

Claudia Donnelly , Office of Global Initiatives