Students Explore International Business by Doing Business Abroad

A new study abroad program is being planned to offer Crosby MBA Program students as well as undergraduate students an opportunity to not only study business abroad, but also participate in international commerce through internships in China.

This summer two MU MBA students, Jessica Heusler and Jordan Wolfe, will travel around the globe for a pilot internship program in China. The students will assist with the marketing for ChinaSense, a program through the China-International Business Collaborative that provides tours and inside-business access to universities and business groups that want to learn more about how business is conducted in China. 

ChinaSense was founded as China became more prominent on the global business scene.  The College of Business currently employs ChinaSense as the in-country facilitator for the college’s summer 2007 China program.Through the program, graduate students will visit companies and discuss international business issues with executives in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Hong Kong.  The program also includes business lectures and entertainment.

Heusler and Wolfe will work directly with the company’s founder to develop marketing strategies, website evaluations, and customer service recommendations. While abroad for about a month, they will stay at QinHua University in Beijing.   

“I cannot wait to go to Beijing, and I hope to return with a new understanding of Chinese business practices through my work with ChinaSense,” says Heusler.  She has served as a student manager for the college’s programs in Bergamo, Italy and Gwangju, South Korea.  “I believe this internship will help make me a more competitive candidate in the job market as more and more companies work closely with China as a result of globalization.”    

Upon arriving back in the U.S., Heusler and Wolfe will make recommendations for future China-based internship programs for the college.  Should this internship experience with ChinaSense be successful, the potential for more internships opportunities abroad for MBA and undergraduate students will be explored. 

“The college’s Study Abroad program has been growing with respect to the number of students participating and expanding in the variety of countries to which we travel,” says Chuck Franz, associate professor of management, who oversees the college’s study abroad program.  “Exploring the option to provide more international internships for our students is very exciting.”