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Students Become More Competitive Studying Business Abroad

This summer two MU MBA students, Jessica Heusler and Jordan Wolfe, traveled around the globe for a pilot internship program in China. The students assisted 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.

The internship, which is new to the College of Business study abroad program, offers MBA and undergraduate students an opportunity to not only study business abroad, but also participate in international commerce through internships in China.

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

"I could not wait to go to Beijing, and I feel like I returned with a new understanding of Chinese business practices, 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 has helped to make me a more competitive candidate in the job market as more and more companies work closely with China as a result of globalization."

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.

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."