Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - Sixteen students from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will tour and study in China from March 12-25 as part of the China Business Practices and Culture course, in collaboration with the International Business Resource Center. Louis Nzegwu, associate professor of business and executive director of the IBRC, teaches the course.

Participants will visit businesses and cultural sites in China, beginning their journey in Hong Kong, then traveling to Guangzhou, Shanghai and concluding in Beijing. Presentations will be provided by local businesses and will include topics such as organization, products, human resources, education, training, compensation and international marketing.

The group will also visit the American Embassy in Beijing for a presentation by U.S. State Department officials about the Chinese economy. In Shanghai, students will visit the Wisconsin Department of Commerce office to learn more about how the Chinese economy and commerce relates to doing business in Wisconsin.

One highlight of the trip will be the group's participation in the Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific American Chambers of Commerce in Guangzhou on March 17. Students will have an opportunity to interact with chamber members from 21 Asia Pacific countries and more than 300 corporate executives and high-level U.S. officials.

The participating students' majors range from business administration, engineering, agribusiness, industrial technology management, English, human resource management and psychology, as well as a number others. Mayia Corcoran, a junior majoring in psychology, looks forward to her first trip outside the United States.

"I'm very interested in learning more about international business practices, as well as the Chinese culture. The experiences I have in China will build my interpersonal skills and help me in graduate school and in my profession," she said.

This is the second year for the China tour, and Nzegwu says he intends to continue to build on the business and social relationships the UWP groups are making each year.

"The Asian region is the fastest growing economy in the world, and the future of most countries' economies will be tied to China's. China is the largest open market in the world now with its admittance to the World Trade Organization. This is an excellent opportunity for our students to get a global view and see how it relates back to Wisconsin," Nzegwu said.

Anyone interested in this or other IBRC initiatives can visit the website at www.uwplatt.edu/ibrc/.

Contact: Louis Nzegwu, Executive Director, IBRC, (608) 342-1597, nzegwu@uwplatt.edu

Prepared By: Evelyn Martens, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, martense@uwplatt.edu