Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- Eighteen students and two faculty members from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville will travel to Hong Kong and China with the 2007 China Study Tour, March 9 through 25.

"The goals of the tour are for students to expand their knowledge of how different cultures work, especially the business culture and to learn the best ways to compete," said Amy Schackman, International Business Resource Center.

Throughout their travels, students will visit different industries, universities international terminals and cultural places. Students will begin their tour in Hong Kong where they will visit the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council. There, Fiona Chan, assistant corporate relations manager, will give a presentation. Following, UWP students will meet and network with students at the Lingnan University. Students will also visit the Hong Kong International Terminals.

The next stop is Shenzheng, where students will tour the A.O. Smith facilities. A.O. Smith is a company based out of Milwaukee.

During their time in Guangzhou, students will listen to a presentation by Eileen Bai, commercial specialist for the Foreign Commercial Service and U.S. consultant general. UWP students will then travel to Guangzhou University where they will have lunch with the students and listen to a lecture. In the evening, students will visit the Liu Rong Temple and Family Chen House.

Upon arrival in Wuhan, UWP students will socialize and network with students from South Central University of Nationalities (SCUN) and receive lectures from SCUN professors. UWP is a partner with SCUN as part of the international exchange program.

The tour will continue as students fly to Shanghai. During their time there, students will visit the Shanghai Museum, People Square, Pearl Production, the Jade Buddha Temple, the Silk Museum, Yu Garden, and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. Following, Paul Swenson, chief representative of the China Office of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce will give a presentation. Students will further expand their knowledge of Chinese business with visits to Nu Skin Enterprises, and HUSCO-Kayaba Hydraulics and PRENT, both Wisconsin based companies. PRENT participated in the spring Career Fair at UWP. Students will conclude their time in Shanghai with an acrobatic cultural show.

In the culture center of Xi'an, visits to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Terra-cotta Warriors are scheduled for the students. The China Study Tour will conclude in Beijing, the highlight being a visit to the Embassy of the United States. Chief U.S. trade representative to China, Sarah Kemp, will welcome students and give a presentation. Students will then visit John Deere and the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE). At UIBE, students will listen to a lecture on Chinese economics and business by a UIBE professor. Students will further experience the culture of China with visits to the Silk Market, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Great Wall and the Ming Tomb before returning to the United States.

Cara Fish, communication technologies major, is going on the tour. "I am looking forward to having an international business experience. I think it's a great way to learn outside the classroom and have a real world experience," she stated.

As they listen to presentations and converse with professionals and other students at these visits, UWP students will learn about topics in business including organization, products, human resources, education, training, compensation, market strategy and international marketing. "I'm looking forward to seeing how fast China is modernizing and seeing the major cities and new infrastructure," said Peter Soman, a senior majoring in business finance and accounting going on the tour. As part of their learning experience, students will be trained daily in basic Chinese language.

In addition to acquiring business skills and experiencing a different culture, students will also earn class credits. The tour is part of the Chinese Business Practices and Cultures course. Students will be graded based on their attendance to presentations, their participation in group discussions and a written report.

Greg Gallagher, a senior technology management major, is one of the students who went on last year's tour. He went because he thought it would be a great experience to learn about another culture and business. "I would recommend this experience for other students, absolutely. There's no way to describe how different the culture is without seeing it for yourself," he said.

This is the fourth year of the tour. It was started from a grant by the U.S. Department of Education. This year's tour is an expansion of previous tours Students were selected based on a their personal goals.

Anyone wanting more information about the China Study Tour may contact Louis Nzegwu at (608) 342-1597 or ibrc@uwplatt.edu

Contact: Louis Nzegwu, executive director, International Business Resource Center, (608) 342-1527,ibrc@uwplatt.edu Prepared by: Krystle Kurdi, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194,kurdik@uwplatt.edu"