IES Abroad students studying abroad in Shanghai had the opportunity to expand their understanding of Chinese business culture and economics with lectures from marketing expert and author Christine Ching, MBA and China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) Professor of Economics, and Associate Dean Bala Ramasamy, Ph.D.
Understanding the Chinese Market
Students in the IES Abroad Shanghai – Economy, Business, & Society program attended Christine Ching’s presentation “Learning About Chinese Culture Through Understanding China-Style Marketing & Sales Strategy”– which is a part of the Shanghai Center’s lecture series. The lecture focused on how local Chinese companies and multinational companies manage branding, sales and distribution networks in the Chinese market. Christine concluded the session with advice for students interested in pursuing a career in China.
Christine is native to Hong Kong and grew up in Canada. She holds Bachelor and Master of Engineering degrees from University of Toronto, and an MBA from Stanford University. Based on her 15 years of working in China, Christine wrote Grasp China, an all-in-one-guidebook that covers critical details that business travelers and expats must know including up-to-date social topics, daily life of the Chinese people, unspoken business rules, and tips on traveling and living in China. In her early career in China, Christine consulted for a number of large multi-national companies on their Chinese market strategy. Later she held positions as the Head of Strategy at Kimberly Clark China and Marketing Director at Starbucks China. She currently lives in Shanghai.
Analyzing Where Chinese Economics is Headed
The following day, IES Abroad students headed off to another lecture, this one combined with a tour of the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) - Shanghai campus, a renowned institution for management education co-founded by the Chinese government and the European Union. Dr. Ramasamy gave a lecture titled “Quo Vadis China” that aimed to help participants develop their own analysis on the future of Chinese economics through understanding China’s past and present.
Dr. Ramasamy has been teaching at higher institutes of learning since 1988. He has had wide experience teaching students of different backgrounds and cultures in mainland China, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, Ghana, and the UK. His research interest focuses on Asian economies, Foreign Direct Investment, Corporate Social Responsibility, and International Business Strategy. He has been widely published in academic journals and is regularly sought to share his views and comments with the media including CCTV, Bloomberg, AP, Al Jazeera, The Wall Street Journal, and China Daily.
IES Abroad Shanghai Center Director, Qinbo “James” Gao looks forward to continuing to take students on more campus and company visits. He also plans to invite more speakers to the Shanghai Center to broaden students’ knowledge about Chinese business and international relations.
Enhance your business education by studying abroad in China, completing a summer internship in Shanghai, or a summer internship in Hong Kong.
