Looking next door for that higher business education

Good news for mainland MBA students wanting a broader perspective on global markets and company operations: You no longer need to look abroad - to Europe or the United States - since there is an answer closer to home.

That, at least is the conclusion of some Renmin University MBA students, from Beijing, who have just completed a study tour in Hong Kong.

The special administrative region is of course an international metropolis, with a large number of globally renowned companies and a business and cultural environment that combines Eastern and Western characteristics.

That is precisely why Zhi Xiaoqiang, associate dean of Renmin University Business School, took a 30-member MBA delegation to Hong Kong, on April 24.

According to Zhi, it was an important move to help globalize his school's MBA program through exchanges and cooperation with multinationals and universities in Hong Kong.

Over the six-day period, the Renmin University students attended classes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

They has in-depth exchanges with students, faculty, and alumni of the universities, which allowed them to get a better grasp of the business environment and culture of Hong Kong.

Faculty members on the delegation also benefited a lot from the visit, especially in getting insights into teaching methodology and philosophy on how to operate a successful university.

It was possible to take a lesson from Chinese University of Hong Kong, which is a comprehensive research university with a global vision, whose mission, it says, is to combine tradition with modernity, China with the West.

Its faculty and students come from all four corners of the earth. The school offers bilingual courses and distinguishes itself with its flexible credit system and multiculturalism.

The Renmin University delegation also visited three prominent enterprises - the Chinese Gold & Silver Exchange Society, the American International Assurance Co Hong Kong, and Li & Fung Ltd.

This gave the mainland students an opportunity to talk face-to-face with top executives and employees about how to operate a company in a global context and in a new information era.

The Renmin University Business School's MBA program is considered one of the best in China. Last December, it got European Quality Improvement System accreditation - an international system of quality assurance and accreditation for institutions of higher education in management and business administration.