The Shanghai Study Tour 2016, was the fourth delegation of students embarking on the study tour to the Peoples Republic of China. The objective of the study tour is to expose students to cutting-edge business developments, various cultural differences and differing ideologies. The study tour offered students a firsthand experience of the business culture in Shanghai. During the 10 day trip, students met with leading executives, academics and government officials, and they were granted the opportunity to explore different business environments.
Students were able to gain insights into China’s distinctive culture and reflect upon their own culturally embedded understandings. The tour, designed to enhance intercultural communication skills and competencies, also developed the groups’understanding of Chinese society and politics.
Ms Vartikka Indermun, Academic Manager at MANCOSA, stated that,
“The Shanghai Study Tour 2016, exposed me to a plethora of unique insights into China’s political and economic structure, culture and business etiquette that could never have been replicated in a textbook or classroom.”
Participating in site visits, attending interactive lectures and engaging in cultural activities, within the world’s next great superpower itself, were experiences unlike any other. China is developing at an unprecedented pace and its business influence is becoming increasingly evident within African countries. The Shanghai Study Tour 2016, provided the ideal platform to collaborate and meet people from diverse cultures. The study tour had a profound impact not only on the students’ business perspective of the second largest economy in the world, but on the way people in general, whether Chinese or South African, are still looking to create a better life for themselves and their families.