As part of the MBA programme offered by the Management College of Southern Africa (MANCOSA), delegates were offered the opportunity to participate in the international study tour to Shanghai, China.
MANCOSA partnered up with Regent Business School and Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE), to educate and expose MBA students to various business practices, cross-cultural dynamics experienced in international trade, and understanding advances in transportation, technology and infrastructure.
The study tour is one example of higher education internationalisation underway at MANCOSA, reflecting its intent to engage particularly with BRICS countries and their universities. As part of the programme, participants were taken on historical city tours and company visits which includes exposure to diverse business environments and business operations within the IT, FMCG, Chemical Production, Steel Manufacturing, Motor Vehicle, Project Management and Engineering industries.
Saheefa Safar, an academic at MANCOSA, expressed her excitement about the tour:
“The Shanghai study Tour was an excellent example of learning outside the classroom academically and in a business sense. The companies visited, the engagement with the employers and employees, the surrounding itself shifted paradigms of the way business is conducted and how lessons can be learnt in unconventional ways. I have changed the way I think, I love technology and innovation and I will now use what I have learnt to incorporate into my lectures and shift the outlooks of my students. I have become more confident and look forward to leading innovative projects for MANCOSA. There are not enough words in the dictionary to describe how I felt when I was in Shanghai. I have to thank the Management of MANCOSA for affording me the opportunity of travelling to another continent, country, and city.”
From an educational perspective, MBA students benefited through sharing of ideas; building valuable networks and were able to gain knowledge that would be useful when undertaking their jobs in the diverse sectors they represent.
One study tour participant, Mr. Steven Njovu said:
“I really had a valuable experience during the study tour to Shanghai. The company visits and classroom discussions also helped me to acquire variable knowledge and train me to become a better and successful entrepreneur in my business ventures.”
This visit to Shanghai proved to be a valuable experience for participants who found the tour beneficial for their future entrepreneurial ventures.
Ms. Nombulelo Mbeki graduating at SUIBE University at the end of the Study Tour
Debriefing session at Zheyang Lighting Technology
Mr. Ridwaan Asvat of Regent Business School gifts the management of BASF
Group Selfie outside the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum during the Student Activity.