ASIA: Final Presentations at Guanghua

ASIA: Final presentations at Guanghua

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ASIA: Final Presentations at Guanghua

Europe: Kronborg Castle

Today, a few of us decided to visit Kronborg Castle, better known as Elsinore, the setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Since we all had bikes, we figured we would bike to Helsingor (where the castle was)...approx. 30 MILES north of Copenhagen! To quote a line from Hamlet: "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." We not only saved some money but were able to also get a great workout and experience the Danish landscape in a way few Danes and even fewer tourists have.

It took between 2 and 4.5 hours and a couple detours (our cross-cultural skills really came in handy), but we all made it! We had a long/short lunch (depending on when you arrived) and set out to explore Kronborg Castle. The castle was built in 1425 and rebuilt in 1585 to defend the Øresund, a straight connecting the Baltic Sea with the Atlantic Ocean.

We explored the Maritime Museum, Telegraph Tower, Chapel, Royal Apartments, and the Casements (which we thought was the dungeon because it was dark and gloomy, but actually served as soldier quarters during times of war). Highlights included large beautiful tapestries and works of art in the Royal Apartments and a statue in the Casements of Holger the Dane, Denmark's legendary hero who sits slumbering, ready to be stirred into action the instant the Danish kingdom is threatened by an enemy.

Incredibly sore after a long day, most of us opted to take a nice 40 minute train ride back to Copenhagen while Steph and Sam chose to bike back to Copenhagen!

~Kearby Chen

On top of the Telegraph Tower in Kronborg Castle!

EUROPE: Getting into the Jive in Copenhagen

So today is officially the fourth full day of the Europe group being here in amazing Copenhagen. The UVa lacrosse boys finally arrived, gracing us with their presence yesterday which was exciting. As amazing as Europe is, however, I would like to say that I do very much miss the other half of the class currently in Asia. Life will go on, but it's not the same. (photo left to right: Ben Rubeor, Stephanie Glover, Michael Timms, Shawn Flaherty, and Jamie Kinsler)

I find myself in awe of Skype and the fact that I can clearly and freely talk to someone all the way over in China or the United States! A few of us spoke to Eric Chen this morning via Skype. Getting to say "Hi" to some people via video was definitely a highlight of my day.

Moving on to what this blog is about... Class the past two days has been led by Dean Z and Nelson, [Carl Zeithaml and Ryan Nelson], which has been awesome. We are mainly doing strategy right now and have already gone on two company visits: yesterday to the Shell Denmark Headquarters and today to Tivoli, the big amusement park in the center of Copenhagen. (photo: Jae Young Lee)

Tivoli was awesome, and we plan to go back, but we were a bit miserable today because it was freezing. There was a torrential downpoor, hail included. Imagine the seven of us UVa girls in skirts and flip flops, no rain jacket, and a scarf if you were lucky. The only thing that redeemed the trip was the free beer we got at the end of the tour.

So, on to other interesting and fun parts of the trip so far. I've been shopping, running, cooking (in our quaint little kitchen), and trying to soak up as much of the Danish culture as possible. That being said, last night was the Champions Cup in Soccer; Manchester United verses Barcelona. Here in Copenhagen, the game was aired on a huge TV screen in the middle of city with tons of people gathered around drinking, watching, cheering, and singing. It was an awesome experience. Although I wasn’t attached to either team, it was great to be around these fans that were so passionate.

So we currently have a list of about fifteen things written on a white board that make up our “must do in Copenhagen before we leave” list. We are crossing our fingers that many of these can get accomplished this weekend. There is still so much to do and experience. We are taking one day at a time, but enjoying every minute of it!

--Stephanie Glover

Photo of Team Europe!

ASIA: The World is not Small, Flat, or Round. It’s BIG.

After spending almost two weeks in Beijing, I have realized that the world can feel like a small place when you can go halfway around it and find a 7-Eleven, eat at Subway, or have McDonald's delivered to your hotel room at midnight. I was somewhat prepared for the presence of American foods in China, but I was not prepared for the "time barrier" between China and the rest of the world. (photo: Katherine Knight, Lee Robertson, and Matt Moore)

As I type this, it is just after 1 p.m. here in Beijing. I just finished lunch and am on my way to the Beijing Capital Museum with the rest of the group. Quite the opposite, however, the M.S. in Commerce group in Copenhagen is still asleep (or maybe still partying), and it is just after 1 a.m. back home in Virginia.

All of this wouldn't have been such a big deal twenty or thirty years ago, but today it’s cheaper and easier than ever to connect with our friends in Europe or family back home. So far I’ve been using our hotel’s wireless connection to call friends in Copenhagen and my parents and friends back home for free using Skype, a free application I was even able to download to my wi-fi enabled phone. I’ve also been able to use Skype to call landlines in the States for about 2 cents per minute as I try to find an apartment for when I start work [with Robert W. Baird & Co. in Flordia] this July.

“What’s the problem,” you might ask? Now that the world is so connected, we can realize just how big it is. Because we are twelve hours ahead of the United States, I can only catch my parents on Skype when they are just finishing up dinner and I’m eating breakfast before class. When I’m eating dinner here, my parents and friends back home are rushing to get ready for work in the morning.

The “ease” with which we communicate globally is in contrast to Professor Maillet’s remarks about the difficulties he had communicating with his family back home when he worked in Asia [a few years ago]. During our residency, Professor Maillet said that he would rarely call home due to the cost and poor call quality. However, in 2009, I can call halfway around the world for free with a flawless connection. Of course, I have to make sure the people I’m calling aren’t still asleep while I’m wide awake.

Another troubling part of the time barrier has been the inconvenience of watching American and European sports while we are in China. Jeremy (photo left, background), my roommate and admitted basketball addict, is unable to watch the NBA Playoffs because they are shown live here while we are in class in the morning. Even worse, Wednesday’s European Champions League final featuring Manchester United and Barcelona began at 2:30 a.m., Beijing time.

With all of the talk about the world being flat, or round, or small, I couldn’t help but think that it truly is a big place as I was setting my alarm for 2:30 a.m. on Thursday morning so I could get a few hours of sleep before watching the game.

--Matt Moore

ASIA: Meeting New Students

Program Manager Katherine Michalik took a break from the current M.S. in Commerce class to meet up with two incoming Chinese students to the program's Class of 2010. Tiantian Cheng (left), a recent communications graduate from Renmin University, and Viola Zhang (right), an Italian major and graduate from Beijing Foreign Studies University, met over dinner to talk about the program, University of Virginia, and Charlottesville.

Photos courtesy of Stephanie Glover and Jae Young Lee: 1) the picturesque Nyhaven Canal, 2) Christina Matthews and Jae Young Lee framing the Copenhagen Opera House (in Danish usually called Operaen and one of the first modern opera houses in the world), 3) a local, but not unfamiliar-looking snack about to be eaten by Alex Sherman, and 4) a view of a Danish bike rack -- how does it compare to the rack at Peking University (see photo below)?

EUROPE: Greetings from Copenhagen!

After settling into our surroundings and adjusting to colder than anticipated weather, I think many of us have gotten the general hang of things. Wait for the little green man to light up and beep at you when you cross the street, say thank you in Danish ("Tak") whenever possible as it generally elicits a happy smile from the Danes, and stock up on fresh fruit and veggies from the local stand late in the day when they apparently give some lovely deals. We learned that last tidbit in class today.

Copenhagen, or should I say København, is very much alive. I feel as though I have only barely begun to scratch the surface. We took a bus ride for our company visit to Shell this afternoon. Along the way I spotted quite a few places I intend on exploring this weekend with my rented bike. That first company visit, might I add, was particularly interesting. Apparently I have missed their recent Ferrari marketing campaign? I made a mental note to pay more attention when I get back to the States.

Adjusting really is the main thing we have all been dealing with. Divide all costs by five and then compare to dollar prices at home. I’ve started to just memorize equivalent costs and bypass that system. 50Kr is a decently priced lunch and 200Kr is the max I am willing to spend on dinner more than twice a week. I think we all have some things to learn: for instance, do not assume that everything in cardboard cartons is milk, because you will probably end up with yogurt instead! All in all, we are finally here and enjoying Copenhagen our first week.

--Mary Brandon Ingram

Photo: Here's another place I intend on visiting. Christina [Matthews] and Alex [Sherman] were having a lot of fun!

ASIA: Hello from Beijing!

After being here for a week and a half, we have adjusted to many of the differences (e.g., unfamiliar animal parts, scarce water, smog) that we encountered. The quality has varied, but our class sessions at Guanghua have been terrific (e.g., sharp professors, well-organized course, great facilities). It has been a rich learning experience for all of us. It's impossible to convey the full breadth of our experiences, but here are a few interesting observations:

(1) Change--Throughout this year, we have stressed to our students the importance of change and its role in our program design. Managers must observe, interpret and adapt to ongoing change. And WOW, we are getting a heavy dose of how rapid change has (and will) occurred in China. Business lessons learned one year don't necessarily hold for the next year. The Guanghua professors have provided formal analyses on the social and economic changes, but.even more interesting have been the anecdotes offered. For example, yesterday's guest speaker described how his auto supply company has grown rapidly in just a few year, though he had no prior experience in the industry. Also, our accounting professor revealed a personal story on how he has become a university professor after growing up in the countryside and able to eat meat only once a year (for the Chinese New Year).

(2) Construction--The number of active construction projects is remarkable! There are many cranes and other heavy equipment visible on seemingly every block. Yet in spite of the equipment, there are many laborers hard at work during tasks that Western companies use equipment to complete. There are temporary quarters on some of the jobsites apparently housing workers (presumably from the countryside) on the property. Moreover, the jobsites seem to be active throughout the night--perhaps not surprising in a country experiencing such rapid change.

(3) Negotiation--All of us have had fun adjusting to the norm of bargaining with merchants. We've been challenged with quickly assessing the quality of the product, making a mental calculation of the exchange rate and being careful to be respectful to our hosts. I apparently went too far in my zeal for a good deal in one episode. After a couple of rounds, the young lady told me (in broken, but clear enough English) that the product was handmade (it sure didn't look like it), that my price was "impossible", that I was "stupid" and that I should "get out of [her] store." I followed her suggestion.

(4) Celebrity--I have never been photographed so many times--sometimes with and sometimes without permission. It has happened so many times that it is no longer surprising. In fact, I'm now a little disappointed when strangers don't ask me. It's a long story, but I'm no doubt in many coffee table photo albums across China. (Photo: Professor Ira Harris far right)

In sum, we are having an enriching time. Our students are doing a great job in the classroom, and enthusiastically exploring the city.

-- Ira Harris, Program Director of the M.S. in Commerce

(photos courtesy of Katherine Michalik)

ASIA: Riding the Rickshaw

Members of Team Asia try out the traditional (pre-bicycle) Chinese method of transportation -- the rickshaw. Photos: 1) a line of rickshaws awaits, 2) Christopher McMichael and John Kwening, 3) Katherine Michalik, and 4) Teddy Wolynec and Rob Stephens. Below photo was titled by its taker, Phi Trinh, as "Where is Team Heineken?"

ASIA: Peking University Photos

Photos of Peking University, courtesy of Matt Moore: 1) the largest collegiate library in China, 2) Centennial Hall, and 3) a standard bike rack

EUROPE: A Week's Notes From Kearby

Tuesday, May 19. Step [Glover], [Andrew] Pascoe, and I spent our first full day exploring Dubrovnik while Liz [Benjamin] and Jess [McHie] went to Bosnia. Dubrovnik is located in the southernmost part of Croatia on the Adriatic Sea, surrounded by 1940m-long defensive walls. The entire city is made of stone, including the streets that have been polished smooth by the millions of feet that have walked over it for hundreds of years. It was fun to explore all the nooks and crannies, where most restaurants and stores were, in the alleyways off the main street.

After Liz and Jess got back we all went out to, in our opinion, to Dubrovnik’s best night club. That place was bumping and would wear anyone out in record time; it look less than ten minutes for Liz! The next day we slept until a glorious 1 p.m. and went to the local beach. It was fairly unimpressive, so we decided to go to Split (north of Dubrovnik) the next day and called the landlady to settle our bill for the apartment.

* * * * * * * * * *

Wednesday, May 20. We got up at 7AM and took a 3.5 hour bus ride through Bosnia from Dubrovnik to Split, “the most popular tourist destination on the Dalmatian coast.” There were two girls talking very loudly behind us the entire time -- you would have thought they were Americans! It did not seem to bother Liz too much, although the multiple ticket and passport checks along the way kept waking her up.

We found our hostel clean, inviting, and inexpensive, as well as inside the Diocletian's Palace! We hit up the local Bacvice beach and played a little Picigin (or as we liked to call it, Splitball; the rules, strategies, and techniques of which are much too complicated to go into here...basically it involves Jess not touching the ball). We then enjoyed a delicious meal on the boardwalk.

Side note: In Croatia and probably other places in Europe, waiters never bring you the check until you ask for it. Meals can easily last anywhere from 15 minutes to two or more hours, but you never feel rushed, which is nice. Tipping is also not as important or expected; many places automatically include the service charge in the price, yet most places provide excellent, friendly service. It’s interesting that they seemed to be motivated by more than just money (unlike some, not all, Americans) and genuinely want to perform their job to the best of their ability.

We got up at 5:15 a.m. (!) to catch the first ferry to Supetar, a town on Brac, the third largest Croatian island. We took a taxi to the beautiful Golden Horn Beach and other than an excavator were the first ones there at 8 a.m. The water was a little cold but clear; we spent more than nine hours there and got a little sunburned. When we got back to the hostel, the electricity was out because apparently the Split football team had lost in an important game and angry fans had started a fire in the stadium that spread.

We stayed up pretty late just talking in the dark. We planned on taking a night train through Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, to Ljubljana in Slovenia, so we spent our last day in Split exploring the city. We had discovered this delightful little (possibly a franchise) sandwich and salad shop called “Fab Foods” in the main city square, Pjaca. Pascoe had his last four meals in Croatia there. I picked up a “Best of 2008” Croatian CD to check out the local music; I don’t understand any of the words, but the music sounded pretty similar to our pop or light rock songs. The girls shopped at Zara, etc. We spent our last couple hours in Split watching “Angels & Demons” in a kino (theater). It had Croatian subtitles which was a little annoying at first but I got used to it after a while.

* * * * * * * * * *

Thursday, May 21. A bit difficult to pronounce (j’s sound like y’s – just ask Liz if you need help sounding it out), Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia. Our Alibi hostel, although less than ideal, was in a great Ljubljanica River-side location near Preseren Square. We spent the better part of the day exploring the town and took the funicular up to Ljubljana Castle. I picked up “Life of Pi” at a local bookstore (great potential book club material…) and we briefly saw an 8-piece combo band performing on a bridge; they were surprisingly loud and more importantly, sounded great!

We went to Macek and got a shishe; we also got some “Burn” energy drink that not only looked but also tasted suspiciously like Red Bull… Since we had already travelled by plane, train, bus, ferry, car/taxi, and were planning on biking in Copenhagen, we decided to get up at 5:15AM the next morning (I hope we can continue to get up this early when we’re not on vacation!) and go on a hot balloon ride! Along with some incredible views of Ljubljana, it was pretty cool to watch three people unpack and pack the basket and balloon. It was pretty warm in the balloon (from the fire) and the landing was incredibly smooth on an open field. The balloonist, Grego, owned the company, four balloons (each costing approx. $50K!) and had been on 3000+ flights over 20+ years. He even taught us a couple extra Slovene/Croatian words (the two languages are pretty much just different dialects): Zdravo – Hello, Hvala – Thank you; we pretty much doubled our knowledge of Slovene/Croatian vocabulary beyond Pivo – Beer. At the end of the flight, he gave us signed certificates and christened us Barons and Baronesses of Ljubljana!

We explored the city and park a little more that day when I left the Fab 4 that afternoon to catch my flight through Budapest, Hungary to Copenhagen. They were planning on hiking around in Bled the following day.

* * * * * * * * * *

Friday, May 22. The flight from Ljubljana to Budapest was one of the more turbulent ones I’ve been on. It was raining, we were on a small plane, and it didn’t help that the pilot wasn’t very good (you can kind of tell prior to take-off by how they turn the plane); it was also a pretty hard landing. It also didn’t help that there were a couple sketchy Middle Eastern guys on the plane that got on late, kept changing seats, or kept taking his seat belt off whenever the flight attendant wasn’t looking. That’s when I thought to myself, being an air marshal would be pretty cool; not only do you get to fly around for free, but you also get to keep people safe. I think as it turned out, they didn’t speak very good English (or any Hungarian), it was something like their first flight, one guy wanted to change seats to talk to his friend, and I think one of them was getting a little airsick from the turbulence.

I purposely booked my flight so I would have a 10-hour layover in Budapest so I could sleep in the airport and save $; It wasn’t too bad considering I find it hard to sleep in libraries. The gate hadn’t been announced yet for my connecting flight so I just found a quiet area of the airport that was near a plug and wireless internet; by chance, of the 30 some gates, it turned out to be the same gate I was departing from!

* * * * * * * * * *

Saturday, May 23. I finally got to Copenhagen, a day early and ready to hit the ground running! Unfortunately, SPF [ classmate Sean Patrick Flaherty] wasn’t at the airport and I couldn’t get in contact with him. I just spent the day in the airport. I got a chance to digitize my journal blog, finish reading “Life of Pi” (great book), and organize all the photos I have.

-- Kearby Chen (photos courtesy of Jessica McHie)

EUROPE: Slovenia, my new favorite country!

Photos courtesy of Stephanie Glover: 1) Slovenia at its most quaint, 2) Andrew Pascoe rowing across Lake Bled, 3) the view from the boat, and 4) Liz Benjamin, Jessica McHie and Andrew Pascoe take a vertical trip in a hot air balloom

Greetings All!

I don’t know about you but to me feels like the Residency was a very long time ago. Since then, we’ve had folks climbing the great wall, eating pigs ear, wandering through Slovenia, touring Italy, renting bikes in Copenhagen and who knows what else. By now Team China (including Prof. Harris and Katherine) are like a bunch of old-timers in Beijing, and hopefully Team Europe are settling in well in Copenhagen with Dean Z and Prof. Nelson. As for me, I’m still in Charlottesville and will be heading to Shanghai this Saturday to join up with the folks there. We’ve got a fantastic week planned and I can’t wait!

-- Peter Maillet

ASIA: Not so far from home...

The class was told by Professor Peter Maillet before leaving for China that one could find just about anything they needed in Beijing. McDonalds and Pizza Hut were on hand to satisfy those who missed American cuisine, and recognizable names of department stores and retail outlets could be found within a mile or two. Who would have thought to stumble across an Auntie Anne's Pretzel kiosk, WalMart, Outback Steakhouse, or even Hooters?

Above photos courtesy of Matthew Moore, Katherine Michalik, and Lauren Schmidt: 1) Pizza Hut, 2) Jeremy Szuch buying a pretzel at Auntie Anne's, 3) an Outback Steakhouse, 4) Katherine before the local WalMart, and 5) the guys just couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit Hooters

EUROPE: Day 1

A highlight for many of us during our first full day in Denmark was the renting of bicycles. We wanted to make like the locals and participate in the daily commutes and see the sights while "looking the part". Everywhere people are biking--By far it's the most popular mode of transportation. The city's very bicycle friendly, with designated bike lanes and community bike programs. After getting our new rides, we took them for a spin about town, peddling amongst the crowds of Danes in the streets. Not quite the Tour de France, it was still neat ride in the crowds and be part of the vibrant city's fabric. In this picture you can see some us down by the harbor, Nyhavn. Our cruise included a stop at an outdoor cafe for coffee, followed by a speed-through of some the parks. After a night out downtown, on these trusty bikes we gents merrily rode the twenty minutes back home, eager to head to class tomorrow on our new speedy wheels.

--Sam Carr (top photo: Sam reading his paper of choice and Christina Matthews on the plane from Italy to Denmark; bottom photo from left to right: Jamie Kinsler, Andrew Pascoe, Jae Young Lee, and Sam)

EUROPE: Kearby Does Europe!

I’m travelling with half of my class to Copenhagen for about five weeks as the last component of our M.S. Commerce program. I am also travelling to Croatia and Slovenia before the program and perhpas Italy afterwards. I’ve always wanted to travel around Europe but have never gotten a chance until now; this could very well be my last summer of complete freedom.

Before class, I am travelling with Liz [Benjamin], Steph[anie Glover], Jess[ica McHie], and [Andrew] Pascoe! I never would have thought to explore Eastern European countries, mostly because I don’t know much about them, but I think I will be pleasantly surprised; photos of Croatia and Slovenia look awesome.

Speaking of photos, I brought a Nikon D80, so hopefully I will be able to post some good photos of some of the places we visit. It seems like a lot of people are going to Europe this summer (let me know if you are and would want to meet up!) During the program we will also be in Brussels, Belgium and Prague, Czech Republic (where SABMiller currently has the #1 market share!) with possible trips to Amsterdam in the Netherlands and/or Sweden.

I'll keep you posted! -- Kearby Chen