The GLOBE Programme has always been regarded as one of the top priorities by the Kenan Flagler Business School, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). With its well extended alumni network, UNC offered many opportunities for GLOBE students to explore the business world and enrich international exposure.
During the 5-day trip to New York City, we had the valuable opportunities to visit some of the world’s renowned organizations. On the cultural aspect, we paid a visit to Radio City Music Hall of New York, which holds one of the world’s most spectacular cultural events. The visit to National Basketball Association (NBA) granted us valuable insights about the blend of sports, media and business. We were also allowed to enter the Courts of New York City and the District Attorney’s office to have a deeper understanding of the U.S. legal system.
Obviously, Wall Street, the centerpiece of the financial world, was on our itinerary. Senior bankers from CharlesBank, a private equity firm, explained to us the role of private equity in the financial markets, which corresponded well with the Private Equity course, one of the GLOBE courses taken at UNC. At Standard & Poor’s, we learnt about how rating agencies contribute to the financial system. The highlight of the trip was definitely NASDAQ, where top executives explained to us the industry of stock exchange and we were even invited to witness the market opening bell live! Surprisingly, there was a company named GLOBE having IPO on the day of our visit. What a coincidence! All in all, the trip was amazing with every aspect of this great metropolitan.
The study trip to the Research Triangle Park was an eye-opening experience. We visited several companies from a wide range of industries, such as healthcare, software solutions and even breweries. Through visiting new start-ups, as well as established companies that have been in operations for many years, we were able to reinforce what we learnt in our Global Venturing course. We learnt how exposure to global standards in business may be leveraged to develop ventures that compete across multiple geographies, and built to become sustainable competitive advantages. Through our interactions with start-up management teams for a range of high-growth global ventures, we got a glimpse into the latest entrepreneurial trends in the global marketplace. The study trip has given us insights on entrepreneurship and “born global” ventures; it was a very rewarding trip indeed.
