GLOBE is a pioneering leader in business education at an international level. A fusion of firsthand exploration and intellectual learning, this program aims at equipping students with a globalized mindset and strong business sense. This fall, GLOBE students explored the United States.
On our trip to Washington, D.C., we had the very valuable opportunities to visit different government departments like the Federal Reserve, the Capitol and the Treasury Department, and discussed with the officials the policies and attitude of the country towards the financial crisis and presidential election. For example, we had Ms. Duke, the Board member of the Federal Reserve, to talk about how the U.S. government tackled the crisis on one of the visits, and the information she gave was much more detailed than what we got from the media. We also benefited a lot from the various sharing sessions regarding the structure of the financial market, the U.S. diplomatic relationships with China and Denmark in selected areas and domestic U.S. affairs. The trip has been quite different from the rest in the sense that it highlighted the inseparable link between politics and business.
In the hectic yet rewarding study trip to Research Triangle Park (RTP), we got the chance to talk to various venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, and realize how different our mindsets are. Say, when entrepreneurs talk about their choice of occupation, they do so with gusto and passion and they often talk about having the choice as to what they do with their lives. We were so inspired by these entrepreneurs’ passion and dedication. In fact, one of the entrepreneurs actually declined a full scholarship offer from Stanford and started his business. RTP is not only a model for innovation, but also for education and economic development. This trip aroused my interest in being a venture capitalist to work on great business ideas and to make a difference to the world.
The tour to Charlotte and Asheville commenced with the visit to North Carolina Research Campus, a private-public venture created as a research hub to foster collaboration and knowledge in biotechnology, nutrition and health. We learnt about the enthusiasm of the founder Mr. Murdock while we stood in awe appreciating the artistic design of the research campus. Followed by was the inspirational panel discussion on global equity markets at Robinson, Bradshaw and Hinson Law Firm, during which we learnt from these business executives their insight in the midst of an unprecedented global economy crisis. We also met with the Chief Market Analyst of Evergreen Ventures where we got first-hand knowledge of how investors and financial institutions endeavor to adapt, recover and innovate during recessions. We were also very fortunate to visit the amazing entrepreneur of JetPool, founded in 2004 and provided private aviation solutions to frequent business travelers. The tour concluded with our astonishment at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, the largest privately-owned chateau in the U.S.
