Submitted By: Athena Schwartz

While browsing the internet, I came across this brief article from the China Daily about the fight against AIDS in China (China Praised For Its AIDS Efforts). As China grows in population, it seems that disease would be an enormous problem, and maybe it already is. Back in undergrad, when you first lived in a dorm, didn’t it seem like if one person got the flu, EVERYBODY got it?

China has never come to mind when I’ve thought about AIDS, but this article reminded me that diseases like this affect everyone, especially countries with large populations and crowded cities. I don’t have any specific questions, but I found the article interesting and uplifting.

Submitted By: Adib Assassi

A group of Chinese scholars and retired officials has petitioned China’s legislature to halt the privatization of state companies, arguing it has widened the country’s income gap and fueled social unrest,” as reported in this Yahoo article (In China, A Move Against Privatization).

As Chinese industries become more and more privatized, people fear that the gap rich and poor will widen and the extremes of poverty and wealth will increase. Currently, China has a large portion of its population which is very poor. Many believe that government involvement in industry is the only way that this group can survive.

Just the other day I witnessed two individual’s in the MBA lounge having a similar debate about our country. They were discussing the role of government and its level of involvement in the lives of people and businesses. Granted our situation here in the states is drastically different than the situation in China. Nevertheless, there are similarities in the situations and we both face the same issues.

China is shifting its industry from being governmentally controlled (which it has been for so many years) to privately controlled. Maybe this does hurt many people and send Chinese revenues to foreign companies. But private industry also creates many jobs that would not be there otherwise. Also, most economists would tell you the private firms in a competitive market will create the strongest economy. And thus far, government control of industry has not been a success by any means. It is a double edged blade.

I think China is going to continue privatization and become more westernized. But is this the right move?

• How involved should the government be in business?
• Will privatized industry benefit China and its population in the long run?
• Should the government continue control of industries?
• Or, is their some balance?

Submitted By: Steve Feng

When you go to Beijing, look out where you step. Apparently, this city is known for spitting; check out this article in the Beijing Review (Spit Happens). Erin Conway-Smith explains that the pollution in the air is nearly as bad as smoking cigarettes. This pollution starts to cause discomfort in the throat, and some people, especially the older crowd, chose to spit to clear the mucus. Recently, the government and organizations have tried to prohibit spitting. The government campaigned to decrease the contamination of SARS by prohibiting spitting, however was unsuccessful. “Spitting bags” are handed out to address this sanitary issue. If you’re thinking that this will be a great opportunity to connect with your childhood and spit all over the place, be careful. The fine is $6 for spitting in public.

Note: Your MBA classmate Steven Feng and I have been reading and thinking about similar issues. The below are segments from each of us that I have combined into this single post.

Prof. Carr Segment:

The market. Ah, all Americans that claim to be true capitalists say they believe in “markets” … except, you will find, when the market applies to them, their firm or their industry! Economic theory (rationale choice) in action.

Having typed such a dig, I do want each of us, myself included, to always constantly be looking at, studying and be aware of the relevant “market” and what it’s doing. And, asking the question — is my own skill set competitive and attactive in the current market?

If not, get ready to be stuck at a firm or in an industry you may not want to be stuck at for a long, long time.

As an MBA student and graduate, you, of all people and professionals, just have no excuse to not know or do this (same holds true for me being an assoicate dean in a business school). Whether you are buying a house or a car, negotiating your salary with a prospective employer, being hit up for a raise by an employee you manage, etc., one (not the only) important starting point of analysis should always be “what is this item worth in today’s market?” and/or “is this employee asking me for a raise at the mean of the market, or above the mean for this market, or is their skill set at the really low end of this market?”

How you perceive their skill set versus how the employee perceives their skill set if often very different. If you don’t ask these questions and find out the answer before you commit, well, good luck in business – you may not last long.

The same holds true for MBA programs. Many people think they know what an MBA program should/should not be doing and/or what it should/should not look like, but they often have have limited knowledge re: what “the MBA market” is doing or saying in this regard because they have never hopped on the Internet to see what the compeition is doing and/or study the issue and market in detail by, e.g., attending conferences where these things are studied and discussed.

For example, with respect to full-time MBA programs in the USA, the “MBA market” is clearly moving more and more toward accelerated programs (see also, Steve’s related sement below on executive MBA programs). Applicants (part of the the market) have spoken with their feet and most will no longer take two years away from work, lose that income, etc., in order to pursue an MBA. Thus, good schools and programs adapt and offer accelerated programs, such as the one you are in. The other one’s won’t adapt and they will limp along or in time die. We have an accelerated program in place, so in terms of “the market” we are ahead of the curve on this item.

As another item and example, I recently did a post on the following topic, “MBAs Who Understand the PRC,” where I talked about how the top MBA programs in the USA are REQUIRING, yes REQUIRING, their students to do a China type trip. We already have built this type of an experience into our program, so we are again in good shape in terms of how we compare to “the MBA market” and the competition on this item. See also Steve’s related segment below.

Does this mean we don’t have work to do on items and issues not discussed above (or below)? Of course not! This post in no way tries to expressly make or imply such a position. That would be absurd. We can all get better and improve.

Two weeks ago the Wall Street Journal published a great article titled, “MBA Programs Hone Soft Skills.” Please read this article. I was both pleased and dismayed after I read it.

I was pleased, because with respect to emphasizing Communications in our MBA program and curriculum, this article highlights that we are ahead of the curve at the Orfalea College of Business. We are also fortunate to have excellent professors who teach this course (Professor Whitaker in the MBA program and Professor Beamon in the soon to be launched MS in Tax program next Fall).

But with respect to Leadership, you will see from this article that some good schools out there are doing some very innovating things; in my view, we are behind the curve in this regard and we have some catching up to do. See also my earlier post on the topic and import of leadership, “Leadership and the Himalayas.”

Re: the issue of Ethics in the curriculum, with Professor Anderson’s GSB 514 Law course in the fall and his GSB 537 Ethics and Corporate Governance class in the spring that students can make the decision to take, I am also feeling pretty good. He too, is an excellent professor. See, e.g., the ethics section of the AACSB organization website that accredits our and all business schools. We also have in place the opportunity for our MBA students to participate each year in a wonderful MBA business ethics competition at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles to see how they/we stack up against other schools and programs, and this year James Towers, Peter Thelen, Katie Hofman Ritchie and Meghan Girvin have stepped up to lead and represent. Kudos to them!

So on four out of five of the above (accelerate program, international trip and experience, ethics, leadership), we are in good shape. But re: one of the items (leadership), we have pockets of individuals who lead, no doubt, and they are to be commended, but AS A PROGRAM the above suggests that we have some more work to do.

I welcome your thoughts on the above.

BY THE WAY, DURING JOB INTERVIEWS AND WHEN YOU INTERACT WITH EMPLOYERS, WHAT WE DO WELL AND RIGHT — SEE ABOVE — IS PART OF THE STORY YOU SHOULD BE AND NEED TO TELL AS PART OF MARKETING YOURSELF FOR THE POSITION!! IF YOU ARE NOT DOING THIS, YOU ARE NOT INTERVIEWING AS EFFECTIVELY AS YOU COULD BE!!

Steven Feng Segment:

On February 13, 2007, a Wall Street Journal article (M.B.A Programs Take Fast Track) discusses the business-school trends in executive MBA programs. Two key trends are shortening programs and foreign travel. Companies want their employees available to work, and the market demand is moving into foreign opportunities and foreign relationships. Although our program is not designed for the “executive,” these trends have been implemented in our program. This correlation may suggest that our administration department has done a good job predicting the future demands. If executives are being taught about foreign countries, this China trip experience will be a valuable asset to your future employer.