March 10, 2008:
Not only is she finishing up midterm exams,
Philadelphia University MBA student Maria Angioletti is also preparing for a spring
break trip of a lifetime with the School of
Business Administration (SBA).
For more than a decade, the Office of
Graduate Business Programs has offered MBA
students the opportunity to travel to Asian
and European countries during spring break
for a firsthand, international business
experience. This year, Angioletti—along with
more than 30 of her classmates, SBA faculty,
University administrators and trip organizer
D.K. Malhotra, Thomas J. Herzfeld term chair
for Finance and professor of Finance—will
travel to Beijing and Shanghai to take in
China’s rich culture and learn what global
business is all about. During her trip, she
plans to document her experiences by
blogging. “I plan to blog on my experiences
every day while I’m abroad,” said Angioletti.
“Doing so will be a great way to let others
know what I’m seeing and learning.”
Angioletti and the group will leave on
Thursday, March 13, arriving in China on
Friday, March 14. Once in Beijing, they will
tour the “Forbidden City,” which was closed
off to most of the world for 500 years, as
well as Tiananmen Square and the Great Wall
of China. Before returning to Philadelphia
on Saturday, March 22, she will also explore
the bustling streets of Shanghai and meet
with many business executives from companies
such as Anheuser-Busch, Liz Claiborne,
Johnson & Johnson and KPMG International.
“I feel I will be able to take away a lot
from the trip, especially a clearer
understanding of the globalization of
business,” said Angioletti, who first
attended PhilaU as an undergraduate Digital
Design student (2003 to 2007) before
enrolling in the University’s Five-year
BS/MBA Program. “I’m enjoying my studies in
the MBA Program; it has enabled me to learn
about business in a variety of ways,
including through travel abroad. My
opportunity to learn firsthand about Chinese
business is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
“Experiential learning is extremely
effective and I have been very fortunate to
travel and to learn right along with my MBA
students on these fabulous trips,” said
MarySheila McDonald, assistant dean for
Graduate Business Programs. “I can say,
without a doubt, every MBA student who has
participated in our annual international
business trip and course has been
transformed professionally and personally
Textbooks and lectures simply can not
replicate the experiences our students gain
from this activity.”
Angioletti admits that before registering
for the 10-day trip and accompanying
International Business course, she didn’t
really think about the impact culture has on
business: “Before, I didn’t realize how
culture can influence day-to-day business
dealings, but I’m very excited to be able to
learn more about it.” While counting down
the days until takeoff, Angioletti is also
busy packing and brushing up on the Chinese
etiquette she learned in the course.
After her trip, and following graduation in
May, Angioletti plans to put the knowledge
she gains on her international business trip
to good use as an information designer in
the Technology Leadership Program at the
Vanguard Group in Malvern, Pa., this summer.
To follow Angioletti’s journey through the
Far East,
log on to her blog daily, at http://PhilaUMBA.wordpress.com
March 14
through 22.
