Our CEO is currently doing a Global Executive MBA at the Rotterdam School of Management, from which he will graduate in June 2019. During this MBA, students will travel to all parts of the world in order to explore [upcoming] markets and to intensively collaborate with different cultures and nationalities. In this blog he wants to take you along in his experience in Asia: Hong Kong, Xiamen [China] & New Delhi [India].
“For the Global Asia Residency of my OneMBA Course, I had the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong, Xiamen and New Delhi. During this trip we were able to explore the Chinese and Indian culture and deep dive in the possibilities to do business in the region.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong we met with OneMBA Alumni’s of the Hong Kong University to discuss the developments in the region and explore how upcoming technology is impacting Chinese economy. Currently the economic growth is slowing down to 6,8 percent and the Chinese government is stimulating innovation by subsiding small medium enterprises (SME’s). Main drivers for innovation in China are Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Data Science and Internet of Things.
Hong Kong is a very touristic destination with a great infrastructure of Bridges and Tunnels connecting all the Islands via Metro, Train and Ferry. From the airplane you can see the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge connecting the Hong Kong Island to Macau. It took 9 years to construct this bridge, but coincidently it was opened during our stay in Hong Kong and this is key for the connection of the Western Pearl River Delta region.
In terms of business Hong Kong is booming and it is known as the Wall Street of Asia. Foreign investors see Hong Kong as the entry point to the Asian market. Western innovation starts in Hong Kong. From there it’s spreading to China, India, Singapore and other Asian countries.
Xiamen
In Xiamen we have explored the one belt one road (OBOR) initiative of China and discussed the economical and cultural aspects of doing business in China. During our stay in this beautiful, green and clean city we have visited the campus of Xiamen University and the company Jiarong which is producing waste water management solutions.
The OBOR initiative of China is an economic and political program focusing on the integration of economic activities within Asia, Europe and Africa. The belt stands for a physical Silk road connecting Asia to Europe, all the way to Northern Scandinavia. The Road stands for the old Maritime Silk Road from Asia up to Venice. This initiative is taking massive proportion involving 105 countries worldwide and China has already created 82 economic zones by investing $28 billion. Currently the main focus is the African continent where China is negotiating with the African Union to invest heavily in infrastructure for railways in order to connect the different countries and stimulate the bilateral trade. As an assignment based on this topic, we needed to analyze the opportunities and challenges and present a business venture to our global peers.
The company visit to Jiarong was interesting, since one of the founders is an alumni of the OneMBA program. The company produces mobile installations using pumps and membranes to filter and clean-up infected water. The enthusiastic and charismatic founder has provided us a tour through the production plant followed by a presentation about the company’ history. In the end we had an interesting discussion about the current strategic challenges and future ambition of the company.
Delhi
In Delhi we visited the MDI (Management Development Institute) were we started out with an Indian ceremony to light up some candles to represent the positive, the good and the good spirits. The MDI had arranged speakers to present the different aspects of doing business in India and to trigger good group discussions about the Indian economy and political situation. We have explored the challenges, opportunities and cultural aspects.
During our stay a short but impressive culture trip around Old Delhi had been organized, where I truly experienced daily live. I was impressed by ISA Khan’s Garden tomb. The adventure was concluded by a magnificent traditional Bollywood party which was a true life-time happening.
I am grateful for the experience and want to thank the Xiamen University for the hospitality and fantastic organization of the events in both Xiamen and Delhi.”
Best Regards,
Rigo selassa
