MBA Students Find Mason Connections Halfway around the World

By Tara Laskowski

The Great Wall might be magnificent and the Forbidden City exotic, but for 30 George Mason MBA students, it was the opportunity to gain insight into the Chinese business world that propelled them halfway around the globe. Accompanied by course instructor Vernon Hsu, China coordinator Madelyn Ross, and the MBA Program director Phillip Buchanan, the students set off for China in August as part of the program's global residency requirement.

The students visited Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing over their 10-day stay, learning about business practices and financial markets in China. One of the sources sharing his knowledge of the field was Mason alumnus Michael W. Creasy, BS Accounting and Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems '91, senior assurance manager for Grant Thornton LLP. At the time of the trip, Creasy served as a liaison between the firm's U.S. and Asia offices, working to ensure that the accounting and auditing work done in Asia fulfilled U.S. requirements. He recently was admitted to the Grant Thornton partnership, the first Mason alumnus to be so honored, and has relocated to the firm's New York office. Students also met with William Ryback, deputy chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and father of Dana Ryback, a current George Mason MBA student. Ryback discussed the banking environment and regulation of financial institutions in Hong Kong.

The students also toured the financial sector of Hong Kong, visited the corporate offices of Dupont China, and met with a U.S. embassy economic officer. Meeting face to face with business executives and government officials, students discovered things that surprised and enlightened them—from the way China handles intellectual property rights to the percentage of total exports the country sends directly to Wal-Mart (6 percent!).

Mason's MBA Program offers four global residencies each year. Past courses have led students to places such as England, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Chile, and Ireland. Buchanan hopes that future global residencies will include Italy, Slovenia, and other parts of Eastern Europe.

Students in the MBA Program and their instructors stand in front of the Great Wall of China.

Alumnus Michael Creasy gives a presentation to the students.