Elon Law and MBA students engage Shanghai and Hong Kong

The international business course featured a two-week study abroad component that included business, legal and cultural activities in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Students in the course visited a variety of business operations in both locations and discussed with individuals managing those businesses the challenges and opportunities presented by doing business in China in the twenty-first century.

The course was taught by Robert Moorman, Frank S. Holt Jr. Professor of Business Leadership, and Jack Hicks, adjunct business law professor and partner at the law firm of Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge & Rice.

Students in the class organized into teams, with each team focusing on one of the businesses on their itinerary. The teams researched business and legal issues specific to each company, covering topics such as tariffs and anti-dumping laws, intellectual property law and prevention of counterfeits, labor and employment law, and business start-ups. Companies visited included Fine Furniture, Glen Raven, China, Grana and VF Corporation.

“The Winter JD/MBA trip to Shanghai and Hong Kong was an amazing experience going into my last semester in law school,” said Blakeny Brown. “This trip opened my eyes to the endless opportunities, both cultural and professional, awaiting students like myself. The course emphasized the importance of understanding the intersection among law and business instead of seeing two dichotomies with little room for collaboration. Looking forward, I want to be the best advocate for my client, and having this kind of international exposure will be an asset in my career. I recommend this trip to any student looking to learn and expand his/her wealth of knowledge.”

“The Shanghai/Hong Kong trip provided a comprehensive global complement to my MBA education,” said Robert Martin. “I appreciated the academic opportunity to learn about Chinese business and legal challenges while developing valuable relationships with classmates and professors.” 

In addition to corporate and law firm visits, the trip included a variety of dining and cultural experiences. In Shanghai, students enjoyed a boat ride near Shan Tan Street and visited Jade Buddha Temple, the Urban Planning Museum, Shanghai World Financial Center, the Bund and Nanjing Road. In Hong Kong, the group visited Stanley, a popular market town, and enjoyed travel on the Star Ferry, crossing Victoria Harbor, and the Peak Tram, providing views of the city skyline. They also visited Aberdeen, the famous fishing village, boarding a sampan for a close-up view of waterborne life. 

“I valued the opportunity to see the correlation between business and law in an international setting,” said Britt Burch, who is pursuing a JD/MBA at Elon. “It is rare to be able to travel abroad and actually visit the companies and places you study. Being immersed in the culture adds an entirely different perspective to the study of international business and law and it was quite an amazing experience.”

This was the seventh consecutive year that Elon’s law and MBA programs offered a joint winter-term international business course that included study abroad. It is one of the only collaborative courses of its kind in the country.

Elon Law students on the trip included Shaketa Berrie, Joshua Bonney, Blakeney Brown, Scheherazade Pittman and Sonja Russell.

Elon MBA students included Jacob Danieley, Alexander Dawson, Roger Griffin, Meghan Hembree, Jillian Hollis, William Jennings, Robert Martin, Emily Moonan, Caitlin Shaw and Patricia Teter. 

Learn more about Elon Law here.

Learn more about the MBA program at the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business here.

Learn about Elon’s JD/MBA program here.