IUPUC faculty member Erica Berte, PhD., visited China as part of the Faculty Development in International Business Program.

Faculty in attendance visited China’s two leading economic regions, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta, in a tour of China’s transformation from a planned economy to a globally competitive market oriented economy. Berte met with entrepreneurs, business executives, and government officials, while visiting cultural sites, universities, and companies.

The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the Centers for International Business Education and Research, began in Shanghai, China’s economic and financial center. Other sites included Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.

Tour stops included Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, Shanghai Desano Pharmaceutical Investment Co., Ltd, and Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, a complex of 10 universities and 120,000 students.

“As an International Business professor, understanding what is happening with China and being able to experience their culture helps me to address better these issues in the classroom,” Berte said. “I can now present real examples, based on things that I saw happening. It adds the practical experience to the theory that I know.”