2019 GNW at Renmin Business School: From "Made in China" to "Invented in China"

The Global Network Week program from "Made in China" to "Invented in China" at Business School, Renmin University of China (RMBS) from March 11 to March 15, 2019 came to a perfect end. As one of the important participants in the initiation and establishment of the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM), RMBS welcomed about 40 MBA and EMBA students from 10 member schools globally.

Special Topics 

The first day was started with an ice-breaking activity as a warm-up. GNW module leader Prof. Majid Ghorbani of General Management welcomed the arrival of all and gave an introduction for 2019 GNW schedule. 

During the 5 days, a series of lectures were given to enable students have a comprehensive understanding about China today. For instance, “Zhongguancun’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship” by Hong Xuan, Deputy Secretary of Party Committee, Board Director and General Manager of Zhongguancun Development Group, introduced Zhongguancun's vicissitudes, industrial layout, supporting services for innovation and entrepreneurship as well as future development plan. 

“Digital Entrepreneurship in China” by Dr. Wenyu Du, Research Fellow, School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, focused on rural ecommerce, internet financing, and digital makers. “Western Multinationals & Indigenous Innovation in China” by Prof. Ziliang Deng of International Business and Associate Dean of RMBS, compared between Western and Chinese companies like Alibaba VS Wal-Mart through direct data and charts. “Urban Innovation in China” by Dr. Daxuan Zhao, Assistant Professor of Real Estate and Finance of RMBS, introduced the advantages of Chinese cities such as lower cost of labor, monopolized land market and better infrastructure and how to make use of the comparative advantages. 

“Legal Analysis of Foreign Investment in China” by Dr. Tianlong Lawrence Hu, Esq., Associate Professor of Law and Finance from the School of Finance, Renmin University of China, gave a brief introduction about certain investment laws in in China and what “Guanxi” really means. “E-China Development of the Internet & Innovations in China” by Dr. Zelin Zhang, Associate Professor of Marketing in RMBS, explained about the evolution of social media in China, the fast growth and the innovations of the E-commerce as well as its influence on consumer behavior. Enterpriser speaker Mengyang Gao, strategic operations Manager of Autozi Interconnection Technology Co., Ltd also gave a speech about the business model of “Autozi Supply Chain Finance Innovation” for the GNW 2019 students. 

The last lecture “Supply Chain Finance Innovation in China” was given by Dr. Hua Song, Professor of General Management and Associate Dean of RMBS. He explained vividly what is supply chain finance through a comparison between traditional view and SCF view, and then gave detailed examples about how SCF works and the new approaches of SCF.

Company Visits 

During the GNW 2019, students visited 3 industry leading companies, i.e. iSoftStone, Tencent and JD as well as the ZPark, the symbol of China’s software competitiveness. 

ZPark or Zhongguancun Software Park, located next to Zhongguancun Science Park, is a professional science park specialized in new-generation of IT industry. The Phase 1 and Phase 2 projects of ZPark are planned to cover 260 hectares with the gross area of 2.03 million m².

After development and construction over the past decade and more, ZPark now has 277 software and software R&D companies with more than 35,000 employees. In ZPark, we can find many leading companies in key sectors of national economy. In the future, ZPark will implement the Outline of Development Plan for Zhongguancun Software Park for 2011-2020, which regulates that Zhongguancun will establish the industrial clusters that possess the technical dominance and industrial power in software and information services.

iSoftStone, established in 2001, iSoftStone is a leading China-based innovative software and IT services provider, and digital economy enabler. Over 18 years, iSoftStone has grown it’s expansive global footprint to more than 90 offices in 36 cities, with 25 global delivery centers and 50,000+ employees worldwide. It is committed to innovation and sustainable growth by establishing iSoftStone University to serve as a platform and a series of innovative research entities. Some students are very interested in the smart city center which uses cloud computing, Internet of things, big data, mobile communications, intelligent terminal, information resources integration, and other advanced technologies to give a hand on government administration, road traffic, municipal facilities, environmental monitoring, security surveillance and control, energy management, emergency management and service.

Tencent is an internet-based technology and cultural enterprise which was founded in 1998, Through the company’s two principal business operations, ‘social platforms’ and ‘digital content’, Tencent develops and delivers game-changing products, such as social communication platforms “Weixin/WeChat” and “QQ”, that connect people with services, foster closer relationships and create new business opportunities. From comics, videos, games and animation to music, literature, films and news, Tencent offers an incredible array of first-class digital content and multi-media services, providing entertainment and cultural enrichment to over 1 billion users across the globe. Tencent also provides cutting-edge financial technology and seamless mobile payment solutions that are helping support the development of smart cities, smart transport and smart retail. Through innovative excellence and forging strategic partnerships with a range of industries, Tencent strives to be the driving force behind China’s digitalization.

JD is one of the largest online direct sales companies in China. It offers a wide selection of authentic products at competitive prices which are delivered in a speedy and reliable manner. It also offers convenient online and in-person payment options and comprehensive customer services. JD has its own nationwide fulfillment infrastructure and last-mile delivery network which supports both online direct sales and online marketplace businesses. Mr. Ce Liang, Director of JD's international supply chain business, said JD logistics is committed to building a global intelligent supply chain infrastructure network and building the most advanced comprehensive logistics network, aiming to provide the ultimate experience for users around the world. Mr. Peng Cao, Vice President of JD Digital Technology, then gave a speech about "Digital science and Technology: the Financial Services Industry and the Real Connector" which shows China digital science and technology innovation strengths.

Group Presentations 

Basing on the alumni company case of Dosh Food Technology Ltd, the final presentations was given by 6 groups on analyzing Daoshi's situation and providing solutions that they thought would be useful for Dosh to grow in this new era of technological development in China. 

The GNW 2019 provides an ideal communication platform for the students from different countries or regions and helped everyone have a deeper understanding of China's cultural inheritance, urban development and enterprise innovation of the “invented” China today. It has also helped promote international exchanges and cooperations, letting students view the rapid world from a different angle.