School of Business

Dr. Andy Turner Featured in The News Tribune

Culture Shock

Chinese MBA Student Andrew Yuan Experiences French Culture

Andrew Yuan, a first year MBA student, traveled to France this January with a group of MBA students led by Associate Dean Diane MacDonald kicking off the first-ever 10-day MBA international experience—a new requirement of all MBA students. This trip to France marks Yuan’s second recent cultural experience, as he comes to PLU from Xinchang, China.  Yuan graduated from Zhejiang University with a double major in economics and engineering, joined the MBA program this fall and jumped right into the PLU community.  Not only did he take part in the international experience, he is also an MBA fellow conducting research with marketing professor Merl Simpson and a School of Business scholarship recipient.

This MBA international experience sought to increase multicultural awareness in both business and social settings.  Students gained knowledge of national differences in political economy and culture and the implications of these differences for ethical decision-making through their travels in France.  Excursions included a visit to the Michelin Company headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where the students learned about the company’s history and it’s relationship with international colleagues. 

Yuan noted obvious differences between his home country of China, the United States, and France, “The biggest difference among the three countries is the architectural styles.  France and China both have very distinguished building styles. If you walk in the old streets of Beijing or Paris, you can often touch culture that is thousands of years old.  The United States is much more modern.”  Another difference Yuan noticed is in the people.  “French people are open-minded, very external, and polite. Americans are open-minded too, and they're more easygoing.  It is very easy to make friends with them. Chinese people are a little bit more conservative compared to the others. They take more time to form real friendships.”

Yuan’s favorite place in Paris is Versailles.  “I was impressed by the pure western culture there.”

Classmate Chris Case, who is in his final semester of the MBA program, helped Yuan make many cultural connections while in Paris.  “He told me a lot about the western culture when we visited Versailles and the Louvre.  In turn, I told him a lot of Chinese culture and tradition.”

Yuan feels that his time in France will have a positive impact on his future. “During this trip, I met and talked to different people everyday. Understanding these differences in culture is important for an international businessman. The open-mindedness of the French and American people has affected me a lot.”

 “I had a fantastic time in France, and I fell that this trip taught me things that cannot be taught in the classroom."

Photos courtesy of Chris Case

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