RIT Saunders Executive MBA Panelists Discuss Business Climate in China on Jan. 24

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For the past four out of five years, the Saunders Executive MBA students have visited firms in China.

Chinese manufacturers increasingly move up the value-chain and compete directly with western and U.S. firms. That hasn’t deterred U. S. companies from continuing to invest in growth opportunities in China, however.

The latest projections show that companies are attracted to China for its unique resources, less rigorous regulatory scrutiny and capital for government-supported opportunities—just some of the findings of Executive MBA teams from the E. Philip Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology.

The International Resource Group, a not-for-profit educational trade corporation based in Rochester, is hosting a Saunders Executive MBA panel discussion on “China: Moving Up the Value Chain.” The luncheon event begins at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 24 at The Inn On Broadway.

IRG will present four panelists from the Saunders Executive MBA program who will discuss their findings from company projects conducted last October—the fourth trip by the school to China in the last five years. The panelists are: Cherrie Mahon, vice president of IR & Corporate Communications at Arista Power Inc.; Martijn van Manen, CFO at Valtech Holdings; Michael Penza, vice president of software engineering at Railcom; and Jason Wenzke, employee benefits consultant at First Niagara.

The event will be facilitated by Marty Lawlor, lecturer in international business and director of the Online Executive MBA program at RIT’s Saunders College.

“Our panelists interviewed owners and executive leaders at a multinational conglomerate, a global law firm, a small contract research company and a biotech start-up,” Lawlor explains. “Despite the disparity in size and resources, these firms face a number of common challenges and issues—employee retention and ongoing corruption, to name a few.”

To attend the luncheon, e-mail irg@rochester.rr.com or call 1-866-755-9733 and leave an RSVP message. The cost is $25 for IRG members, $35 for non-members, $15 for students.