LGO Hosts Students from CLGO, China's International Engineering MBA Program

By Patty Eames
LGO Program Coordinator

This week, LGO is hosting 18 students from the China Leaders for Global Operations (CLGO) program for the first time. On Monday, students from both programs took part in a cross-cultural norms workshop led by instructor Leigh Hafrey.


Professor Leigh Hafrey, Senior Lecturer on Communication and Ethics at MIT Sloan School of Management and Professor Zhenghua Xiong, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at SJTU, with CLGO and LGO students during the Cross Cultural Communications Session.

In 2005 Shanghai Jiao Tong University established CLGO, an international engineering MBA program, with the academic support of MIT and LGO. Just like their LGO counterparts, CLGO students earn master's degrees in engineering and management, and complete a six-month internship.

Hafrey began Monday's workshop by leading a brief discussion on the importance of cross-cultural communication and the challenges of understanding different ethical and legal standards across the world. Students then broke into eight groups to review a case study focusing on a multinational pharmaceutical company.


CLGO and LGO students discussing the case

At issue: The company's Chinese subsidiary was failing to reach sales targets because unlike the competition, it did not offer kickbacks to doctors prescribing their products. Should the subsidiary's sales director authorize the use of kickbacks or stick to the company's ethical position?

The topic inspired interesting discussions, first in the smaller groups and then among the entire group. Along the way, LGO and CLGO students shared insights into the business traditions and practices of their respective countries.

A Busy Week of Activities
The cross-cultural norms workshop was just one of many activities planned for the CLGO students. Over the weekend, LGO and CLGO students took in a whale watch and a Boston Duck Tour. Among the other highlights: Tuesday's plant tours of Gorton's of Gloucester and the Staples Fulfillment Center in Putnam, Connecticut.

Pam Chuang, LGO '12, and Ethan Xu, LGO '12, are serving as CLGO Visit Committee co-chairs. Tim Hu, CLGO '12, helped organize the visit on the CLGO side. Hu was also part of a team that welcomed LGO '11 students to Shanghai in March.

"For a long time, 'LGO' has just been three letters. It wasn't so tangible for us," said Hu. "Now we are able to visit MIT and find out what the best engineering university in the world is really like. So getting a better, more detailed impression of this program and this university is our first priority.

"This is also an opportunity to network and establish friendships with LGO students. And so far, everyone with LGO has been very hospitable and friendly."

Tim Ji, CLGO '12, had been looking forward to this trip for a long time. "We spent 24 hours getting to Boston, and normally I would be exhausted," he said. "But because this trip is so exciting, I didn't feel so tired. I'm really enjoying my visit. I had heard that the American culture is quite different than ours, and now I'm getting to learn about this by interacting with American students."

Andrea Gentiletti, LGO '12, shared his Chinese counterparts' enthusiasm.

"I'm looking forward to making some contacts with the CLGOs," said Gentiletti. "It's interesting to see how the same things I'll be doing in business are put into perspective in a different culture. So there is a personal aspect as well an aspect of cultural discovery."

The CLGO students will stay in Boston until Thursday, when they will head down to New York. They will then visit Washington, D.C., before heading home.

Learn more about LGO's global engineering business management activities, or visit our page with MBA program FAQs for more on the LGO program.