Unique experience for Masters of Accountancy Students

Global Sources Tradeshow Project

During April, I took 8 groups of 6-7 students to the global sources trade shows that are held out past the Airport. The purpose of the trade show visit was to get students to interact with real business people (suppliers) and to understand their main challenges in operating their business. The project is a major assessment of the Strategic Management Accounting course which is taught in the Masters of Accountancy program as well as the Masters of Accounting and Finance program.

Professor O’Connor has taken 3 cohorts of students to tradeshows (over 200 students to date) in Hong Kong in the past year to see firsthand how real business people think and to understand their challenges. Prof O’Connor’s initiative has full support of Global Sources, through their Executive Chairman Merle Hinrich, who is also an Honorary University Fellow of Baptist University, and supports many students through the Hinrich foundation.

Merle Hinrich with students and Prof O’Connor at the Global Sources Trade Show

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Students have to do the following during the tradeshow visit. At the start they are nervous but they soon learn how to approach the business people with confidence:

Write down the notes of 30 Simple interviews
a. Main products of the company
b. What is your #1 Challenge?
c. How are you responding to it?
d. Other supplier details – major market, major customer country, size, age, human resource

Note:
– Each group should complete at least 30 simple interviews, 3 pairs in each group – complete at least 10 interviews per pair.
– The interviewees should be suppliers (factories in China) – manufacturers (not brokers or traders)

Write down the notes of 3 In-depth interviews
a. Business model
b. Profitability versus growth priorities
c. Strategies and tactics
d. Target customer