South Korea and China

2009 COBA Diplomats

May I introduce the Alabama State University's College of Business Administration 2009 Collegiate Diplomats.

Front Row: (R to L) Eric McKinney, Cynthia Goldsmith, Walter Carter. Back Row (R to L) Kiya Powell- Stephens, Robert Means, Bryan Vann, Brandon Darrington.

Bryan Vann decided to drop out of the trip at the last minute claiming that his parents would not allow him to travel. He had committed himself since January, signing all the necessary travel documents and agreement with the university. He had ample time to change his mind and discuss the trip with his parents yet, unfortunately, he quit the group 3 days before departure which did not allow us enough time to obtain the necessary documentation for another student to take his place. Very unprofessional and selfish on his part and unfortunate to another student that could have gone in his place. So Sad..His loss was someone else's loss as well.

Now on to the stars of this years trip, Cynthia, Kiya, Brandon, Eric, Robert and Walter. These are some of the best and the brightest students in the College of Business Administration. After being selected to participate in the Study Tour to South Korea and China in March of 2009, these students enrolled in language and culture classes to prepare them to represent our university with style and grace. South Korean culture is very different from our culture here in the United States and after taking the classes that were offered, they are very well prepared. I wish I could be there to witness the expression on their faces as they approach the Incheon Airport and their first views of the land the will explore for the next few days. If they respond to this experience the way I did last year they will have a huge smile on their faces for the next 10 days. They will be amazed and this experience will create lifelong memories to share for many years to come. Even though these students did not know one another prior to their selection, they have become very close friends over the past couple of months. They will have an amazing time. Each of us that was blessed to have this experience should give recognition and thanks to Dr. Kamal Hingorani for his efforts in making this happen. He works very hard for the students of COBA. Thanks also to our beloved Dean, Percy Vaughn, Jr. for his tireless efforts to open doors for every student at COBA. This trip would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication these two very special people.

With only 24 hours before the group meets at the university to catch the bus to Atlanta, Georgia, I am getting those last minute phone calls requiring answers to the many question they ask, recommendations about some of the items they may forget to pack, and some just of them wanting to talk. This will be several of these students first time on an airplane, so some of the questions are just for reassurance that everything is going to be alright.

I also helped to make the last minute arrangements for Dr. Vaughn's daughter Traci, to meet her father and the group in Seoul on Monday. What a treat for Dr. Vaughn, Dean of the College of Business Administration to have his daughter, Traci, join him on this journey. I was so happy that she finally said yes after much persuasion by her sister Denise.

I am in hopes that the students will email me their activities so I can keep this blog up to date each day of the trip. We had some trouble keeping our journal done each day while we were in South Korea last year so maybe I can do better this year. Guess that's it for now. Stay tuned for updates.

Second study group set to travel

The second study tour is set to travel to South Korea and China from March 14-22, 2009. The participants include some of the best students from the College of Business Administration at Alabama State University. They include Walter Carter, Eric McKenney, Brandon Darrington, Robert Means, Bryan Vann, Kiya Powell-Stephens, and Cynthia Goldsmith. This year has more gentlemen than ladies but they will have an amazing time. In Korea, they will visit many of the sites that we experienced last year and they have no idea the impact this trip will have on them for years to come. I have really enjoyed sharing my experience with them and trying to get them excited about the trip. They will depart in the wee hours of the morning on March 14 and arrive in Seoul, South Korea the evening of the 15th. They will explore the culture, history and will visit several businesses in Seoul and then on March 19th, they will travel to Shanghai, China where they will stay at the Fudan University. I hope when they return they will share China with me.
The faculty and staff that are escorting the students include our beloved dean of the College of Business, Dr. Percy J. Vaughn, Dr. Kamal Hingorani , the person that has made these opportunities available for the student by writing and being awarded the prestigious Business and International Education Grant that is offered by the United States Department of Education. Dr. Tammy Prater, Walter Montgomery, Nasrin Danesh, and Kim Smith are the other instructors of COBA that were selected. Kenneth Darrington, the colleges computer whiz and father of Brandon Darrington was selected to travel as well. Dr Hingorani' wife Sudha will also travel again this year with her husband. She was such a joy last year, we all enjoyed the knowledge and stories she shared with us and the student are blessed to have her traveling with them again this year.

Assisting with preparation for another group of students to travel to South Korea

I have been blessed to continue my studies at Alabama State University in the Master of Accountancy program and to have the opportunity to work with Dr. Kamal Hingorani. Dr. Hingorani is the professor that wrote the proposal and received the prestigious Business and International Education Grant for Alabama State University which has made possible the study-tours to South Korea. He does not like for anyone to give him recognition for his acheivements but he has done wonderful things for ASU. I just wanted to give him a shout out for his accomplishment.
We are in the process of making the selection of students to make the trip in the Spring. These student's do not have any idea just what the impact this trip will have on them, if nothing more than a lifelong memory. I am so excited for them. I truely look forward to help with the planning of this trip and encouraging more students to become involved in this program. We are hopeful that we are awarded this grant for two more years in order to really get things off the ground and establish this program within our college.

Master of Accountancy

I was the first student at Alabama State University to fulfill the requirements of the minor in International Business. I am now enrolled in the Master of Accountancy program at ASU and graduate assistant to Dr. Hingorani who oversees the minor in international business. I look forward to encouraging more student to become involved in the program and assisting in fulfilling the obligations to this grant. I hope the U.S. Department of Education will extend the funding for another two years to allow the College of Business Administration the opportunity to implement its vision. COBA has great plans for this program over the next several years.

UPDATE

I am graduating on May 10, 2008, and the first student from the College of Business Administration at Alabama State University to earn a minor in International Business. I encourage all students studying business to get involved in the international business program because there are many unexplored areas in our world waiting for you to discover.

Our Visit to Hyundai Motor Manufacturers Alabama (HMMA)

Today Kioshana LaCount, Fred Ragsdale and Wanda Rankin had the opportunity to visit the Hyundai Motor Manufacturers Alabama in Montgomery, Alabama. The other members of the team that visited South Korea had previously visited HMMA and did not have to attend this function. There are vast differences between the plant we visited in Ulsan, South Korea and the plant here in the United States. The plant in Montgomery is located on the outskirts of the city and has miles of open space surrounding it, where the plant in Ulsan is inside the city and surrounded by many other businesses. As expected, the plant here is more modern, most of the work here is done by robots, in Korea most of the work is done manually. We walked through the plant in Ulsan and rode on a tram through the production area here. As we rode through the plant, we observed the robots press rolled steel into the various body parts, the robots placed the different pieces of the cars into place and check to make sure everything was done correctly. The Sonata and the Santa Fe are the cars produced here in the U.S. The robots were fascinating, the efficiency with which they perform their duties can not be emulated by humans. The team members appeared to be comfortable in their jobs and interacted with the people in the tour as we passed. Our tour guide explained that each team member worked at a work station for two hours, took a ten minute break and then went back to work at another work station in order to use a different set of muscles to avoid stress injuries from repetitive use of the same muscles for extended periods. As the cars moved along the production line I was amazed to watch the cars being elevated and lowered to a position that made the team members job less stressful. The plant was extremely clean and appeared well organized. Outside I also noticed that they took good care of the grounds, there were many plants and roses which made the time spent traveling from one building to another very pleasant. The motto of Korea, "Resources are Limited, Creativity is Unlimited" can be observed at HMMA. Resources are more available in the US but this company uses these resources with great care.

Tour of Hyundai, USA

Images from Hyundai In Korea

After touring Hyundai Automotive Industry in Korea during our trip to Korea, I will finally tour the plant here in Montgomery. I am excited to see the differences in the production processes for myself.

Sharing our experience with the student at Wilcox Central in Camden

Yesterday, Kioshana LaCount, Fred Ragsdale, Dr Huang and Wanda Rankin went to Camden, Alabama to share our Korean experience with a group from Brenda Autry's class. Ms. Autry was able to share a portion of our trip to Korea, she arrived a few days later than we did but when she came, she enjoyed. When we got to the school we were greeted by a couple of students who escorted us to our presentation area. We enjoyed once again sharing our experience with this group.

Presentation of Summary of findings

Today we presented the summary of findings to a group of students and faculty on the campus at Alabama State University. Dr Sang-Man Lee was present for the presentation and we truly enjoyed sharing our Korean experience with the audience.

A Summary Of Findings Presentation

The team will be presenting a summary of their findings on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 10:00 am in the Buskey Auditorium. Please be there.
We will also travel to Camden on Friday to make a presentation to the student at Wilcox County High School.

Day Seven- Off to Japan and then Home Sweet Home Alabama

Above is some of the beauty of Japan
Below we were met with snow in Chicago


I completely enjoyed each and every moment that I spent in South Korea but it was time for our group to stop over in Japan for a day and then back home to the US.

Day Six- A view of the future of Incheon

Incheon Free Economic Zone- IFEZ

Some three years ago the pictures that you view now would have been impossible as the area was being reclaimed. The reclaiming of land requires filling in the water to make more land. We had the privilege to tour the future of New Songdo City Development.

Looking Back at our fifth day in Korea

As you can see we were not able to maintain our blogs while we were in Korea so now that we are back in our beloved US, it is time to finish our story. On my last post we were returning to Seoul and the Lotte World Hotel. Our first day back in Seoul, we went to the DMZ where peace and tension exist together.

The USO Panmunjom tour is one of the best ways to understand the situation, the tensions, and the reality of the North and South Korea division. From the time you start to prepare for the trip until your last view of the barbed wire fence that lines the "Freedom Road" or "Unification Road" (the highway connecting Seoul to Panmunjom), your understanding of the recent history of Korea will take on a new dimension.
In preparing for the trip, we were reminded that there was a dress code to follow. Also, very important, be sure to bring your passport or military ID the day of the tour.
We arrived at Camp Bonifas, whose motto "In Front of Them All" provides some idea as to its position in relation to the border. We sat through a 20 minute slide presentation briefing, highlighting the history and present situation at the DMZ. The tour of Panmunjom itself is guided by United Nations Command military personnel who will take you through such sites as the MAC (Military Armistice Commission) building, the Pagoda at Freedom House, and Checkpoint 3, which is near the scene of the 1976 Ax Murder Incident. You'll also see the Bridge of No Return, the only bridge connecting North and South Korea. You'll also be able to see the giant flagpole at the North Korean Propaganda Village. Through-out the tour, the various anecdotes regarding the rivalry between North and South Korea (such as this flagpole) will alleviate the seriousness of the sites. It will also, however, reinforce the grim reality of the country.

Fourth Day and Feeling much better

On our fourth day in Korea, we toured the Hyundai Motors Plant and the Hyundai Heavy ship builders plant which is the largest ship builder in the world. These plants are located in Ulsan and as you can imagine this town is Hyundai town, it has a Hyundai Department stores and most jobs in the area are involved with Hyundai in one way or another. The Hyundai auto plant is an older plant and it makes it difficult to make comparisons to the Hyundai plant located in Montgomery, Al., because the plant at home has a great deal of automation and the plant in Korea has more personal hands on work. We were exposed to the plans for the future of Hyundai Heavy Industries and I am extremely impressed with the vision of the people in Korea. We were able to shop at the Hyundai Department Store before leaving to return to Seoul which turned out to be about a five hour drive away. We checked back into the Lotte World Hotel for our final days in Korea.

Our third full day- sick but determined

After arriving from the hospital to the hotel, I was told that I was suppose to stay at the hotel all day by myself. Um I don't think so, I did not come to Korea to lay up in the hotel while this opportunity is out there for me. So guess what, I pleaded with Dean Vaughn to at least allow me to ride on the bus and he agreed. So off to POSCO, one of the largest steel manufacturing plants in the world. The company motto is "Resources are limited, Creativity is unlimited". Dr. Sang Man Lee explained to me that the Korean people live by this motto, they use each and every human resource possible to make their country successful, and history speaks for itself. After a bus tour through the plant, we were escorted into their boardroom where a presentation was given. Dean Vaughn was seated in the president seat and the remainder of us gathered closely to him. Directly in front of us was a scale model of the entire plant area. Once the presentation ended, the curtains in from of us that formed a circle began to slowly open exposing us to a view of the plant. AWESOME is the word.
After departing from POSCO, we went for, believe it or not, pizza, the student said thank you, thank you, and thank you. Korean traditional is good but after a time you miss what is familiar to you.
Next, we were off to the Seokgulam Grotto and Bulguksa Temple. This required driving up the mountain with over 30 curves. Once we arrived at the parking area, we had to climb to the temple. As I walked along the path to the temple, a feeling of serenity came across me. My ill feelings of the morning vanished. This was a feeling that can not be put into words, but if it happened to me again, I would not fight it. Dr. Lee walked with me and share many different ideas and customs of his country. He shared with me his pride and his devotion to his country. These moments I will cherish for the rest of my life and reflect on them during times of query.

Second Full Day in Korea

Again, breakfast at the hotel was great.
Today is a very special day between Alabama State University and Chung-Ang University, we attended the Signing Ceremony of Agreement. After the agreement was signed, we then went by bus to the Chung-Ang University located in An Sung. There we had the opportunity to interact with student in a classroom setting. Everyone seemed very pleased with the outcome of this experience. From the university we traveled some 4 hours to Gyeong Ju and the Hilton Hotel located there. As we traveled, I began feeling ill. So upon arrival at the hotel, Cindy wanted to take me to the doctor but stubborn that I am I refused. But guess what early the next morning I was feeling so bad that I allowed Cindy and Soya, our tour guides, to take me to the hospital. Contrary to what you may think, when we walked into the hospital, a brief history about myself was done and on to be treated. No wait time at all. The nurses and doctor we wonderful to me. They made sure that I understood what they were doing and this made me feel comfortable even though I could not understand most of the conversations. The typical stuff was done: blood work, X-rays, etc.
After taking IV fluids for about 2 hours, I was released with a prescription for 4 different types of medicines. I am not exactly sure what they are but they are working.

Our first full day in Korea

Today was an interesting day! Breakfast at the hotel was amazing, they offer just about any food that you can imagine and the presentation, all I can say is WOW! We began the day with a visit to the Gyeong Bok Palace - the palace for members of the last Korean Dynasty. Next we toured the city and were afforded the opportunity to walk almost to the front gate of the Blue House which is equivalent to the White House in the United States. After a Korean lunch of Bi Bim Bop, we walk through the streets of Seoul, getting a feel for their culture. We then went to a performance of Jump which is a martial arts/ comedy performance. We walked along side of a waterway and found the Korean children to be very interested in our group. Thy try to talk to us and especially love it when we take their pictures. Finally "Western-style" food at the restaurant called the Bellagio. The Korean interpretation of "Western" food is not my idea of "Western" food but I enjoyed it anyway. Fred had a time eating all the raw fish he could find; he said he really liked it.
After returning to the hotel, Dr. Hingorani, Mrs Hingorani, Dr. Huang and I decided to take a ride on the subway back to downtown Seoul to do some more shopping. What took us almost 2 hours to do by bus was about 30 minutes by rail. Once again just the experience of interacting with the Korean people was wonderful.

Picture in front of the Blue House