Friday, May 6th, was the final day of the spring 2011 EI Institute program and so marked the completion of three successful terms in Nanjing. The performance of this group of students exceeded the expectations of EI Institute staff. The Corporate Interns, LeTyne Kelly and Major Brown, successfully completed their internship at Made-in-China.com (description) by holding a round-table discussion with various department staff members about the uses of social networking for marketing and web search optimization. The Entrepreneurial Interns, Jhamasa Lewis-Adams and Philip Scott, both completed their product sourcing and will leave Nanjing with samples to show to potential clients back in the U.S.
Beyond their internships, the students also learned immeasurable amounts about China and its sophisticated culture. Major particularly excelled in the Cultural Perspectives course at EI Institute. In his reflective essay, he eloquently described how learning about Chinese culture had affected his life. He was especially impressed by how strongly the Chinese emphasize education and family, how helpful they were to him as a foreigner and the peace and tranquility in Chinese society. One EI Institute participant, Philip Scott, has even decided to stay behind in Nanjing to continue the work on his entrepreneurial project. He explained, “I want to continue to work on my business, which is fashion. My goals are to finish my website and stylebook before I leave. Already since the end of the program I’ve been able to do a photo shoot with my product samples. When I get home to Jackson, I want to hit the ground running!”
Left to Right: LeTyne Kelly, Jhamasa Lewis-Adams, Philip Scott and Major Brown kickback and relax at EI Institute's farewell BBQ. The BBQ menu included ribs, chicken wings, corn on the cob, spicy sausage, Chinese green beans and Texas-toast all with Chinese style spices and flavors.
For the third and final excursion, EI Institute staff took students on an overnight trip to the town of Yiwu, famous for having the world’s largest commodities markets filled with the products from thousands of factories across China. The trip focused on China’s success in setting up markets like Yiwu as places for foreigners to access suppliers of a huge variety of small and large commodities. The trip was also critical for Entrepreneurial Intern Jhamasa-Lewis Adams to find sources for her new handbag business, Lusha.
Entrepreneurial Intern Philip Scott found the trip inspiring for business ideas and explained, “Going to Yiwu and seeing all of the different kind of products gave me a good perspective on the wide variety of business possibilities.”
The excursion began by visiting a supplier warehouse for handbags where Jhamasa, Project Coordinator Davina Lawson and EI Consultant’s China Market Advisor Yuanyuan Sun, discussed and negotiated quality, minimum purchasing orders, return policies, colors and the frequency of changes in bag style production with handbag suppliers. After this, students were given time to relax from all the ideas of business and development and explore the Yiwu night market, the perfect place to buy souvenirs before returning home to their families in a couple weeks.
China Market Specialist Yuanyuan Sun (2nd from left), Entrepreneurial Intern Jhamasa Lewis-Adams (2nd from right) and LeTyne Kelly (right) discuss the handbags with an Yiwu supplier (left)
On the second day of the excursion, students visited the Futian International Commodities Market, which is the main market in the Yiwu China Commodities City. The Commodities City covers an area over 1.5 square miles, filled with representatives from 100,000 different suppliers exhibiting over 400,000 types of products on a daily basis. Here the students learned about the OEM process, meaning when a business places their own brand and/or logo on a factory’s products. With handbags, some of the biggest determents of price are brand location and frequency on the bags. For instance, placing a logo on just the exterior is much less expensive than also including interior embroidery and a customized zipper.
Overall, the trip really kept the students thinking about the numerous business opportunities offered by trade between China and the rest of the world. Project Coordinator Lawson feels that, “Students were inspired to see all different types of products for such a cheap price.” For Jhamasa, the trip led her to believe that the best opportunity for her brand will be to not only sell bags, but also a whole line-up of fashion accessories that can be sourced from Yiwu suppliers.
Spring 2011 EI Institute participants pose with China Market Specialist Yuanyuan Sun inside the Futian Commodities Market
During the second half of their spring term, Corporate Interns LeTyne Kelly and Major Brown will be hosted by Made-in-China.com at their headquarters in the Pukou High-Tech Development Zone.
Company Background
According to their website, Made-in-China.com provides the most complete, accurate and up-to-date information on Chinese products and Chinese suppliers available anywhere on the web. Nowadays, Made-in-China.com is a world leading B2B portal, specializing in bridging the gap between global buyers and quality Chinese suppliers.
Mission of the Internship
To learn about e-commerce and B2B websites in order to produce meaningful suggestions for Made-in-China.com on its current projects primarily focused on introducing new value-added services for buyers and increasing marketing effectiveness.
Project Assignments
Write a report making suggestions on e-mail marketing campaigns to buyers
Compose a PPT presentation on competitor value-added services and present to management
Research buyers’ willingness to pay for potential value-added services
Learn the bidding methods used by Made-in-China.com for buyers
Key Training Objectives for Interns
Develop a general understanding of e-commerce
Gain knowledge about Made-in-China.com’s products and services
Learn about e-mail marketing promotion for B2B website
Improve Interns’ ability to analyze and conduct research on website users’ activities
On Saturday, March 26th, EI Institute participants partook in a special volunteer activity in the rural town of Yangzhong, located on an island in the Yangtze River two hours east of Nanjing. Participants joined a delegation of foreigners from Nanjing that volunteered to provide cultural exchange and much needed oral English practice to students at Yangzhong Eight Bridge Secondary School.
Upon arrival, it was clear that the event would be remarkable. The delegation including EI Institute staff and participants were met in a similar fashion to how a group of American students might welcome a state governor, or even president Obama himself. Entrepreneurial Intern Philip Scott described his feelings by saying “It was a touching experience. I almost cried when we first got out of the van and all the students were screaming and crying, and we were given flowers. I was overwhelmed.” After receiving the said bouquet, the entire delegation was led between two long lines of very excited high school students who were cheering, clapping and shouting welcoming phrases in English.
EI Institute participants stand with student hosts from Yangzhong Eight Bridge Secondary School
After the exuberant entrance, students were given a tour of the school including it’s history dating back to 1945, before the founding of the PRC, and all of the extracurricular activities offered to students. EI Institute participants were given demonstrations on Chinese calligraphy, paper-cutting, choir, and Kung Fu.
After the the demonstrations by Chinese students, it was the foreigners turn to introduce themselves and their origins to the high school students. The Yangzhong students especially gravitated toward learning about different music genres and sports. Interns Jhamasa Lewis-Adams and LeTyne Kelly hosted a basketball game between their two classes. After inquiring, EI Institute was unclear about the results; however, the staff was clear that it was fun and that the experience of cultural sharing was nothing short of touching. Jhamasa expressed that, “besides being a great experience, I also found I loved teaching. I have a love for children. One particular child truly captured my heart. She was really sweet and intelligent. She told me that she was very happy because I said I was happy.”
After the delegation said doleful goodbyes to their newly-made young friends, the jovial atmosphere returned when the delegation was invited by Yangzhong Eight Bridge school administrators to a celebratory dinner at a fine dining restaurant in Yangzhong. The traditional Chinese banquette was complete with the customary revelry and delicious local dishes paramount to such a dinner in China. Students were grateful to be welcomed so warmly and to have experienced such an engaging day of cultural sharing.
“I felt humbled and I was happy because I loved the kids. I felt the kids had a natural excitement about life and learning new things. I think American students could learn from that. I miss those kids,” participant LeTyne responded when asked to reflect on her day in Yangzhong. It was indeed a special occasion that allowed participants to expand their understanding of China and its unique traditions.
Spring participants recently attended their second corporate visit to a shoe factory in the outskirts of Nanjing. The group was led by Mr. Ma Ming, an expert in the business with over a decade’s experience in exporting shoes to various countries around the world.
The students felt this was an especially fascinating experience because it was the first time they had seen a factory or production line. Entrepreneurial Intern Jhamasa Lewis-Adams explained that, “I liked visiting the factory because you never really get to see the process behind the making of many products. I could have never imagined the process being like that; there was a lot of information to learn about shoe design that you could see by watching the production process. I was also interested to see the working conditions. I hope that I can always buy products from factories that have high standards of labor treatment.”
This particular factory produced generic brand shoes for discount retailers and specialty shoes for factory workers, which could be distinguished by their steel toe for protection. The factory allowed the students to view the entire assembly line, whose stations included: sole creation, upper stitching and ultimately ended with workers filing boxes that were ready for export to places like Japan, South Korea and even some to the United States.
Students were also interested to learn from Mr. Ma about the effect of recent increases in the costs of inputs on the factory’s business. Mr. Ma said that in recent years labor prices in this region of China have increased by between twenty and forty present and that with recent surges in the price of oil, the cost of rubber, a key raw material used in shoe making, has nearly doubled. The effects were clearly visible on the factory floor; it appeared that only half of the space was being utilized and a whole assembly line sat idle.
Spring 2011 term Corporate Interns, LeTyne Kelly and Major Brown, will spend 6 weeks of their 3 month Corporate Internship at Apricus Solar, a renewable energy company specializing in solar hot water heaters (for an official background, see below). After two weeks of interning at Apricus, the students are thrilled to be learning so much about about a new and exciting industry, that has a lot of potential back in their home state of Mississippi. In his own words, Major explained that,
“Interning at Apricus so far, I have learned so much in a small amount of time… LeTyne and I have learned about the history of the company, how the solar water heating system is made and how the international trade system works in relation to Apricus’ business. Throughout this experience at Apricus my goal is to take in all I can and to gain great knowledge about Apricus solar water heaters as well as international trade.”
Company Background
Apricus Solar Co., Ltd. is a leading designer and manufacturer of renewable energy solutions and solar thermal heating products. Founded in 2003, Apricus has since grown into a global company with offices in the USA, Australia and Europe. With a rapidly growing distribution network of official representatives, Apricus’ range of renewable energy products are now sold in more than 30 countries under the Apricus worldwide registered trademark. Apricus produces products with a strong emphasis on simplistic design and ease of installation while aiming to minimize the environmental impact of all products and operations. You can follow the latest news from Apricus on Twitter at: teamapricus.
Mission of the Internship
To gain sufficient knowledge of the market for solar thermal heating products in order to produce a valuable market research report for Apricus Solar.
Project Assignments
Presentation on manufacturing processes
Complete export order process for single shipment
Write SWOT analysis of Apricus Solar products
Provide market research report and recommendations for U.S. and Mississippi markets
Key Training Objectives for Interns
Develop basic understanding of the solar industry and associated products and services
Understand international trade operations
Learn ISO9001 standards and management
Gain insight into Chinese manufacturing operations
Corporate Interns Major Brown and LeTyne Kelly with Apricus Solar staff
Corporate Intern LeTyne Kelly inside the Apricus Nanjing manufacturing facility
Spring 2011 interns took an excursion to the headquarters of the Jincheng Group, one of the largest motorcycle, motorbike and electric scooter manufacturers in China. Students met with Anny Cheng, Exports Manager for European contries, and Niklas Hu, General Manager and Sales Director for foreign markets, to discuss their company and the roles they play in such a large organization. Jincheng is a billion dollar, state-owned company that does business in several different markets vital to the Nanjing local economy. Ms. Cheng and Mr. Hu explained about the various operations of the company, which range from ownership of a supermarket chain to filling multi-million dollar orders from the Chinese government to produce parts for air force jet fighters.
Ms. Cheng and Mr. Hu work for the division that exports a wide range of motorbikes and electric scooters, primarily to Europe and Japan. Jincheng got its start by establishing a joint-venture company with Japanese bike maker Suzuki in the 1980s and has been a market leader ever since. While discussing this market, students inquired on whether or not Jincheng exports to the United States, to which Mr. Hu explained that U.S. standards are so strict and the risks for breaking those standards so high that Jincheng has only exported small quantities of select models to the U.S. to date. Besides discussing the market for motorbikes and electric scooters, students also asked some general questions about how to succeed at a large state-owned company in China. Ms. Cheng replied by attributing her success to learning critical interpersonal skills as well as figuring out what she wanted out of her career and defining goals accordingly.
Spring 2011 interns, from left to right, LeTyne Kelly, Philip Scott, Major Brown and Jhamasa Lewis-Adams behind a row of Jincheng electric scooters at their headquarters showroom
In January 2011, Institute President Adam-Paul Smolak and Program Director Kyle Gale were in Jackson, Mississippi to visit with EI Institute alumni and to meet with prospective students for future terms. On January 11th, Mr. Smolak and Mr. Gale were invited onto Jackson State University’s Campus News TV show to talk about the unique opportunity offered to university undergraduates by EI Institute. During the interview, Mr. Smolak and Mr. Gale elaborate on why China is an important destination for U.S. students today and how spending a term abroad at EI Institute can help students gain a competitive advantage after graduation.
EI Institute would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our newly arrived students in Nanjing. This term’s students are: Jhamasa Lewis-Adams, Major Brown, LeTyne Kelly and Philip Scott. During the first week of the program, the students will be oriented on their new home for the next three months by learning about life and business opportunities in Nanjing, Chinese culture, and the professional skills needed to be successful at their internships.
This term’s Corporate Interns, Major and LeTyne, will be hosted by Apricus, a maker of solar hot water heaters interested in expanding in the US market, and Made-in-China.com, an online database of Chinese manufacturers for potential buyers abroad. Jhamasa and Philip will be working as Entrepreneurial Interns to establish their own companies. We look forward to working with them and to writing about their progress on future posts.
From left to right: Philip Scott, Major Brown, LeTyne Kelly and Jhamasa Lewis-Adams at the Confucius Temple historical area during the Nanjing tour.
EI Institute would like to wish a warm farewell to our fall 2010 students. Not only did Nekeima Mitchell, Te’Yarri Simpson, Shavomeishia “Sha” Thompson and Courtland White complete their courses at EI Institute in Nanjing, they all left China with encouraging prospects for the future. As reported on previous blog posts, Nekeima, Te’Yarri and Courtland have come together to form the lifestyle brand Umoja, a brand under which they intend to sell MP3 integrated headphones sourced from China during this fall term. Sha has also explored an entrepreneurial project in her spare time where she came up with the idea for “Sha-T Collections,” a company that will sell hair extensions from China and import them to the U.S. market.
On the students’ final day in Nanjing, EI Institute hosted a dinner at a Yunnan province style restaurant to enjoy delicious spare ribs, yak meet, lotus roots with beef and red peppers, cold noodles and other special Chinese delicacies to celebrate a term completed successfully. After the dinner, everyone was able to relax and enjoy some friendly competition at the bowling alley. It was undoubtedly a pleasure to host these students. EI Institute staff wishes them the very best of luck in their endeavors and will be happy to assist them should they look to return to China to continue with their businesses or start a new career.
