China tops list for MBA candidates' international trips
David Gannaway, a KPMG forensic accounting director, did not choose Fordham University for his executive MBA program until he found out the school offered a trip to China. Gannaway is like many EMBA candidates - a manager in his 40s with several years of experience who is increasingly interested in China, experts told The Wall Street Journal. These professionals envision themselves doing business there and believe understanding China's business climate is critical to advancing their careers. In fact, Arizona's Eller College of Management changed its trip from South Africa to China after students complained. When Fordham students visited China, they toured a BMW vehicle-financing arm located in Beijing. They quickly saw a big difference in how similar businesses operate: In the U.S., it is easy to determine a potential buyer's creditworthiness, but in China, there are no credit bureaus and no repossessions. Executive MBA programs have long featured trips as a way to widen u...