Business school, GAP, and Arbitration in China

Bright and early, as usual, we marched to class. In a turn of events, rather than the labor school classes, we found ourselves with the business school students. The business school students at TDTU were definitely much more visibly ambitious and inquisitive of us American students. We were probably the very embodiment of their goals and aspirations in the major. Nearly every student wished to move to the US and to speak English and work for a foreign company. It was a very fun class as we actively discussed in groups what it meant to be a global citizen and a global business man or woman. What fascinated me was how many languages the business school students were studying besides English. The students I met were heavily involved in clubs both on and off campus, as well as participating in research projects and part-time work in order to enhance their resume. These students were definitely on track to become successful business students and global citizens and it was such a pleasure to get to know them.

Selfie with some of the business school students

Afterwards, we went into District 3 in order to meet with a sustainability officer at the GAP. This was an invaluable meeting to help our research and to help our understanding of Western brands' CSR initiatives. It was an important meeting because of all the 1st hand information she was able to share with us about the GAP. I was intrigued when comparing the information about CSR and auditing at the GAP to that of the information we previously learned from the BetterWork representative we met and from our factory tour experience. Afterwards, we had a very relaxing lunch and then we walked lunch off at a park nearby.

Later, after a much-needed break, we came back to have our class discussion about China and arbitration. It was interesting to get a little bit more of a look into the topic and field that Mr. Fincher himself specializes in. China is an incredibly important country to study if one wants to know more about nearly every other Asian country because of the incredible influence China has had in Asia over the course of history. At the end of the day, we were finally able to return to District 1 to get some last-minute souvenirs and trendy Vietnamese clothing. The night ended with us finally getting a gorgeous night time view of Ho Chi Minh City from the top of the Bitexco tower. 

View from Bitexco Tower

— Veronika