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Tue 17 Oct, 2006 06:27 am
Quote:A Chinese university is requiring law and business students to take golf lessons to prepare them for a business world where deals are made on the golf course, news reports said Tuesday.
Xiamen University in the southeastern city of Xiamen joins a growing number of Chinese schools offering golf lessons, but is unusual in making them a required class.
Golf classes start in two months and also will be required for economics and computer software majors, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing university president Zhu Chongshi.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/10/17/D8KQC2000.html
Makes sense to me. What do YOU think?
I recently came back from a business conference. Each day of the conference sessions ended early afternoon. Each day some company was inviting me along with other clients to a golf tournament. Seeing I am the client it wasn't necessary to attend - I opted to take advantage of time alone soaking up the warm FL sun. However, those that were the vendors were expected to smooze with the clients which includes playing golf. Whether you like it or not golf is important with client relationships.
Yes, obviously, playing golf is a good means to contact with others, especially in business. But i still can not agree to the idea of putting golf as a compulsory lesson for college students. Cause playing golf should be a hobby, if you like it and you think it is necessary to your career, you can learn it, through joinning a golf club or some other way, but there is no need to include it in compulsory curriculum.
Besides that, as far as i know, playing golf is a luxury in China, not just a general sport. Most people, even businessman won't play golf frequently. This mean that capble of play golf will not help a lot in your work. So, taking golf to such a state is not so appropriate in China.
Golf is more than a formal game--it is a window on Western Culture.
I don't think these undergraduates are being groomed for domestic Chinese trading--they are being polished for the international market.
Then a selective courses will be ok.
If not, what about those undergraduates don't like golf? Undergraduates' burden is heavy enough now in China.
Why should we turn a hobby into a burden?
Quote:Why should we turn a hobby into a burden?
Because golf and the Western rituals concerning and surrounding golf are frequently very useful in doing business in the West.
Undergraduates are entitled to likes and dislikes. They are also entitled to succeed or to fail. They are not entitled to set university or to determine Western cultural mores.
Quote:Talking business in a tea shop or somewhere else is also a good choice.
Most Westerners don't talk business in tea shops.
In fact, except for some deliberately quaint Old Tea Shoppes who serve tea in cakes in historic areas, there aren't many tea shops in the United States.
When in Rome one must be prepared to do as the Romans do.
I've never known anyone who did business on the golf course - at least, not since the 1950's - or even made business contacts on the golf course. I can see the course as an elective, but not as mandatory. I'll agree golf and business constitute a western 'more', but it's only one possibility.
The text for one of my business admin classes was specific. If you want to be successful, you will talk and dress in the same manner as your boss. You will play golf.
It's one of the silliest things I've ever heard of, and I've heard of some pretty silly things in my time.
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