Business & Agribusiness: Fujian & Canada, ACOA / AIF Grants & Academics

Bumped up: There are new posts below.

Never let it be said that Maritimers are not au courant with the latest business ideas and globalization.



China's B-schools boom -- several articles

Teaching the Business of Agribusiness -- The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences EMBA program is the only accredited program in China directed at the huge food industry Dec. 6, 05

The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) Executive MBA program in food and agribusiness -- offered in conjunction with the University of Iowa's Henry B. Tippie School of Management and with Purdue University -- grew out of consulting work that the Franklin Institute of Management (FIM) did with food companies in China. [. . . . ]

Isn't WalMart moving into food vending in a big way?



Maritimes won't be left behind

This is a business partnership with several components: a joint degree program, teaching English to Chinese high school students who come to Canada and doubtless will never leave, Canadian students and teachers travelling to China learning Mandarin (check), instructors of TESL/ESL, an agricultural component, Fujian China academics--a group handling UNBSJ's China Beijing Concord Project--think women's issues, gender equity, mushroom cultivation, language studies encompassing NBCC (community college in the port city of St. John and others), maybe eventually the development of e-commerce and much more is planned ... much optimism ... potential ... plans ... and a have-not province.

This provides another and a different perspective on Fujian Province, China, if what you remember is only that Fujian Province is source of the illegal alien boat people who landed in Canada on 5 or 6 rusty boats. Ex-Min. Elinor Caplan (Immigration) actually travelled to Fujian province to speak with the governor or some other high-level official about ending this illegal trafficking in aliens entering Canada. I seem to remember it being reported, subsequently, that actually, that official was involved in the human smuggling himself. Anyway, the Fujianese landed on the BC mainland across from the Queen Charlotte Islands--or was it on the Queen Charlottes--approximately 1998. Now, Fujianese may come to Canada legally ... through language studies, et cetera ... and more partnerships are planned.


The Beijing Concord Project is a co-operative UNBSJ, FAFU, NB Community Colleges project, a project headed by a Bangladeshi academic and immigrant to Canada with international experience, Dr. Muhammed Kabir, PhD, Associate VP UNBSJ:

Muhammed Kabir assumed the role as the University of New Brunswick Saint John's first Associate Vice-President in July, 2001. He is responsible for all Advancement (communications and public relations, fundraising, marketing and recruitment), International (development and research projects, the Saint John College, the Beijing Concord College Project .... he was given the mandate to develop Partnerships & Innovation, which will be the entrepreneurial arm of University of New Brunswick Saint John, ... contribute to the ... economic well being of the campus.

A professor of economics, Dr. Muhammed Kabir ... 1983 .... chair of the Department of Social Sciences and on numerous committees, and in 2000-2001, was Acting Dean of Arts. Dr. Kabir's international ties are extensive. A native of Bangladesh, he has studied, taught and conducted research in a number countries around the world.

For more information on those involved with the Beijing Concord Project and the funding, search:

Faculty of Business' Electronic Commerce Centre
eBusiness and Management
Applied Management in Hospitality and Tourism
UNB Office at Concord College of Sino Canada in Beijing China.
Political ScienceChinese language and culture
Hanzhou, China, on an exchange program ... studied Mandarin
ESL (English as a Second Language)
Province of Zhejiang
TESL

Business ... hitting the right buttons

[ FAFU = Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University, China ]

A five-year, CIDA-funded project initiated in October 1998, the project will develop FAFU's capacity to teach, research, train and provide leadership within the Chinese agricultural sector.

The project will focus on developing five areas: socioeconomics; bio-remediation; environment and sustainable development; agricultural business practices and women in agriculture.


http://
www.unbsj.ca/international/projects/current.html
http://
www.unbsj.ca/international/projects/china/

Caveat: A strange result sometimes--if you copy a page to read later, the mouse jumps to the block with the FAFU faculty:
Project Coordinator/Leader: Dr. Minsheng You
Project Resource People: Professor Dan Li, Professor Wengi Zhang, Dr. Shaojun and Professor Dongming Pan

Perhaps the Chinese contingent programmed the site so that the bulleting would remain in place ... or something like that.


More on the project:

Build FAFU capacity to teach, research and train in:

protection of agricultural environments, including water and soil conservation, agricultural business practices of Asian market development and promotion of international trade.


Establish a Centre for Studies of Women in Agriculture at FAFU.

There is a large volunteer component to this project -- people who work without pay to ensure "the success of the project objectives" -- people from UNBSJ, New Brunswick Community College and the Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University, China. More information about them is on the website, along with more information on the project.

[. . . . So far, only "three of the five project areas." are under way.] Preliminary gender assessment survey was conducted and baseline data on gender distribution of faculty and staff were collected.

FAFU faculty and students have been introduced to new socio-economic terms, the concept of gender and gender-related issues, Canadian agricultural organization and services, and contemporary developments in international business.

ESL and reference libraries have been established and supporting equipment has been put in place. [ by? Where has the money come from? ]

[. . . . ] Ten FAFU faculty will train at UNBSJ, each focusing on a separate project area.

Develop FAFU-delivered outreach training programmes for government officials, agricultural technicians, farmers, and members of the community.

FAFU faculty mebers [sic -- members] with expertise in production of exotic mushrooms will deliver workshops to a small group of New Brunswickers.

Soon--think a WalMart of food in your future--will be importing exotic mushrooms ... whatever.



Travel & Research

For more information see Partnerships and Innovation -- News, excerpts, 2004 and previous News Releases -- and there are several more items ... if you are interested ... Cuba, television, NRC, et cetera.

Honourable Joseph Day, Member of Parliament, Mr. Thomas Wappel and Executive Secretary, Mr. Roger Prefontaine to tour around BCCSC
September 20, 2004
http://
www.unb.ca/campuses/bcc/ [ Beijing Concord Project ]

http://
www.unb.ca/partnerships/documents/SenatorsVisit.doc [Canadian Senators Visit]
UNBF RESEARCHER RECEIVES SUPPORT FOR OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM

June 29, 2004
http://
www.unb.ca/news/view.cgi?id=567
UNB SAINT JOHN A KEY PLAYER IN NEW HEALTH PROMOTION AND RESEARCH INITIATIVE

http://
www.unb.ca/news/view.cgi?id=122

COMMUNITY COLLEGE, UNB SAINT JOHN ANNOUNCE JOINT DEGREE PROGRAM

There are other projects of interest, should you choose to check.

So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow ...

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