Beijing provides unique placement for E-Business and Innovation student
Published 27 October 2011
One of Lancaster’s long standing partners in China, Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), offered a unique opportunity to LUMS Masters student Patrick Bonfils this summer.
Patrick, who was studying on Lancaster's MSc in E-Business and Innovation, travelled to Beijing in June this year to embark on a research project in the BFSU marketing department. The three months Patrick spent at BFSU formed part of his Masters dissertation on digital marketing strategies in the context of social media.
The dissertation project gave Patrick the opportunity to combine the cutting-edge knowledge he had gained from his MSc programme with his previous professional experience and apply it in a real-world business situation in China. And in the welcoming and friendly environment of the BFSU Business School, he was able to become immersed in China’s culture and business world.
Patrick said of his experience in China: “Prof Liu Peng, who is an MBA alumnus of LUMS, offered me a three-month internship at the Marketing Department of BFSU-SolBridge. The great support and flexibility of the Lancaster E-Business team, and my supervisors Professor David Brown and Dr Didier Soopramanien, made it possible for me to undertake my company-based dissertation project in Beijing.
“The goal of the project was to explore how BFSU-SolBridge can attract more students from Europe online. I developed a digital marketing strategy and plan which serves as a roadmap for the higher education organisation. The company report focused on practical recommendations and covered topics from web analytics to social media and online user experience. With my dissertation I have laid some broad foundations upon which BFSU-SolBridge’s future digital marketing initiatives can be centred.”
BFSU has developed strong links with Lancaster University. The most recent cooperation is with the BFSU Business School, an innovative institution which offers a number of international degree programmes.
Professor Barend Pieter Venter, Professor Liu Peng, Professor Gao Cuilan, Professor PengLong, Patrick Bonfils, Professor Niu Huayong
