International Business Major Accepts Position In Taiwan

Lawrence Nora, a senior International Business major with a focus in Asian Studies, has accepted an exciting position in Taiwan that will begin immediately upon his graduation this May. 

Nora credits USF School of Business and Professional Studies, particularly his course work with Professor Stanley Kwong, for supporting his capacity to find, negotiate for, and acquire a strong position in exactly the Asian location where he has been hoping to work.

He has generously written to share with us his satisfaction with USF, and the academic and personal possibilities that our school provided him since he transferred here two years ago  — with a clear sense of his professional objectives, and the confidence that USF was the best choice for fulfilling his objectives.


Tell us something about your USF School of Business and Professional Studies experience?  How did you choose the school, and what in particular did it offer you?

My experience at University of San Francisco has re-enforced my desire to go abroad and work since I transferred here 2 years ago. Having spent one year at Ohio University and my second year at Hong Kong University I had a completely different learning perspective and college experience. My time spent in Hong Kong was quite precious to me and I learned plenty about the Eastern and Southeast Asian culture.

Knowing I wanted to finish my degree in the U.S. I felt it would be necessary to go to a school that was in an urban environment with a strong international presence. USF couldn’t have been a better option the city offers me plenty of opportunities to work abroad. The university is full of diverse students all from very different backgrounds and a large international student population. I saw myself working somewhere in Asia possible China and the Business school was a great place for me to learn alongside international students and build my network.


What has been your professional background in the working world? And what will you be doing in your new position?

Having worked in international sales and trading steel and non-ferrous commodities I found my way into several opportunities working abroad and doing business internationally. As I attended trade shows in the scrap metal business I made great connections between my network I made in Hong Kong and the one I made in the U.S.

This winter I was offered to work as a free-lance team member of a steel recycling company that ships steel to Asia. My project will entail making relationships with all the steel mills in Taiwan. Additionally, I will have to find aluminum smelting plants and other manufactures in need of copper and other non-ferrous metals. The goal is to set up a long lasting relationship between the scrap company I work for in the U.S. and the Taiwanese companies.


What role did our International Business Program play in your professional preparation?


In my experience at USF as an international business major I have learned extensively about the cultural differences between the U.S. and other countries. I have also learned important steps in knowing how to prepare to make business relationships and minimize the cultural differences that make doing business difficult.

My international business class with Prof. Stan Kwong gave me good insight to the opportunities in China and helped me in handling international negotiations with Chinese. Throughout the class we learned norms of different cultures and how to play it safe and not offend others when doing business abroad. The class brought to light various barriers and some things to expect when doing business abroad and made my major all the more relevant to today’s world.

My success in my previous sales job in China, my experience in Asia, and my international business classes have all contributed to my landing my next job in Taiwan. 

The great part about my experience at USF is that even in regards to a small country like Taiwan I know a good deal about it from discussions in classes and face-to-face discussions with fellow students who are native Taiwanese.   It’s USF’s rich diversity that has made that knowledge possible.  In truth, my knowledge of the world has grown two-fold through my personal experience here, and through my professors who have been great in applying learning concepts to real world situations.