Normally, the work of MBA interns can fall anywhere between the mundane and the extraordinary. For Matt Cronin, a Fox School MBA student, the summer internship experience was extraordinary.

Cronin brought a new sport to China while interning for Judson Patrick Limited in Shanghai this summer.

His company worked with the World Poker Tour and the Chinese government to create a five-year business plan that will create a national poker tournament in the country.


Cronin also gained valuable hands-on experience while working with another of Judson Patrick Limited’s major clients, China Olympic Gardens.

This Chinese business manages a group of sports-themed luxury real estate properties located throughout China. The properties are based on the model of the Olympic village and were built in response to the Chinese government’s “Fitness for All” campaign.

“The experience was amazing,” said Cronin. “Working with the World Poker Tour and China Olympic Gardens were both great experiences and terrific for my résumé.”

With the 2008 Olympics quickly approaching, Cronin was kept extremely busy. “My work was a combination of sales, strategy and marketing all at once. No day was ever the same, which I loved,” he said.

In July, he met with representatives of the well-known brand Speedo, maker of aquatic apparel, to discuss a partnership with China Olympic Gardens. His internship also involved advising American companies that want to enter the Chinese market, but that are not familiar with the nation’s complicated business environment.

“Today, the American economy is directly tied to the Chinese economy. It’s very important to know how to adapt to other cultures in order to succeed in business,” Cronin said. While living in the Shanghai suburbs for three months, he experienced his share of culture shock.

“Operating in the business world here can be very formal. Even the way you sit down can matter. I’ve learned that it is your responsibility, as a foreigner, to adapt, to learn their language and customs. As a result of this experience, I feel like the world could throw anything at me and I’d be able to handle it,” Cronin said.

Cronin has experienced adapting and learning before, having spent most of his career in the media and entertainment arena. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, he interned at MTV and then went on to work at various entertainment and media companies. Most recently before coming to Temple, he worked for Disney’s production company, Walt Disney Theatrical.

According to Assistant Dean for the MBA program Bob Bonner, Cronin’s pre-MBA and MBA experience at Fox is not uncommon. “Our students come from diverse backgrounds, have the opportunity to participate in amazing internships and go on to be leaders in the organizations they join,” said Bonner. This summer, MBA student interns worked with top global companies such as Advanta, Amgen, ARAMARK, and The Gap.

MBA students cited Fox professors and the school’s Graduate Career Management Center as important keys to their success in their summer internship experiences.

“It can be hard to quantify your experience, but what I’m learning at Fox helps me put it into perspective. And my internship was definitely worth it,” Cronin said.

Before Cronin returned to the States to finish the second year of the program, he helped host current MBA students in the one-year Fox International MBA program. These students were visiting Shanghai, China, as the last stop in their global MBA experience. “It was great to host the IMBA students and show them around Shanghai. It is an amazing city,” Cronin said.

After Cronin earns his MBA in May 2008, he hopes to move to Los Angeles and become a marketing strategist for a major sports company.

But he realizes he needs to stay flexible.

“Even that could change. Who knows where my Fox MBA will take me?” he said.

— Written by Holly Otterbein
For the Fox School of Business