Vibrant interactions between different cultures - MSM-CENTRUM students visit Maastricht

MSM recently welcomed 20 students of partner university CENTRUM Católica at MSM for their study attachment abroad as part of their part-time MBA program. The students followed courses in Marketing in a Global Context, Global Supply Chain Management, International Business and Managing Cultural Diversity. The students also enjoyed work visits to Xerox, DAF and the European Commission.

“The experience of studying at MSM was amazing since the first day when we were received with the extraordinary words of Mr. Henri Blaffart who explained what the job market is demanding today,” said Ms. Claudia Kanamori at the end of study attachment. “All the classes had an excellent mix of theory and practice. Combined with the cases and business simulations we had the opportunity to experience situations, which tested our knowledge and our capacity of managing the trades-offs involved in each challenge. We also had the pleasure to meet people from different countries during the Managing Cultural Diversity course where we shared valuable time with students from other programs and learned together how to become a better global manager.”

The work visits gave the students more practical insights in the subjects studied in the class room. “The work visits to the European Commission, DAF and Xerox were enriching experiences where we had the opportunity to learn about the business environment in Europe. It was really incredible to see how theory and real life business' practices converge, giving as a result successful companies with a deep understanding of their target customer,” Claudia stated.

For Sujia Liu the international aspect was also of great value. ”The school is so international and filled with vibrant interactions between different cultures. We had the Managing Culture Diversity class with classmates from Vietnam, The Philippines, Indonesia, China, Yemen, South Africa, Nigeria, Lebanon, Brazil, Peru, USA, etc. I truly cannot think of a better scenario to learn and appreciate cultural diversity in the world.”

Upon completion of the courses Victor Garcia highlighted his three learning outcomes. “Firstly, I think that the main learning outcome from this experience is that we need to learn how to generate new knowledge. What we learn today will be outdated soon, and then it is very important to keep ourselves updated. Secondly, I learned that management is an art and a science. We need to look at both aspects bearing in mind the human aspect and the responsibility that we will have as leaders in our businesses. Thirdly, I learned that integration is key to thrive. In different levels, as regions, countries and companies, work together for a better future to ensure more benefits.