The seminar was about Global Leadership, and we discussed the Kai Bendix Case. Kai is a manager at Beiersdorf and has had two international experiences in the context of his work. He first went to Eastern Europe, and then he had a placement in India where his challenge was to build up a subsidiary for the company. We discussed the business and cultural challenges he had, and analysed the case in teams, each team focusing on a different part.
I learned that cultural challenges not only occur in a student context, but also in a more formal business context even between managers on a bilateral basis. It was helpful to see that even an experienced manager can face similar issues in an international context. We analyzed how Kai changed over time, Beiersdorf shared his scores on factors such as openness to meeting new people, striving for adventures and similar dimensions, and I think it was interesting to see how he grew personally through this experience.
What I liked was that the case was Video based; one could really see that real people were involved and also listen to them and their descriptions of the challenges. For me personally it was not my first time interacting with Beiersdorf, as I have done my CEMS internship with them in Hamburg, but the team of Katharina Ullrich and CEMS Alumna Rimli Das Gupta were really nice and gave a good impression about the culture at Beiersdorf.
I really enjoy going to seminars like this, especially during the Business Project term, in which the whole CEMS class rarely comes together. One very positive aspect about the seminar was that students who have been to the respective countries or have had similar experiences where able to share their stories. For me, one of the greatest assets of CEMS is that we have so many nationalities in one classroom and so many different experiences. To be able to listen to fellow classmates’ experiences is one reason why I am looking forward to such seminars, which are open and leave room for personal experiences. In my opinion the corporate aspect was useful in a way to see that cultural challenges happen in every context, however I found the personal experiences of Kai more interesting and also easier to relate to.
I have had a really good time with CEMS and am already a little sad that it will be over in the summer. I have met great people and am amazed every time how easy and fast I get along with everyone. I am always wondering how CEMS manages to pick the students, which on the one hand are very similar to each other because we share the same norms, but on the other hand are so different due to our backgrounds. As part of the CEMS Club, I try to make the most of the semester and give back some of the hospitality I have received by the CEMS Club Barcelona during my exchange to the incoming students here in St. Gallen.
About the University of St. Gallen
As one of Europe’s leading business universities located in Switzerland, the University of St. Gallen offers university degrees and executive education at the highest international level. A practical approach and integrative view characterise education and support the HSG’s unique concept. With a number of degree programmes taught in English, the HSG is also attractive to students from other countries – uniting 80 nationalities on our campus.