On May 20th, 2018, Gao Ang and the exchange student representatives to India brought the CIS study sharing meeting to the students. The meeting gave us a vivid and interesting cross-cultural communication and deepened the students’ understanding of the project.
The China- India-Swiss (CIS) project is a tripartite cooperative study tour between China-Switzerland and India. It is organized by the Swiss Institute of Business and Engineering, University of Applied Sciences (Heig-Vd) in Switzerland, and the National Institute of Technology Karnataka in India, and Beijing Institute of Technology. China, Switzerland, and India take turns as host countries to host other teachers and students from other countries. The projects are conducted around local companies. The students from Sino-India are divided into two groups. Each group conducts research on the company around a theme, visits the production department of the company, and conducts interviews with the grass-roots employees and middle-level and senior-level employees. Past research topics include Quality and Safety Management and Communication and Marketing.
First of all, Gao Ang introduced the overview and process of eight MBA students visiting Switzerland in July 2017, including grouping form, selected topics, accommodation environment, visiting companies, and interviewing procedures. Teacher Gao took the solid waste treatment plant as an example to introduce in depth the situation of foreign participants participating in the exchange, the company’s operating model, and the thoughts on the visit activities; the exchange collisions in the company interviews also made it possible for exchange students to look into communication problems caused by cultural differences, and spend more time to design interview questions.
Next, seven students from the study tour in India shared their visits. From the national impressions, economic impressions, cultural impressions, educational impressions, and other dimensions, they brought their eyes to the mysterious country—India, where each student has its own unique experience and thinking. Their introduction abandons some of the stereotypes that the students originally had for India. During the visits to Indian companies, although the production facilities and technical standards of some companies are not outstanding, the study students understand how to combine the historical background, economic level, and cultural origins of the local area. At the same time, they learned a lot during the whole journey. They gained a deeper understanding of this country, which is the most attractive element for study tours.
More than 40 classmates who are interested in the project and 2018 classmates who are about to enroll in the school participated in the sharing session lasting two and a half hours, and put forward many questions to discuss. After the meeting, everyone agreed that the CIS project provided students with the opportunity for in-depth learning and collaboration in the context of cross-cultural exchanges. It expanded everyone’s international perspective and was a very meaningful learning experience.
