From Monday 23 May up to 27 May 2016, 19 MBA students from Hong Kong Baptist University visited Kent Business School to take part in a short-study cross-cultural programme on business management in an international context from an European perspective.

The short-study programme, which tapped into growing trade links between China and the UK, was built on KBS’s academic expertise and complemented with field trips to several UK companies in Kent, a visit to the London Stock Exchange Market and a talk by MEP Richard Ashworth on UK’s international trade relations, with special attention to the Brexit-discussion.

The students were unanimous in their praise for the programme: all appreciated the new insights obtained when visiting UK companies and learning about the Western trading culture, political developments within the EU, operational practices and work ethos.

Class representative Jun Fang wrote in a Thank You email that: ‘…. everyone of us has cherished every minute we’ve had with you, to try to deepen our understanding and reflect it to our realities, except for that we never felt it to be enough’.

KBS staff and students in turn were very impressed with the group’s academic standards and open and engaging demeanour. Lasting friendships were formed during the hugely successful social evening held in Canterbury, where the students showed their traditional Chinese dress and performed a well-known Chinese folk song ‘Jasmine’.

KBS is looking at offering the cultural exchange programme to other universities in SE Asia and planning the development of a similar programme at the Hong Kong Baptist University for its own MBA students from 2017 onwards. ‘Understanding each other’s culture is the basis for successful trade. KBS can help to establish lasting business relationships across continents’ says Martin Meyer, the School Director.

For further information about our portfolio of executive education programmes for international MBA students, please contact External Services at KBS by email (KBSbusiness@kent.ac.uk) or tel:  +44 (0) 1227 824068.