SECOND INTERNATIONAL MBA SEMINAR IN GERMANY, 2005
Intercultural exchange of knowledge and experience within the framework of a German-American MBA event at the Transatlantic Institute
From May 5 to 15, 2005, an international management course with German and American participants took place at the Transatlantic Institute. The aim of the event was to strengthen the long-standing transatlantic relations between the Transatlantic Institute and the University of West Florida in Pensacola and to promote the intercultural exchange of knowledge and experience among internationally active managers.
The Transatlantic Institute and the University of West Florida kicked off this international seminar within the framework of the cooperative MBA program by officially welcoming the 22 guests from the USA to the Transatlantic Institute by the directors of the program.
In addition to jointly completed course days, the American guests were offered a variety of appealing program points. For example, visits to the DaimlerChrysler production plant of the "smart" in Hambach (France), the BASF AG Ludwigshafen and the European Central Bank Frankfurt provided a strong practical orientation to the course "Marketing Management", while excursions to, among others, a regional brewery, a Rhine boat trip from St. Goarshausen to Rüdesheim and an audience with the Pope in Rome enhanced the visit from a cultural point of view. In retrospect, the second visit of American fellow students of the current German MBA participants as well as the implementation of an international and intercultural management course can also be considered a highly successful event at the Transatlantic Institute.
In addition to strengthening the existing cooperation network between the participating universities, the students in particular benefited from the first-hand exchange of knowledge and experience. Thus, private networks were formed among the participants in addition to business networks, which is why one or the other participant will spend his summer vacation "at the beach" in West Florida.
All in all, the response of the participants from both the German and the American side was characterized by such great enthusiasm that a repetition of this international exchange will also take place next year. In return, this year for the first time the current German participants will be able to experience three weeks on the campus in West Florida. The aim of this final stay is to finally hold the "well-deserved" MBA degree in their hands after almost two years of effort and certainly to celebrate it in a fitting manner.
Conclusion
By intensifying existing cooperation networks, the Transatlantic Institute is taking an important step toward expanding and further developing its international continuing education offerings with a focus on the new demands of business for internationally trained employees.
In an international comparison, Germany ranks third among the most desirable host countries for foreign students after the USA and the UK, but has a generally low attractiveness for American students. With the strongly increasing interest of American MBA participants in this year's stay in Germany, the Transatlantic Institute documents that by means of innovative concepts more attention can be specifically drawn to German universities.
