Bonjour!!!
**XIME
students in front of European Parliament**
Excited
students of XIME huddled around the airport wishing each other well on the New
Year eve. It was the start of a new journey with a long flight to Paris, France.
The 30-member team was going to participate in the Winter Program held at
Audencia, Nantes from 02 Jan to 21 Jan 2016.
The
Winter Program at the Audencia School of Management is a student exchange
program between Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship, Bangalore
and the Audencia – Nantes School of Management. Under this program, students
are required to undergo a 20-day training programme that includes classroom
learning, case studies, activities, field trips and institutional visits.
We
were given the unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in a new environment,
understand various education systems, network and share ideas with students
from different nationalities, travel and experience the rich cultural heritage of
Europe and gain an international outlook as we discussed various perceptions
and paradigms.
This
programme provided a holistic view on “Doing business in EU”. Key learnings
included current business scenario in Europe, impact and interdependence with
the rest of the world, a brief introduction about the European Institutions,
their working and relationship amongst each other etc. It also included a
five-day classroom/lab workshop on various topics of interests chosen by the
students. These topics included Leadership, Mergers and Acquisitions, Foreign
Currency, International Business, Team Work and Ethics.
The
program kick-started with a one-day orientation program at the Audencia School
of Management – Paris campus, where we interacted with the co-ordinators and
other participants from U.S.A. , Germany, Argentina and China. In Nantes, at
the Audencia School of Management, we had an interactive and fun-filled 2-week
classroom session based on the course we had opted for. An industrial visit to
Cointreau was organised, it provided us an understanding on the working of the
plant, their marketing strategy and an idea about the business environment in
Europe.
Our
3rd week was in Brussels, where we were taken to the different EU
Institutions that included the European Parliament, European Council, European
Commission and the Parliamentarium. Every step in the legislation process was
clearly explained and we got a sneak-peek to the anxiety the delegates
experience as they make important decisions that shaped the European Union. The
trip concluded with an industrial visit to SAP.
**XIME
students at Audencia, Nantes, France**
It
was an extremely enriching and rewarding experience for students. It is more
than just an academic venture, because it encompassed so many lessons about
life. Safety was a concern for all our families in the light of the recent
terror attacks in Paris. But the swift and dedicated armed forces present at
regular intervals reassured us throughout our stay.
We
found France and Belgium rich with culture and the people were very helpful and
jolly. This experience left us enriched with memories and broadened our
perspective about different cultures and lifestyles.
– Lakshmi
Teja Nittala & Sharmil Nanjappa
First
Year PGDM, XIME