We have an international community at Westminster Business School and as I walk around the campus each day I come across a diverse body of students from more than 100 countries and with many different first, second and third languages. I love the new social space in the library and seeing groups of students working or networking in the brilliant new curvy chairs and the group rooms. It is so encouraging to see students from many different cultures and nations coming together and learning and also socialising together. During the year, you will be working with people (both students and staff) from many different parts of the world and from many different cultures. Sometimes this is a challenging experience and it takes time to learn about each other and our different customs, practices and cultures. This is an extremely valuable experience as it helps to develop our inter-cultural knowledge and skills.
If you are determined to be a global business leader, you must not forget that you will need to excel in social and managerial skills in dealing with a global workforce. Here at the Westminster Business School, you will be given many opportunities to take the experience on to another level. Throughout the academic year, we will give you opportunities to explore different parts of the business world through study abroad trips or international events. My advice to you would be take the most out of what we provide you here and enrich your experience to the fullest. Learn from each other’s experiences. It will mean that when you come to apply for a professional position at the end of your degree that you will be able to stand-out from the crowd due to your international and inter-cultural knowledge and experiences. You can add this to your curriculum vitae and include the experience of working in inter-cultural groups on a daily basis during your studies.
I know from my own experiences of working in many different countries (Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Oman, Bahrain, Portugal, Iceland, Ireland and America – to name a few) that I have learnt the importance of spending time getting to know people and respecting their ways of communicating and doing business. I will be on a trip to Uzbekistan this week so I promise in my next post I will tell you more about this trip and share my experience with you all.
Until then, enjoy your experiences as a student in the business school and this vibrant exciting city of London
