【CM】Guten Tag! College sister school DHBW visits Taiwan

During November 10 to 23, the College of Management, National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) hosted a two-week program for its sister school, Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg/Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW). DHBW is the first higher education institution in Germany that combines on-the-job training and academic studies. Students study theories in classes for three months, and then gain three months of on-the-job training at the university’s partner companies, highlighting the thorough integration of theory and practice

The program was opened by Director Chien-Yuan Sher of the International Relations Office, College of Management who specially prepared souvenirs, including Taiwanese ka-tsi bags and thermos bottles for DHBW faculty and students. The souvenirs are not only Taiwanese style but also environmentally friendly. The two-week program was based on cross-cultural and Taiwanese business environments. First, Prof. Kim-Choy Chung, a Malaysian teacher from IBMBA & GHRM MBA gave the first lecture of the event. Prof. Chung showed up with a Chinese traditional red jacket and played a chopstick game with students, emphasizing the differences between Taiwanese and Western cultures and allowing students to understand the difficulties and breakthroughs in cross-cultural management.

Then, Prof. Chuei-Ling Shin from the Department of Political Economy introduced the development of democracy in Taiwan and the development and current situation of Taiwan’s political economy, and through group discussions, the German students were allowed to interact and exchange with Taiwanese students and share their opinions with one another. In addition, the college also arranged Chinese classes for the German students to learn basic Chinese greetings, self-introduction, and how to buy things in mandarin. As a result, the students could actually walk out of the classroom and introduce themselves to the Taiwanese students on campus, as well as use simple Chinese terms to buy things from stores.

The College arranged for the students to visit Taiwan Specialty Bolt and Screw, Inc. to learn about the development of foreign companies in Taiwan. The students were also arranged to visit a local company, Sheh Fung Screw Co., Ltd. to understand how Taiwanese companies go global, and for the students to compare the different corporate cultures of foreign and Taiwanese businesses in the same industry. Further, the students also visited the Children Are Us Foundation and the sheltered stores. The students also dined at the restaurant run by the Foundation to experience the operation of the restaurant.

Besides professional exchanges, cultural exchanges were also a major focus of the program. Almost all German students visited Taiwan for the first time, and many even visited Asia for the first time in their life. At the opening ceremony, the College of Management specially invited Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Junior High School to perform the Electric-Techno Neon Gods. All the German students were wowed by the performance and found the performance extremely interesting. They also put on the performers’ costumes to experience the traditional culture of Taiwan.

The DHBW also visited Ma Yu Shan Foods–Red Barn Factory to allow them to experience the making of flours. During the weekend, the College took everybody to stay overnight at the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium to get to know the creatures under the sea, enjoy the scenery of Kenting South Bay, and visit Rinari Tribe, Wutai, Pingtung to learn more about the aboriginal culture and taste the tribal cuisine. The event had allowed the visitors to truly experience the beauty of Taiwan through literally visiting the mountain and the sea.

Both the teachers and students from DHBW were impressed by the activities organized during the two-week visit, breaking many of their established impressions of Asian countries. Taiwan’s cultural diversity, democracy and freedom, as well as convenience of life made a huge impression on the German students. Taiwan’s enthusiasm and security also made the German students say that Taiwan is the place to visit for foreigners visiting Asia for the first time, and they also commented that they would definitely want to return to Taiwan again in the future.