Doing Business in Europe Summer Program (Netherlands) – I am in The Netherlands taking the Doing Business in Europe program at Hanze University, where I am hoping to learn strategies and competence for communicating effectively with people from other cultures.

We arrived in Groningen at the beautiful Groningen Train Station a week ago, and I have already learned so much. The course is a mix of classes, social programs, and business excursions. A lot of the class time is working in small groups, which is great because not only is it my favourite way to learn, but it gives me more experience working in a team.

Saturday we toured the northern area of the country and learned about the dyke systems, reclaimed land, wooden windmills, and even visited an 1800s style fishing village. It is a beautiful country and the Dutch have so much history with water engineering.

Yesterday was our first of three business excursions. We toured the Grolsch Brewery in Enschede and learned about their brewing and distribution processes. We then heard a presentation by their International Marketing Manager. The presentation was marketing focused but we learned how the language, tone, and words in an ad are just as important to the brand position and market as the campaign and images.

Jennifer Price
Business Administration
NSCC Waterfront Campus