Collaboration across cultures….in ASB
Through collaborations we aim to enrich the learning experience of both students and the teachers by bringing in more talents from various parts of the world. On November 14th a team of academicians from Groningen University, Netherlands visited ASB. Here is an excerpt from the conversation ASB students had with Prof. Padma Rao Sahib and Dr. Bart Van Ark from Groningen University.
Dr. Padma Rao Sahib, Professor, Department of Economics, Groningen University, The Netherlands.
Q: From India to Netherlands to this visit to ASB …would you describe the wonderful journey that took you here?
A: Much of my life, like most others, was providential. One thing led to the other. We were initially in Chennai from where my father got transferred to Hyderabad first and then to Delhi where I completed my higher secondary education. This is when my parents decided to move to Washington. I chose to do my graduation in Economics and Statistics from George Washington University. Unlike India it’s not too difficult to get into the engineering courses in the US. I got through Cornell where I did my masters and doctorate. After my doctorate I got an offer to teach at the University of Montreal. During this time when I visited Turkey as part of a conference, I got a chance to see Amma. It was here that I met my husband Rudd Konig who is a Dutch national. My work got me in touch with him more often. After 4 years we got married and I moved to The Netherlands and that is where I am right now. We have been teaching in university of Groningen for the past 7 years.
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Q: You have been to US, Canada and Netherlands could you give us some insights in to the cultural differences that you experienced?
A: Let me start with US. Life in US is very fast with people having a friendly but business like approach. Pay is generally very high in US, when considered with Netherlands and Canada. Life revolves here around weekends. I would say in the US things are more transactional. Professional and personal lives are kept separate and relationships might not seem the way we understand them here in India.
Europe though, is much more relationship oriented with great importance given to family. In the Netherlands things revolve around the family. Life in the Netherlands is much similar to that in India. You can see parents coming to pick up their children for lunch from schools. Although things are changing you still see the importance of family and life outside workplace. Dutch prefer more about quality of life rather than money. The work culture is very flexible. Women have the option to work 2 – 4 days a week as they prefer Dutch prefer to have a heavy and early dinner while keeping their breakfast and lunch restricted to cold food like cornflakes and sandwiches. Being a socialist economy, the government is very concerned about the public welfare. The government of Netherlands has legalized prostitution and euthanasia in public interest which is a bold step towards its commitment to its citizen. Some soft drugs are also regulated. May be because of all this steps taken by the Government which reflects an attitude of acceptance rather than avoidance, when compared to US, Netherlands has a low divorce rate, teen pregnancies and drug usage.
Canada falls in between the US and the Netherlands in these matters. It has the same fast pace of life as in the US but the degree is lesser. Social life too is quite similar to the kind in the US.
I could identify myself more with the culture of Netherlands because of the similarities it shares with the Indian culture. But I do think there is an increase in two P’s, in India Prosperity and pollution.
Q: Oh… That’s interesting. How did you come to know about Amrita School of Business?
A: I met Dr. Ramya Neelamegham at Cornell University during my Ph.D. And it was through Ramya I came to know ASB. My desire to be acquainted with ASB started since then. University of Groningen, for which I’m working currently, is into collaboration with universities with a number of countries. It was only this year in April that we could come down to India to talk about the collaboration with ASB. This is our second visit to the campus and things look much more positive. Through collaborations we aim to enrich the learning experience of both students and the teachers by bringing in more talents from various parts of the world...
Q: A few words on the collaboration with Amrita School of Business mam?
A: We consider this collaborative effort with Amrita School of Business as another means to create the much needed diversity of thought and origin through various student/faculty exchange programs. To meet the demands of a global workplace and organizations global classrooms are a must and this is what our exchange programs are trying to achieve.
Compiled by Anju Kamal, Jayasudha R R, Pratyush Banerjee.
Dr. Bart Van Ark, Associate Dean, International Affairs, University of Groningen, Netherlands:
On Collaboration with Amrita School of Business
The University of Groningen has been active in Asia for more than a decade. A number of European exchange students come to the University every year and spend one semester.
Through collaborations the University is focusing on three strategic alliances - exchanging faculties, joint conferences and double degree program.
The University offers International Degree Programs in Economics, Econometrics, International Economic Business, International Business and Management, Masters of Sciences in Business Administration.
We also want our students to experience the pleasant stay at Amrita. We are planning to send in two more students to Amrita next semester. We are also figuring out if there is any possibility to bring in ASB students to Holland for a semester or work for a European company in India during their summer project.
The talks are still on and we are in the process of negotiations with Amrita School of Business.
Compiled by Anju Kamal, Jayasudha R R, Pratyush Banerjee.
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