Last week we had the pleasure to take part in the International Business Study Tour in Amsterdam where we had the opportunity to know more about both the Dutch and Chinese culture, together with the main economic characteristics of the Chinese economy.
CULTURAL VISITS
Our experience during the business study tour in Amsterdam has been very enriching, both on a personal and professional level.
On a cultural level, we had the pleasure of visiting different emblematic sites of this country, such as the Rijksmuseum, where we were able to appreciate art, crafts and history, as well as the paintings of the Dutch Golden Age.
During the time we spent visiting the museum, we were able to comment on the art and sculptures on display, appreciating the details of each work.
We were also able to take a boat tour through the center of Amsterdam’s canals, where we were able to appreciate the 15 bridges, the highest swing in Europe, the Amsterdam library and Anne Frank’s house, among others.
In addition, we were able to stroll through the streets of the red light district, get a first-hand experience of the Ajax victory in the football Dutch league and appreciate the particular characteristics of this country, such as its sloping houses, its beer and its love for bicycles.
COMPANIES VISITS
During the Business Study Tour we had the pleasure to take part in a couple company visits: one at ABN AMRO Bank N.V. together with the appearance of ING and another one at Huawei.
The first visit occurred on Monday the 9th, where we got invited to the headquarters of ABN AMRO Bank N.V. There we received a warm welcome from one of the AMRO representatives, where she summarized what the Dutch bank is currently doing and what are the main strong points to tackle through “The bank at a glance” presentation.
After her wonderful presentation, we welcomed a Chinese colleague, Zijang Wang, who appeared to be very friendly and who explained us his experience at the AMRO bank. Mr. Wang also introduced us to the Chinese meaning of having “face”. According to him, having a face is very important in China and thus he made sure we understood it, as this is crucial to making a good business relationship with Chinese people.
After his speech on the “faces”, he introduced us to the third speaker, X Ji, who is currently employed at ING. Mr. Ji gave us an extensive presentation about the macroeconomics of China, often having a critical point of view against the United States, which I am not sure was always correct. Overall it was a very fruitful visit which all the students enjoyed.
The second and last visit occurred on Wednesday the 11th. We took a one-hour bus to go to Huawei’s offices in the Netherlands, close to Den Haag. First they gave us an initial general presentation about the company and let us ask some questions, which we took advantage of by asking things we were curious about, such as their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and their policy on working hours.
After the first presentation made by a Chinese representative, we had the pleasure to listen to Mr. Sedat Gultekin, a young associate who shared some of his personal experiences in the company with us. Mr. Gultekin appeared to be very friendly and answered all of our questions. After the two presentations, they introduced us to their technological showroom, where they showed us some of their latest software and technology. The visit to the Huawei offices was also very interesting.
LESSONS AND LECTURES
Apart from being an enriching experience from a cultural and business point of view, our visit to Amsterdam has been bound by a series of very professional lectures and explanations that have allowed us to learn much more about a country like China. We have seen and analyzed the historical evolution of the Asian economy over the last few years and millennia and its focus on physical, human and technological capital as a source of growth.
One of the aspects that must be taken into account is the way of doing business in China and, thanks to Claudio Perotti, we were able to learn a series of tips on what to do and what not to do when you are going to establish commercial ties with the Asian country. We also received a masterclass on the open door policies of the Chinese economy, which was very interesting and gave us a clearer vision of the importance of the Asian giant in the world of international trade.
Lastly, we wanted to mention the wonderful Chinese classes we received from Zongyan Chen. We learned such important concepts for the country’s culture as «Guānxi», very important when establishing personal relationships, and «liǎn» which is linked to the prestige and dignity of a person.
As explained in this post, our trip in Amsterdam was very insightful in a lot of ways, since we did not only get to know the Dutch and Chinese cultures, but also we got a concise introduction to the Chinese economy and how to do business with china. Moreover, we have truly enjoyed the business study tour in Amsterdam and our stay in this beautiful city. We would like to thank ESIC for this wonderful experience.
Best regards, Marina, Oriol and Nacho.