My Courses in HWR Berlin

To validate my semester, I chose 6 courses with each 5 ECTS credits. The semester in HWR Berlin began really late. Indeed, we began the courses at the 1st April.

Before the beginning of the semester we could choose to participate at an intensive german course. This course was during 2 weeks and it was to learn the german according to our level. Before the beginning of the course, we passed a level test to determinate in which group we will be. I had already made a bit of german at school so I was in a group A2. After this 2 weeks, I validate my course with the best mark : 1.

In germany, the notation is really different as the french notation:

· 1 = Very Good

· 2 = Good

· 3 = Satisfactory

· 4 = Adequate

Below 4, you can’t validate.

The 6 courses I chose for this semester are:

· Multinational Corporations in Emerging Markets

This course has for topic the development of the emerging market. The emerging markets have a lot of characteristics: a young populations, a growing urbanization, an unequal distribution of wealth although a growing middle, an institutional inefficiencies, …

The study of these markets is important to know what we are facing in the 21st Century business world.

· Communication Strategy and Consumer Behavior

Even if we do not work in marketing, sales or consumer protection, we are constantly in the consumer role: we buy and consume products, we use services and digital devices, we select brands and decide on political programs.

Businesses and organizations are building on the knowledge of consumer behavior and developing communication strategies to drive effective marketing. They use media to transport messages. They select communication tools to reach different audiences and different objectives.

This course help to understand how brands are doing to attract their customers.

· Human Resources and Organisation

This course is composed of discussions, group works, case studies and quizzes to learn more about the management and the strategy of a company according to some human resources values. We talk as well about how to work in team and what are the principles of a successful teamwork.

· International Management

In this course, we talk about globalization and what happen in the worl. We are a lot of exchange student coming from so many countries. This allows us to talk about everything and to have all points of view.

· Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management is about how taking care about values, culture, religion,… of everybody in the professional world.

· Communication and Interaction in a Professional Context

This is a project seminar based on theoretical input, practical exercises, group work, discussions, action-learning & role play, presentations and the reflection of your own experiences. This course is an interaction and a communication between all the students. In this course, I can work on my shyness and how to speak easily with people I don’t know.

The only negative point is that all the courses are separate in 4 hours sessions. Despite the break, it is a little bit too much and it is difficult to be concentrate during all the session.

What really surprised me is the important interactions in all of this courses. All the student are participating and it’s a dialog between the students and the teachers more than a reading lecture. All my courses are really interessant.

More than this, in all the courses, there are a lot of team work and we can always change our group. In one month I have already work with some German, Danish, Spanish, Italian, American, Argentinean, ...

I learn a lot with people from others countries because they explain me how we do things in their countries and I can explain them what we do and how in France.

To finish, the exchange association that take care of all the exchange student of the HWR university organize often some activities and party. This events allow us to know better the exchange studen of the university and to know the german students too. I think it is really interessant to participate at this events to know new people and to speak with them.