Management School hosts cultural diversity workshops
The three part series consisted of talks on American, Indian and Chinese culture as part of a wider initiative to create a diverse and international student body who have the ability to understand and work with cultures worldwide. The sessions have been held between November 2016 and March 2017.
The sessions were initiated in conjunction with report produced by undergraduate students Holly Fitzgerald and Beth Foye, both studying BA Marketing. Their project explores integration between different cultures in a university setting. The talks touched on cultural differences between nationalities and encouraged students to work effectively with fellow students from a variety of backgrounds and with colleagues in the wider world of business. Students who attended the session will receive a reference on their Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) and will write a reflection on the benefits they received from attending.
Paul Matthews, Director of Studies for BA Marketing at the Management School, organised and set up the workshop series and commented that “it was clear from the speed with which places were filled up that there is a demand within the student body for this type of activity”.
The first session of the series was delivered by Deputy Directors of the Confucius Institute Peng Tian and John Tasker who covered aspects of Chinese culture. The Liverpool Confucius Institute is a collaborative project between XJTLU and the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), for the promotion of Chinese language and culture.
Following this, Dr Diana Powell from the Liverpool International College and Alicia Bethel, Country Development Manager for the University of Liverpool, talked about culture in America. Both presenters are originally from the USA and spoke to students about the differences that occur between states and used an interactive activity to highlight how history, politics and geography inform American core values. Students examined the differences in expectations between America and their own country in a business context through tasks such as emailing and conducting a meeting.
To close the series, Rohit Kumar, Regional and Business Development Manager for the University of Liverpool and alumnus of the Management School, spoke about cultural norms and traditions in India and explained how to interpret these in a business setting. Emphasis was placed on the importance of trust and the value of hierarchy within an organisation as well as respecting age when working with colleagues.
The sessions have been attended by Dr Kris Spelman Miller, Pro Vice Chancellor for Education for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. She commented that the sessions “are engaging and well-pitched for those in the room, with mixed experiences and backgrounds”. She said: “As a university with a global perspective, we should be doing more to increase cultural awareness and understanding so it was pleasing to see this type of workshop being so well received”.
Paul Matthews added: “Each of our speakers were excellent and delivered interesting and relevant sessions that the students fully engaged with. It’s important to understand the benefits of working in partnership with other departments within the University”.
Paul is currently writing a paper with Dr Diana Powell from the Liverpool International College based on the pre and post workshop research they conducted.