A. General Report. ESC Dijon, Burgundy School of Business Ksenia Buldakova

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1 ESC Dijon, Burgundy School of Business Ksenia Buldakova A. General Report Host institution The host institution is called ESC Dijon Burgundy School of Business, also known as Ecole de commerce. It stands on the higher ranking that university and is known as private school in France. It has image of more personal teaching approach than the one used in the regular governmental university. My exchange semester started on the 9 th of January and my last exam took place on the 24 th of April. Contact with the home faculty, preparation and the journey The international relations office in ESC Dijon has been very helpful by providing all the needed information before my arrival to France. All the information was provided in time and in the logical sequence therefore it was easy to follow up the steps I had to perform before undertaking my education in Dijon. All the documents were sent by the international office already in October and it was more than enough time to find the accommodation, take care of the Erasmus grant papers and prepare the upcoming journey to France. The journey The journey took me around 7 hours. First of all I took the train from Groningen to Amsterdam Centraal from where I took Thalys train to Paris. In Paris I had to change From Paris du Noord train stration to Paris Gare de Lyon train station and I could get there either using metro or intercity train. From Gare de Lyon I took the train to Dijon. The journey is rather costly. If you book the train tickets at the last minute it can cost you up to 170 EUR one way. What earlier you book the train tickets the cheaper it will be. There was a pick- up service offered by French students, which I used. Everything went good, a girl picked me up from the train station and walked me to my residence. VISA Since France is in EU and I am Estonian, I did not need to arrange VISA. Accommodation The host university sent the list of accommodations already at the end of October. I knew a girl who did the exchange in Dijon previous semester and she suggested me the student house called Arquebuse. It was a big student house, which had 4 floors and a big common room. It was located right next to the train station and rather in the city center area however it took me around 15 min to walk to school or I could had taken the tram and driven 2 stations further. The problem arose with my arrival time since I was arriving too late for the check- in and the lady, who s job was to check new people in did not speak any English. Therefore my Parisian friend made couple of calls to my residence to arrange it. The residents did not appear the nicest. It had one common kitchen ( for all 3 floors) and a big common room, which was a greatest thing about the residence because all students could have dinners there together. However the rooms were

2 small, around 12 m2 and very minimalistic. There was one small table, two chairs, sink, one persons bed and a closet. The room was quiet clean but had no vacuum cleaner and you had to take care yourself of the cleanness of the floor in the room. Another thing, which was a bit strange, was the location of the residence. It was located right next to the train station and the train station of Dijon is quiet central and busy, especially at nights. However, it took me around one week to get used to the noise at nights and eventually I could barely hear it. Because of the language barrier and the fact that everything was in French, the rules of the residence remained a secret for internationals, which did not speak the language. Therefore me and some other students living there got into trouble with the lady because of violation of certain rules we had no clue about. Moreover, there are also other people in residence, mainly French railway workers, who do not appear to be the nicest people and were rather older than students. They did not speak any English. Overall I would not suggest this residence to international students, because eventually there is a possibility to find something much cheaper and better in the city. Reception and Introduction There was an induction week held by university and the main student association Melting Potes. It was very useful since we got all the information about the school, the intranet it is using for schedules, grades and course material information, and the city. Moreover there we got a great overview of French culture. All international students got familiar with school and used to the city. It lasted for 3 days of lectures and tutorials and one day of the trip around the Burgundy region and Beune. The student organization Melting Potes was very helpful and French students offered different assistance to internationals by coming with them to the bank and arranging bank account, communicating with residences etc. Any problem or question international student had could had been addressed to the French student from the association. Student life, culture and leisure Dijon is known as a student city. It has a big university campus a bit outside the city center and ESC Dijon business school in the city center. Overall it hosts more than students and therefore can be seen as quiet lively. Dijon is rather safe to get around and has many cafes and bars. The bars are always full of people at evenings. On the weekdays you can find many smaller bars being open. The drinks there are rather expensive though. Every week there are afterworks organized by different associations of school. Those are just some drinks at the end of the school day, when many people meet up in the certain bar where they can get discounted drinks and just sit and talk all together. It is a good way to meet people and get together with your friends. In Dijon there are several clubs, which play rather different music. However they are all pricey. In Dijon there is a shopping street located in the city center. Moreover there is a big mall located a bit outside the city center and reachable by tram.

3 Language In Dijon there are not many people who speak English. It is very handy to know basic French while arranging accommodation and bank account. However if you do not have it it s wont be too big problem. As earlier mentioned there are students from the student association, who can help you out with many things. Many students in school do not speak good English either. They are attending the same classes however I found it rather difficult to do the group work with them since their level of English was way too low. The professor s language skills were rather good and there are many international teachers giving the classes. Grant I received the 70% of the grant in February. It was 770 Eur. I found it very helpful since the life in France is more expensive than in the Netherlands. Study in Dijon Studying in ESC Dijon Burgundy School of Business was a very interesting experience for me. The system is rather different than we are used to here. You choose certain excellence modules, which last only for one week. Basically you have the whole week one class, which can be quiet intensive. The teachers are usually internationals, who are flying for the whole week to Dijon to give classes. The assessment is different too. Most of the time there are many presentations and paper writing. However sometimes there is an exam at the end of the excellence module. Overall I did not find studying difficult and the courses I chose were very interesting.

4 B. Specific Report MiM1 English Core CoursesS2 Business Negotiations 1. Lectures and literature There was no compulsory literature. It was an excellence module, which means that lectures took place the whole week from 10 am till 6 pm with the lunch in between from am till 2 pm except Friday, when the lecture took place am. compulsory literature (and recommended literature where appropriate) Objective of the course: Negotiation is a dialogue to discover common ground among parties with differing aims, needs and perspectives in order to achieve a solution. The aim is to seek a process by which parties may pursue a mutually acceptable outcome, which typically involves an element of compromise. Business Negotiations explore how two or more parties with competing interests discuss and manage issues so as to attain an agreement, settle a matter of mutual concern, or resolve a conflict. Negotiation is a valuable leadership and management skill, which is employed in a wide range of business contexts, such as contracts, deal- making, employment discussions, team building, and disputes. Negotiations occur in commercial, non- profit and governmental organisations. The overall mark given for this module is based two reflective assignments and in- class case exam. The allocation of marks is as follows: Assignment 1 Analysis of a Negotiation (Due: 22/4/2015) Case Exam (Held: 23/4/2015) Assignment 2 Reflective Journal (Due: 24/4/2015) 33.3% In- Class 33.3% 33.3% 100.0%

5 4. Relevance to Groningen study program I found it rather relevant but not very well fitting since it is very practical course, where students had a chance to practice their negotiation skills. 5. Study load It is a 5- day workshop, which took place every day at the times of pm; pm and pm. There was no literature so no real homework. Brand Management 1. Lectures and literature There was a compulsory literature, the book Fisher, R. & Ury, W. (2012) Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. It was an excellence module, which means that lectures took place the whole week from 10 am till 6 pm with the lunch in between from am till 2 pm except Friday, when the lecture took place am. compulsory literature (and recommended literature where appropriate) The objective of the course was to make students familiar with brand awareness, brand image; it s concept and brand s identity and object in order to build its positioning on the market. There was no compulsory literature, however lecturer uploaded around 30 articles that we could use in order to write our own academic paper at the end of the course. Students to make their own presentations used the slides. 50% of the grade is the group work, which is the presentation where you choose the brand yourself and elaborate on certain issues about it. Another 50% of the grade is the individual assignment, which is the paper each student has to write on his/her chosen topic based on other academic papers.

6 4. Relevance to Groningen study program I found this course very relevant. It gave the deep understanding about different brands, how they position themselves and how they have reached the level of awareness in customers minds they currently have. 5. Study load It is an excellence module, which means that it is a 5- day workshop, which takes place from am; 2-4 pm and 4-6 pm daily. There is no compulsory literatures therefore students do not have to prepare for the next class, however organization of the group work and later writing individual paper will take around 2 hours after class. French Culture and Society 1.Lectures and literature The total of 8 classes in the layout of seminars. Each class is 2 hours and the time volume in total is 22 hours. There was no compulsory reading, only notes students have to take in class. The course is worth 3ECTS. 2.Contents Summary of the content of each subject, with reference to compulsory literature (and recommended literature where appropriate). Description written in the course outline: A panorama of today's French culture and society: The family, work and employment, entertainment, religion, education, the institutions etc. The learning objectives: At the end of this module, students will be able to understand the way the French society works, the values and beliefs held by the French, some of the people's idiosyncrasies and cultural differences between their native country and France. 3.Assessment Continuous individual assessment [50%] Journal with 7+ entries about our experience with French culture and additional learning done outside of class. Final individual assessment [50%] Exam on everything discussed in class

7 4.Relevance to Groningen study program This course provided insight into the French society. However I think it does not have direct relevance to IB study program. It does enhance your ability to interpret your environment should you use the international direction of the study. 5.Study load Journal=25 hours Exam = 15 hours French Elementary 1. Lectures 2 times a week, each 2 hours and 15 minutes from on Mondays and Wednesdays 11 lecture weeks (22 tutorials in total = 44 hours) No compulsory book or reading list. Handouts were provided in class each tutorial compulsory literature (and recommended literature where appropriate). Course structure: Determination of the level of French Being able to talk about basic topics such as favorite animals, meeting people on the streets and going shopping. There were also classes where we prepared for the midterm and final exam. Next to the midterm and the final exam, everyone had to prepare a dialogue with a partner. 4. Relevance to Groningen Study program I think learning foreign languages is relevant to international Business. 5. Study load Study time and homework 2 hours per week: 22 hours Preparation for exams- Midterm exam preparation: 6 hours; Final exam preparation:8 hours. Presentation preparation: 4 hours. Assessment in Groningen 5 ECTS.

8 Management of Technology and Innovation 1. Lectures and literature It was an excellence module, which means that lectures took place the whole week from 10 am till 6 pm with the lunch in between from am till 2 pm except Friday, when the lecture took place am. There was no compulsory literature. All we had to study from were the slides the teacher prepared. compulsory literature (and recommended literature where appropriate). The goal of the course was to make students to understand how technology influences the business world. The biggest technological giants of the World were introduces as well as the biggest internet platforms. 3 compulsory case studies, which students had to complete in groups and present in class. Each case study taking 20% of the final grade. At the end of the course final individual assessment was performed, which was 40%. It was an exam and the main material it was based on were the slides the teacher presented in classes. 4. Relevance to Groningen study program I found it very relevant since it gave good overview of the technological developments and advantages. Moreover, it told us how those developments were build up and influenced the businesses. 5. Study load The course took the whole week. After classes students had to stay in school for group work, which had to be done for the next day. Therefore the study load was quiet big- every day around 3 h after school. Therefore for preparation of the homework and exam it took 12 hours. Since it was excellence module, classes took place every day the whole day.

9 Value Based Metrics & Valuation of the Companies 1. Lectures and Literature It was an excellence module, which means that lectures took place the whole week from 10 am till 6 pm with the lunch in between from am till 2 pm except Friday, when the lecture took place am. There was no compulsory literature. All we had to study from were the slides the teacher prepared. Moreover, the teacher gave us also couple of websites we could use to familiarize ourselves with different topics and evaluation models. compulsory literature (and recommended literature where appropriate). Course description from the course book: The course is case study driven The specific cases chosen, focus on the impact of growth, risk, supply chain efficiencies and synergies, on valuation. The valuation and techniques used to value companies such as inter alia J P Morgan, Starbucks, Facebook and Twitter are discussed. How are prices set at with an IPO? The IPO s of Facebook and twitter are amongst the cases discussed. Other than focusing on identifying value drivers and the impact on valuation, the cases also present an opportunity to apply and better understand the theory presented in a standard Corporate Finance course (an assumed prerequisite). Students are introduced to the real world of equity markets Relative valuation techniques and DCF techniques are used to evaluate and discuss stock market valuation of companies Students are required to investigate a real company and make a presentation explaining their understanding of key value drivers of the company and its relative competitive position, and their understanding of analysts views of the company, and comment on how the company is rated by the market. Group assignments (questions arising from case studies) 20% Group assignment presented during last session Individual examination (approximately 1 hour test) 50% 30% 4. Relevance to Groningen Study Program I found it very relevant because it is crucial to know how to assess the companies and shares and to know where and how the share price fluctuations are coming from.

10 5. Study Load Face to face contact with students: 21 hours; Student preparation and case assignments (as individual and in groups): 20+ hours. Class size preferably not too large due to interactive workshop and case study approach. International Negotiation 1. Lectures and Literature It was an excellence module, however all classes did not take place within one week. Every week we had 4 hours of interactive class, where we had to present about our culture s negotiation style. There was no compulsory literature. The teacher prepared slides and sent students PDF file with the negotiation style their culture represents, which students later could use in their presentation. compulsory literature (and recommended literature where appropriate). International Negotiations course is for familiarizing students with negotiation styles, different cultures and the way they negotiate. It made student aware of the cultural distance between different countries and regions and moreover, showed the ways they could deal with that distance in the future. The presentation every students had to make by himself or in the group, which was also the final assessment of the course: 100% 4. Relevance to Groningen study program I found it very relevant since we have been always studying cultural distance but never went in debt into that topic. Therefore this course gave me great overview of actual cultural differences, how to deal with them and how is appropriate to perform negotiations in different foreign countries. 5. Study load Study load in total was 16 hours in class and 6 hours preparation at home.

11 Selected Skills and Areas in Personal Selling 1. Lectures and literature There was no compulsory literature. The lectures were more like seminars, which were very interactive, full of group works and performances in front of the class. compulsory literature (and recommended literature where appropriate). The course was aiming to introduce students to the main selling techniques, practicing those in workshops and developing their skills of personal selling. Students got familiarized with the Feature Benefit analysis, the opportunity cost term and the Elaboration Likelyhood model, why are these used and how. The performance is class was assessed and was 50% of the final grade. Moreover, the final evaluation of the course had to bee written individually by every student and was another 50 % of the final grade. 4. Relevance to Groningen Study Program I found it rather relevant course because it gave me the overview of selling techniques, leading questions, my own opportunity cost and how to evaluate it. 5. Study Load It was an excellence module; therefore it took us 30 hours per week in class. Later evaluation report writing takes about 5 hours.