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Arnhem Business School

About Arnhem Business School

Arnhem Business School (ABS) is the international department of the Faculty of Economics and Management of HAN University of Applied Sciences. The campus is spread over the cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen, with ABS situated in Arnhem. The school offers Bachelor and Master degree programmes taught in English, in business, logistics and management to about 1000 students from more than 30 different countries.

Students at ABS form a close and dynamic community. The various ABS student associations help you feel at home and engage you in the multitude of activities that take place throughout the academic year. Read more…

Just Starting to Warm Up

26 April 2013 by Arnhem Business School

Written by Federico Cantero

My name is Federico Cantero and in the following lines I would like to express the personal experiences I gathered during my stay in The Netherlands for the International Business Master Program at the Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen and what this period meant for me both personally and professionally.

Before I came to The Netherlands, I graduated from a Bachelor degree in Economics at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico. Already after one week I found a job. I was hired as an economic advisor for a Social Ministry of the state Government. Very soon I realized that the public sector was not where I was built for. I needed to make a change into the private sector with my interest for the Global Multinational perspective of businesses. Despite, I did not yet have the experience and the tools to move to this sector.

In my search to find a way to reach the working area of my interest I decided to start following a Master program that could give me the required tools. Among the schools that I analyzed, I came about the MIB program at the HAN University, because the HAN has exchange relations with my previous university. This was absolutely fortunate. The MIB program offered by the HAN suited my wishes and expectations, an absolute Hands-on Program on International Business. I applied, won a scholarship from the HAN and went to the Netherlands. At that moment, I quitted all that I was (as a professional) and jumped fully into the pursuit of a new professional and personal field of life.

One of the most important elements once you start with the MIB program and which has an absolute impact on you, is the constant clash of ideologies. You are not in your comfort zone anymore or inside your own cultural view of the world. Your classmates, professors and your environment are totally new and challenges you to break paradigms that you took for granted. This is one of the top contributions of an international program. It challenges you to be empathetic and it questions your opinions. This experience is one of the most important elements that I use on a daily bases as a professional person. In brief; You have to walk the walk and talk the talk in order to become an International Professional and the MIB gave me this exposure in the right environment.

The Thesis project of the MIB was a breaking point in my life. I had the idea of working on a model to help companies decide whether or not, how and where, to allocate their resources (outside their own country). I found a Dutch company (Van Oord) that was on the pursuit of such an international investment and supported my project. This had to become my field of expertise and a full career for me. What I was not expecting was the rapid growth and the fact that I would be closer to home than I was thinking.

Finishing my studies and research in the Netherlands I moved to Canada, confident on what I wanted to do and that I had gained the needed experience . I worked for a full year helping Canadian mining companies to invest in Mexico and supported them with the start of their projects.

In a vacation trip back home I was invited for an interview. The company interested in me was a Mexican corporation with their activities in the same field of business as my current employer and the job contained the same activities as I was doing in Canada at that time. Namely, helping foreign companies to make a soft landing with their investment in Mexico. My wife and I decided to take the challenge and moved back home. I can proudly say that I worked for four incredible years starting up automobile investment projects at the very heart of my own home state Mexico.

During these years, I helped a total of 14 investment projects, which went from an idea on a paper sheet to full production. From one person, to hiring a total of 4,000 employees. From managing my own budget to survive in the Netherlands, to managing 30 million dollar projects. From communicating in Spanish only, to negotiating in English and Japanese. This were absolute challenges in my live and I never could have made it without the experiences I gained in the Netherlands and at the HAN University.

In 2011 I was invited by a Japanese Multinational company (Yushior) to become their country Manager. Currently, I am in charge of a full 10 million dollar project to establish a production plant from a scratch to real production. So far as we are now we have the land ready, construction has started and I am working on the Human Resource structure that will operate in the plant once it is finished next December. After that, the sky is the limit.

From being absolutely blank and having no idea about my future career in 2006,  I made it to the management of a Multinational company in 2013 and as we say in Mexico (I solo estoy empezando a calentar) “I am just starting to warm up”

Thank you HAN and thank you Netherlands for being part of this story.

Master of International Business

Mexican Student

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Study and Growing Up

15 October 2012 by Arnhem Business School

Written by Fei Shao

I came to Holland on 26th August 2009. At that time I was 19 years old. I clearly remembered that day because it was Chinese Valentine’s Day, even though it has no special meaning for me.

After 14 hours of flying, I was extremely excited when the plane landed. Then I boarded the train to Arnhem at 9 o’clock pm; it was dark outside and I couldn’t see anything. I could only see white and black people sit inside, speaking in a language which I still do not understand. I sort of missed my mom at that time, if you can believe it.

Few days later, I started my new student life at Arnhem Business School.  Now, after three years, I came to believe that ABS is much more than higher education. What I have learned at ABS was not only about gathering knowledge but also about growing up.

In the past three years, from English Intensive Course to specialisation, I had lots of practice with working in groups. Each and every time we successfully solved the business cases and achieved our goals… and each and every time I felt overwhelming pride. BSP, OPL, BMG, Marketing research project, PR project, ICO project, etc.

It’s funny how I have never thought I could hold a speech in front of hundreds of students..but I did. I have never thought that I can make a Dutch presentation..but I did. I have never thought I would and can work with people from Germany, England, USA, Luxembourg, Spain, Columbia , Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Iran, Turkey, Lithuania, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Zimbabwe…but I did. And that’s absolutely amazing!

The amazing thing is not only about the different nationalities but the different cultures and customs. I learned to adapt to differences instead of seeing limitations. You can understand only if you experience it. I can only tell you it is a truly eye-opening experience.

Now I just want to take full advantage of the precious time I still have here.

Communication

Chinese Student

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International students, international friends

19 June 2012 by Arnhem Business School

Written by Jairo Bonfim Mein

After one year, which believe me went by ridiculously fast, I was asked to write about my experiences at ABS.

Well, at the moment I live in a house with three roommates, each of different origin. We speak in total 6 different languages. The only African is white and the Europeans are coloured or have their roots in Middle East. Why I tell you that? Because for me that is what living in Arnhem and being an ABS student is about. With all these differences we have one thing in common, a first year in Arnhem with all its ups and down.

My first week started off horrible. With no more than a mattress, some clothes and my Notebook I moved into an overpriced room in the centre of Arnhem. It is a struggle to find a decent room in Arnhem, especially if you only have two weeks time before lectures start… Three days before lectures started I was happy to find a room and almost willing to accept any type of accommodation.

As far as my first impression of ABS concerns… I was impressed.  Impressed by the modern work environment and atmosphere, but the predominant feeling I had was: excitement.  I was excited about nearly everything, my new fellow students, lecturers and the city of Arnhem itself.

I was ready for a new chapter in my life!

With my focus on the studies and a high level of motivation and ambition, I took on the challenges thrown upon me. Mastered them quite well and gained confidence that this whole study will be a piece of cake. I was wrong! …  I am not saying that what is expected from one here is inhuman, but let’s say challenging… if you are unorganized. Unorganized is a good description of my character one year ago. Thanks to ABS I was forced to set my priorities right and get organised. Because failing is and never has been an option for me!

You don’t have to work 24/7 on your studies. I am quite the opposite of that. You can still have a rich social life and experience what Arnhem has to offer, and you should!

Having sleepless nights working on projects, adapting to a new lifestyle and environment, dealing with your social life, trying to connect with people and exams…sometimes just isn’t easy. But getting through this and get rewarded for your work is what kept me motivated.

The good thing about ABS, and actually the whole point of studying abroad, is that it doesn’t just force you to be organised and set your priorities right, but it also teaches you how to do all these things. They call it Time-management, which is an expression you will hear a lot at ABS.  Furthermore the International Environment teaches you a lot about cultural differences and tolerance. In my case I feel already that this first year had an impact on my personality.

Now my roommates are not just my fellow students with different nationalities, but also my friends. We shared the same experiences and challenges. I almost feel like I am at home and I am looking forward to what is still to come.

Communication

Brazilian student

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ITFM: All good things come to an end!

11 April 2012 by Arnhem Business School

Written by Imke Bertrams

As all good things must come to an end, so did the Intensive Trade Fair Management. Curious about  the last 4 days of the ITFM? Philip, a student from Germany and Gaëlle from Belgium had a lot to say about it.

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ITFM: Lecturers and coaches in the picture

3 April 2012 by Arnhem Business School

Written by Imke Bertrams

The Intensive Programme on International Trade Fair Management would not have been possible without the teachers and coaches. But what do they think about the programme? And what is it like to be a part of this international experience?  I talked to a couple of them and asked for their opinion.

Mrs. Anne-marie van Oost and Mrs. Pascale Aerts, Lecturers Event Management from Karel de Grote University College, Antwerp, Belgium:

“We are pleased with the way the programme  is running at the moment. Students and teachers seem to be on the same page about what this programme is all about. It is structured in a way that it really motivates the students to work hard on their business plan and even to continue working until the late hours. There is great communication between the partner universities and the students are heard as well. The top class accommodation gives students and teachers the opportunity to both work and relax and the warm welcome in Nijmegen made us feel at home right away.

Even though the programme is between neighbour countries, we come across the cultural differences between the Germans, the Flemings and the Dutch. This is a learning  experience for both students and teachers. Next to that the mix of different educational backgrounds is interesting to see. Working together with other disciplines gives a great taste of a real life situation. The students complement each other and learn to see situations in a different perspective. “ 

Mr. Georg Zollner, lecturer of international entrepreneurship and sustainability from München University of Applied Sciences, Germany.

It’s an exciting experience! It is very different from the standard lectures in Germany which are more rigid and less project based. For me it is really a highlight, stepping out of the normal ‘day to day life’. When you work with students from different backgrounds  you get different questions and also different answers. This is great to become more open minded. What I like about the programme is that it is a very specific subject (trade fair management) which is embedded into a strategic setting( a business plan). A great opportunity for the students to broaden their knowledge. For me as a teacher this project  is an opportunity to bench mark. To see how other teachers are structuring their lessons, what methods they use and how they explain their theory.

I am impressed with the overall organisation of the programme, it has been done really well on many different levels; the accommodation, the workspaces for the project group and the information facilitation. To my opinion the project as a whole is of good standards. The lessons are complimentary to one and other, and the information is really informative. However for next year we need to take a look at the work load. We were a little over enthusiastic this year ;)

Mr. Robert Geurds, coach from HAN University of Applied Sciences, Arnhem, the Netherlands:

“This is what education should be like! It is amazing to see students like this. They are really motivated and  concentrated and  want to get the best out of the two weeks! I did not really have a good idea of what my role would be as a coach. But with these students coaching becomes almost unnecessary.

Also for us as teachers it is a good opportunity! We get  to bench mark, brainstorm and get an idea of how it works in other universities. I was pleased to see that the subject I teach myself had many things in common with the way Georg teaches the same subject in Germany.  I believe we are on the same page! However we can still learn from each other and improve our teaching.

The  thing I will remember for a long time to come is the enthusiasm of the colleagues and the students. An ideal working situation…. it feels like being on a pink cloud.  I know that it’s also the setting that creates such an amazing working atmosphere and that it is different form a normal semester. But I think it’s an amazing experience that should be possible for more students to have.”

So the project appears  to be a success for both students and teachers. The enthusiasm during the past two weeks of the project has already led to excitement for next year. Evaluations are planned and the ideas for the next round of this Intensive Programme are being discussed in the hallways. Hopefully next year we go to Antwerp!

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International? You bet!

28 March 2012 by Arnhem Business School

Written by Johanna Hempel

Have you ever had a Turkish, Mexican, Australian or Polish themed evening including dinner and party? This is what my Saturday nights always looked like. And all of those parties I just mentioned already happened in my FIRST month of ABS!

A friend and I moved from Germany to Holland to start studying in Arnhem in 2010. So far, we both had only experienced different cultures in our yearly summer holidays. Therefore, studying at an international school opened a whole new world for us! We knew we would be in classes with a lot of Dutch and German students but also people with different other nationalities. What we did not expect were the exchange students!

I always heard how much fun student life can be, but did I really believe it? No. Fortunately my friend moved into a room in Honigkamp – THE exchange student hostel in Arnhem! Within the first two days we already met a great amount of people from all over the world. And by saying “all over the world” I really mean it!

I never really understood that people from different countries can be SO different to what I know. I mean, we are all human and we live at the same time, right? So, why should they think and act differently than I do? Let me tell you: They can be very different!  For me, the most interesting part of studying at ABS simply was and still is, finding this out myself! You will not only get to know different working and studying habits but also the Spanish timetable (they are late with everything!), the craziness of Irish people, American drinking games or how cold Dutch weather can be perceived by South Africans (imagine: heating blanket used by +20°C)!

At HAN I always see that being at an international school does not necessarily mean to get involved internationally. If you want to stay in your comfort zone, you can. Just stick to people from you country, but I would always advise you not to! It is so interesting to experience all those new things. I, for example, learned how to chew bones from my South African roommate (yes, that’s what they do!), learned how to flatten Spanish curly hair with a real iron and how disgusting Australian Vegemite is (very disgusting!).

Of course it will be hard to keep in touch once you part, but if you manage you can be sure to find a welcoming home everywhere you go and you will always have someone to talk to, even in the middle of the night (think: time difference ;))! So, if you are at ABS or plan to start studying here, get involved with as many international students as possible! It’s an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! 

Communication

German student 

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International Trade Fair Management update

27 March 2012 by Arnhem Business School

Written by Imke Bertrams 

We are now on day one of the second week of the International Trade Fair Management.. so it’s time for an update!

The first couple of days were hectic. Internet was not yet working for all students, the information was all new to them and the intensive programme was really intense! So for Thursday and Friday we changed the programme a little to lower the workload and to make sure the students could work towards their first deadline:  handing in the draft of their business plan on Friday 5 p.m.

Our Belgian colleges Mrs. Pascale Aerts and Mrs. Annemarie van Oost joined us on Thursday and Friday to talk about Project and Event Management. They combined lectures with group work and divided the work load over  two days. The students really liked this method! It was great to see how the students relaxed a bit after two days of working overtime.. till 11 pm. They couldn’t believe their ears when told  that having fun and relaxing that night was mandatory.

First impressions

“Day 4 and 5 brought out the good weather, and also 2 Belgian teachers with a new way of teaching. The course was more interactive, and we had to present more, but smaller pieces at a time. That day we also had lunch outside in the beautiful weather. Friday we had just a small course and the rest of the day we spent on our business plan to hand it in at 17u00. All the students were able to relax after handing in the draft and enjoy the start of the weekend.”  Joyce Gijs

“Today was very relaxing, in comparison with the first couple of days. After an hour of lessons we had the rest of the day till 5 p.m. to work on the draft of our project. For our group (group4) this was enough time. With this ‘free’ workday we could plan our day ourselves. We could decide for ourselves when we would take a break and for how long…. A day like this really brings back the calm. We appreciate the changes you have made in the programme. It is really nice that you pop in every now and then to see how we are doing. This way we can ask our questions, if needed. The only little minus was that we did not have dinner arranged on Friday.” Krisje Schoofs

Since the students had to hand in the draft of their business plan on Friday, they had the whole weekend to themselves…enough time for socializing sightseeing shopping and enjoying the weather. So what have they been up to?

“Saturday began with a nice breakfast on our terrace followed by a shopping tour in Nijmegen. The weather was beautiful and everyone went shopping through the stores and eating on the street market. Later we were gathering close to the ‘Waal’ and went for dinner together. In the evening we had a small bungalow-session till everyone went to bed to get up early on Sunday for Amsterdam.

In the morning we had a lot of fog and drizzly weather going on but while sitting in the train it cleared up and it was just beautiful again. Some of us went for shopping in the small streets and along all the channels with this little boutiques and coffee places outside and the other ones went for a boat cruise and some sightseeing.  Later we gathered again for dinner and a short trip to the red light district and then took the train back to Nijmegen where everyone pretty much fell asleep. The first week has gone by really quickly and the second is about to come. We are very excited especially about the trade fairs and the final presentation.” Philipp

So after a great weekend, the students arrived full of energy on Monday morning! It is going to be an exciting second week! 

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International Trade Fair Management: a real challenge!

23 March 2012 by Arnhem Business School

Written by Imke Bertrams

I am Imke Bertrams, a Communication graduate from Arnhem Business School and a new staff member here. What do I do? Among other tasks I help out with the intensive project International Trade Fair Management (ITFM).

This project is one I am really enthusiastic about! I have travelled a lot and love to work with people of different backgrounds. So here I am enjoying the ITFM project which definitely combines my passions. During the two weeks programme I help out with all the practical matters of rooms, internet, handouts and students questions. But the most exciting so far is to be the voices of the students and share their experiences through a Blog. Why? Because they have a challenging and quite busy schedule during the project.. they have their hands full with classes, group projects, presentations, etc.

A bit of background info for you – International Trade Fair Management is a two week intensive programme where students from three universities work together:  Antwerp, Munich and Arnhem / Nijmegen. For the students the two weeks will be all about receiving tons of information, working together, doing research, visiting trade fairs and reaching deadlines.

It is week 1 of the project. First impressions?

The first day was an introduction to the course and cross cultural management stood out. The ice was broken! It was fun to talk about the clichés that are told about the cultures of the participants. The students also got to know each other better during the informal setting of the welcome dinner. Gaëlle described the first day:

“The first day was a pleasant day. We got the chance to get to know each other during dinner in the evening. Before dinner there was a class that was very interactive, so that was good. The teacher gave us an assignment which we had to make by the end of the day and have a presentation about the assignment. I have learned a lot the first day and also at night we got together with a couple of German people and Belgian people to play a game and have a drink.” Gaëlle Verplancke
 
The vibe in the classroom is striking. Enthusiasm and eagerness to learn is what comes to my mind! Students work in groups and believe it or not…sometimes even skip breaks to try to reach the deadlines of the assignments. Even though the classes are great, there is something else in the air: the pressure of the deadlines! Day two and three:

“The theory about International Entrepreneurship was very interesting and new for us. Especially the game were we had to link the entrepreneur with the logo and a photo was really fun. The assignments we had to make, were well explained in class, but the time that was scheduled for group work was to limited to finish it all. Because of that, we had to work on the assignments at home, which is quite hard to do when you already have very intensive school days.“ Anne Meeussen

“The lecture of Mr Zollner was really interesting. But the assignments are very exhausting and challenging, because time is too limited, not enough time to do research, discussion, power point presentation and a really good presentation of the results at the end. And we should hand in a business plan, or parts of it on Friday…so, we are still working on our presentations. In the opinion of our group, the amount of work is far too much for the scheduled time and unfortunately in order to this reason, the program is becoming too exhausting!”  Daniela Huitl

 “Today was very exhausting, because we had more lectures then we had before. The group work was also a lot again, so we had to finish the work from day 2 and day 3, and also start on the business plan for Friday after hours. The first lecture and the lecture about budgeting were very interesting.”  Joyce Gijs

 “Today we have again had a lot of work. This was even the first time that a couple students of our group did not have the time to lunch. We have worked during the whole time to make our presentation and still we were not able to finish it. The content of the courses are very interesting but the tasks are a little bit too  intensive. It would be better to give smaller tasks or to give more time to realize them. But the content is very interesting. Wednesday a good teacher lectured us. He was prepared to help us with every question we had about the course.”  Eveline Creupelandt 

Game on! Pressure as well, I would say. Students act as an agency and must give advice on an international level to the case company. The light at the end of the tunnel is the PITCH – a presentation of their business plan. We want to know why their plan to internationalize is the best.

 Self-doubt with students comes with the territory: Is my work good enough and will I make the deadlines? I must say I am less worried. The deliverables the students need to hand in each day look really well. The presentations are impressive and the teachers are quite happy with the input so far. They are proud of the hard work that is put in by the students and the results they present at the end of each day..

 So students … keep up the good work !! and make sure you also enjoy this challenging and interesting experience during the ITFM!!

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Second Home

20 January 2012 by Arnhem Business School

Written by Dini Sabila

“A home is the place where something is discovered, founded, and developed by an individual” -www.thefreedictionary.com

Home… each individual on this planet has his/her own definition of this particular word. If someone ever asks me where my home is in a heartbeat I’ll say “Jakarta”, its where my family are and the hectic city I was born in. Enough about Jakarta though, this time I get to discover a new home.

I’ve discovered Arnhem. The place where new experiences take place, especially studying in Arnhem Business School. Honestly, I never knew I’d end up here. Some people may ask why I choose to study in Arnhem? Well I wanted to experience something different from my hometown… Jakarta is a big city, always crowded and polluted… so Arnhem is sort of a “heaven” for me. Arnhem is nice and cozy. I think it’s a great place to do my studies..a place where there aren’t too many distractions.

Arnhem Business School is great. So far I have no regrets for choosing to study here. What I love about this school is that the atmosphere in class is comfortable, you can interact with teachers and classmates during the lectures. ABS is definitely not one of those kind of universities where there is only the lecturer talking in a big auditorium and as students all we do is listen and jot down notes. That wouldn’t be too productive for me.

In the IFA year I struggled with choosing my major for my main phase. Fortunately there was this personality test which was called the HBDI test. My test turns out that I’m a double dominant for yellow and red. This means that I’m quite creative and a people person. Not really a match made in heaven with my first choice of my major: logistics. What’s suitable for logistics majors are people with green, people who are organized and like to plan things out. It is so NOT me!

Even though the result of the test is not to be taken too seriously when choosing a major, it actually made me reflect on myself, to look back at what I’m good at and what do I like to do. I like most of my marketing classes, I love presenting in front of the class and how it gives me an adrenaline rush.. so now I’m in my second year taking Communication for my major.

Somehow the IFA year I experienced in ABS has helped me find myself. I’ve studied all the broad subjects from logistics, marketing, management even accounting. This has been a journey that made me know myself better and what I want to do in the future. It would have been a shame if I had to study logistics, end up with a job related to it and not be happy about what I do through out my career.

Living in Arnhem and studying at ABS has become my “second home”. I will continue to develop myself and reach my goals on being a successful brand manager. I haven’t any doubt that ABS can help me get there.

Communication

Indonesian student

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