Competition makes students visible

Case competition helps students achieve several of their aims

CBS kills two birds with one stone, when this year's GLOBE students start a case competition. Firstly, the 45 students from Denmark, Hong Kong and the USA are going to get to know each other through an intense 48-hour course, and secondly, the programme will be rendered visible to the case companies.

- We want to combine the avademic content with social activities, so the students can get acquainted. And it is important to learn how it is to work closely together in groups across three very different cultures. It is a bit of a shock to have to work so closely together in 48 hours, says Martin Iversen, Programme Director of the Danish part of the programme.

However, the case competition also has another important objective. The selected cases are coming from internationally oriented large Danish companies, which means that the programme will be made visible to the HR departments of these companies, says the programme director.

The case of the year: Novo Nordisk

The two first years Vestas was used as a case, last year it was ISS, and last week, Novo Nordisk was next in turn.

Head of Global Talent Attraction at Novo Nordisk, Anu Kerns, agrees that a case competition can help open eyes for the unique GLOBE programme.

- Our graduate programme is based on the same principle. We hire young talented people from different countries, and during their studies, they are going to get to work in Denmark and abroad. It is about learning how to cooperate across cultures and realise that there are different ways of approaching a task, she says.

Wishes and needs of the students

To Novo Nordisk it is quite rewarding to be a case example. It is a chance to meet future graduates and have a finger on the pulse of the young skilled people of today.

What are their wishes and needs? We are a growth company and we depend on being able to attract skilled graduates from the whole world - not least from the countries represented in GLOBE. We want to give the students insight into the challenges and dilemmas we have to respond to as a pharma company. At the same time, it is interesting for us to know how the foreign students see Novo Nordisk, our values and our commitment to diabetes, says Anu Kerns.

Great way to get to know your fellow students

- To the students, a case competition is a tough, but exciting start, says Mads Pedersen, who was one of the winners of the competition.

- You just throw yourself into the fray, and you really get to know each other when you work together all night long.

He was very pleased that the case was about Novo Nordisk.

- To me, it was a great experience. I liked that it was a large Danish company. In that way we were able to give the Hong Kong and US students an introduction to the Danish business sector.

GLOBE facts

GLOBE is a collaboration between CBS, Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.

GLOBE enrolls 45 students every year, 15 from each participating university. The Danish students come from the English-taught bachelor programme in International Business, and for those admitted to GLOBE, the programme is 3rd, 4th and 5th semester.

GLOBE has its own syllabus, and the three participating universities offers specific academic subjects.

Between 4th semester in Hong Kong and 5th semester in China, the students will be starting internships in Danish companies represented in China.