Newswise — The global engagement of the Clarkson University School of Business faculty through international research and teaching has multiple impacts -- all of them positive.
For the students they teach back at Clarkson University, their broadened perspective enhances cultural sensitivity in the classroom and provides a global context to the courses they teach. And through the partnerships with overseas researchers and educators, they contribute to a deeper understanding of differing cultural norms and business practices in different parts of the world.
In Konstanz, Germany, Clarkson University Associate Professors of Consumer & Organizational Studies Sandra Fisher and Michael Wasserman co-teach a sustainable supply chain management course at the University of Applied Sciences, one of Clarkson University’s international partners.
Fisher’s research centers around human resources management and, in particular, contingent work, while Wasserman’s interests include the area of environmental supply chain. Building on their respective areas of expertise, the six-week summer course considers the supply chain from both a people and an environment perspective.
“Looking at the supply chain from both of these two perspectives is consistent with the approaches that our European partner schools use to teach their students,” says Fisher.
The two began their association with the German university in 2011, when Fisher spent her sabbatical there. The pair was invited to return the following summer to teach.
Today, thanks to Fisher and Wasserman, the partnership between Clarkson University and the University of Applied Sciences is growing. Last year, Wasserman created an opportunity for students at Clarkson to work with German students through cyber technology on an environmental supply chain problem related to solar panels. The experience provided an excellent opportunity for an exchange of cultural values related to the use of renewable energies.
This summer, a group of Clarkson University students will be joining the two faculty members in Germany to participate in the class and to learn about the German economy and business culture firsthand. “The two schools are quite similar in terms of size and program emphasis,” says Wasserman. “It’s an ideal partnership.”
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world’s pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.