CROSS-CULTURAL IMMERSION MIXED WITH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
SCHOOL SolBridge International School of Business
COUNTRY South Korea
aster’s students at SolBridge International School of Business recently teamed up
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with students of two partner institutions in Asia to take part in a cross-cultural and experiential consultancy challenge. The Asian Business Consulting programme placed students from partner schools in teams to work together on a real-life industry case study. Specifically, they were tasked with formulating an international market development strategy tailored to one of three local businesses: medical technology manufacturer Heroic Faith, coworking space Ideal Venture Studio and teahouse chain Chun Shui Tang. Co-ordinated between Universitas Prasetiya Mulya in Indonesia, National Taiwan University (NTU) and SolBridge, the latest iteration was hosted by NTU. In addition to helping students enrich their cultural perspectives and better understand the realities of business, the initiative is designed to emphasise the value of collaboration, innovation and strategic problem-solving. It also seeks to nurture the mindset necessary to thrive in a competitive global marketplace. Over five days, participants engaged in company visits, field research and stakeholder interviews. Teams then held problem-solving and strategy sessions that culminated in presentations to senior managers of the partner companies. TBD
BEING CEO IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS, STUDY SUGGESTS
explained, can be used to reduce the perceived distance between a leader and their employees, fostering closer relationships. Self-deprecating humour “decreases the salience of that hierarchical difference and it can make employees feel they’re closer to the manager and improve their relationship,” reasoned Cooper. However, this doesn’t tend to work for CEOs because they are expected to project strength and decisiveness. A CEO’s use of self-deprecating humour can therefore actually damage a leader’s authority and – once they are perceived as weak – harm an organisation’s reputation. Meanwhile, aggressive humour, such as teasing or belittling, is generally considered to be toxic. Yet, the study notes that when used by a CEO, it can sometimes enhance an organisation’s reputation. In this instance, this is because mocking a competitor can be associated with strength and a willingness to win. EB
SCHOOL Miami Herbert Business School University of Miami COUNTRY US
umour is often used as a tool to de-escalate situations and build
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connections. In a recent study of humour in organisations, Miami Herbert Business School professor Cecily Cooper outlined four distinct types at leaders’ disposal: affiliative (friendly), self-enhancing (coping), self-deprecating and aggressive. Humour can function in both horizontal and vertical ways, according to Cooper. Horizontal humour can either bring people together or push them apart, while vertical humour can be used to soften hierarchical structures. For example, self-deprecating humour, the Miami Herbert professor
8 Business Impact • ISSUE 2 • 2025
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