Hello everyone,
I know there have been a lot of questions recently about how the MIP forum is going to work.
In order to validate your MIP and obtain the corresponding ECTS credits, you are required to present an analysis of your experience or, if you were unable to go, a study about the international scope of your company.
MIP objectives:
- Develop flexibility and engineering skills in an international context,
- Develop independence and an understanding of cultural, social and professional difference,
- Communicate in English.
Format:
The presentation will take the format of a poster session which will take place in person in both Brest and in Rennes
- Students must prepare and present a poster. 20 mins. Brief presentation + discussion.
Date
- Poster session in early December 2021 (Date to be confirmed: almost certainly a Thursday afternoon).
The guidelines for the MIP forum, for those where were able to complete their internship abroad, are as follows:
Content
- Description of the internship and the assignment.
- Comparison with professional experience in France (differences in education, training, apprentice status, companies, promotions).
- Intercultural analysis (for example drawing inspiration from Hofstede’s dimensions, or specific elements such as hierarchy, approaches to time, space...).
- Advice for students from IMT Atlantique going to the same country in the future.
- Reflection on personal experience particularly with regard to your future careers as engineers.
The guidelines for the MIP forum, for those who were not able to complete their internship abroad, are as follows:
Content
Description of the international and intercultural aspects of your company (company and/or your role)
- A study of the international strategy of the company
- How does your company compare with competitors from an international perspective?
Intercultural analysis
- Intercultural management issues in the company: education and training, apprenticeships, companies, professional opportunities, values and habits of the countries in question
(For example: If the company has presence internationally, how does it manage its operations in other countries and interactions with them? If there are many international employees, industrial partners or stakeholders, what intercultural management strategies are used? How effective is such management or lack thereof?)
- Reflection on your own personal intercultural experience in your company, particularly with regard to your future careers as engineers.
- International impact of the Covid-19 crisis (company and/or personal situation)
Assessment
- You will be assessed according to descriptors for the B2 level of the European Framework.
- You will also be assessed on the quality of your poster and the pertinence of the content of your presentation (Appropriate content - information provided, facts and figures, etc.; Well-structured presentation of the company; Detailed and clear presentation of objectives; Coherent observation and analysis of cultural differences in both the professional and social environments
- Assessed by both an English teacher and an English-speaking science teacher
If you are having difficulty with your presentation
The idea is to find out about your company's objectives in terms of development on a global scale, and how they manage such things (how do their actions compare with their advertised strategies? etc). You should be able to contact people within the company for further information if you can't find anything online.
If you think this is really difficult in your specific case, you need to find a solution that seems coherent for you.
This could include:
- Talking to international staff members in your company and discussing how they view the working world in France compared with their country of origin.
- Talking to HR about any work done on diversity within the company (ensuring recruitment from a diverse range of backgrounds, or intercultural training for staff and or managers).
- Analysing your own experience working with international partners (for example trying to relate it to the Hofstede dimensions of culture if you have studied that in class)
If you have another idea or approach that seems to fit your case better, don't hesitate to ask.
This is an unusual year, so the exercise is a little unusual as well
You must send your poster to me by the Friday of the week before the assessment to avoid any technical issues.
If you have any questions about this exercise, or are uncertain about what to do, please get in touch with your English teacher or with me, Rebecca CLAYTON BERNARD (rebecca.clayton@imt-atlantique.fr: or here in the forum if you think your questions may be of interest to other students)
Best regards,
Beci