MANAGEMENT ACROSS CULTURES (MAC) is the project welcoming students from all kinds of management programs all over Europe and allowing to experience how important it is to be aware of differences between cultures and countries and how to deal with those while managing internationally.
The project aims to offer students the opportunity to have a real-life experience that expands the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are important for international managers to be successful when doing an assignment abroad.
The main aim of this project is to form international groups comprised of students from different schools across Europe who will focus on intercultural differences between countries. They will learn how important it is to be aware of cultural differences between countries and how to deal with them so that an international manager can be successful when undertaking an assignment abroad.
Therefore, it helps students to:
· Improve their intercultural communication skills working in a team with people from different countries and cultures;
· Take up the managerial challenges by using their professional and personal skills;
· Develop soft skills, as one of the most important competences in nowadays business world;
· Get to know the business peculiarities in Lithuania;
· Have an extraordinary experience and find new friends.
You can find us on:
- VIDEO PRESENTATION
- Present yourselves, your school, your town/country in a well-structured video presentation;
- Duration – max. 5 minutes;
- Creativity is a plus;
- You will present the video during the project (don’t upload it, but have it with you).
- HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: EXPLORING NATIONAL CULTURES
As cultures and countries differ in various aspects, it might be difficult to adapt and work in a foreign country not knowing its cultural peculiarities. Therefore, your assignment is to compare your country and Lithuania in terms of Hofstede cultural dimensions. In order to do that, you should prepare a paper, which deals with the following:
- How the two countries are similar in terms of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions;
- How the two countries are different in terms of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions;
- What might be the greatest issues and challenges to a person who is coming to work to Lithuania from your country, based on the differences you’ve learnt;
- Describe a scenario where two organizations, one located in each country, could do a business with each other. Provide recommendations that would be helpful for management communication, taking into account different cultural perspectives. Try the audience understand underlying cultural norms, values as well as verbal and non-verbal communication patterns of your culture and how they might affect a specific type of business interaction you have thought of. Hall’s framework might be useful here.
You can get familiar with Hofstede’s cultural dimensions as well as compare and contrast your home country and Lithuania visiting The Hofstede Centre: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/models/national-culture/ (you can compare two countries using Country Comparison Tool on the website).
The paper should be 5 pages long, visually attractive and it should have a cover page mentioning your country, institution and names of the team members. The paper should be uploaded to the Facebook page before your arrival.
How to get to there:
You can get to Kaunas by plane or by bus.
How do I get from Kaunas airport to the hotel?
If you come to Kaunas airport, the hotel is approximately 16 km away, so you can choose one of the following means of transport to get there:
- Bus. Take a bus number 29, which will take you from Kaunas airport to Kaunas bus station (the hotel is 3 min. walk from the bus station). A ticket costs 1 euro, you can buy tickets from a driver. The trip takes about 55 minutes.
- Taxi. You will see a lot of taxis offering their services at the airport. We advise asking about the price of a trip in advance.
- Taxify. You can download Taxify app to your smartphone and use this pick-up (ride-hailing) service to travel around Kaunas. This is cheaper than a taxi. Use KAUNASIN promo code for your first trip to get – 7 euro discount.
How do I get from Vilnius airport to the hotel?
If you arrived to Vilnius airport, you are about 110 km away from the hotel. The most convenient way to get there is firstly go to Vilnius railway station and then take a bus to Kaunas which will take you to Kaunas bus station (the hotel is 3 min. walk from the bus station). There is a special train “Vilnius-Airport” running regularly to and from Vilnius railway station. The train shuttles 16 times a day, it takes 7 minutes to arrive to the railway station from the airport. The ticket costs 0.70 euro. It can be purchased in the train. Next to the airport passenger terminal, there is a railway stop, stairs and an elevator for passengers. After you get to the Vilnius railway station, you can take a bus or train to Kaunas from there (Vilnius bus station is next to the railway station).
How do I get from the hotel to Kauno kolegija?
Kauno kolegija (where most project activities will take place) is located in Pramonės pr. 20, which is about 6 km away from the hotel you will be staying at. Therefore, you can get to Kauno kolegija by:
- Troleybus. Take a troley number 16 or 57, which will take you straight to Kauno kolegija. A ticket costs 1.30 euro, it can be purchased from a driver. The trip takes about 15 minutes.
- Taxi.
- Taxify. You can download Taxify app to your smartphone and use this pick-up (ride-hailing) service to travel around Kaunas. This is cheaper than a taxi. Use KAUNASIN promo code for your first trip to get – 7 euro discount!
For more information on how to travel around Kaunas, how to find bus stops etc., you can download Trafi app, which finds and compares public transport options to your chosen destination and shows them in real-time.
Magnus Hotel
Average temperature in the end of March in Lithuania is +5 degrees Celsius. However, there is a chance of snow and rain. Therefore, we suggest you to take some warm clothes and shoes in case the weather is not as good as we expect 🙂
