SPbPU: Cross-Cultural School on Entrepreneurship and Marketing breaks records

A Cross-Cultural School on Entrepreneurship and Marketing, held as part of the International Polytechnic Summer School, caused a real WOW effect among foreign participants. This year, more than 90 students from Shanghai Maritime University (PRC) joined it, which was one of the record numbers of the season. It is important to note that such an impressive enrollment in the program was possible due to the joint work of the SPbPU International Office and SPbPU Representative Office in Shanghai.

“The cross-cultural school on entrepreneurship and marketing immediately attracted the interest of SPbPU’s Shanghai partners. As a result – more than 90 participants from China. Naturally, we immediately tried to adapt this educational product to the Chinese audience. I would like to thank everyone at once for these two weeks – students of Shanghai Maritime University, teachers of Polytechnic University, guest speakers from Russia, France, and Great Britain, as well as colleagues from SPbPU International Office and Shanghai, who made this summer school possible and provided full organizational and technical support,” said the program coordinator of the Graduate School of Technology Entrepreneurship (GSTE) SPbPU Vladimir SHCHEGOLEV.

The idea for the Cross-Cultural School of Entrepreneurship and Marketing was born relatively recently when technological entrepreneurship in B2C markets (from Business-To-Consumer) became one of the important goals of the National Technology Initiative. During the two-week intensive, the school participants learned how to identify the target audience in the Russian B2C market – FoodNet was chosen for this purpose in 2021. In addition, students studied the behavior of potential consumers, developed value and product on the basis of a full research project, worked on the definition of a business model, etc. During the program, there were regular guest seminars by leading experts in the field of international marketing and electronic commerce from Russia, France, Great Britain, and other countries. Thus, lectures for participants were given by the Senior Digital and E-commerce Manager of Paul UK (international network of bakeries) Anya MACKESSY (Great Britain) and Professor of IDRAQ Business School Jessica LICHY (France). With the support of GSTE, SPbPU foreign colleagues held intensive seminars on modern aspects of e-commerce in B2C markets in a pandemic and modern business models of the FoodNet market with digital approaches to working with consumers. Active work within the framework of the school was also conducted by SPbPU lecturers – Associate Professors Vladimir SHCHEGOLEV and Oksana EVSEEVA presented to students the specifics of developing a business model, value and product for the international market, while Assistant Professor Alexei TRYKOV gave lectures on marketing.

The presentations and projects of the school participants received high marks from the school faculty and invited experts. It is important to note that five international schools in English have already been held this year in close cooperation between GSTE IAMT, SPbPU, and Polytechnic University International Office. Their key focus is on international technological entrepreneurship, business development, and innovative supply chain management, as well as cross-cultural marketing in the context of digitalization.

“We closely follow current trends and quickly incorporate them into the educational process, and we are in close contact with both foreign market leaders and the outstanding talents of our university. All of this combined has resulted in the International Polytechnic Summer School’s powerful development over the past decade,” says Olga EMELYANOVA, head of the Department of International Educational Programs and Academic Mobility.