BSEU feat Polytechnic University 2.0

Students
of the Faculty of Marketing and Logistics visited Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University on a study
visit from April 22 till 28. We would like to tell you how the second meeting
of partner universities took place.

In 2023, FMK students and master’s
students had a similar opportunity to feel like students of one of the top
universities in the Russian Federation. You can find out information on the course
of last year’s visit in our article.

But it’s time to move on! A new academic year, a new programme, new students. Here we would like to tell you in detail what surprised the Polytechnic University in 2024.

Curriculum

The main purpose of such
visits is educational mobility and the exchange of useful experience.
Therefore, the Polytechnic University organised a training course “Digital
Marketing” especially for invited students. It included a number of practical
classes and master classes that allowed our students to consolidate their
existing knowledge and learn something new.

Thus, programme participants were
able to learn more about Photoshop functions within the discipline “Branding
and Advertising Design”. They learned new skills in colour correction and image
editing in two practical classes.

The teacher of the
discipline, Evgenia I. Tuchkevich, a member of the Union of Designers of the
Russian Federation, presented the students with a book under her authorship
“Adobe Photoshop CC Master Class”. A voluminous publication with detailed
instructions will help our future specialists to master the software to the
full extent.

Students were able to hone their communication and negotiation skills at the business game “There is a Contract”. The programme participants were divided into two teams along with the students of the Polytechnic University. They received a task: which country they are and which negotiation strategy they should follow. After much discussion, complying with the cultural characteristics of the selected countries, the participants of the game had to achieve the desired result – to sell or buy a certain product.

Negotiations are negotiations, but as they say at our faculty, “the marketer is a hard-working guy”, so the next master class was focused on the production process. The master class “Factory of Production Processes” is a team-building activity that helps participants to develop teamwork skills. Our students and 4th year students of the specialty “Management” shared responsibilities among themselves: logistician, worker, controller, manager, director and others. Everyone had a task: to produce 10 parts in 15 minutes. It seemed simple to the guys, but as soon as the countdown started, everyone understood that it was not so easy to be responsible for the work of the entire production. However, despite all the difficulties, the guys rallied so much at the end of the master class that they began to go beyond the designated roles to help their colleagues.

The final class of the
programme was a master class “Business Promotion Based on Video Content.” Here
the guys honed their video editing skills. The students filmed everything that
happened to them in St. Petersburg during the whole week: classes, cultural
programme, walks. All this content was collected in order to edit the final
video about the trip during the class. You can watch the video at the link (do
not forget to like it).

Cultural
Programme

Despite the active
curriculum, it is important to remember that St. Petersburg is the cultural
capital of Russia. It is simply impossible to ignore its sights and informal
events.

That is why the programme participants and the students of the Polytechnic University went to explore the palace and park ensemble in Peterhof. Despite the bad weather, this trip was a success. No one stole the famous fountains during the year of our absence, and the Gulf of Finland remained as fascinating as ever.

In addition, the students
visited the Grand Peterhof Palace. This iconic place plunges into the tsarist
era and delights with its amazing decoration.

Music allows you to relax
after a long day. That is why our students were invited to the organ and vocal
evening “Italian Arias”. We wish everyone to experience some impressions of
live organ playing and the performance of a real opera singer in the White Hall
of the Polytechnic University.

Let’s not forget that FMK
students are famous for their activity. Therefore, even in their free time, the
programme participants set off on their own to explore all the iconic churches
of St. Petersburg. The march included the Kazan Cathedral, the Church of
the Savior on Spilled Blood, Saint Isaac’s Cathedral and the Lutheran
church of Annenkirche.

Outcome

Such programmes are a unique
opportunity for students to learn something new, exchanhe experiences with
other students and be inspired for further studies. We would like to thank the
Graduate School of Management represented by Olga S. Kalinina, director, and
Natalia S. Alekseeva, coordinator of the meeting, for the warm welcome of our
students.