SMI

Open our students to the world and allow them to shape an international career, this is our project. In this perspective, the Intercultural Management Semester (SMI) is a unique experience in a course.

SMI

The Intercultural Management Semester (SMI): a unique itinerary

Accessible in 3rd and 4th year, the SMI is an incredible opportunity. It provides students with the perspective and comparisons essential to their critical thinking.

« Nothing develops intelligence
like travel. »
Émile Zola

A personal and professional experience

This traveling semester is a great experience for our students. Through various visits and meetings, they will discover the best managerial and commercial practices.
The SMI also allows them to build strong international relationships. Indeed, it is a quasi-professional experience. Throughout this semester, students carry out export missions on behalf of French companies. They thus experience the role of junior consultants internationally.

Examples of export mission on behalf of local companies

  • Marketing studies
  • Product testing
  • Analysis of distribution networks
  • Import agent search

A rich program and priceless cultural discoveriess

Opening up to new cultural and professional contexts is an opportunity to grow, learn and open your mind.

On the SMI program

  • lessons
  • seminars
  • business games
  • meeting with leaders and university professors
  • export missions

 

 

An itinerary on the Asia-pacific route

The cities and countries crossed by the intercultural management semester

STEP 1

Beijing
(1 week)

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  • Seminar and conferences (15h) with in particular Véolia, JCDecaux, Rougié, IMM International, JP
  • Cultural visits: the Great Wall of China, the University of Beida, the forbidden.

STEP 2

Shanghai - Fudan University
(3 to 4 weeks)

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  • Course (80 hours) conferences and visits organized with companies based in Shanghai: Carrefour, Nivea, Pernod Ricard, Geodis, Pimkie...

STEP 3

Chengdu - Sichuan University
(3 to 4 weeks)

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  • Seminar and visits (45h) with companies such as Suez, Coca-Cola, ICI Consulting, France Excellence, CCFC (French-Chinese Cultural Center in Chengdu), Qingchengshan Mount, Giant, Panda Base...
  • Meetings with students from Sichuan University

STEP 4

Hong-Kong
(1 week)

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  • Seminar (15h) to the rhythm of conferences led by French entrepreneurs and former SME specialists in China, based in Hong Kong

STEP 5

Hanoï – Vietnam Diplomatic Academy
(3 weeks)

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  • Courses and conferences (30h)
  • 2 weekends of discovery from Halong Bay, the village and the rice fields of Mai Chau

STEP 6

Montreal – University of Quebec in Montreal
(7 weeks)

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  • Course (150h) provided by French and English speakers in Multicultural Management, Development of Soft Skills, Digital Nomadism, Social Media Strategy, American Politic Environment, ...

 

 

"Window on the world, openness to foreign countries and unlikely friendships. Dream of one era and memory of another, this famous SMI is a human experience that is both unique and unforgettable.
The SMI is not characterized by a journey of 5 months, 2 continents and 3 countries but through countless encounters. Encounters of different cultures, encounters of breathtaking landscapes, encounters of other forms of learning. We finally meet ourselves, we discover ourselves and we rediscover ourselves. We do not come out of this experience unscathed, we come out of it growing.
From a professional point of view, the SMI allows a global immersion on the North American market as well as on the Asian market. Two worlds that could be considered diametrically opposed but in which there are nevertheless similarities. After all, “business is business”. What is interesting with the SMI is to understand all the nuances that surround each of these cultures in order to better understand them.
From a personal point of view, the SMI is a true philanthropic and epicurean adventure in which there is no room for boredom. Whether through courses, seminars, excursions or activities, everything is done to maintain our taste for discovery and learning. Between budding loves and lasting friendships, the foundation of the SMI remains the human.
From this journey, I only have fabulous memories, anecdotes to tell, stories to pass on. And if I had to do it again, I would do it again without hesitation."

Julie LE ROUX
ESAM Paris Class of 2019

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