Meet Mengqi-new student in the MSc programme Innovation and Industrial Management
Mengqi Hao is 27 years old and comes from Shandong Province, in north China. She completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Shipping Management in 2010, and is now one of the 52 students, who just started the MSc programme Innovation and Industrial Management (IIM) at the School of Business, Economics and Law, at the University of Gothenburg. Mengqi is part of the VOLVO scholarship programme, which covers 100 % of the tuition fee, as well as other benefits, such as close contact with a mentor at Volvo Group, summer job (between year one and two), and cooperation in regards to the Master´s Degree project
Why did you choose the MSc programme in Innovation and Industrial Management (IIM)?
I had the idea of studying abroad when I was at university, but at that time I thought gaining more work experience would let me consider my career path more professionally, and I would have more time to think about what master programme to choose. So, after graduation, I joined Jaguar Land Rover China, a luxury automobile company, and started as a freshman in the volume planning area.
After working for some years, I felt the need to improve myself if I wanted to go further in my career and I jumped out of that “comfort zone” to find more self-potentials. I compared some master’s programmes in different countries and areas. I finally found that the IIM programme was the best choice for me.
The IIM programme offers knowledge on analyzing problems and designing solutions for firms and organizations. This connects my previous working experience with comprehensive theories that could help me to broaden the learning of business analysis process, which is related to my future career orientation. Also the interaction between the programme and local companies attracts me a lot. This means that the students would get more chances to gain practical experiences and would better meet the requirements of the dynamic society after graduation.
The Swedish culture and the good reputation of the School of Business, Economics and Law are absolutely very important reasons.
What are your expectations for the IIM programme?
To learn more practical knowledge which has a strong connection with the actual business in companies from both teachers’ lecture and guest lecture given by managers from local companies. I want to learn to discipline a systematic analyzing method and to practice the knowledge through case analysis assignments. Another is to train my ability of presenting arguments by group discussions, and also to improve my presentation skills by presenting on the class.
Is there anything in particular that you are looking forward to withinthe programme?
One is to get more information about “Innovation” and “Sustainability”. These areas are very important in modern society and closely linked with each other. I hope that I can learn more things about these aspects during the programme. I think this also would be the development tendency of future society.
Another is that I hope that the students will get chances to visit some local companies like Volvo, SKF and SCA. I think we can get a deeper understanding of how these famous companies operate on their innovation and sustainability functions through site visits and communication with their colleagues. It would also help us to utilize the knowledge learned from the book.
How do you experience the study environment?
Students here are hard working. Even on weekends you can find lots of students studying in the library. The lecturers are nice and encourage us to participate in the discussions. If you have any opinions about the lecture, feel free to say it, this is a little bit different with lectures given in Chinese universities. I am still not used to express my opinions in the class, but I will try to do better in the following months.
What do you think of Sweden and Gothenburg?
Before I came here, Sweden meant IKEA, Volvo and Absolut Vodka. But now definitely not only these! Gothenburg is not a big city as Shanghai where I lived for nearly 9 years. Gothenburg is quiet and there are not many high-rise buildings. The blue tram looks really fantastic under the blue sky! And I love to sit by the riverside in the sunshine.