Global Classrooms: Continuing Collaboration between HSE – St. Petersburg and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)

In February and March, the Institute of Continuing Professional Education, the School of Economics and Management, HSE St. Petersburg, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Polytechnic University (PolyU) participated in international project the Global Classroom, which aims to conduct joint classes for various universities in online format, which allows them to gain experience in communicating with representatives of different countries, as well as to find out which issues in business and society are currently most relevant for different countries and how they are being resolved.

The past meetings were devoted to the analysis of two cases: Danone and Apple using ESG principles. In the first case, the participants discussed how profitable the company remains with the active implementation of ESG approaches in the production of its products; in the second, whether the company can ensure the confidentiality of its customers' data and compliance with security legislation. The participants not only discussed the companies' actions, their long-term effectiveness and potential difficulties, but also provided local examples from their own experience.

Dmitry Gerasimov, student of Institute of Continuing Professional Education

“2 sessions were very interesting and useful. It was exiting to have an international talk on various topics. As a big fan of Apple I especially enjoyed discussing the Apple case.

I would like to thank prof. Leung and HSE University for this opportunity!¨

Ruslan Dunyamaliev, 3rd year student of the International Bachelors in Business and Economics

“I was very glad to have the opportunity to discuss the current topic of privacy on the Internet with people from other countries, to hear their opinions. I liked the way the case discussion process was organized and the number of participants was suitable so that everyone could participate in the conversation.”

Professor Vincent Leung, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

"I facilitated a 90-minute case discussion via Zoom, bringing together 12 brilliant minds from the High School of Economics in Russia, the American University of Central Asia, and 7 MScBM students from HK PolyU.

The session was a testament to the power of global collaboration:

•  Interactive discussions sparked engaging debates on complex issues.
•  Participants explored diverse perspectives on controversial topics, fostering open-mindedness and critical thinking.
•  Feedback highlighted the optimal group size, which allowed for enriching and inclusive dialogue.
• The enthusiasm for more sessions like this is clear, with a remarkable feedback score of 4.88 on the question: “Do you think more Global Classrooms should be held in the future?

Let’s continue to embrace Global Classrooms to advance Critical Thinking, Intercultural Awareness, and Global Collaboration".