Inleiding bedrijfskunde (introduction to business administration) is a compulsory course in the first-year curriculum in RSM’s Dutch-taught bachelor bedrijfskunde programme. The guest lectures, which were attended by about 700 bachelor students, feature a different multinational company every year.
Digital innovation
In the first lecture of the 2016 guest lecture series, the RSM students were introduced to global multinational tank storage company Vopak by Walter Moone, managing director Vopak terminals Botlek, and Anil Acardag, investor relations officer. During the second session, Vopak’s director of digital innovation Mark Noordhoek and innovation manager Nataly Katan presented how Vopak is continuing the journey towards increased sustainability and efficiency with IT innovation and the industrial Internet of Things.
Global leadership
Vopak’s Stella Zerbo, global leadership development manager, and Maarten Vaags, manager training recruitment and development, spoke to the bachelor students about human resource management. They particularly focused on how you can ensure that an international company has one way of working around the globe.
‘Sea of changes’
The topic of the fourth session was sales. Ismail Mahmud, global director chemicals at Vopak, discussed sales for a B2B company in the petrochemical sector, and how to build and maintain customer relations. He also explained the influence of oil price on sales and the petrochemical industry in Rotterdam.
Ultimately, the students learned from CEO Eelco Hoekstra how he aims to steer Vopak through ‘seas of changes’ to make it for the next generation.
Combining theory and practice
With this guest lecture series, RSM adds real business practice to the management theory students learn in the classroom - so first-year students learn first-hand how companies really work. Previously, multinationals including Unilever, Philips, TUI Nederland, ING, KPN, Royal DSM, Shell, AkzoNobel, Randstad, Ahold, ING, NS, RET and Sanoma have presented their best practices and real-life business matters to RSM’s bachelor students during this Inleiding Bedrijfskunde course of the BSc in Business Administration/Bedrijfskunde programme.
