IB494A Short-term Study Abroad to Hamburg Germany Spring 2026
Global Business Learning in Action
IB 494B students connect industry, culture, and cross-border collaboration in Hamburg, Germany
From classroom concept to global context
Led by , lecturer in the Department of Management/HRM at the College of Business in spring 2026, IB 494B Short-Term Study Abroad Europe culminated in a one-week international business experience hosted by . After a semester of preparation and a collaborative research project with HAW peers, College of Business students traveled to Hamburg to connect classroom frameworks with company visits, academic workshops, cultural learning, and professional networking.
Hamburg served as a living classroom. As one of Europe's globally connected port cities, it gave students a close look at trade, mobility, aerospace, public institutions, migration, urban development, and brand strategy. Student teams worked across borders before and during the trip, comparing the U.S. and German business environments while navigating time-zone differences, communication expectations, team roles, and different approaches to collaboration. Cultural intelligence moved from theory to practice.
Industry access with a College of Business lens
Company visits showed students how organizations compete inside different systems. At , mobility company, students explored electric ride-pooling, autonomous transportation, data-driven routing, and the challenge of scaling mobility solutions across markets. At the , they examined the institutional ecosystem supporting international trade, including trade policy, supply-chain resilience, digital transformation, and decarbonization. Visits to and offered two different views of global competitiveness. One built on heritage, craftsmanship, storytelling, and brand identity, and the other on scale, engineering coordination, safety standards, supply chains, and cross-border collaboration.
The program also emphasized the human and civic dimensions of globalization. At , students connected migration, labor mobility, entrepreneurship, family decisions, and cultural adaptation to the movement of people and ideas across borders. Visits to the and highlighted how cities create identity and economic value through history, architecture, governance, and public investment. Academic sessions at HAW Hamburg focused on international careers, cross-cultural communication, and professional development, encouraging students to view global careers as paths shaped by preparation, adaptability, networks, and opportunity.
Culture, institutions, and the human side of globalization
The students described gaining confidence, strengthening their global mindset, and developing a more nuanced understanding of how Germany and the United States approach business. They observed Germany's emphasis on long-term planning, institutional coordination, sustainability, quality, and reliability, while viewing the United States as more speed-driven, flexible, and entrepreneurial. The key lesson was not that one system is better; it was that strategy must fit context.
For the College of Business, IB 494B demonstrates the value of short-term study abroad when it is intentionally designed around academic preparation, partner-university collaboration, company access, cultural learning, and structured reflection. Students did not simply visit Hamburg. They analyzed it, linking their observations to international business, strategy, organizational behavior, institutional theory, and cross-cultural management.
With appreciation to HAW Hamburg
The experience was made possible through the hospitality and partnership of . Ƶextends appreciation to Professor Kai Saldsieder, Professor Saboor Jamil, Dean Professor Jens-Eric von Düsterlho, and the HAW Hamburg team for supporting academic sessions, company visits, and cross-cultural connections. The CSULB-HAW partnership reflects the best of international business education. Notably, shared learning, applied research, cultural exchange, professional growth, and relationships that continue beyond the classroom. To learn more about the broader CSULB–HAW Hamburg partnership, also read: German-American International Workshop (GAIW) at CSULB in fall 2025.
