Off to Japan and Continental with a Master’s in International Business
A Bachelor’s degree in Japanese Studies and a Master’s degree in International Business at ISM – for Tamara Strietz, this was the perfect combination for a career in global business management. She has now been working at Continental in Japan for two years and, as a ‘Continuous Improvement Coach’, she manages projects that improve internal processes.
“I wanted to help people and companies overcome cultural barriers,” Tamara explains. And that is exactly what her job entails. “Time and time and again I see that teams based in different countries have varying expectations as to the distribution of tasks and work rituals. In these cases, I’m on hand to help with issues of intercultural sensitization.” Part of her job involves analyzing the causes of problems and defining measures to optimize processes in the long term. "When my team and I present a concept for improving things and we can see progress being made after its introduction, I feel extremely proud.” Besides being happy with her job, Tamara is overjoyed with her new life in Japan. While she was initially excited about everything she saw and experienced in the new culture, she now values, above all, the opportunity for personal development. “Living abroad forces me to reflect on my views and attitudes. This enables me to take a more objective view of cultural differences.”
During her time at ISM, Tamara was particularly interested in addressing real business issues. Seeing as the lecturers are still active in the world of business, they were able to share their practical experience with the students. The practical projects that prepared students for their subsequent careers also proved to be particularly valuable.
