My name is Kimberly Limanto. I am a 2nd year MBA student at SolBridge, originally from Indonesia. On 25th September 2017, my friend Muhammad Jamal and I joined the MBA International Week held by LUISS Business School with the Benetton Group in Rome and Treviso, Italy. The one week program consisted of 40 MBA students of 19 different nationalities, from nine international business schools around the world.

During this program, participants had to work on a business case about“Benetton Sales Distribution Channel Strategy – The Franchising Expansion.” We were divided into eight different teams, mixed between schools. The teams were named based on colors, and I was part of the Brown team. My group had students from the UK, Spain, Croatia, and Russia.

The Benetton team then gave a general presentation about Benetton, its history, and background, and also introduced the issue they are currently facing in regards to the expansion of their franchise stores. The teams were given two days to come up with solutions and then present it to the Benetton team. We were not only working on the case, but we also had the opportunity to visit the Benetton’s Headquarters, at Villa Minelli, in Treviso. The visit was astonishing, as we explored the place where all creative processes and strategy development takes place. The program gave me the chance to tour around Rome and Venice and visit the Forum of Augustus, Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Vatican City.

I am grateful for this opportunity. I learned a lot from my fellow team members and other participants as well. Most of them are professionals with over five years of working experience. I got insights into their thinking and the way they apply what they learn in real-life cases. Such teamwork further helped me think outside the box and consider other factors. I managed to make new friends from other countries that I’ve never met before, such as, Croatia, Bolivia, Argentina, etc. I also learned how to communicate with people from different cultures.

Overall, this experience was great and positive for me, both academically and socially. I got to expand my network and learn new things that will help me professionally in the future. I am grateful to SolBridge for encouraging me to join this program and for their support before, during and after the program. I encourage my classmates to embrace such opportunities when they present themselves.