Student rapport
Name of the University: Jönköping International Business School
Exchange semester: Spring, 2013
I. PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Before leaving Norway
- When and how did you receive information from the exchange university, and did you
encounter any difficulties?
I received general information about the school, academic calendar and classes I could choose in
November.
Applying for a visa (if applicable)
- How did you apply for your visa, what did it cost and did you have difficulties?
Visa is not required for Norwegian students.
Travel
- How did you travel to your destination?
I went by bus. There are three major bus companies that operate here, SweBus and
GobyBus/Bus4You (Netbus). It is also possible to travel by train. You first need to get to
Gothenburg and then change bus/train to Jönköping. This costs around 400 SEK, but depending
on when you order the price will be different. Booking is easy and could be done online. Travel
time is approximately 6-7 hours.
Housing
- Was housing provided by the university? If not, did you receive support from the school?
Housing is provided through the university. The application for housing is done online through the
application process for the school. This opened in mid-October. There are different options for
housing. You could choose between single bed apartment with a little kitchen and own bathroom.
Single bed with shared bathroom and kitchen. Double room with shared bathroom and kitchen.
The student housing is located mainly in three places: Wilhelmsro, Råslätt and Ekhagen. All
student-housing places are outside of the city centre, so you need to buy a bus pass or ride a bike.
I lived in Ekhagen, a large complex of single bed apartments with a little kitchen and own
bathroom. This was also the most expensive alternative.
Costs
- Approximately how much per month did you spend on rent, books, food, transportation,
and other personal expenses?
Rent
Rent vary among the housing alternatives. But I chose the most expensive one, and paid approx.
3500 NOK a month
Books
Books vary in cost, but around 400 SEK per course, depending on the course.
Food
Food is generally cheaper than in Norway. Both in the supermarket, school cafeteria and
restaurants.
Transport
Bus pass cost around 400 NOK, so approx. the same as Oslo.
Culture and language
- Did you have any language problems with the faculty or other students?
All the teachers speak English and many of them understand Norwegian/Swedish. Most of the
native students speak good English and they understand Norwegian. The exchange students
speak very good English, so there were never any language problems.
- How were the possibilities to experience the country and the culture?
The student union arranges several trips and local events for students to experience Swedish
culture. It is also possible to go on other trips i.e Norway trip(!), Trip to Russia, student cruise and
so on. It is also possible to apply for a buddy programme with a Swedish family so you really get to
know the culture.
II. ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Please describe:
- The school (location, size, study structure, special academic areas etc.)
Jönköping International Business School or JIBS is located in the city centre of Jönköping and is
one of four schools within University of Jönköping. It has 2079 students which 1069 are
international. They offer education in business, economics, entrepreneurship, tax and law. JIBS
are most known for their research focus on entrepreneurship and family owned companies. “JIBS
ranks ninth globally and third in Europe in entrepreneurship research and fourth globally and first in
Europe in family business research."
Course registration
- When and how did you register for courses?
I registered online for my courses, when I applied for the exchange programme. The deadline was
1. November.
It is possible to change courses when you arrive, if they clash.
Academic calendar
Arrival date:
7th of January (one week mandatory introduction week)
First day of the semester:
Classes started at 14th of January
Last day of classes:
29th May. (Depending on the courses you choose)
Examination period:
1st Period: 15-24 march. 2nd period: 17-26 may
Arrival
- Describe the introduction week
The introduction week was several sessions on Swedish culture, academic information, information
about the IT services and other general information about the school. The student union also
assigned buddies for the exchange students with several social evens. Thereby were there several
possibilities for interacting with other exchange students.
The International Office
- As an exchange student, did you receive sufficient and relevant information?
Yes, the school has very good routines for exchange students, and they have an excellent student
coordinator, which were available if we had any questions. We received information on email
before we arrived and during the first week we got more information. It should however be noticed
that we didn´t get information about where we were staying before we got there.
Promoting BI and Norway
- What kind of activities were you involved in to promote exchange to Norway at your
exchange university?
The student union had an "International Day" where one could promote Norway and Norwegian
culture among other countries in a large cultural fair.
Social activities
- How was the relationship with native students and that among exchange students?
There was a good relationship between native students and exchange students. There were
opportunities to work with them and interact socially through the semester. However it was more
common to interact with fellow exchange students, because we lived together and the majority of
students in class were exchange students.
- Are there any special activities, student organisations, and gatherings for exchange
students?
The student organisation is well developed with many activities, events and trips. There are great
possibilities to experience several things while being in Jönköping.
III. ACADEMICS
In the classroom
- Describe the teaching style (practical, theoretical, cases/lectures, formal/informal etc.)
- How is the level and workload compared to that at BI?
The teaching style of JIBS is quite similar to BI, depending on the course you take. In my supply
chain management class there were lectures in a big classroom with 200 students, but in other
classes we could be as few as 20-30 people. There were normal lectures like the one you are
used to from BI, but there were also more practical with case discussions and simulation
games/Lego games. The workload was similar to BI, but with more hand-ins than I’m used to. It is
expected that you are prepared for the seminars and case discussions, and that you are actively
participating.
Course materials
- Describe the course materials used (books/literature, online articles, Powerpoint, level of
course material etc).
In the four courses that I participated in, it was a main book for each course, articles to the different
topics and the teachers supplemented with PowerPoint and other course material.
Exams
- Was the exam based on the course materials or on the lectures?
Yes, if you attended classes, and read the course material you were supposed to be well
prepared for the exams.
- How was the course evaluated (include all that apply)?
This was different from each course. In most of them, a written exam counted for 50 % or more
of the final grade, with case-discussions, presentations or written hand-ins as the remaining %.
There was also expected for us to be attending classes during guest lectures, presentations and
so on, giving us points in our final grade in the course.
Library and technology
- Describe the facilities
The library and facilities of Jönköping International Business School are very satisfying. You have
a similar internal network as “Its Learning” called Ping Pong, which are working fine. The library is
shared with the other schools, and could get crowdie during exam periods (same as BI), but the
staff there is very helpful and nice if you need help with for example searching for articles.
Description of courses
Course code & name
Master/
Bachelor
JSCB17: Supply
Chain Management
Exam form
Prerequisites
Approved
as
Bachelor Written exam
60%, a project
30% and an
assignment
10%.
30 credits,
including 15
credits in
Business
Administrati
on (or the
equivalent)
Logistikk
JIMC17:
International
Management
Bachelor Written exam
60%, course
project 30%,
seminars &
simulation
game 10%.
Business
Administrati
on 60 credits,
including an
introductory
course to
organization
theory or
strategy (or
the
equivalent)
JNVC17: New
Venture
Development
Bachelor Course project
60 %, written
exam 40 %
Business
Administrati
on 60 credits
including
Entrepreneu
rship and
Comments
Business
Planning (or
the
equivalent)
JPMC17: Project
Management
Bachelor Written exam
1.5 credits
Individual
research
assignment
1.5 credits
Group-based
written
assignment
2.5 credits
Individual self
reflection 2
credits
60 credits
completed in
Business
Administrati
on
On a final note, how will you sum up the exchange experience?
- E.g. the experience from an academic, cultural and social point of view, influences to your
future career possibilities etc.
My exchange period gave me experiences that I don’t want to be without. I’m very satisfied with the
semester and that I got the opportunity to do this during my bachelor degree at BI. It was very
interesting to see how they teach and do things in another school than BI. It was very developing
for me, in terms of language. I was challenged to speak, write and discuss in English, both at
school and outside of school. I know that I have improved my English during this semester, and I
will benefit for years to come and also when I write my Masters degree. It was also very beneficial
for me in terms of courses at school. I’m very happy that I got the opportunity to have “International
Management” with International students, and “New Venture Development” with people from all
over the world, with different perspectives on these subjects. I’m very happy that I was able to
meet so many different and interesting people on my exchange semester. This has given me a
broader cultural perspective and understanding, i.e how different a finish, a German and an
Australian person could be. This experience has thought me that the challenges and opportunities
of being diverse in a business world, leaving me with many new ideas and perspectives on “how
business is done”. I believe that a semester abroad is very important for me, and my future career
possibilities. Now I have several business contacts all over the world, and I have learned so much
that I could use on my future work place. My experience of this semester was overall really good,
and I would really like to do another exchange on my Master. Thank you!