Commerce students study global supply chains while living in Asia and Europe

The UBC Sauder School of Business offers a wide variety of academic specializations that prepare students to succeed in international business environments. One such specialization is Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management (Global SCLM). During the program, Bachelor of Commerce students go on exchange to China and Denmark while studying the operations of multi-national corporations. Students also meet entrepreneurs who are driving innovation and sustainability within global supply chains.

Discovering a career path and world of opportunity 

When Srusti Subash arrived at UBC Sauder as a first-year student, her career ambition was to become a lawyer. That plan changed when she took a course in operations and logistics.  

“That course showed me that I love getting behind the scenes and problem-solving, so when I learned about the Global SCLM specialization, I was really excited,” says Srusti, who grew up in Greater Vancouver. “Getting the chance to live in two foreign countries while learning about international business seemed like a great opportunity.” 

Srusti joined a cohort of students from UBC Sauder, Copenhagen Business School in Denmark and the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shenzhen, China. Together, they spent one term studying at each of the three universities. Their program included site visits to manufacturing facilities, ports, airports and other transportation hubs in Vancouver, northern Europe and China. 

“It was an experience of a lifetime,” says Srusti, who decided to pursue a career in the aviation industry after visiting an Airbus production facility in Hamburg, Germany. “I now have a global context that’s applicable to so many areas of business. I also learned a lot about culture and how it shapes a company’s business practices.”

During school breaks, she and her classmates took advantage of the opportunity to travel and practice their logistics training. 
 

Interacting with global brands and meeting entrepreneurs and innovators  

Anastasiia Bakulina is finishing her final year at UBC Sauder after completing the Global SCLM specialization last spring. She loved the content so much that she is planning on pursuing graduate studies in supply chain management with a goal of merging her interests in entrepreneurship, business analysis and fashion manufacturing.   

“This is a very practical program,” says Anastasiia. “The professors at all three universities are extremely experienced and connected to industry. The site visits were also excellent. We got to interact with big multi-national brands and see their operations, as well as meet entrepreneurs who are creating incredible solutions to improve the efficiency and sustainability of global supply chains.” 

Despite having lived in different cities and cultures throughout the world, Anastasiia says the program was a crash course in cross-cultural cooperation and conflict resolution.

“In the beginning our cohort faced some challenges because there were so many different perspectives and understandings of how things worked. But by the end, we were so close. We became more skilled at navigating cultural differences or any differences that came up.”

Like Srusti, Anastasiia has fond memories of the trips she took.
 

Developing in-demand business skills and global connections  

Upon graduation last spring, Srusti was hired as an airport operations analyst at Flair Airlines in Vancouver. She analyzes operations across airports and provides data insights to her team. As a member of UBC Sauder’s alumni network, she also fields questions from students about her learning experience.  

“I tell students if you are curious about the world and ready to live outside your comfort zone then this program is for you,” says Srusti. “If you believe in yourself, you will have a life-changing experience.”  

Anastasiia recommends the program to anyone who is undecided about which specialization is right for them.  

“I learned so much about myself and I also learned about the world,” she says. “If you go with an open mind, you might be surprised by where your learning takes you.”