The third and last ATLAS student participating in the Netherlands Asia Honours Summer School (NAHSS) is Tim Brinkman. Tim is currently in Hong Kong at the Chinese University of Hong Kong where he is doing a project for Huawei. Together with the other students participating in the NAHSS, Tim investigates the possibilities of 5G networks in the agriculture sectors and the potential for the Netherlands and Asia.
He chose this project, because 5G is crucial to connect devices and sensors with each other in the future. It could help increasing the food production in the agriculture section through for example, the smart potato. Tim: “We mainly look at the different possibilities both for the Netherlands and China. The courses I am taking in Asian business and Internet marketing help me to show the differences between the two countries. As a Dutch company, it is hard to adapt to the Asian business culture and it is very interesting to see how companies manage to do so.”
Tim has visited many companies including Huawei, Rabobank, ING, Philips and Randstad. These visits illustrate the adaptations companies must make and the possibilities for doing business in China. “In the Netherlands, we do not learn about the Chinese market and business culture, even though China has the highest number of inhabitants in the world. The main driver for me to participate in this program is to learn about the Chinese business culture and market. However, I also really enjoy working with students from other (Dutch) universities. Everyone has different approaches to solve problems, which is really interesting.”
So far, the company visit to Huawei has been the most impressive to Tim: “Visiting the factory has shown me what you can do with technology, the Chinese technology sector is really booming. I would enjoy working on some aspects of the Asian market later, it is a bit mysterious which makes it a very exciting environment. Moreover, I have learned to speak Mandarin and Cantonese which makes it easier to communicate with locals.”
Participating in the NAHSS program allowed Tim to use his knowledge in the international environment of a large company which is a great addition to his ATLAS curriculum. Tim even could apply some of the problem learning strategies he has learned in ATLAS: “It is great to see that the things I have learned are actually applicable in practice.”
The third of August, Tim leaves Hong Kong, but spends another two weeks in Shanghai to present the results of his project and visit more Dutch companies. He hopes that his work can contribute to a more efficient society and that the Netherlands will cooperate more with China. Tim: “Good collaboration between Dutch and Chinese companies could help in making food production more efficient to supply everyone with enough food, also with an increasing world population.”
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