Written by Mary Jo Bullock and Melinda Schmidt
On July 16, 2011, DeVry University sent their first 28 students from around the United States and the Caribbean, along with two professors, Dr. Lynn Burks and Dr. Bethrene Roepnack to Europe to engage in a two week study abroad educational experience. The trip was a whirlwind of tours to various businesses and historical sites. Pride in Work, Job Security, Safety Consciousness, Environmentally Responsible, Expanding Business to China and India, along with Gracious European Hospitability were some of the common themes of the trip.
Our very first experience with global business was a better understanding of the foreign exchange market. The exchange rate favored the euro over the dollar where $400 U.S. dollars bought only €265 Euros. As for first impressions of central Europe, there was an instant awareness of the importance of countries like France and Germany being a hub for businesses from around the world. While Globalization has opened the door for many opportunities, it also comes with challenges. Challenges which we experienced firsthand included communication barriers due to multiple languages and cultural differences. Whether it be asking for directions or trying to order a meal at a local restaurant, any discomfort we were experiencing was amplified by not being fluent in the native spoken languages and not fully understanding their “way of life”.
The group visited several businesses and organizations with our first being the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The ICC’s mission is to promote cross-border trade and investment, and the multilateral trading system. Key organizations with relationships to the ICC are The WTO (World Trade Organization), The United Nations (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and The World Bank. Collectively, with these powerful partners, the ICC is able to handle commercial disputes and resolution services, along with policy and business practices, commercial crime services, publications and events and facilitating regional economic integration to better harmonize customs procedures.
On to Exxon Mobil, Nero AG and Dow Chemical where one of the main themes was overall expansion into China and India. Almost all of the companies we visited expected global growth to be considerably higher than domestic growth. We also better understood that companies are not only in existence to make money but to do it responsibly. Both ExxonMobil and Dow exhibited high levels of social and environmental responsibility. For example, ExxonMobil has put $300 million dollars into research using algae for a fuel alternative showing they are constantly looking to the future and estimating new trends.
Dow Chemical shared their overall operational philosophy – a sustainable enterprise that is economic, environmental, and social, citing several examples of how they help the environment and overall society. One that stood in our minds was how they work with water treatment, including waste water use and reverse osmosis, along with climate change to improve life cycles of products and reduce emissions.
As our trip continued, we also visited institutions such as the European Institute in Kehl, Germany. With approximately 30% of the population living in cross-border areas between the countries of France, Germany and Switzerland, understanding the complexities of these cross-border regions becomes a very important lesson to learn.
A highlight of our trip was a visit to the Council of Europe. The organization began May 5, 1949 under the leadership of Winston Churchill to develop democratic principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and currently has 47 member states. In 1995, the United States became an observer, mainly due to some of our state’s positions on the death penalty. The EC strives to create a culture of cooperation for democracy, human rights, rules of law, policies and principles for citizens and government. While it becomes apparent this is a constant struggle, the council continues to promote these ideas.
Finally, off to the Automobile hub of Europe – Germany! Visits included Wagon Automotive, Audi, and Mercedes. At Wagon we experienced passion and pride of business ownership. We learned that a company's potential income can be used as a measure of the company's health but it is quite another thing to see a company use this theory so effectively in real life. This is a smaller company that has become quite successful by filling a niche market need – the ability to handle small production runs that are not cost effective for the larger companies. They make parts principally for Daimler-Mercedes but also do work for Audi, Lamborghini and others.
At Audi we learned what true European consumer service was all about. Audi customers can pick up their cars, get a tour of the manufacturing plant, buy gear in the Audi shop, and enjoy a meal in the fine restaurant at no additional charge. Global logistics were also observed: both just-in-time production and just-in-sequence. We learned that this level of customer service is what builds Audi's brand loyalty. Audi also showed their commitment to high safety standards. A frequently repeated phrase during our tour was "safe cars, safe investment". Again, the global market became evident with Audi's sales up 44% in India and additional increases in Brazil and Argentina. At Mercedes museum we were exposed to an unusual 7 story building where the exhibits spiraled down through 125 years of history. It was interesting to note how Mercedes tied its own history into the history of the times. Mercedes was heavily involved in producing vehicles/armaments for Germany during WWII. While the exhibit tried to imply that they did so reluctantly, it is clear that Mercedes profited significantly. Many of the things we had been discussing for our classes tied into this museum.
Finally, UPS where we discovered company loyalty and dedication. We learned UPS conducts all of their promoting from within. UPS also does not hire temporary seasonal help for busy holiday times, but rather has all its execs and office staff pitch in. More company pride – again very refreshing to see how proud the employees were of their company.
After our two week tour, it was time to wave goodbye to Central Europe! What a wonderful learning opportunity. Every single person in the class was gleaming with their new-found worldly knowledge. This trip was an eye opener for all of us to learn a whole new dimension of patience and tolerance for other people who are not like us or think and act different from us. This applies to not only the people we encountered in France and Germany, but also to the very diverse group of 30 people that were in our group. Thank you DeVry University for this chance of a lifetime learning opportunity.
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