One last Hoorah! by Areen

The day many of us looked so much forward to, and not so much forward to had finally come. Joe, Chris, and Brad had waited all week to finally see the BMW museum, as Areen could not wait to see the home of the mighty Bayern Munich, the Allianz Arena. But many of us also dreaded the day because deep inside we all knew this was the last day of an unforgettable journey that we all felt went by way too quick!

The morning started with an amazing breakfast as usual provided by the hotel, and then we were off to the BMW Museum! As soon as we walked in, Joe’s eyes lit up like a kid seeing the presents under his Christmas tree on Christmas morning. As we walked by all the exhibits, Joe’s outstanding knowledge of every little detail of every single car and motorcycle ever built by BMW came out. He was our tour guide giving information I’m sure many BMW employees were not even aware about. His passion for cars and BMW was amazing to see and brought a smile to everyone’s face. We all then had lunch at the museum and stocked up on gifts for family members and friends in their amazing gift shop.

Once we left the museum, it was time to go to the home of one of the best soccer teams in the world, Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena. Once we arrived at the state of the art stadium, Areen could not get his eyes off of the stadium. He grew up watching so many of their games on T.V, that it almost seemed like the place was a myth. But then finally getting to see it was truly remarkable for him. When going in and getting familiar with our amazing tour guide, Areen found himself a new best friend as they both knew so much, and shared the same passion for the sport while having very similar views on the team they both loved. The group got to go right next to the field, then see all of the lockerooms and the tunnel where the players would come out of in front of 75,000 screaming passionate fans. There was then a shootout between the boys and girls that the girls won! Soon after that, everyone went back to the bus and to the hotel to get ready for our farewell dinner.

Some of the group went last minute shopping, while some went to rest for an hour before going. We all then met up and had one last dinner together. It was very emotional saying goodbye to our tour guide, Ursela and Anna, as we would not see them again before we left. The dinner was phenomenal, as everyone talked to each other and feasted. At the end of the dinner it was amazing seeing how most of us came into the trip not knowing each other the slightest bit, and suddenly looking around at the dinner table and seeing that we really became a family in only 8 days time while embarking a journey in such a beautiful city.

After the dinner, we all went out for one last drink and shared some quality banter before heading back to the hotel to get some sleep for our journey back home the next day.

Lenbachhaus and Dachau by Bonnie and Michelle

Today we visited the magnificent Lenbachhaus museum.  We viewed the collection of The Blue Rider.  We learned that in abstract artwork anything can be any color and that the colors are what are going on inside of the artists minds.

Following the art museum we arrived at the memorial, Dachau.  This was a very emotional and raw experience.  This experience left us emotionally exhausted yet appreciative.  We left with a huge depth of understanding and richness. 

Professor Smith's addition:

Prior to entering the Lenbachhaus, Ursula, our guide extraordinaire, showed us Konigsplatz and explained why 3 Greek-style structures are in the heart of Munich. It provided a great glimpse into the extent to which and for how long, cultures have intermingled and adopted tastes and styles from lands far away. 

Ursula telling us about Konigsplatz

Then we had an impassioned briefing about the Blue Rider and the Lenbachhaus by Bonnie and Michelle. What they didn't mention above was how well their briefing prepaid us for what we were about to see, particularly in the way that they taught us about the mindset of Kandinsky and is views on art.

Bonnie and Michelle preparing us for LenbachHaus

As Bonnie and Michelle succinctly noted, Dachau was difficult and moving. Greg and Jessica gave us a great briefing before arriving. Julie noted the "heavy" energy at the memorial once we arrived and we learned about Ursula's perspective experiencing the memorial when she 15 and what it meant to her as a German.

GE and KUKA by Heather and Julie

Today on Wednesday June 3, the class visited GE Global Research and KUKA Robotics.  Each of the business visits expanded our global business knowledge as well as the adaptations of the cultural aspects.

We were surprised that out of all the industries GE participates in, oil and gas is the fastest growing financially. When we think of GE, we associated appliances with the brand, and we were very intrigued to learn that they have sold the appliance sector because of the small business to consumer market.  The previous CEO, Jack Welch had an aim for large growth and experienced rapid changes with the changes in the internet, and his goal was to be as ”lean” as possible. With a variety of specialists, either possessing a master’s degree or a P.H.D., it seems obtainable and reasonable that they have achieved all of the success and goals that the company has. The speaker was very honest and direct and challenged our knowledge throughout the presentation.  Two things which were a surprise, was that he mentioned which we highly respected, was that energy saving lights are a myth and that the current marketing at GE “sucks” and needs improvement. 

Our visit at GE taught us comparisons with other businesses success and faults.  We learned that sometimes it can be difficult to adapt and understand all aspects of cultural needs. The example of Ford portrayed a huge mistake that was not considered in the production process which plummeted sales. Ford developed a car for the India market and did not take into deliberation the impact of not having power windows in the back seat of the vehicles. Reflecting on the situation, we learned that culture should be the first aspect when developing a global product, and a simple mistake could ruin a potentially profitable product.  Another example that stood out to us when considering cultural essentials is the differentiating needs themselves.  Not all products are applicable in all environments and cultures.  It does not seem logical to place a wind turbine in an environment without heavy winds or the impact which dust can have on the turbines and the effect can become negative and unprofitable. 

                  KUKA Robotics' mission is to excel in innovation and variety to become a strong and reliable partner in the business to business market.  Their enthusiasm for technology is to inspire tradition with a future using robot based automation.  Most would have the belief (ourselves included) that this particular industry would eliminate jobs, however the speaker enunciated that jobs will be created by the advanced technology. KUKA’s vision is to know today what people will need tomorrow.  In this particular industry, the globalization expansion seems endless.  We believe that their biggest obstacle is the determination of how each culture or country can benefit from this advanced technology.  

                  During the tour the speaker proved the need for individuals in an automated technological business. One aspect we found very interesting and challenging was the high inventory of essentiality replacement parts KUKA has in their warehouse.  They were very strategic in their location of their facilities, located close to the airport, so they have the ability to deliver in a timely and effectively manner to their consumers. They are willing to increase their costs to improve safety and time efficiency when considering the importance of high customer satisfaction.

                  KUKA’s branding is very consistent with their orange color, however they understand demand and competition.  They will produce their robots in custom colors based on special requests for a higher price to ensure returning customers and prevent competitive obstacles. Although colors seem like a minor detail in our everyday life and culture, being that it is a global brand with intentions to grow, it was very intriguing to learn their marketing strategy and willingness to adapt. Consistency in marketing and branding is key and this demonstrated an exception in the rule. “We talk your language” is KUKA’s motto, and this particular situation fully demonstrates the cultural satisfaction needs.

                  GE Global Research and KUKA Robotics were very different companies, however very insightful when considering cultural and business related aspects. Both of these company visits relate to our global business studies and it was inspirational to experience the opportunities first hand. 

Scavenger Hunt by Brad

Tuesday June 2nd, our 4th day in Munich was a day filled with a bit of free time and a scavenger hunt. Most of the group slept in until about 10 am. There has been so much to see and do we needed a good rest. Once we were charged up and ready to go. We began the scavenger hunt as a group. Over time we split into a few smaller groups. Bonnie, Michelle, and Joe saw horses in the English Garden and decided they were going to go horse back riding. Unfortunately they couldn't find the right area fast enough and they were closed when they arrived at the stables. However the successfully completed a vast majority of the scavenger hunt.

Joe at Karlstor/Stachus

The rest of the group split up in pairs and did various things. Chris and Areen went walking through various stores on Marienplatz. Julie and Heather did the same thing while Brad went off on his own to explore the city. During that time he had a good conversation with several locals. Near the end of the day the whole group trickled into the hotel to prepare for our next big day.

Addition by Prof. Smith:

The day was intended for the students to find their way to certain city sites on their own and decipher some clues. Of the 10 items on the scavenger hunt, students accomplished most by buying some unknown and seemingly "weird" food at the grocery store and trying it. Jessica bought hamburger flavored chips and Joe tried a cola/fanta mix called MezoMix, of which he now can't get enough. Another activity required trying some German in the Victuals Market and reflecting on the experience of trying to make oneself understood in an unfamiliar language. The students also went inside the Frauen Kirche and through the HofGarten. The one activity that eluded the group was discovering a memorial to the Scholl Siblings, university students who spread flyers in the main entrance of the University that encouraged others to question the Nazi regime. They were caught and executed days later. We visited the site as a group the following day to make sure we all understand the importance of Scholl siblings and their intellectual resistance to the Nazis.

Day 3 - Business visits

This post was written by Jessica and Greg:

Monday we embarked on our first day of European business endeavors. The group hit the floor running with a briefing at breakfast on the two places we’d visit for the day. Greg and Jessica presented on the Department of Labor and Economic Development and Michelle and Bonnie on Knorr Bremse.

During our visit to the Department of Labor and Economic Development we received a presentation on Munich as a business hub.  Munich itself has one of the world’s lowest unemployment rates at 3.6% with its top industries being information and communication technology/media, automotive engineering, and aerospace/satellite navigation. 

Knorr Bremse, the worlds leader in manufacturing brake systems for rail and commercial vehicles, was kind enough to host us for lunch and provide an insightful presentation on its history and position in a global market. Aside from learning about key aspects that a company must incorporate when expanding into different markets and cultures, we also gained a piece of German business etiquette when we learned that in such a setting it is not typical to drink directly from the bottle of water/soda/juice we had received with our lunch. There were glasses on the table, but we did not pick up on the que and some thought they would’ve provided an inconvenience by “dirtying” a glass for them. This miniscule detail gives some great insight on how we on one hand often do not mean to offend other cultures and on the other hand are not mindful of their cues in our surroundings. This will be an experience we will certainly take with us on the rest of the week’s visits.