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Tag: Consulting

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By: Camila Batres

May 5, 2023

Preparing for my upcoming trip to Dubai has reminded me of my last visit there six years ago. At that time I was fresh out of high school and unaware of the country’s cultural nuances. I'm eager to return as a business student and make the most of the city's learning opportunities. I plan to immerse myself in the culture, network with local professionals, and gain new insights to enhance my understanding of international business.

I am grateful to have an opportunity to travel with my classmates who have become like a second family to me. I look forward to sharing this adventure with them and creating unforgettable memories. I'm also a little nervous about navigating a new business environment in a new country. Nevertheless, I'm confident I'll take on the challenges and make the most of this fantastic opportunity.

My team’s work with our Industry Partner Visa has been a fascinating journey so far. Our project focuses on helping Visa promote circular economy practices such as buying and selling secondhand goods worldwide. This project presents exciting opportunities for sustainable growth. 

Initially, we narrowed the scope of the problem but our partner advised us to think more creatively. After stepping back and contemplating the bigger picture, we analyzed the UAE population and identified how most blue-collar workers could benefit from recommerce practices. Our partner has been impressed by how we took their suggestions and reinvented our way of thinking. Witnessing the evolution of our partnership with Visa over the semester has been truly remarkable.

So far CAP has been an incredible learning opportunity for me as a business student. I'm grateful for the chance to work with Visa and my team and I'm excited to see where this journey takes us. I plan to continue learning and growing with my classmates and partner once we get to Dubai!

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By: Sophie Titlebaum

May 18, 2023

Upon arrival, we dove right in! This was helpful in order to minimize jetlag as much as possible. We toured parts of the city and had a nice welcome dinner together, all 17 students, Dr. Messerli (our professor), Chelsey (our Graduate Assistant), and Eamon (our Berlin tour guide). Dinner was delicious and then everyone went to sleep. What shocked me the most, upon arrival, was that there were so many vegan options! There were always multiple vegan options, from the hotel buffet to ice cream shops to wurst (sausage) restaurants. This was super cool, and lots of food was very cheap! Some days I could keep it to around 10 Euros per day, on food.

Globant & Their New Office!

Caption: On our second visit with our client, Globant, they showed us their new office which is in its final stages of construction! This was a pleasant experience to meet other “Globers” and spend some time with the team. Globant has been very welcoming to us and we have loved getting to know them. After this, we went to lunch with the Globant team and then we went back to the hotel to continue working on our final presentation!

The local business environment is very interesting! We had the opportunity to visit many types of businesses, from startups (36C) to growing companies (MiCT), to very mature and established companies (PwC). This has given me great insight into all levels of business. One common theme is that German businesses focus on ethical business, putting moral aspects first, above profits. Germany is also highly affected by political aspects, most specifically at the current moment, the Russia-Ukrainian war. Some businesses are impacted in that energy prices are higher and new energy sources are needed to be found, while other businesses are impacted in that they are the ones actually trying to provide assistance to those affected by
the war. 

Surprisingly everything was pretty simple in terms of getting around! There is not much of a language barrier, as nearly everyone knows English! Additionally, the metro system is very simple to navigate, and it is very clean! 

Exploring a New Part of Town!

On our free day, I spent the morning with others and went to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, about an hour from where we stayed. It was a very moving experience and I was grateful to have the opportunity to do so. On our way back, I took some time to myself. I got off at the Waidmannslust train stop and explored a new town! It was an excellent time to reflect on my own and see how Germany has changed.

An impactful class trip experience was when we went to visit Bayer, the pharmaceutical company. They had a museum within the site, and actually explained a lot of Bayer’s history. What stood out to me the most was the fact that they acknowledged some of its dark past with respect to the Holocaust and the former company’s connection to some unethical testing on Jewish women in concentration camps. Germany is very aware of its history and remembers it in a way to remind itself to never repeat its past. 

This has been a great experience to really understand a culture and situation, without simply reading about it. We really get the opportunity to live in the experiences and understand it all firsthand!

Meeting Our Clients in Person!

On the first full day, we all had the opportunity to meet our clients in person for the first time. This was an excellent opportunity for us to all learn about each other’s clients, and projects, and hear the clients speak. This was held at the SAP Data Space in Berlin.

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By: Sophie Titlebaum

For the CAP program through GWSB, I will travel to Berlin, Germany to complete a project for a software development company, Globant. Globant provides IT consulting services to a wide range of companies. My team consists of four GMBA students, in which we are aiming to help Globant expand its offerings in Europe, with Germany as its current area of focus. We have suggested expansion into the Electric Vehicle space and are helping to provide a concrete solution, implementation tactics, and risks to consider. 

To prepare for my time away, I have been sure to spend time with my loved ones. My boyfriend and I took a trip to see his family in Maryland and then went to see my family in Philadelphia. This was important to me, as I know that the upcoming summer will be very busy with lots of commitments. This was a great way to relax and reset. Additionally, I’ve been giving my cat, Macho, cuddles so he doesn’t miss me too much!

I am most excited about gaining real-life work experience in another country. I’ve studied in and traveled to other countries, but working with a client will be a whole new experience. I see myself living in Europe one day, so this will be a great opportunity to dip my toes in the water. I am most nervous about the final presentation. While I know it will be our time to shine, it will be my first time presenting to a European audience. It will be good to learn if presentation practices are the same in Europe, as well as new ways to present and capture the audience’s attention.

Throughout the semester, my work with the team and partner has been great. We have all had the opportunity to learn new ways of working and new ways of thinking. One challenge has been the fact that the business problem is pretty broad, so we have struggled to hone down on a very specific element with tangible action items. I hope that once we are in Germany, there will be even more fruitful conversations so that we can add as much value as possible!

Overall, this has been a great journey so far. I look forward to the in-country portion and know there will be many adventures, lessons, and memories!

Off We Go!

 

Now that the Silver Line goes all the way to Dulles, I decided to use this to get to the airport. My boyfriend took the metro with me, and we said our goodbyes! I am excited about the journey ahead! I will be on the same plane as a few classmates.

 

While Macho may look angry, this is his normal face (he was actually purring when I captured this photo). He is sad that I am leaving, but he will be under good care! For all we know, maybe he’s a German cat, and so he will feel more bonded to me once I’m back. 🙂

Prepping for the Trip!

Our CAP Professor, Dr. Messerli, provided each of us with this helpful guide. It’s been a great resource to learn more about the culture and country, while also getting excited about the trip! I’ll be finishing this on the plane.

 

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How do you hold yourself accountable? I write checklists and receive unfounded joy when checking a box off. I rely on systems to monitor and prioritize tasks whereas for others, it’s more passive and all about consistent routines and creating the right setting. But as memes about day pajamas and night pajamas or wearing blankets as pants circle the web, adjusting to the demands of 2020’s WFH lifestyle requires professionalism and self-discipline against distressing news. Finding the silver lining takes effort as we navigate a bizarre semester that puts our self-accountability to the test. 

After two months into the stay-at-home order, I’ve been impressed by the speed at which colleagues and faculty have adapted to new technologies. As a Graduate Assistant for the Global MBA’s signature Consulting Abroad Project course, our student teams did not miss a beat working with clients in Germany, Singapore, and South Africa. Our clients may be scattered across the globe but their dedication as a Global Partner never wavered. The in-country travel was suspended yet rather than wallow in disappointment, our teams continued to refine their recommendations in the wake of the pandemic. With many online communication trainings available, our teams have had to keep their heads up and embrace the challenges required by virtual presentations. 

The shift to all online meetings has created the expectation for all of us to be comfortable on a multitude of online platforms. Student rehearsal presentations were judged externally and provided students with best practices for online presenting: lighting, centering your face on the screen, smiling and projecting enthusiasm posed challenges different than those of presenting to a room. In group meetings, small talk and mic sharing play more critical roles in maintaining relationships when separated by physical distance. While some may prefer one mode over another, the experience is growing an important skill set that might have otherwise gone unnurtured. This experience forces everyone to adapt and keep their heads up. 

A GW professor lent me Angela Duckworth’s book, Grit, last semester who writes, “One form of perseverance is the daily discipline of trying to do things better than we did yesterday.” We hold ourselves accountable to keep persevering and must honor the learning required by distanced relationships and virtual communication. Across my networks at GW, friends, colleagues and advisors help keep me accountable and satisfied. We share a collective accountability through frequent communication and scheduled FaceTime happy hours. 

I am fortunate to be healthy and surrounded by friends and colleagues that maintain positivity and grit in this unprecedented challenge. As we all prepare to enter the global job market, our accountability is being put to the test and growing our virtual communication skills is important. Aim to do better than the day before and you might find yourself motivated to persevere. Now that I’ve written this, I can check another item off my list.  

Drew Otto is a ‘20 Global MBA Candidate at The George Washington University School of Business.

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