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Tag: Going Global

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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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Dr. Kirsten Martin, Associate Professor of Strategic Management and Public Policy, partnered with Global & Experiential Education (G&EE) to develop the Business & Society Series course Corporate Fraud and Corruption to help students better understand the scope of corporate fraud and corruption, identify fraud and corruption in accounting statements, as well as appreciate the significance of trust in organizations and markets. 

The latest iteration of this intensive experiential course took place January 8-11, 2020. Participants spoke with experts working in Washington DC’s many major regulators and law enforcement agencies including the SEC, FBI, DOJ, as well as criminal defense attorneys and whistleblower experts. Students also heard the perspectives of private industry ‘insiders’ such as general counsels and accountants.

Below is 2020 PMBA candidate Maisha Williams’ reflection on her experience taking this unique and important course.

I was surprised by the varying perspectives that each of the speakers brought based on their roles in the investigations. Having the opportunity to hear from prosecutors, FBI investigators, the SEC, a reporter, a defense attorney and an attorney representing whistleblowers was extremely powerful. It was interesting how those on the side of investigating potential fraud cases were less sympathetic to the defendants and more supportive of whistleblowers while those responsible for representing defendants believed that most people involved in fraud cases were good people at their core and just found themselves in bad situations.

Despite the varying perspectives, there were several common themes that were shared among all of the speakers. Each of the speakers mentioned that many defendants rationalized their behavior and would never quite admit their wrongdoing. The speakers also agreed that fraud was generally born out of an environment with weak internal controls and ineffective compliance offices where the company culture accepted small wrongdoing setting a tone for playing outside the rules. 

I was surprised to hear how important both interpersonal skills and trust were in all of the speakers’ jobs in order for them to be effective. I was also surprised by how many people were aware of wrongdoing but did not speak up.

As a CFO, this course was extremely valuable for me in a very practical way. In my role, I am responsible for certifying my organization’s financial statements, establishing the culture and setting a tone at the top. I now have a better understanding of my responsibility as a CFO and have very concrete actions to take to ensure that I set a solid example for how people are supposed to behave and to create a culture that fosters openness and accountability in the event that anyone finds themselves at an impasse to ensure that they are incentivized to do the right thing all the time.

Maisha Williams is a ‘20 PMBA candidate at The George Washington University School of Business. She is Vice President of Finance and Administration & Chief Financial Officer at Marymount Manhattan College in New York.

 

 

To read more Business & Society Series reflections on our blog, click here.

To learn more about the Business & Society Series, click here.

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Written by Matthew Rodgers, MS. International Business '21

 

As I write this blog post I’m currently sitting in the back of an airplane, flying somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean just south of Iceland. I’ve now spent a total of 12 days traveling through Europe with the majority of those days spent at the Grenoble Ecole De Management (GEM) located in Grenoble, France. This trip has exceeded my expectations in every aspect from academics to cultural activities to the people I’ve met along the way.

The two courses that I enjoyed the most while studying in France were Serious Games taught by Helene Mitchel and Design Thinking taught by Jose Gotsch. Both of these involved hands-on, engaging activities that included giant Rubik’s cubes, Legos, and classic craft materials like construction paper and glue sticks. Aside from the intellectual aspects of these classes, it was refreshing to create a tangible item, something that is uncommon in most graduate level business courses. These sessions forced students to take an active role in creating innovative ideas and designs that could solve problems faced by businesses or students of the classes. I left these classes with a deep appreciation for the creativity required to find unique, innovative ideas, as well as the detail needed to ensure the ideas are practical.

The site visits to companies in Grenoble provided a glimpse into how the principles learned during the class sessions play out in the real world. We met with leaders of two separate companies on different days. Both companies operated in the technology industry and stressed the difficulties they faced and the need to turn research and prototypes into products that meet consumers’ needs and wants. This helped drive home the applicability of the lessons learned in our classes. 

Through these classes, site visits, and GEM coordinated cultural activities, all of us students came into contact with the local French citizens on a daily basis. Although it may seem obvious to study the local language before traveling to a foreign country, I had not taken enough time prior to the trip to study the basics of French.  Fortunately for me, the citizens of Grenoble are friendly, and most speak some English.

Aside from the academics, the food in France is outstanding. We ended the program with a dinner at a prominent restaurant specializing in French cuisine. This dinner featured local products such as wines, cheeses, and walnuts, which Grenoble is known for producing. This was my favorite meal of the entire trip. Through it all, the students from George Washington University, University of North Carolina (UNC), and Duke University became close friends. A few other students from UNC and I even ended this study abroad trip by renting a car together and heading to Geneva for a brief tour before returning home.

I can’t stress how highly I would recommend this program to students considering participating in a Short Term Study Away Program. I can’t think of a more rewarding and exciting way to spend the winter break between semesters. This trip certainly won’t be the last time that I visit France.

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Written by Matthew Rodgers, MS. International Business '21

These last few days in Grenoble have been nothing short of incredible. There hasn’t been a single dull moment between departing from Dulles International Airport last week and today. I decided to fly through Geneva, Switzerland since the city is relatively close to Grenoble, France, my final destination for this trip. My travel plans quickly unraveled upon landing in Geneva when I learned that the train I had booked from Geneva to Grenoble was cancelled due to the strikes across France. After a few hours of checking train schedules, bus schedules, and working with the locals, I was able to book a train to Lyon, France and a second train from Lyon to Grenoble. I also quickly learned that my French is rather weak and that I need to work on it as much as possible while staying in Grenoble. Luckily the workers in both Geneva and Lyon were friendly and willing to speak broken French and English with me.

The following morning marked day one of classes at Grenoble Ecole De Management. Orientation was led Carole Gally, an advisor at the school who is incredibly kind and knowledgeable. During this orientation we learned about the school, the city of Grenoble, French culture, and the French language. While discussing French culture, Ms. Gally went into detail on the strikes that are taking place across France. Fortunately, it sounded like I was the only student who had issues on the way into France. During orientation the students from George Washington University, Duke University and University of North Carolina introduced ourselves and quickly became friends over lunch. We ended the day with a short French lesson, practicing basic phrases like how to order a sandwich or to simply say “I don’t know French.” I could have used both of these phrases multiple times during the previous day!

Yesterday was our first excursion as a group, traveling to Courchevel Ski Resort in the French Alps. We rose before the sun was up to hop on a bus and drive the two hours into the mountains, well above the tree line. Everyone was sleepy on the morning drive but quickly perked up as soon as the tips of the mountains came into view. We were extremely lucky to have clear blue skies and a bright sun all day. Ms. Gally, her husband, and her son generously agreed to be our guides for the day, taking us to every corner of the mountain. The slopes were pristine and covered in powdery snow that was well maintained. After six hours of non-stop skiing and snowboarding, we were all completely drained of energy but filled with joy. We rounded out the night with dinner at a restaurant in the town below the slopes. The food was excellent, and the dessert was delicious. I have yet to find any food in France that hasn’t been fantastic. This upcoming week promises to be one filled with more adventures and more fine French cuisine. I’m looking forward to the week ahead!

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