Study tour – Page 3 – Global & Experiential Education

CAP Hong Kong: West Meets East

marielbaloMay 15, 2019February 25, 2020

Blog post by Josh Lodestro, GMBA '20

While I have been to Hong Kong before, for many of my classmates, this is their first time to Hong Kong. For some, it is even their first trip to Asia. The different sights, sounds, and food stand out as such a difference from Washington, DC.

Students were provided a case study by Deloitte to solve and are presenting their findings to executives.

On our first night together, we decided to jump head first into the culture and try Chinese hot pot at Haidilao. The spices of the soup and delicate meat made for a truly memorable first night in Hong Kong!

As much as us students would like the trip to be all pleasure and no business, we immediately began to work the following day with professional meetings around Hong Kong. We were able to meet with the city’s Planning Department to discuss how such a vast and expansive city like Hong Kong came to be the icon that it is today. We met with finance heavyweights like Broadridge and Visa. We also had meetings with Marriott, the American Chamber of Commerce, and Deloitte, to name only a few. Being able to immerse yourself in the business perspective of this side of the world is a truly unique experience to CAP.

On our second day in Hong Kong, all of the teams met their client in person for the first time. For my team, Regal Hotels, we were able to tour many of their properties and meet with front-line staff from the hotel. We gained a more in-depth perspective about the hotels themselves and the hospitality industry in Hong Kong that we could never have gotten from a video conference. When we returned to our hotel for the evening, we had to reevaluate our recommendations and adapt them to the realities on the ground. This is a challenge that we had to work on steadfastly to ensure that we were delivering value to the client.

Students recap their memorable day at Deloitte Hong Kong.

In between our busy working schedule, G&EE arranged for exciting and insightful cultural tours so we can better get to know the city of Hong Kong and its people. We were able to see the iconic Symphony of Lights, an absolute must for anyone visiting Hong Kong. We were able to experience the unique architecture of Hong Kong up close with a tour of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. One cannot appreciate how unique Hong Kong is without being here up close and personal.

After more than a week of long nights reworking our recommendations and our presentation, we will wake up tomorrow and deliver the final presentation to the client, bringing the most critical portion of CAP to an end.

CAP Germany 2019: Keys to Success in Traveling and Working in Germany

marielbaloMay 15, 2019February 25, 2020

Blog post by Jonathan Fuller, GMBA '20

Germany is one of the most important nations in Europe and the world; they are one of the largest global economies and exercise influence in many political arenas around the globe. Germans have a very strong culture and are well-known for several strengths (such as engineering prowess). But how does that translate on the ground? I’ll attempt to give a bit of insight into the small differences that make a big impact on traveling and doing business in Germany (Berlin and Dresden, at least).

Arrival at Berlin’s main airport and the subsequent transportation to our hotel was simple. Germany has an outstanding public transportation system (not that I know much about that as an American)! Additionally, most signs, kiosks, etc. include information in both German and English. This allowed us to navigate through the airport and find a city bus that dropped us just a few blocks from the hotel for under €3. This language (non)issue persisted, as most personal interactions I’ve had have been in English – clearly a common 2nd language for many Germans.

In terms of the work environment, Germany has largely exemplified the typical corporate culture associated with Germans. For one, they get right down to business. While there is room for brief introductions/niceties, most meetings have kicked off with the agenda within a couple minutes of entering the building. We’ve also noticed, with few exceptions, that punctuality is of great importance. Finally, the stereotype of Germans excelling at industry and innovation appears accurate, with one key difference. Innovation in Germany is more calculated and incremental than elsewhere. Disruptive change does not typically emerge from German business; although they are quite adept at implementing such changes and building upon them.

Team GETEC with GW Alum Paul Maeser at BDI (the Federal Association of German Industry).

A few additional differences to consider while in Germany:

Leadership – the term “leader” does not always carry a positive connotation here. This sentiment was echoed to us from both a German and U.S. employees here. Instead, it is helpful to frame the position as responsibility and potential to create impact.
Water – all of us here on CAP Germany have had a difficult time adjusting to the lack of persistent availability of water. While the tap water is fine to drink, getting water while out is difficult – drinking fountains are nearly non-existent and restaurants only serve bottled water (but remember to specifically ask for still water lest you want sparkling).
- A positive side? Beer is sometimes cheaper than water!
Calculating Distance – what has become a running joke with our group is the locals’ under-estimation of distance between locations in the city. Did someone say the restaurant was 200 meters away? Prepare for a 15-minute walk! An office is a block from the metro station? More like six blocks!
A section of the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery.
Plastics – a pleasant change compared to the US is the lack of plastic! Bottled drinks are served in glass. We even went to an outdoor beer festival in Dresden, where a plastic cup could not be found; instead, you are served beer in a glass. Once finished with the drink, you return the glass to the beer tent for a refund of €2.

Overall, there was no single, major culture shock experienced in Germany. Instead, it’s the combination of many subtle differences that, taken together, can make it feel like the totally different country that it is. No less – it has been a great experience and I will certainly return in the future (water in-hand)!

CAP Germany 2019: The Beginning of the End

marielbaloMay 10, 2019March 4, 2020

Blog post by Jonathan Fuller, GMBA '20

As I sit in front of the departure gate at DCA, I can’t help but feel ecstatic: CAP 2019 is finally here! CAP is one of the core pieces of GW’s Global MBA program that we have all been talking about and looking forward to since we began our studies in August. Even before knowing the countries, the excitement was vivid. Fast forward to today, and here I sit ready to board the first of three flights to get me from our nation’s capital to Berlin.

CAP Berlin boasts three different teams with a good mix of companies and projects. One team is working on the marketing strategy of a local German fashion brand (Peccato), another is working with a real estate company (BEOS) on organizational change and people management, and the final team, to which I contribute, is presenting a market-entry strategy for an energy contracting company (GETEC) to penetrate the UK real estate/energy market.

As for the students on CAP Berlin, I’ll take some liberties in speaking on behalf of the group and say that we are all pleasantly surprised with the abilities and hard-working attitudes of each team member – who collectively represent six countries and 10+ languages (don’t fact-check me on those numbers). But perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised – we are all GW students, after all.

In preparation for our time in Germany, all three teams have been in contact, via video-conferencing calls, with the clients on a regular basis throughout the semester. Our work so far (group meetings, CAP classes, and CAP workshops) has been generally focused on the following:

Preliminary research to understand the culture and business environments our clients were operating (or wanting to operate) in as well as best practices.
Client discussions focused on gathering internal data relevant to company organization, growth strategy, and marketing plans.
Initial findings and recommendations based on initial data and analysis done at GW.
Story-boarding to share our findings in a cohesive yet clear, concise message to present to our clients.
Presenting, presenting, and presenting (I gather that presentation skills are considered somewhat important)!

Leading up to this point has been a mixed bag of emotions. The aforementioned excitement has swirled in and out among a vast array of other feelings throughout this semester – the uncertainty and anxiety of initial client interactions, the concern of developing an appropriate scope (which my team learned first-hand can change numerous times throughout the engagement), the stress of dress-rehearsals/presentations, and of course, finals shortly before takeoff. Suffice it to say, we are all ready to get to Berlin and finish strong!

CAP South Africa: Featuring a Presidential Election

marielbaloMay 6, 2019March 4, 2020

Blog post by Calvin Sanders, GMBA '20

CAP South Africa will take place during a critical moment in South African politics, as South Africans go to the polls for the 5th time since Nelson Mandela ended apartheid 25 years ago. The incumbent is Cyril Ramaphosa, a legacy member of the African National Congress (ANC) political party. The hot issue is Land Reform – an ANC proposal to redistribute agricultural land to South Africa’s black and colored populations. I encourage readers to look into the issue as it is a fascinating backdrop for the 18 members of the GWSB community who travel to South Africa to complete their CAP engagements.

I am Calvin Sanders, a rising 2nd year Global MBA fellow. Thank you for taking the time to read about my CAP experience. The 2019 CAP South Africa clients come from diverse backgrounds, as do the students working with them. Until now, four teams comprised of four students each have assessed, diagnosed, and solved a host of client challenges. The time spent on-site in Cape Town will help the CAP teams refine their recommendations and create practical implementation steps given the client’s capabilities. Here is an overview of the 2019 CAP South Africa clients, and their GWSB student consultants.

The first team is Jembi. Jembi is a non-profit whose mission is to improve global health by developing information systems, growing partnerships and building local capacity, with a focus on developing countries. Team Jembi is composed of Olivia Gant, Pravallika Yemba, Mike Bonfatto, and Dana Omair. These four are tasked with an organizational redesign mission; essentially, to help Jembi formalize their management processes to keep up with their growth over the last few years. This is a particularly important client engagement, as healthcare advances in Sub Saharan Africa can have potentially enormous benefits on the impacted populations.

Team two is VoiceMap. VoiceMap is a GPS guided audio tour company that enables visitors in over 150 cities to take walking tours of various attractions, told through the voice of a local inhabitant. Andy Bauder, Becky Xia, Juanita Abii, and I compose the VoiceMap student team. Our mission is to design a market entry strategy into Washington, D.C., so VoiceMap can expand the B2B side of its business in a mature market.

The third team is Sealand Gear. A forward-thinking company in the fashion industry, Sealand Gear uses upcycled materials to build backpacks, purses, and other accessories. Max Silverstein, Vedika Jajodia, Swarchaa Kataria, and Will Ronalter look to expand Sealand Gear’s geographic coverage into other developed markets.

The last team is RainFin. RainFin blurs the line between traditional financial institutions and modern peer to peer lending platforms. They want to bring financing access to deeper into the South African economy. Ramzi Soueid, Shehu Bello, Joe Kovacs and Tasorn Pornsikrul team up to generate alternative lending and collateral arrangements for businesses.

These four teams will spend the next two weeks working with clients during a charged era in South African politics. This dynamic experience – balancing consulting obligations, politics, and personal development – is what CAP is all about. I look forward to keeping you updated over the next two weeks!