The Carlson study abroad requirement is one of the main reasons why I selected the University of Minnesota during my senior year of high school. I was not aware of how beneficial this requirement really is to my development as a young business professional until I returned from our trip abroad. Following are some of the key takeaways I had from the trip that helped to shape my global perspective.

Alignment is critical for globally stretched companies.

A key success factor for companies that span international borders is alignment of its mission and values for all employees, regardless of location. I saw this quality addressed in our site visits with HP Barcelona and Quadpack. Speaker Eva Blanco from HP continuously emphasized the company’s focus on innovation across all offices, a theme I noticed and discussed in my second blog post. She mentioned how having a common goal allows employees from diverse backgrounds to come together and work towards the same outcome. Additionally, I noticed alignment in the Quadpack presentation. One of the questions in the interactive survey our class participated in was about what type of conferences the company should host to ensure alignment of its vision across countries (departmental, regional, or international). From these two presentations, it was clear to me how important having a central mission or goal is for international companies.

Empathy and capacity for integration are high at Sphera Global Healthcare.

Our discussion with Sphera Global Healthcare showed me the importance of integrating empathy with global needs in a company’s corporate strategy. I recall how our presenter focused on the company’s mission to provide international healthcare to remote communities with little to no access to these resources. Addressing this complex issue at the core of corporate strategy showed me the empathy these employees have for their clients. One story that stood out to me was when the presenter shared how she had to wait to meet the government of a potential client in Africa for several hours and had to come back the next day. As someone who is very structured and scored high on the linear side of Erin Meyer’s scheduling scale, it is hard to imagine dedicating this much time with much uncertainty to a project. I believe cultural norms for a flexible approach to time and a high amount of empathy contribute to our presenter’s approach to the situation which is quite different than the approach I would take.

Our site visits in Spain and my overall experience abroad helped me grow in my cultural awareness. Being in situations that were out of my comfort zone taught me much about my self-awareness and my ability to be flexible and adapt to the world around me.

I am an active traveler and like to see as much of a country as I can. Imagine my delight when I learned how simple it was to take the high-speed trains to smaller cities for day trips. My research led me to find Girona, a city just northeast of Barcelona that hosted many Game of Thrones filming locations (my main reason for visiting). It took a trip here to see that the city is more than just a filming location and well worth a trip for future students.

Traveling to Girona from Barcelona Sants is simple.

From Hotel HCC Montblanc, we were able to use Barcelona’s metro system to get to the train station. Once at the station, signs clearly displayed arrival and departure times and the platform we should be at. After a 40-minute train ride through beautiful countryside scenery, we arrived in Girona. A 20-minute walk from the station will get you to the center of the old town where many places are located.

Game of Thrones fans will recognize familiar scenery from season 6.

Girona has become a bit of a tourist attraction recently due to its role in Game of Thrones filming. Many shops in the old town sold memorabilia for the show and I even felt the need to purchase a shirt. Guided tours are available that take you to each filming location in the city, but we decided to find some of the main landmarks ourselves.

Spend some time at and around the Catedral de Girona.

To take a break from the heat, we took an audio tour of the Girona cathedral. I was most impressed with the beautiful rosette stained glass windows and enjoyed that this cathedral was quieter than others I visited. After our tour, it was nice to do some walking on some paths behind the cathedral and along the wall that surrounds it.

I would highly recommend a trip to Girona to take a break from the tourist crowds and density of the city. Easily accessible and with plenty to see and do, Girona was one of the highlights of my time in Spain.

I thought I was prepared for the cultural differences I would find in Spain after taking college level Spanish classes and hosting several exchange students from Spain in the past. However, business practices and leisure activities displayed how different Spanish culture is from the United States.

Restaurants showed Spain’s flexible approach to time.

I spent one of my first evenings in Madrid grabbing dinner and drinks with a former exchange student our family hosted, Cristina. Typically, I eat meals very quickly (less than 30 minutes) and by myself in the United States. Cristina and I spent over 4 hours at dinner discussing everything from her engagement to my brothers to our favorite places to shop. I asked several times if she had anywhere to be that evening, but Cristina insisted that we relax and talk as long as we wanted to. This was a very different experience for me and I attribute this to Spain’s flexible approach to time relative to the United States as mentioned in Erin Meyer’s book The Culture Map.

Power distance in Spain was greater than in the Netherlands.

I attended a conference in the Netherlands last summer and was able to listen to a panel of employees from Heineken speak. When introducing themselves, the employees did not emphasize their titles or positions within the company but focused on past experiences and how they liked to spend their leisure time. This was very different than what I experienced in Spain. I recall a slide that Eva Blanco from HP Barcelona presented which showed a hierarchy of employees in her communications department and the title of each person on the team. Hofstede’s power distance cultural dimension supports the observations I made. The Netherlands scores low on this scale (38) relative to Spain (57) which shows Spain’s hierarchical tendencies in the workplace.

Both the leisure time and business practices I observed and experienced demonstrated some of the differences in Spanish culture that I overlooked prior to my arrival. I learned that I may think I am prepared to take on an international adventure, but there will always be a bit of culture shock to overcome – and that is okay.

Spain has a longstanding history of wine, making a vineyard one of the top places I want to visit on this trip. Alta Alella is the closest winery to Barcelona and offers tours of its cavas and vineyards. My initial expectations include a lovely tour of a smaller, family-owned vineyard as well as several samples of the company’s wine. Some concerns I have include transit to the vineyard, ensuring that the hosts are aware of our arrival, and potential for poor weather. However, I have done some in-depth research that should help mitigate some of these concerns.

Alta Alella has a strong family tradition

Josep Maria Pujol Busquets and Cristina Guillen purchased their estate, Can Genis, over two decades ago in 1991. After ten years of revitalizing the land, Josep Maria made his first bottles of wine in 2001. Daughters Mireia and Georgina also live and work at the vineyard, receiving their parents’ passion and knowledge of wine culture.

All wine is organic due to the vineyard’s location

Alta Alella is located inside the Serralada Marina National Park. Its location makes the vineyard subject to strict government regulations. The vineyard is not allowed to use pesticides because of the area’s wildlife. While the regulations can create minor complications for the business, Alta Alella has been able to uniquely define itself as an award-winning natural wine.

Alta Alella is a brief bus ride from Barcelona

From Hotel HCC Montblanc, you can take the E19 express bus line from the center of Barcelona to Alella. You board the Ronda de Sant Pere stop (a less than 5 minute walk from our hotel, on the corner of Plaça d’Urquinaona and Ronda de Sant Pere) and ride the line until the Riera Principal stop in Alella (about a 30 minute bus ride). From here, you take a short walk (about 20 minutes) to the gate of the vineyard. The E19 line runs between 7:30AM and 6:15PM on weekends and tickets can be purchased at one of two offices in Barcelona (I could not find an estimated price online). If the public transit does not work out, it is possible to take a taxi to Alta Alella.

The winery has a flexible tour schedule

Alta Alella is open Monday through Sunday from 9:30AM until 6:30PM. An hour and a half wine tour and tasting is available at 20 euros per person. This includes a walk through the vineyards, winery, and cellar and ends with a tasting of four wines at the visitor center. Bookings can be made through email (visita@altaalella.wine) or by calling +34 628 624 182.

This unique winery is sure to be a memorable experience while in Barcelona and I look forward to spending a relaxing, educational afternoon at this beautiful place.

In 1988, HP relocated its graphic-arts office from San Diego, United States to Barcelona, Spain. The office specializes in research and development to maintain its leadership in large-format printing. HP Barcelona employs more than 2,000 people which includes those in its engineering and support facilities. Nearly 75% of the staff is of Spanish nationality with around 22% from other European countries and 3% from the United States. Former head of global marketing for the graphics solutions business, Francois Martin notes that the average age of an employee in the Barcelona office is 34 years, highlighting the relatively young workforce demographic.

The Barcelona Office Focuses on Graphic Arts

HP has large-format printers used for publishing, direct mail, label printing, photography, and more. Two printers in particular, the DesignJet and Scitex, are used for printing large photographic images, packaging, and signage. Additionally, the office has a Graphics Experience Center which displays HP printers for clients and employees to view and further learn about the company’s technology. The room features sample prints on a variety of different textures.

Consumer Demands Challenge HP to Deliver High-Performing Printers

Customers look for high capacity, high quality, and low costs when purchasing a large-format printer. HP Barcelona must monitor these aspects when creating its products. Recent developments in print technology allow the company to reduce costs and improve quality. For example, new sensory technology allows printers to handle plain paper instead of any special paper and still provide the same print quality. New printers also have the capacity to hold more ink cartridges which lends itself to improved print quality.

The Office Hosted the HP Innovation Summit in April

The Barcelona office hosted the third annual EMEA Innovation Summit in April 2019. Customers, media, analysts, and innovators came together to share ideas, creativity, and technology to shape the future of innovation. Highlights of the conference include a discussion on the importance of sustainability in businesses and release of a new virtual reality headset in Europe. The most discussed announcement at the summit was HP Sure Sense, a software that will use deep learning artificial intelligence to better detect viruses and malware.

Questions for the Class Site Visit

• What prompted the move from San Diego to Barcelona?
• Are there travel opportunities for your employees? How is someone selected for travel?
• How does your office maintain a culture driven towards innovation, research, and technological development?
• If family or friends were to visit your office, what would be the one feature you have to showcase?
• What newest technology or software has HP developed that is most exciting for you?

April 28^th will be an important day for Spanish politics. This is because the 13^th Cortes Generales will be selected on Spain’s general election day. A snap general election was announced in March after Pedro Sánchez failed to secure enough support for his socialist budget plan from members in Congress. This will be the third general election held in Spain in the past four years.

Incumbent Pedro Sánchez Predicted as Early Favorite

PSOE, Spain’s Socialist Party has been predicted to win between 123 and 138 of the 350 seats in the Spanish Congress according to the latest opinion poll by CIS, a Spanish public research institute. The Popular Party (PP), a traditionally conservative group, follows with a predicted 66-76 seats, followed by Ciudadanos (42-51 seats), and the far-right group Vox taking between 29 and 37 seats. In order to win Congress, 176 seats would need to be filled by the winning party. In the 2019 election, the only guaranteed absolute majority would occur if PSOE were to strike a deal with Ciudadanos. However, Ciudadanos has already ruled out any sort of deal with the Socialist Party, leaving the election wide open.

Many Spanish Voters, Especially Women, Remain Undecided

According to a recent survey by CIS, four in ten voters remain undecided on who they will vote for. The main reason for such a high number of unsure voters is that many people are overwhelmed by the amount of information from various parties. CIS also found that 60% of undecided voters are women and that women are less likely to vote for new parties like Podemos, Ciudadanos, or Vox and more likely to vote for well-established parties like PSOE and PP. For this reason, many parties have focused their political campaigning on women. The PP, for example, has been suggesting a national pact to address issues on the salary gap. However, it appears that the Socialist Party have an advantage as one in every three women over 65 years indicated they would vote for Sánchez in the next election. The next step is for this party to attract the younger female voting base as one out of four women under age 35 remain undecided.

The Spanish Government Reflects a Hierarchical Culture

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions and Erin Meyer’s The Culture Map both highlight Spain as a society with a very hierarchical structure. Meyer notes that this is prevalent in countries heavily influenced by Catholicism, like Spain. The structure of the national Spanish government reflects this as the Prime Minister made the decision to hold snap elections for the Cortes Generales. Like the United States, the Spanish government makes decisions through a top-down structure (evident in similar ‘deciding’ scores).

This is a photo of El Alcázar in Seville, Spain. I would like to visit this place because of its historical significance and also because it was featured in Game of Thrones!