Bill George, former chairman and CEO of Medtronic, stresses the importance of the concept of “Global Intelligence” and notes how integral it is to successful leadership in our ever-changing and increasingly global economy. Worldview, self-awareness, and cultural curiosity are three of seven qualities he described that differentiate successful global leaders. After visiting Spain for two weeks, my worldview has changed, my self-awareness has increased, and I have become more open to exploring new cultures and geographies without fear or prejudice.

Life in Madrid and Barcelona is Extremely Different from America

I had visited the Dominican Republic, Paris, London, and Amsterdam before taking this class. However, I did not know anything about Spain. I never had any aspirations to go to Spain in my life so I enrolled in this course with an open mind and was curious to see what I got out of it. Before departing for Spain, our class learned a lot about Spanish culture and how different it is from ours here in America. However, I am someone who believes experience is the best teacher in life so I really got an understanding of Spanish Culture when I was out in Madrid and Barcelona. Despite the differences between the cultures, I was able to adapt relatively easy. I have never been in an area with as much tourist that were in Madrid and Barcelona so learning that personal space is something that is not really valued in these cities was not surprising to me. One of the smallest things I thought was really interesting is how people stand on the right side of the escalator if they are not walking up or down it. In our culture, people walk or stand on both sides of the escalator.

My Self-Awareness Increased While in Spain

This was my first time traveling to Spain and I did not know the diversity of either Madrid or Barcelona. Being an African American, I was curious to see what ethnicities and nationalities I would see when I got there. I did not think Madrid had that much diversity, but I saw and met people from a lot of different places around the world in Barcelona. Being someone that did not know how diverse either city was before traveling, I was curious to see how people would treat me in this part of Europe. Everyone I encountered treated me with respect and were really nice for the most part so I enjoyed my stay in both cities.

I’m Open to Exploring New Cultures

Before traveling to Spain, I was not someone that was really open to exploring new cultures and geographies. After visiting Spain and enjoying my stay, I no longer have a fear of exploring what I do not know. As humans, I think we too often allow the opinions of others or things we see to cloud our judgement. Experience is the best teacher in life and because of this trip, I will be more open to exploring new cultures whenever I get an opportunity.

Allianz Field is a soccer-specific stadium in Saint Paul, Minnesota, home to the Minnesota United FC of Major League Soccer. The 19,400-seat stadium opened April 13, 2019, during the club’s third Major League Soccer season. Camp Nou is a soccer stadium in Barcelona, Spain. With its current capacity of 99,354, it has been the home stadium of FC Barcelona since its completion in 1957.

Camp Nou is Largest Stadium in Spain

When our class was in Madrid, I visited Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the home stadium of Real Madrid. Santiago Bernabeu has a current capacity of 81,044 and is the second largest stadium in Spain. However, Camp Nou has a current capacity of 99,354 and is not only the largest stadium in Spain, but the largest stadium in Europe. It’s currently the third largest soccer stadium in the world.

Camp Nou Stadium Tour is Amazing

When I visited Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the tour was cheaper but the line to get in the stadium was longer. The price of the Camp Nou stadium tour is a little more expensive, but I was able to get in the stadium relatively fast. The first leg of the tour was getting a panoramic view of the stadium. I really enjoyed the view, but this is not even one of my favorite parts of the tour. The second leg and one of my favorite parts of the tour was experiencing the club room. The club room displays the history of the team dating back to the origins of the club. I was able to see the first jerseys and cleats the club wore. I saw the first soccer balls that were being used during games and I was able to see all the trophies the team has won.

After experiencing the club room, I was able to go on the pitch and walk across different parts of the field. Another part of the tour I really enjoyed is the tunnel, benches, and coaching area. In team sports, fans often see players run out onto the court or field before games, but rarely ever get an opportunity to see where they are before the game. Being able to stand and see the stadium from the coaching area was a really cool experience for me. People were able to sit on the team benches and take pictures if they wanted to as well.

The last part of the tour I really enjoyed is the press room. This is where the players and coaches answer questions from journalists either before and/or after games. It was cool to be able to sit in the chair and at the table the players and coaches actually sit at.

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

I am not the biggest soccer fan in the world and never had any aspirations to go to Spain. Being able to tour Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou stadium while visiting Madrid and Barcelona is an experience I truly will never forget.

Geert Hofstede developed the term “power distance” while analyzing 100,000 management surveys at IBM in the 1970s. He defined power distance as “the extent to which the less powerful members of organizations accept and expect that power is distributed unequally.” Power distance is one the six cultural dimensions developed by Geert Hofstede. Before departing for Spain, I learned the country has a high score on this dimension, which means that Spain has a hierarchical society. After visiting Spain and paying close attention during site visits, it is clearly evident that the country has a hierarchical society.

Power is Distributed Unequally in Spain

El Corte Ingles, headquartered in Madrid, is the biggest department store group in Europe and Spain’s only remaining department store chain. El Corte Ingles was the first site visit our class took. When we arrived to the store, we were greeted by two woman. One of the woman was in a management position and her subordinate was a sales associate that worked on the floor. Before giving our class a tour of the store, they informed us of the history of the store and answered all the questions we had to the best of their ability. However, the woman in the management position talked for a large portion of the presentation. This was interesting to me because she did not speak the best English and her subordinate spoke English very well. Most of the talking the woman that works as a sales associate did was when answering questions. I observed several examples of power distance while we were in Spain, but this is just one prime example.

Spain is a Collectivist Society Compared to other European Countries

Individualism is one of the six cultural dimensions developed by Geert Hofstede. He defined individualism as “the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members.” Compared to Spain, America is clearly an individualist society. Our workplace is extremely competitive. Everyone is trying their best to do their job to the best of their ability every day. Everyone is trying their best to be better than their coworker and be more appealing to management for pay raises, promotions, etc. Tetuan Valley, a pre-accelerator program that trains emerging entrepreneurs, was the second site visit our class took. During their presentation to our class explaining the history of the company and describing exactly what it is they do, they expressed how teamwork is essential to achieving objectives and accomplishing their goals. Someone in our class asked how they go about selecting who they want to work with and they said a lot of the decision has to do with the relationship. It is not all about the money or what something could be in Spain. Even in the workplace, establishing a relationship with people is important and has to be done before moving to business. These are qualities that are not emphasized and as important doing business in America.

Allianz Field is a soccer-specific stadium in Saint Paul, Minnesota, home to the Minnesota United FC of Major League Soccer. The 19,4000-seat stadium was designed by Populous and opened April 13, 2019, during the club’s third Major League Soccer Season. The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is a soccer stadium in Madrid, Spain. With its current capacity of 81,044, it has been the home stadium of Real Madrid since its completion in 1947. The Santiago Bernabeu is one of the world’s most famous soccer venues.

History of Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

The stadium opened in 1947 under the name Nuevo Estado Chamartín. Its current name is honor of the man who was president at the club for 35 years, Santiago Bernabeu. After various remodeling projects, it is today classified as an elite stadium, and holds the UEFA‘s highest distinction of five stars. This is the second largest soccer stadium in Spain.

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium Tour

Real Madrid is one of Madrid’s three professional soccer teams. Holder of multiple European and international titles, the club opens its doors 363 days a year for soccer and sports fans to explore its historic stadium. The stadium is open every day of the year except December 25th and January 1st. On a non-match day, the stadium is open Monday-Saturday from 10 AM to 7 PM. On Sundays and general public holidays, it’s open from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM. On match days, the tour runs up to five hours before kick-off. After that time and up to three hours before the start of the match, the only area open to visitors are the “Best Club in History” room, the “Sensaclones del Real Madrid” room, the Trophies Exhibition, and the panoramic view of the stadium.

The Bernabeu tour takes visitors around the club’s most iconic spots and shows them the stadium the way the authorities see it, from the Presidential balcony; from the players’ perspective, from the pitch itself, and from the coach’s viewpoint, sitting in the heated ergonomic seats in the bench area. The tour route also includes the players’ dressing rooms.

The tour explores the history of Real Madrid in the Trophies Exhibition, which houses the club’s trophy collection plus thousands of items that are part of its heritage, including shirts, ball, photographs, and documents.

Price of Santiago Bernabeu Stadium Tour

For children under 14 years of age, the price is eighteen euros. It costs twenty-five euros for adults to get in and children aged zero to four get in free.

How to get to the Bernabeu

The stadium is best reached by the metro line 10. Stop Santiago Bernabeu lies right next to the stadium. In the center, line 10 can be caught at Plaza de Espana or Tribunales, but can otherwise be reached with a transfer (e.g. line 1 from Puerta del Sol or Atocha train station.

I want to visit this site because I’m really interested in soccer and I have great initial impressions based off my research.

Mall of America is one of the top tourist destinations in the country and is known around the world. Each year, 40 million people from around the world visit the mall. However, if you are someone who loves shopping and are in Madrid, Spain, El Corte Ingles is the place to be. El Corte Ingles, Spanish for “the English cut”, headquartered in Madrid, is the biggest department store in Europe and ranks third worldwide. El Corte Ingles is Spain’s only remaining department store chain.

El Corte Ingles History

El Corte Ingles took its name form a small tailor shop founded in 1890, located between Calle Preciados, Calle Carmen, and Calle Rompelanzas in Madrid. Inn 1935, Ramon Areces Rodriguez, backed by his uncle, Cesar Rodriguez, bought the tailor shop and started his business venture. In 1939, they acquired premises at Calle Preciados 3, Madrid, earmarking the ground floor, first floor, and part of the second floor for sales. In June 1940, when the business had seven employees, Ramon Areces constituted the company El Corte Ingles, with his uncle Cesar Rodriguez as partner and chairman of the company.

Between 1945 and 1946, the first compete refurbishment of the building took place, resulting in total sales area of 2,000 meters squared distributed over five floors. The adjacent building, Preciado 5, was incorporated between 1953 and 1955. Over time, successive expansions and modifications were made in order to offer a more modern image in accordance with the demands of society.

Company Information

According to their company website, as of 2017, the company has 92,078 employees . Customer traffic is really high as they have received 700 hundred million plus visits. Similar to American retail stores, El Corte Ingles has their own credit card and as of 2017, there were 11,518 million people that had one. El Corte Ingles has ninety-four locations worldwide.

El Corte Ingles Products

People that have never been to El Corte Ingles do not have to worry about the store being low on product as they have a lot to offer. The company offers clothing, shoes, and accessories for men, women, kids, and babies; sports products and accessories; fabrics; watches; lingerie and swim wear; and beach accessories. It also provides home and decoration products including canned food, oil and sauces, hams and cold meats, sweets, appetizers and snacks, ready meals, drinks, wines and spirits. The company sells its products through departmental stores and online.

Questions for El Corte Ingles Site Visit

1. What does El Corte Ingles feel it currently needs to improve?
2. What do they think is so unique about their store that allows them to dominate Europe?
3. What time of the year is El Corte Ingles most busy?
4. What is the working environment like at El Corte Ingles?
5. What item(s) does El Corte Ingles make the most money off of?

Imagine being the founder of a whistle-blowing website and the website covering an investigation that involves the main suspect being you. Julian Assange is the founder of WikiLeaks, a website intended to collect and share confidential information on an international scale. WikiLeaks has said it has uncovered a surveillance operation against Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy and that images, documents, and videos have been gathered and offered for sale.

Material that Originated from Ecuadorian Embassy was Reportedly Offered for Sale

Spanish police were said to have started a sting operation against unnamed individuals in Madrid who offered the material for sale in what lawyers and colleagues of Assange said on Wednesday, April 10 was an attempt at extortion. WikiLeaks was told some of the material came from video cameras with a capacity to record audio which had been installed in the Ecuadorian embassy last year.

WikiLeaks said material including video, audio, copies of private legal documents and a medical report had turned up in Spain, where a group was said to have threatened to start publishing unless they were paid three million euros.

Protection of Julian Assange

Ecuador bankrolled a multimillion dollar surveillance operation to protect and support Assange at the embassy, employing an international security company from Cadiz, Spain and undercover agents to monitor his visitors, embassy staff, and even the British police. The matter is now in the hands of an investigating Spanish judge, according to WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks said the surveillance had constituted a total invasion of privacy, which included recordings of Assange’s meetings with lawyers and doctor. Copies of photos, videos, and documents recovered from the alleged extortionists were projected on to a screen at the WikiLeaks press conference. There was no immediate comment from Ecuadorian authorities or Spanish police.

Spanish police still have not released the names of the alleged extortionists, but I am really interested in knowing how people in Madrid were able to obtain all this information on Assange while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy in London being protected and supported by millions of dollars every year. The security company is from Cadiz, Spain so I am curious to know if it was an inside job.

Park Guell is a public park system composed of gardens and architectonic elements located on Carmel Hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.