Key Personal Experiences in Spain

Going back to my fourth blog entry a bit, the cultural preferences that I struggled with the most in Spain were high-context communication and collectivism. The high-context instructions on how to use the Madrid Metro did not help me because as a low-context American I wanted “a more blunt and explicit instruction instead of the implicit instructions that I was given.” In terms of collectivism, the Spanish prefer to eat meals in a shared way where asking for an ingredient to not be included was considered odd. This differs greatly from how I prefer to eat. I am a big guy who likes to eat big meals and prefers not to share the food off of my plate with others.

An Increasing Sense of Self-Awareness

With this in mind, I would definitely say that this course and the trip to Spain increased my Global Intelligence. Before this trip to Spain, I had never left the United States before. While there are definitely cultural differences between different regions of a country as large as the United States, they are not nearly as noticeable as the differences between the U.S. and Spain. One area that I think improved a lot is self-awareness, defined as the ability to understand yourself in a different context while avoiding dominant paradigms in the Blog 6 Rubric. Near the beginning of the trip I noticed cultural differences and wondered why the Spanish communicated differently, however as the trip progressed, I started to realize that I was the one who communicated oddly from their point of view, and that while in their country I should try to adapt to their communication style instead of needing them to accommodate me.

Seeing the Differences in Global Businesses Firsthand

The site visits to JohnRyan and Hewlett Packard Barcelona also increased my worldview.

Before the trip I put little thought into how large multinational corporations operations vary from country to country. These visits especially showed how interactions vary from geographies not just with scheduling calls at odd times to accommodate U.S. headquarters, but also in day to day operations such as how for JohnRyan in Spain, the in-branch marketing matters more because Spanish people still prefer physical bank branches. Another example is how at Hewlett Packard Barcelona there were more activities to foster collectivism than at many U.S. firms including multiple volunteer days and activities such as employees playing basketball or soccer together on courts and fields at the office.

Overall, this course and the visit to Spain greatly increased my Global Intelligence. Since I had never left the United States before it forced me to finally consider how differences between cultures truly impact business and daily life.

“There is no way you can possibly get to the top of Montserrat and catch the six o’clock train.” said Connor at four in the afternoon. “It’s like a three hour hike.” said Christian. “Well I’m tall, so I have long strides.” I said, “I can get to the top in 50 minutes” “Ok, good luck with that.” said Paola and Brianna. Determined to prove them wrong I began my run up to the top of Montserrat.

Montserrat: Meant To Be a Marathon Not a Sprint

I would recommend that future students in the program visit Montserrat while in Barcelona, but would recommend that they leave more than two hours to get to the top. To be fair, I was able to summit the mountain despite all my classmates telling me I would surely fail, however I would have enjoyed the experience more if I had left more time.

Allowing more time would have allowed me to actually enjoyed the hike up. The hike was well worth it as the views from the summit are incredible, but due to time constraints I had to run most of the way up the mountain.

I took off running at the beginning of the steps and did not look back until I was halfway to the summit. By this point I had lost the rest of my hiking group, but I had to push on as there was no time for stragglers if I wanted to see the summit.

See All That Montserrat Has To Offer

Allowing more time would have allowed me to see the other great attractions Montserrat has to offer. There is not just a mountain to summit at Montserrat, their are also outlooks to hike out to, ruins of old buildings built by monks, and a monastery that is supposed to be incredible. Allowing more time than I did would allow future students to see all Montserrat has to offer.

More Time Will Improve Your Physical Health

Leaving more time to do the hike would have greatly decreased the pain in my legs for the remainder of the trip. Running on uneven surfaces especially downhill is hard on the knees. This hike was eight days ago now and I still have right knee pain. Additionally, running to the top of Montserrat and back led to me taking 14,000 steps and climbing the equivalent of 200 flights of stairs in under 1 hour and 50 minutes which led to being tired and sore for the rest of the day and the next day.

I recommend that future IBUS 3033W students visit Montserrat while in Barcelona, but they should allow more than two hours to see it. If they do only have two hours like me though, than they better bring their running shoes.

“There is no way you can possibly get to the top of Montserrat and catch the six o’clock train.” said Connor at four in the afternoon. “It’s like a three hour hike.” said Christian. “Well I’m tall, so I have long strides.” I said, “I can get to the top in 50 minutes” “Ok, good luck with that.” said Paola and Brianna. Determined to prove them wrong I began my run up to the top of Montserrat.

Montserrat: Meant To Be a Marathon Not a Sprint

I would recommend that future students in the program visit Montserrat while in Barcelona, but would recommend that they leave more than two hours to get to the top. To be fair, I was able to summit the mountain despite all my classmates telling me I would surely fail, however I would have enjoyed the experience more if I had left more time.

Allowing more time would have allowed me to actually enjoyed the hike up. The hike was well worth it as the views from the summit are incredible, but due to time constraints I had to run most of the way up the mountain.

I took off running at the beginning of the steps and did not look back until I was halfway to the summit. By this point I had lost the rest of my hiking group, but I had to push on as there was no time for stragglers if I wanted to see the summit.

See All That Montserrat Has To Offer

Allowing more time would have allowed me to see the other great attractions Montserrat has to offer. There is not just a mountain to summit at Montserrat, their are also outlooks to hike out to, ruins of old buildings built by monks, and a monastery that is supposed to be incredible. Allowing more time than I did would allow future students to see all Montserrat has to offer.

More Time Will Improve Your Physical Health

Leaving more time to do the hike would have greatly decreased the pain in my legs for the remainder of the trip. Running on uneven surfaces especially downhill is hard on the knees. This hike was eight days ago now and I still have right knee pain. Additionally, running to the top of Montserrat and back led to me taking 14,000 steps and climbing the equivalent of 200 flights of stairs in under 1 hour and 50 minutes which led to being tired and sore for the rest of the day and the next day.

I recommend that future IBUS 3033W students visit Montserrat while in Barcelona, but they should allow more than two hours to see it. If they do only have two hours like me though, than they better bring their running shoes.

As I wandered around the Madrid Metro, desperately trying to find my train to make it to the site visit on time, I suddenly wished I had spent more time reading the portion of The Culture Map about high-context versus low-context communication.

Spain, a High-Context Country

The cultural dimension that stood out the most to me in Spain was high-context versus low-context communication. This was particularly evident while trying to navigate the Madrid Metro. Due to the transit strike I was having difficulty navigating the metro system and sought help from people in the subway. Despite people’s efforts to give me instructions, I found their help utterly useless.

This was a great example of the communication differences between high-context Spanish people, and myself as a low-context American. Although the Spanish people I asked for help were giving what would have been helpful instructions to other Spanish people, they were unable to help me because I was unable to read between the lines of their explanations and as an American desired a more blunt and explicit instruction instead of the implicit instructions that I was given.

Collectivism: A Staple of Spanish Meals

Another cultural dimension that stood out to me was how the influence of collectivism while eating meals. Food was far more likely to be served in a way to be shared than in the United States. A good example of this was the paella at the Barcelona welcome dinner that was served in a large pan for several people to share instead of each person getting their own serving.

Further showing this collectivism was how it was abnormal to ask for an ingredient to not be included in a dish because it is just assumed that a dish is meant to be shared. Lastly, whenever you eat at a restaurant the waiter or waitress gives one bill for the entire table. In the United States each dinner is given their own bill since the U.S. is individualistic, but in more collectivist Spain there is one bill given to a group of dinners.

From experiencing these cultural dimensions firsthand in Spain, I know next time to make sure I bring a metro map more suited to my American low-context communication style, and to be ready to share the food and the bill at meals.

Do you ever wonder what it takes to get a bull up to the size and skill to be in fighting shape? Well look no further than the Giménez San Isidro outside of Madrid. I want to visit Giménez San Isidro because I grew up on a farm and want to see the differences in raising fighting bulls compared to typical cattle on a farm. I expect to see how the bulls are raised to size as well as how they are trained to participate in La Corrida, the traditional form of Spanish bullfighting. My main concern about this visit is actually getting to the farm as it is 50 kilometers outside of Madrid.

A History of Producing Spain’s Premier Fighting Bulls

Giménez San Isidro traces its roots to Giménez Indarte a bull farm founded in 1927 which became Giménez San Isidro when Raúl Tenorio bought Giménez Indarte along with its 400 cattle, brandring rights, colored ribbon, and age. Bulls from Giménez Indarte first fought competitively in 1932 at the Plaza de la Carretera de Aragón in Madrid, and have been fighting around Spain ever since.

Witness Bulls Become Fighting Ready

The process of raising fighting bulls has remained largely unchanged since the 1800s. The bulls are taken out to graze throughout the day, and when the grazing is over with the assistance of oxen, horses, and a head bull, called a Relojero, the bulls are led back to their enclosure.

In addition to seeing the day to day grazing of the bulls, visitors to Giménez San Isidro can see how the bulls are bred and how bulls are selected when they are deemed ready to fight. At Giménez San Isidro you get to see not just how the bulls are raised, but also how they become fighting ready.

Getting to Giménez San Isidro

Getting to the farm is easy. The farm offers a shuttle service from Plaza de Toros de las Ventas which is just a short 7 minute walk from our hotel in Madrid. Directions are in the map below.

Tickets and Pricing

Giménez San Isidro tickets can be pricey, if you chose to go alone, running around €300, however if you go in a group of 11 or more it is only €65 per person. These prices include the shuttle to and from the farm, a 120 minute tour of the farm, and refreshments of either wine or a soft drink and Iberian ham. This tour is with a working foreman or rancher with firsthand knowledge of the day-to-day operations of the farm. You can also pay an extra €10 for lunch or €16 for a round of practice bullfighting with a calf. Tours are offered Monday through Saturday from 10 AM until 5 PM. In order to tour the farm you must book your tour 24 hours in advance.

Links for More Information

Pricing- https://lasventastour.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ACTIVITIES-LVT-ING-2018-2019-web.pdf
Tickets- https://lasventastour.com/en/other-activities/bull-ranches-visits/
More Information- http://www.ganaderiasanisidro.es/en/attraction/the-ranch/

When thinking about the international banking industry, Minneapolis is not a city that typically comes to mind. JohnRyan is working to change this image. JohnRyan is a provider of messaging and signage for retail banks in the United States and Europe. Originally founded in Minneapolis, MN in 1983, by John C. Ryan, it has since expanded to become a global company with offices in Minneapolis, Silicon Valley, London, and Madrid.

A market leader in digital signage and storage

JohnRyan is a full-service marketing and technology company. In terms of marketing, JohnRyan will plan,  launch, and run messaging services for retail banks. This includes in branch marketing materials and a branded look and tone for digital content aimed to improve branding and sales to help banks be more profitable. In terms of technology, JohnRyan provides digital signage to banks throughout the United States and Europe while providing remote maintenance and service. Specific products and services offered include their Digital Communications Programming, Media Software, Automated Content Execution, a service to provide a business network that meets banking regulations, and their main product: Quick Messenger CMS, a service to streamline messaging to specific areas or branches within a bank.

Recent developments and challenges

One key challenge that JohnRyan may face moving forward is keeping up with technological development. Although many of their products and services are considered innovative now, as technology develops they will need to adapt or other companies with better technology could replace them. One recent development that could pose challenges is Brexit. As the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, banks will have to approach it more as a separate market from the rest of Europe including how they market to the United Kingdom. JohnRyan as a marketing agency for banks could be adversely affected by this moving forward.

Further Questions for JohnRyan in Spain

1. What drove the choice to expand internationally?
2. Do you see future changes in banking regulations changing your business model?
3. Given the global nature of modern banking, do you see any future international expansion?
4. How do you balance a data-driven marketing service with concerns about data privacy?
5. Do you see future growth from an expanding footprint or growth within given service areas?

Imagine hearing the police yell “Go! Go! Go!” as they run into a house. As they tackle five men to the ground you hear “We’ve got Cocaine!” This may make you think of images of American inner cities, or the compound of infamous drug lord “El Chapo” Guzman, but for people in Galicia in Northwestern Spain it is a reality of everyday life.

History of Drug Trafficking in Galicia

Due to its location in the Northwestern coastal portion of Spain, Galicia has become a hub for drugs flowing into Europe, entering into Galicia and moving on to be sold in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Rotterdam. Using its coastal location, Galicians use everything from speedboats to small fishing vessels to go collect shipments of cocaine bound for Europe from Colombia.

Galicia is a traditionally poor and agricultural portion of Spain. Like Catalan and Basque country, Galicia has its own unique language and culture that leads to nationalistic tendencies. In fact, Galicia has more in common in terms of language and culture with Celtic cultures than the rest of Spain. Galicia is so poor that over the last five centuries, one in three males has had to leave Galicia to support their family. The drug trade in Galicia has led to a distinct wealthy class that sticks out from the rest of the region, with many drug lords living in mansions and driving luxury cars throughout the 1990s. However desire to avoid investigation by police has led to a less extravagant lifestyle today. That said, while the leaders of drug rings get rich, lower level members often risk ten plus years of prison for just a few thousand euros.

Effect on the Spanish Economy

Cocaine has a large impact of the black market in Spain. Although a gram of cocaine may only be worth €2,200 in Colombia, it is worth €29,000 in Galicia and €60,000 in a large city like Madrid or Barcelona. The trick to unlocking this value is getting it from Colombia to the cities: an art that Galician drug lords have mastered. Additionally, drug lords in Spain move more than €75 billion a year. More than a quarter of the Spanish budget. Despite all of the negative effects of the drug trade, this has a significant impact on businesses in Spain as wealthy drug lords spend their profits on luxury goods.

Impact on my View of Spain

Understanding the Galician drug trade is important to understanding Spain because of the importance of power distance in Spain. The strict hierarchical structure and high power distance is shown in the drug trade by the high payouts for drug lords, compared to small earnings for the members of the drug ring actually moving the drugs. This article changed my views on Spain by making me associate it more with drugs and gang violence than before when I thought of it as a more peaceful nation.

La Sagrada Familia a large cathedral in Barcelona