A few more reflections from the trip to Portland.

It was interesting to see the consensus on "lessons learned" from our visit to MITC and Hydro International. Here are a few more reflections:

I think that the entire trip to Portland was a very worthwhile experience. It certainly helps us become further immersed in what we are learning about UK. I also had no idea the MITC even existed, this really surprised me. Even if I had known, I was most surprised to find out how many businesses had such a presence all over the world. This truly opened my eyes to the many opportunities in the state of Maine."

"The visit with Maine International Trade Center shed light on the number of things going on in Maine that have international ties.  The number of small businesses that are able to sell internationally was enlightening.  The statistics on Barber Foods really surprised me.  I knew the shipped all over the world, but was surprised by their US market share. 

The visit with Hydro International was great!  I was impressed with the amount of time Mr. H. spent with us talking about the company, his personal experiences, and sites to see while in London.  His enthusiasm for his company and his product is contagious.  The time he spent with us gave me a greater appreciation for what the company does and their products that will make the research more focused."    

A few first reflections

A few first reflections on our trip to the Maine International Trade Center and Hydro International last week:

Ms. Amy I.: "Both Mr. B. (MITC) and Mr. H. (Hydro) emphasized and portrayed the importance of face to face contact in business situations.  This proved to be the case when visiting the two organizations, as the meetings were extremely helpful in fully understanding the products, business structure, and trade information."

Mr. Dave M. "The Portland trip this past Thursday was quite enjoyable.  Both MITC and Hydro International offered some very nice insights into international business and the seemingly massive amounts of variables at play in this field.

One take-a-way for me was the common statement from both MITC and Mr. H. that despite all of our cool and trendy developments in technologic communication, face to face communication is still, and will always be extremely important in business communication.  It seems that the drive for ever more technology-driven communication is but a folly if that is the sole means for information exchange.

A take-a-way from MITC in particular was the enormity of international trade even for the small mom and pop operations.  It seems that the world is available for just about any business of any size.  And the somewhat annoying political element was interesting too.

A take-a-way from Hydro International in particular was the idea about worldwide logistics and finding opportunities.  I'm referring to the German company that makes their SB product here in the United States now.  Also the idea of bringing non-proprietary products onboard to supplement in house products was interesting as well.

Another take-a-way was that this trip is going to be so much fun with this student group, and that's not just because of my superior wit you know.  These guys and gals seem to be a good bunch that want to have fun while learning.  Is there a better way to learn/work?  There isn't in my book."
I second this!!   NJ  :)

Learning about the UK

During the winter break, we started to learn about the history, culture, politics and business environment in the UK and the EU. One interesting sources was Simon Shama's videos on British history, found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7ndvcAYlE4&feature=related

Other interesting links included:
CIA world factbook on the UK: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uk.html

EU: europa.eu/index_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/trade/index_en.htm

World Bank: Doing Business in the UK: http://www.doingbusiness.org/exploreeconomies/?economyid=196

EU 2020 Strategy:http://ec.europa.eu/eu2020/pdf/COMPLET%20EN%20BARROSO%20%20%20007%20-%20Europe%202020%20-%20EN%20version.pdf

On Thursday, March 11, 2010, the UK class traveled to Portland. In the morning we met with the MITC (Maine International Trade Center). This visit was very helpful with Mr. Bozsiks' presentation on Maine international trade, the complexities of doing business in different countries, UK and EU regulations, and cultural considerations. He also reviewed and commented on the team projects, providing valuable insights into issues such as potential UK markets for the Maine wood products and seafood industries, bringing UK tourists to Maine, among others. The picture is of our group with Mr. Bozsik at the MITC.

That afternoon, we met with the CEO of Hydro International. This is the company we are working with on case analyses for specific projects.  Their corporate headquarters is located in Clevedon, England, where we will present the results of the team research projects.