Last day... the final hurrah!

It is Saturday, May 22, 6:00 pmm UK time and we are all getting packed  before our farewell dinner which begins in an hour.  Dean Mahon traveled from Russia to Heathrow to Bath to our hotel here to meet us for our farewell dinner, which will be a great grand finale.  One of our alumnus' who lives in Bath will also join us with his wife.

Yesterday (Friday) was the big day for final presentations of the consulting projects for Hydro Intl.  We traveled to their headquarters in Clevedon and the 3 teams presented their findings that morning to the President/CEO and 4 of his managers.  All of the teams did a FANTASTIC job!  I was so proud of everyone.  Each team did a huge amount of research on their projects involving stormwater, wastewater, and whole life cost analysis over the past 6-10 months. (Some of the students worked on this in the BUA 605 classs fall semester and everyone worked on the projects over the entire spring semester.) For any MBS faculty reading this, you also would have been very proud of their analysis, their presentation, their depth of knowledge, their crticial thinking and analysis, and the way they backed up every statement with solid research.  The clients were similarly impressed!

When the presentations were finished, everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief. After a nice lunch provided by the Hydro people, we returned to Bath where most of us spent the day exploring the beautiful old city.

That evening, everyone gathered on the terrace outside and spent a lovely evening talking, laughing, looking at sme of the pictures.  What a great group we have!!!

Today (Saturday, May 22), we had our last tour:
Morning: tour of the Roman Baths; fascinating history with artifacts, models, and explanations.  I tripped while walking next to the Baths and almost went in.... luckily no-one from our group was there to witness this rather embarassing moment!  Our guide then shared the history of Bath with us on a nice bus tour around the city.  some other folks can fill in some details.

Afternoon: Traveled to Stonehenge and learned the history from a great tour guide. He also had us all do the rods to see which of us were witches.... apparently many of us are witches!  Take a look at the pictures on phtobucket to see us doing this magic!   NJ

London to Bath and misc.

(Check out all the pictures at: http://s233.photobucket.com/albums/ee286/mbamsa/UMaine%20MBA%20UK%20trip%20May%202010/  )
It is Thursday, May 20th and we just arrived in Bath (9:00 pm our time) to a beautiful hotel (Bailbrook House) that looks like an old English manor house.

It's been a busy and exciting week. Everyone has decided that we have walked at least 300 miles over the week and have become pros on the London underground; we can push our way in and out with the best of them! Yes- we are all exhausted, but as I write this, everyone is down at the bar in the hotel, so there's still a spark of energy left.

OK- a few recaps and some lessons learned:

Short recap:
Saturday, May 15: full day tour of London with a terrific guide named Warren; saw pretty much the entire city.

Sunday: May 16: Warwick castle (look for the pictures of Tim and Justin with 15th centure knight and their swords. The Madame Tussaud's wax figures of Lords, ladies and commoners were fantastic in the castle. Stratford on Avon was a lot of fun. Did you know that 18 year old William had to marry 27 year old Anne Hathaway because she was 3 months pregnant? Blenheim palace (Winston Churchill's uncles home) was unbelievable; you'll have to see pictures online: http://www.blenheimpalace.com/

Monday, May 17: In the morning we all got up early (well, most of us), took the tube to the London Eye: http://www.londoneye.com/
Then, most of us got half price tickets to the West End theatre; some went to see Phantom of the Opera and others went to see Les Miserables. Both were fantastic!
That afternoon, we all got dress up and went to the US Embassy for our first business meeting; very tight security there.

Major lessons learned:
- the US Foreign commercial service is available to US businesses to help them with international business. They will help with research as well as evaluation of the business products and business models and try to match them with the correct markets and local contacts. This is a hidden jewel that we need to make sure our business students know about!
- they also try to advocate for American companies in international markets and try to influence decision makers and/or remove barriers for US companies.
-Education: they have internships available... we should try to develop this relationship for our students.
- they said that the US is still one of the major destinations for UK tourists. Maine needs to take advantage of this opportunity.

Tuesday, May 18: Got up early and took the tube to Willis Insurance in the financial district of downtown London. Willis just built a beautiful glass skyscraper last year and it was fun to tour it. We were able to see almost the entire city from the rooftop; about 23 stories I think. One of our hosts, John, gave us a very interesting review of insurance, risk management, and the insurance industry.

Then, they split us into 3 groups; each group with someone from either Willis or Lloyds of London and they took us on a tour of Lloyds. Lloyds of London is actually a market place for insurance. It has about 80 independent companies (called syndicates) that have tables (sort of like booths in a market) there. It was started in 1688 by Edward Lloyd in a coffee shop where ship owners and merchants came to purchase insurance, usually by wealthy people who committed their own wealth to cover losses. The syndicates are like franchises. They all have to adhere to a required business plan, rules and policies. Many are known for certain specialties or industries. We then returned to Willis and had lunch in their beautiful new cafeteria overlooking the city from one of the upper floors. Our hosts were wonderful and we learned a lot with this visit.

We then took the tube across town for our meeting at Harrods. http://www.harrods.com/harrodsstore/ When we arrived, we split into 2 groups. Hannah, a marketing research and public relations person took one group and Charles, a marketing person, took the other group on a tour of Harrods. This was unbelievable. Every retailer in the world who wants to "get it" in terms of retailing should require their managers to visit Harrods! Some lessons learned:
- They use unique products to make the store a destination. They also have exclusive products from well-known brands. They mentioned that they sell more Gucci products (I think that was the one) than all of Gucci's own stores..
- Make the retail experience extraordinary. Each room was fabulous. The architecture, the design, and the products were amazing. For example, in the food court, there were probably 4-5 different rooms. One room looked like an old fashioned market where they sold an amazing selection of unique cheeses that you probably could not find anywhere else as well as unique meats, etc. There was a decadent chocolate, tea and coffee room that was also beautiful in the architecture and design. There was a champagne bar amidst the fashion sections, a bank downstairs that actually sold gold bars, a toy section that was both whimsical and fun, etc.
- Customer relationship management: they used that very effectively to understand customer needs .

At the end, we met with the general manager of the entire store who had a clear vision and mission; to provide the most beautiful products in the most beautiful environment. The reason for the exceptional customer service was "absolute discipline" with the staff in terms of performance, dress and decorum and a customer focus.

At 5:15, we had high tea there in the Georgian Room, the oldest restaurant at Harrods, dating from the 1800's. We all felt like royalty having tea there. The piano player, the elegance and the wait staff who were there at our beck and call was a very lovely experience!

Wed. May 19: Sandra talked about our visit with Lord Watson at the House of Lords. He talked about the new coalition government and the interesting challenges that lay before them with the quote: "how do you do the new in the context of the old"? E.g. how do you create new forms of government while keeping with the old traditions, values and customs that represent the core of who they are?

Thurs. May 20: Off to another early start for a 9:15 am meeting with the Baroness Harris of Richmond; back to the Houses of Parliament. Baroness Harris actually came out to meet our group and took us through security personally. She had a beautiful old room set up like a "round table" and made us feel right at home. She was absolutely delightful; telling us funny stories with great impressions of the people and history in the Houses of Parliament. She also shared the history and processes of how the Parliament works with the House of Commons creating legislation and the House of Lords reviewing and refining the legislation. She explained that the laws often become a "ping pong" with the laws bouncing back and forth between the 2 houses with the adaptations. She also explained the process of the new session; next Friday, May 25th when the Queen will be driven in her coach from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament (the crown follows behind her in its own coach) to read the letter of what the Parliament will work on that year. She also explained the role of the Lords in reviewing all EU laws to make sure they fit with the needs of the UK. Her words of advice for our future business leaders: "just do it"; business and government must work together to make sure that they understand the implications of policy and business decisions on the economic and social health of the country. Each business person must be part of the legislative process! The Baroness gave each of us a nice gift on departing; the history and processes of how the Houses of Parliament work; not to mention a House of Lords mouse pad and post-it pad! :)

That afternoon, our last session in London was with the UK representative to the EU. He explained the different components within the EU and how they worked. E.g. The European council is represented by the Prime Ministers of each of the 27 member states. In contrast, the European parliament are officials elected by their countries. The European commission is the group that creates the laws.

It was an interesting day, but by the end, we were all exhausted.

So, now we are in Bath, ready for our visit and presentations of our semester-long (year long for the BUA 605 folks) research on Hydro International! NJ

Lord Watson and more!

Today we began our adventures at parliament to meet with Lord Watson. One thing to keep in mind is that today was a big day! The Queen sent a summons to each member of parliament, which includes the Bishops, the Lords and the members of teh House of Commons. Once the summons is sent, all the members come to parliament and are sworn in. Lord Watson read the summons to us. Lord Watson has been a member of parliament for 11 years and calls himself a liberal democrat. Among other things he is the chairman of the English Speaking Union. Yesterday, he met with the President of Albania to work on bringing Albania into the EU. A couple of interesting things that he said was that Her Majesty has been an advisor to about 12 prime ministers Churchill, so it would be a good idea that the newly elected pay close attention to her advice. With the change in their government, there have been many discussions and controversies over traditional actions. Lord Waston proposed the question: "How do you do the new in the context of the old?"

After parliament some of us went to the Cabinet War Room. Others went on to explore some famous museums including the Vistoria & Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum.

Thanks for reading! Sandra K.

The adventure continues on Sunday May 16th

Today started quite early - we met in the hotel lobby at 7:30a for a bus ride out to Warwick Castle. The bus was quite quiet - many of us took the opportunity to nap or catch up on their journals. The countryside was beautiful! Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a sheep with a number on it. Lacking sleep, I thought the sheep from the Serta ad had escaped and was now in the fields of England. I kept an eye out and found that many sheep were numbered, or at least had some sort of paint on them.

On to the castle - they have many waxworks figures (Madame Tussaud's did the figures) mixed in with live actors. Sometimes it was difficult to tell which were alive and which weren't. There were wonderful gardens as well. It would have been easy to spend a whole day there.

Next stop - Ann Hathaway's cottage and gardens. The roof on the cottage is still thatch as it would have been in Shakespeare's time. Lovely gardens here as well. More odd trivia - the phrase "upper crust" comes from 1600's when baking bread in the brick ovens, the bottom crust would be burnt and would be used to feed the chickens or the household help. The "upper crust" would be reserved for the owners.

A quick run through Stratford for lunch and then a tour of Shakespeare's birthplace. On this tour we learned the origins of a few other phrases - "sleep tight" referred to the ropes that typically supported the mattress and they needed to be tightened on occasion to ensure a good night's sleep. "Feeling a bit ropey" refers to after a bad night's sleep on the same type of bed.

I'll let someone else tell more of the story.... WRH

London adventures May 15

We had a GREAT day in London. Our guide literally wrote the book about the insiders guide to London and we learned so much about the history and so many great stories throughout history
! This morning we saw pretty much all of London with a few quick photo stops.
we had lunch at a pub with "beef and stout". we then toured the Tower of London, saw the crown jewels, hear all of the stories of torture, etc. we then took a boat ride up the Thames saw St Paul's cathedral.fd

The alumni dinner was nice. 4alumni came and it was nice to meet them. OK. It's late and time for bed....NJ

The best part of the day today is that we were all awake enough to enjoy it. The tour of London was relaxing, beautiful, and incredibly fun. It's unfortunate the we have so much to do and such little time. If tomorrow is half as nice as today we will all be very happy. Great group...great trip...time for some sleep...MC

Just a few thoughts on some of the odd trivia from Warren... Apparently clothing was stored in the toilet area because something in the urine killed the lice that lived in the clothing of the time period. I'm sure Warren (our guide) had plenty of other trivia - he was a font of knowledge - but that's the only one I can remember just now. Signage at the Porterhouse pub made me laugh - "No children allowed" and "No football colors allowed". WRH

We made it!

Friday, may 14
The flight to London was smooth, though no one got any sleep. We all made it through customs and had an interesting bus waiting for us. After dropping off luggage at hotel, some of us went to British museum... Amazing! Others walked to Coventry garden. Then we all met up and navigated the London tube and rail to find the brewery, excellent visit to a successful entrepreneurial company. Look for the photos in our photo album. Nj

We persevered through a tough Friday with barely any (or in most of our cases, no) sleep, but we made the most of it! While traveling on the roads and tubes of London, we came across sites that we will surely visit in the near future. We are very excited for a full night's sleep and for extensive touring tomorrow! CV

I'm kind of caught in that zone where the events of yesterday, when we started this adventure, do not seem like that long ago, yet the last thirty hours have seemed endless. It has been both great and terrible. I think if any of us could have gotten some semblance of sleep or rest we might be alert enough to judge our first day here more fairly. Dr. Jones and Dr. Strong are doing a terrific job, and after we have gotten some much needed sleep this is going to be an awesome trip. MC

Vernal #2: I concur that at this point the beginning of this "day" (or two days?) seems like forever ago. I have been fully impressed by everything I have seen in the UK and there are so many places we skipped that we will surely go back to, especially Cantina which is an awesome restaurant that MC pointed out. Everyone is doing great, especially when considering the lack of sleep and large amount of walking. Everyone has been very social and I have enjoyed my time with every single person. I think everyone will also feel better after a good night sleep. BV

At the Boston airport

Here's some thoughts:
Sandra here. We are sitting here on the floor of the airport awaiting boarding. We are bursting with excitement in anticipation of the events that await us. We all need to sleep on the plane to be ready for tomorrow's tour. What to do.....take an anxiety pill? Have a drink? Drink some nyquil? Sweet dreams.
Stephanie here.
I am really excited to get on the plane to get dinner! Yay! In regards to the above comment, I choose a drink. I NEED to sleep so I won't be sooooo crabby!
Vernal 1 chooses not to comment.
Dr. Strong......if they serve quark tomorrow for breakfast, don't EAT IT! It looks like softened cheese but it is VILE!
Michael cannot get there to get real English fish n' chips.

UK or Bust!

The day has finally arrived. The first group of intrepid travelers will arrive here in Hampden shortly to car-pool to Portland to catch the bus to the Boston airport. We are all excited and nervous at the same time, but eager to hit the road! Some of our itinerary visits include a visit to a brewery (of course!), a meeting with the Commerce Attache at the US Embassy, a visit to Willis Insurance and Lloyds of London, a meeting with a manager at Harrods, high tea (of course again!), a meeting with the UK representative to the European Union, plus meeting one Lord and one Baroness who are leaders in the telecommunications industry and in UK politics. Speaking of that, this is a very interesting time to be visiting the UK with the historic coalition between the new PM, Mr. Cameron and Mr. Clegg of the Liberal Democrats.
Stay tuned as we share our adventures and lessons learned!
NJ

In a few days...

Hello All,
We leave for the UK in a little over two days, it is amazing how fast the time has gone by. As I am running around trying to get all of my last minute details taken care of, I can't believe it is so close! I have been watching the political climate within the UK heat up over the last couple of weeks, the news of Prime Minister Gordon Brown resigning by September is big news. I am hopeful that our trip to downing street will prove to be both memorable and problem free. My least favorite part of any big trip is the long flight that it requires, this will be my 9th transatlantic flight, I am happy to report that having an Ipod makes these much more tolerable. For those of you who are still packing remember to double and triple check your lists, I will see you in Boston in less than 72 hours.