Global Business Expedition: Prague and Vienna

My name is Champaigne Powell. I am from Cleveland, Ohio. I received my master’s degree from the Ohio State University in Human Resources Management program in the Fisher College of Business.

I chose to go on the Prague/Vienna Global Business Expedition Trip because I knew that having an international experience during my time at OSU was really going to expand my knowledge beyond the classroom. With the trip being centered around global communication, I thought it would be great to learn more about how different countries communicate in a corporate environment. Being an effective communicator with all different types of people is essential to be an influential human resources leader and I felt that going on this trip would allow me to strengthen the necessary skills I need to be successful in my future.

Before going on this trip, I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to Europe before and had very little international experience. I was not sure if I would even understand things as simple as street signage or the languages spoken in the two different countries. I knew that I would experience some type of culture shock, but I was excited to have this opportunity to learn and grow in a safe environment amongst other Buckeyes.

There were a lot of things that surprised me upon arrival to Prague and Vienna. The biggest thing was probably the amount of people who spoke English. These two places attract a lot of tourist so it must be important for some people to speak more than one language. Another thing that surprised me was how willing executives were to meet with us as students. I think in the US, companies do not always see the value in investing in students and providing the best experiences possible for them. It was completely different in Europe and it really showed the differences in cultures and hierarchy. This really stood out to me because I would have never expected to give presentations to CEOS, presidents and vice presidents. I think that this also shows that the company values learning and sharing that wealth amongst everyone not just those in higher level positions.

The GBE trip to Prague and Vienna has influenced my career path more than I would have ever expected. I am going to begin working for a global company and I now feel so much more confident in my abilities to communicate effectively with different cultures. I learned that you should do research before trying to communicate with other countries because you might do something offensive or even take something offensively when that was never the intention behind the message, instead it might just be a lack of understanding. If it were not for this trip, I might not have learned this so early on as I start my career. After this trip I became more excited to work at a global company because the learning possibilities are endless.