Dean Chelte's Blog

This was followed by a lecture by Dr. Rolf Kruse on Natural user interfaces who showed us the latest in Nintendo style game controllers.  Finally, I presented a lecture on the Strategy of Culture.  After a description of a number of prominent culture cues an international strategist should look for, Japan was used as an example detailing the deeper Japanese meaning of “Cute” and its place in the market.  This was finished off with a look at how a 14 year-old UK girl has “broken” the code and become a major superstar in Japan today

A group of 14 students headed to Prague this past weekend for 2 days of experiencing the city with a reputation as being one of the most beautiful in the world and an absolute must-see. After catching a 5 a.m. train out of Erfurt and a 5 hour ride, we finally arrived in Prague and were pleased to see that it lived up to the hype. The architecture within the city was unique and intricate, making amazing scenery.  We spent the day on Saturday seeing the old cathedrals, statues, bridges, and other attractions that made us look like every other tourist there. I was in complete awe of how many people there were! You could walk 10 feet in any different directions and hear 5 different languages spoken along the way. Being the weekend, I anticipated a lot of tourists, but nothing of the magnitude we encountered.

After lunch at a traditional Czech restaurant, we completed our sightseeing with a walk across the famous Charles bridge and climbed up to one of Prague’s most famous castles. That night we enjoyed a social night out complete with dinner downtown at a quaint Italian restaurant just off the main square. Sunday was composed of more sightseeing. We broke up into several groups. One joined a tour group that was a combination of a boat ride, a bus ride, and a walking portion. Others saw Prague by bike and spent the day exploring the outskirts of the city to see Prague from a less touristic view, and a third group did a combination of shopping and exploring…mostly in an effort to find the best purchases J.  The weekend all together was a smash hit. We took in the food, the culture and the sights and enjoyed every minute of it.

From Leah Kirkpatrick

Today’s lectures were quite fascinating.  Dr. Ansari from New Delhi, India, spoke on the characteristics of the new youth of India.  Half of India’s 1 billion people are under the age of 25 and there is a growing generation gap as a large percentage of these young people have disposable incomes, allowing them to purchase electronics and clothes.  This is a huge market and virtually all of India’s young are highly competent with the Internet and other technology.  Greater wealth seems to be bringing greater individualism as well.

Dr. Yoshi Fukasawa from Wichita Falls, Texas, gave us an economic rundown of the current crises and foreign exchange rates.  He concluded with the observation that the developed world is now dependent on growth in the developing world, especially in China and India.

Dr. Giese from Erfurt University, gave a very interesting talk on the impact of web use on today’s young.  He covered the negative, the positive, and the evils of the Internet.  As a psychology professor, he was able to point out the many ways Internet addiction could affect young people.

Americans in Berlin

One would expect a group of seven “twenty-somethings” to be asleep on a Sunday morning at 3:45 AM; however, we had an adventure to pursue. The train was scheduled to leave at 5:07 AM, and everyone knows that in Germany, it will leave with or without you. Five hours later, we were stepping out into the city known for its heavy industrialization and tragic history.

First stop was the Brandenberg Gate. This gate is the only remnant of a series in which Berlin was once entered. Next, we decided to purchase tickets for a bus tour, thus enabling ourselves to see the city in the short period of time we had, without the confusion of language barriers. The tour lasted about an hour, but the three locations that interested me most were the Berlin Wall, the Topography of Terror and Checkpoint Charlie.

The Topography of Terror was the site on which the Nazi regime headquartered the SS and the Gestapo. Ultimately, the Holocaust was devised on this location. Checkpoint Charlie, the best known Berlin Wall crossing point, was in operation during the Cold War, separating East and West Germany. Overall, Berlin in a day was pretty hectic, but I’m glad we made the trek to see it. It was worth the wait.

From Ciara Spillane

This is the 6th time that the Fachhochschule Erfurt has hosted the annual International Summer School program. I am again, deeply appreciative of their invitation to UALR’s College of Business to participate this year. Normally, the program restricts attendance to only one university/college per country. This year, the U.S. has two schools participating. Our UALR College of Business has five students: Mason Collar, Thomas Collins, Deborah Johnson, Leah Kirkpatrick, and Ciara Spillane participating and our colleagues from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas has sent two students.

Dr. David Brice, the College of Business’ Coordinator for International Business has joined us this year for the first time. Dr. Brice has successfully met with our colleagues at the University of Applied Sciences in Ludwigshafen and I look forward to the opportunities that will be afforded our students and faculty to visit, lecture, and exchange with this Fachhochschule near Mannheim. Dr. Brice will be in attendance at the mid-term ceremony to be held tomorrow evening at the Kleine Synagogue. This part of the program is an annual tradition where students prepare a food from their home countries. It is a global pot-luck dinner. In addition, students will give short presentations that highlight their home countries with focus on culture, education, and economics.

Today, I had the privilege of giving a lecture entitled “Global Business Practiced – Management to Distribution.” The central theme of this discussion centered around the “Two Iron Rules of International Business: Rule #1 — The Seller must adapt to the Buyer’s culture; and Rule #2 — The Visitor must observe local customs and culture.” These two “rules” are important in enhancing the probability for successful penetration of new markets.

The lecture provided a series of examples of major corporations’ efforts to introduce their products into global markets but failed to abide by Rule #1 or Rule #2. The results can be humorous, but provide important lessons. For example, when When Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) entered the Chinese market to their horror, they discovered that their slogan “finger lick in good” came out as “eat your fingers off.” Or In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name into “Schweppes Toilet Water.”

As you now know, the city of Erfurt is quite old… as we saw in the previous Blog, the Domplatz area was first mentioned in writings that were dated to 1293 (the 13th century)!!!

The Fischmarkt (Fish Market) area of Erfurt is beautiful. As you can see in the picture above, that building is the Town Hall where the students and professors gathered for the Monday welcome ceremony given by the Lord Mayor and the Thuringian Minister for Economic Affairs.

The Fischmarkt is the historical center of Erfurt. Fischmarkt (Fish Market) was a place where fresh fish were bought and sold. From the 13th through 19th centuries, this location was the point at which the trading routes passing through Erfurt intersected. As such, the Fischmarkt played an important role as a trading place and the center of public life. Because of this historical significance, it was later chosen as the site for the merchants’ hall that is regarded as the predecessor of today’s City Hall where students were welcomed to the city.

Just opposite from City Hall, there is a column erected in 1591. It carries a warrior’s statue. Even though this figure is popularly known as “Roland,” it does not represent the well-known symbol of a free imperial city and of jurisdiction. Rather, this monument was to show to the world that the city and its council were prepared to defend themselves against outside enemies. Fischmarkt is lined by a considerable number of historical buildings, such as the magnificent Haus “Zum Roten Ochsen” (Red Ox House), which was built in 1562 by wine merchant Jakob Naffzer and now features an art gallery. Equally worth mentioning are the Haus “Zur Güldenen Krone” (Golden Crown House) (1488 to 1564), Haus “Zum Güldenen Löwen” (Golden Lion’s House) (1740) and the Haus “Zur Halben Eisernen Tür” (House with a Half Iron Door).

The temperatures continue to be cool and pleasant; a welcome relief from this summer’s Arkansas heat and humidity. Our five students, both MBA and undergraduate level, have settled in rather nicely with their counterparts from various parts of the world. This year’s International Summer School program, organized by the University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt Germany, is titled: “International Aspects of Entrepreneurship V — Creative Ideas for the Youth Market.”

Students assembled at the Cafe Nerly (named after a famous painter from Erfurt) for the opening session. The host university provides a student tutor for each of the countries represented in the program. Each student was introduced by his or her tutor, the student placed a pin on the large world map denoting where their “home” and university are located. Students from India, Indonesia, Lithuania, Russia, USA, Iran, South Korea, Jordan, Germany, and the UK were introduced and provided a brief welcome message in English to all that were gathered at the ceremony.

On Sunday, students from the UALR College of Business and students from Midwestern State University in Texas, boarded the train from Erfurt to Berlin for a day of sightseeing and tourism. The group left at 5:00 a.m. and returned about 1:00 a.m. on Monday morning. Because we have student rates and it was a one-day return ticket, the roundtrip cost only 37 Euro for the five students (or about $8.00 each).

This evening, the group of professors who will lecture at various points in the two-week program, have been invited to the Erfurt – Cathedral Steps Festival. Tonight (August 29, 2010) is the last evening of the program. The Erfurt Cathedral Steps Festival is an open-air classical music festival on the steps of St. Mary’s Cathedral and the church of St. Severus featuring G.F. Handel’s “The Messiah.”

Domplatz (Cathedral Square) was first mentioned as “ante gradus” in a 1293 document. It has been known as Domplatz since 1945. It is the largest square in the city and is said to have served as a market and trading place since as far back as the 8th century. Domplatz is still the venue for a variety of markets and other events. To this day, the locals have also been calling it Gradenmarkt or Vor den Graden. These labels relate to the Graden (”gradus” – Latin for “step”), an impressive stair that rises to the Dom (Erfurt Cathedral) and Severikirche (the Church of Saint Severus) . The unique ensemble formed by these two churches and the wide stair with its 70 steps leading up to Domberg (Cathedral Hill) provides a breathtaking setting for the Domstufenfestival, an annual musical event that is held on the cathedral steps and has gained an excellent reputation throughout Germany. An obelisk erected in 1777 in memory of Friedrich Karl von Erthal, a former Archbishop of the Electorate of Mainz, and the Minervabrunnen (Minerva Fountain) from 1784, are two truly eye-catching sights at Domplatz. It was not until 1813 that the square reached its present-day size. In that year, French troops, shelling the area, destroyed the buildings in front of the Church of Saint Severus.

The old city is medieval which is surrounded by the old wall and outlooks merging into the famous castle. The city was a major staging area for the Nazi party from 1929 until the end of World War II. Of course, the famous war crimes and atrocities tribunal was held here as well. The city main square is punctuated with this golden well which is one of the famous fountains in Germany. Find the gold ring on the gate, spin it and your wish will be granted. Below are pictures of the old church and one or two longer views of the castle area.

Also, I have included pictures of the staging and parade grounds for the Socialist National Party (The Nazi Party).You will see half completed never finished parliament that Hitler commissioned Albrecht Speer to design along with the parade grounds and a huge area over three square miles comprising the complex. Today stands the futbol stadium and parks.