About

Personal Description:

A five-year-old life adventurist stuck in the body of a twenty-two-year-old man. I love every past experience, story, and person that I have been fortunate enough to encounter. Equipped with a bright smile, an ambition to meet new people, and a yearning for new life experiences, I know it’s only a matter of time before we are making fun of each other and laughing when we pass some good gas. So kick up your feet and grab a drink because we could be here a while.

Notes For Blog Entries:

1. Due to multiple sources for pictures and low wi-fi connectivity, more pictures will be available after January 29, 2014 in the Scrapbook tab.
2. Due to business obligations, time constraints, and the personal importance on experiencing Sweden versus reflecting on Sweden, the blogs at the beginning are dated incorrectly as I am catching up on previous days' blog. 
3. The daily blogs will be broken down into three sections for easy reading. That way, you can read the sections that you are most interested in. Though, I hope you are interested in all of it :)
• Business
• Leisure 
• Daily Reflections
4. The Quotes tab will be updated daily and will have either a Quote of the Day provided by the business representatives or through a quote that was researched that correlated to the event of that specific day.

Course Description:

This study tour focuses on international business and marketing in Sweden; the largest Scandinavian country. The course will also focus on the history, culture and politics that helped transform this country into a major international trading nation. Three modules have been designed into the course:

Module #1 Theory/Background/Preparation (Carthage College)

A series of lectures covering the basics of international business and marketing are planned. A brief overview of Swedish history and culture will be included. We will also learn how to create a blog.

Module #2 Experiential Learning (Sweden)

A mixture of lectures and field trips to several Swedish companies are planned. The University of Goteborg will be providing local subject matter experts as lecturers. Company visits/tours will allow access to executives from a broad range of Swedish companies including: ABB Robotics, Volvo Automotive, Wireless Car, a mid-sized technology start-up, a large Swedish ad agency, a large telecom company and others. Evening activities will focus on the social and cultural aspects of Sweden. We will be required to maintain our blogs during this phase of the course. 

Module #3 Reflection (Carthage College)

After reflection and discussions, we will present our findings/learning in the form               of a paper.

Learning Outcomes:

At a very high level, the learning outcomes can be divided into two broad categories; practical business skills and specific company/business knowledge. This course focuses on equipping us with both sets of skills:

Practical Business Skills:

• Learn the intricacies involved with international business travel
• Understand some of the customs/traditions of business in Sweden
• Learn how to create a blog
• Learn about cultural differences
• Understand some of the history of Sweden

Specific Company/Business Knowledge:

• Learn how companies do business/marketing in Sweden
• Learn about ABB's world renowned "Gated Model of Product Development"
• Understand how Volvo markets their trucks globally
• Learn how robotics are being used around the world
• Learn about international business from Swedish & German Professors
• Learn how ASCOM sells/markets complex wireless products globally