After having traveled abroad to Portugal, I learned a lot about how the businesses there were run, and how they differed from the U.S. One key difference I noticed was that businesses in Portugal put a key emphasis on being sustainable. Every business tour we went on talked about how their business was sustainable. Whether it was olive oil or clothes this was a key value in business in Portugal.
Another difference was the actual type of business. One of the largest industries in Portugal is cork. It was very interesting to learn about how cork was produced and distributed to the rest of the world. This industry is not very big in the US, so I did not have a lot of knowledge about it going into the trip. I found it very interesting to have the opportunity to visit a cork farm and see where they got the cork from and how they processed it. It was also very interesting to see the other businesses that were big in Portugal. Another company I found interesting was Impetus. This was a textile company, and it was cool to be able to get a first-hand look into what went into making fabric. We got to see the machines working, and it was a cool experience. Overall, I learned a lot about international business from the trip and am very thankful for the opportunity to have traveled abroad to Portugal.