After finishing my study abroad trip in Greece and Italy, I can confidently say that I had many opportunities to learn more about conducting business internationally and engage with people of different cultural backgrounds. We had the opportunity to meet with the U.S. Embassy where Yuri Arthur, an American diplomat, discussed the different screening the Embassy does on foreign investments and businesses and the potential threats that could take place if not carefully watched. I did not know how large of a role the Embassy had on not only relations, but international business as a whole and I loved getting to understand the different strategies needed to be successful in a variety of international markets. We also got to visit Mariotti Carlo which was a family owned marble manufacturing company and was founded in 1897. Not only did we get to learn about the marble business, but also got to better understand the business climate of Italy with almost 80% of businesses being family owned and operated. It was great getting to hear about how his company works on a global scale with projects all around the world. He did a great job diving into the challenges and practices needed to work with people from different cultures. A great example he gave was working on a Chinese project, they had to get the stone out faster because the Chinese workers were working 15 hours a day rather than 8 hours so they needed the stone at the site so they didn’t run out of building materials which takes cultural intelligence. He gave lots of good advice and knowledge on the changing business climate and how technology is creating much more efficient processes but also making certain markets much more competitive.
My perspective has changed significantly over the course of my time abroad. At the beginning, I was quite nervous to go to an international country where I, for the first time, was not in my comfort zone. The truth is, there are good people all over the world no matter where they are from, what they believe in, or what they look like. You just have to take the time to get to know people and they will embrace you with open arms. By the end of my trip I had learned common greetings which helped foster some of those relationships. In the end, I would encourage everyone to study abroad.
