By Tom Walsh, Director, Des Moines MBA-PM Program

The program began with a full day of class in Iowa City and pre-work including an assessment of a specified European country, research, a presentation on a specific European industry, and an interview with an executive involved in global business.

After completing the pre-departure work and class, the students spent five days in Frankfurt. The days were occupied with classes, large and small group corporate visits, and cultural activities. We visited the European Central Bank and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as a large group, and Bearing Point, Commerzbank, Fraport, Messe, Napster, and Opel, as smaller teams.

This was followed by a one-day trip to visit the John Deere factory at Mannheim, where we enjoyed a tour of the facility, lunch in the company dining room, and a question and answer period with the Plant Manager. That afternoon was spent in famously picturesque Heidelberg.

The last two days included a rail trip from Frankfurt to Munich, where we toured the grounds of the 1972 Olympic Summer Games as well as the BMW complex including BMW Welt, the BMW Museum, and a meeting with the BMW manager for North America. The last “official” event was the Farewell Dinner at the Seehaus restaurant in the Englischer Garten.

Although we accomplished a lot in terms of course content and company visits, there was also time to explore Frankfurt and Heidelberg, and to enjoy the cultural appreciation that can only be gained through an immersion experience.

Our students will embark on trips to Hong Kong and South America over the winter break. Look for a recap of their journey in the next issue of "Inside the Tippie MBA."