Day 2 - Salavador Univ and AmCham
So yes, this is a study abroad class, and most of our days are focused on schoolwork, which is really about getting background information about the countries and companies we're visiting, and the people of the area. My second MBA concentration is in International Business, so the goal of the trip is to gain a wealth of knowledge about the international business environment, and issues impacting these areas.
AmCham:: For Day 2, we walk over to the American Chamber of Commerce in Argentina. We're greeted by the Adminstrative Director Eduardo Alsado, who gives us an overview of the business and economic perspective, and discusses how AmCham encourages foreign direct investment into Argentina by providing services to both Argentine firms and American investors. It was an interesting presentation, and an excellent preface for company visits we have planned for the remainder of the week. The AmCham building also offered a beautiful view of Avenue Viamonte - there are more pics on Flickr.
Universidad del Salvador:: we then had lunch, and then traveled to the Universidad del Salvador, which has a relationship with Georgia State's business school, so students from both schools benefit. The college is in a beautiful stucco building in downtown Buenos Aires, with tradtional tile and ironwork accents, and an open courtyard in the middle. We're greeted by the Dean of the Social Sciences department, Eduardo Suarez, who along with Associate Professor Michael Segundo, they present background material (history, economics, etc.) and put this into a social context. The summary for those unfamiliar is that Argentina was a developentally leading Latin American country through the 1990's, drawing many Europeans down to settle here. However, due to many factors including their pegging their currency to the American dollar, financial management, and political instability, they suffered a severe economic crisis in 2001. Today, their economy is recovering, but signs of the crisis are everywhere, and the impacts are still being felt. If you want more information, wikipedia is a decent source.
We spend the evening checking out the shopping in Avenue Florida, which i'll save for another time, since some interesting things happened there this week, and I've gotta leave you with something to look forward to (even when I'm blogging 5 days later). More posts in a bit....lol