Day 7 - Monday, May 19, 2014

On Monday, we had our first session at Emlyon. The professor was Han Schlierer, a German, who spoke about Negotiating with Europeans. A few of the insightsthat I found interesting were: We are negotiating all the time. – This is true, although we might not always think about it that way. Essentially, we are always negotiating for just about everything in life. Trade is theft. – He talked about the fact that for much of Europe, their historical culture related to the Roman Catholic Church meant that the idea of doing things for profit was, in many ways, similar to theft. This results in a less capitalistic viewpoint that what can be seen in America. Negotiations are always with individuals. – The relationship is so important in negotiations with Europeans. This is something that I am not good at. Developing good business relationships takes work and effort similar to networking as a business student. I have made efforts to be more outgoing by attending far more events and social activities than is my general desire to do. However, I have realized that the benefits of increasing my network, and building a relationship with those people, will have the potential to open doors in the future. Additionally, I have been able to make more friends this way. Yes, my €4 Oranginas will pay off down the road!