Evening of Firsts in Istanbul

Unbelievable!  It is all I could really say or feel upon walking out of Ataturk International Airport yesterday afternoon.  After having gone through one of the most hectic, educational, and incredible 9 months of my entire life, the 15 hour trip from Washington, DC to Istanbul seemed to breathe new life into my tired body.  It all started, surprisingly, on the Orange Line @ Foggy Bottom.  I traveled from Cleveland Park out to the Dulles Express Bus in West Falls Church.  As karma would have it, classmates and friends, Sara and Sally jumped on my metro car on the way to the bus.  Good signs for a good trip abroad.  The flight from Dulles was easy, layover in Paris was Café Crème filled, and closing flight to Ataturk was sleepy.  We even gathered fellow students on our flight (now 9-deep entourage) and coasted through the visa, entry, and money conversion lines.  However easy and fun this travel experience was, it did not prepare me for what I was about to see.

The very first feeling after walking out of the airport and into the transportation area was wow – what great weather!  I understand that we are in Istanbul at probably the most beautiful time of the year, but my goodness, when it is on, it is on.  It was 70 degrees and sunny with a cool breeze coming off of the Marmara.  We aren’t in Kansas anymore!

Once we gathered the group that had come together on various flights into Istanbul, we jumped on the bus to Taksim neighborhood.  This bus ride would be the easiest 90 minutes I am sure I’ll spend traveling around the city.  We had been prepared to endure long travel times on our buses over the next two weeks but this first lengthy trip was needed to indoctrinate myself.  Seeing the amount of cars on the roads is something else.  Snakes of yellow cabs flow down the seaside highways.  Honking is the other Turkish language (believe me – I heard “discussions” till 6am).  It was interesting to be on these ancient roads long since covered with asphalt.  For the better part of the drive from the airport to Taksim, the scene resembled Lake Shore drive in Chicago.  When we looked to the left and back to the city, it resembled something closer to a Miami neighborhood.  The group of us that traveled together really started to see the ways our past experiences and travels were enlightening us now.  The difference maker was the age of the grounds we were traveling on.  We drove by ancient castle ruins.  We drove under decaying and dry aqueducts.  Minarets rose up by the hundreds throughout the skyline.  Numerous sea barges were empty and quiet, laying in wait for the apparel and textiles that were sure to follow after our successful consultation.  This is not what you will find in Chicago or Miami, let me tell you.

I was thoroughly surprised by the density of the city.  We were able to see what the city is about and that is quite a bit.  The sheer size of the city is unbelievable. 15 million people are something to behold.  Housing those 15 million people is something else.  The terra cotta and deep red roofs colors can be seen for miles around.  The hills are covered with building, streets and people making it look closer to an ant hill in the desert than a bustling metropolis on the Marmara Sea.  In contrast to this vision, the seaside parks on a Saturday afternoon looked quiet and comforting.  The children’s playgrounds intermittently built along the Basphurus, the random physical fitness stations, and shady groves of trees with family’s grilling beneath made the seaside parks like an oasis from the hustle on the opposite side of the highway.

The first evening in the city was eye opening.  Istiklal is a street off of Taksim Square near our hotel.  Istiklal is more than a street.  It is an experience.  Think Bourbon Street with the people during Mardi gras minus the obnoxious drunks.  Roasted chestnuts, grilled corn on the cob, food, beer, and a sea of people for as far as the eye could see.  We drank a congratulatory beer, ate a traditional Turkish dinner that cost far more than it should have (introductory swindling by a restaurateur) and even met a stuffed lamb at dinner that we affectionately named Murat.  A first day for the record books, I have no doubt.  I was impressed by everything that the city has to offer.  The people, the size, the history all offer so much to a wide-eyed student and traveler like me.  I hope that my insights and questions will give something back after these two weeks representing GWSB.

Practicing what I learn

I am a few hours from leaving Washington Dulles International airport for a 15 hour trip to Istanbul, Turkey for the GWSB Global MBA International Residency program.  Classes are complete, finals are over, and all that stands in my way is 2 weeks of this program before I become a 2nd year MBA candidate.  However, this is the trip that I have been working towards all year.  My team and I are focusing on strategy and US trade policy for an export association (ITKIB) in Istabul.  We are consulting on the current state of US trade policy in regards to textiles and apparel for Turkish manufacturers.

I will be blogging about the responsibility angle of this program.  The companies that we are working with on this particular program all have an outstanding record with sustainable and responsible business practices.  One of the unique things in our situation is that these companies don’t necessarily talk about these practices.  We hope to change that attitude and use it as a marketing advantage in the growth and strength of our client firms.

Lastly, while I am still looking for an internship over the summer, I will be looking at doing some research with Dr. Chris Kayes over the summer.  My aim is to combine responsible business, leadership, and business history into a great summer of learning and writing.  I couldnt be more excited!

Ok…time to do some last minute preparations for the trip.  Be on the lookout for my field postings.

Teşekkürler!

Alan

“Making America Financially Fit”

Throughout my time thus far @ GW in the Global MBA program, I have read extensively on Business Responsibility and the companies that perform admirably in that mission.  This past Thursday (April 2, 2009), one of our own alumni, Carrie Schwab Pomerantz, came and spoke to the Global MBA Class of 2010 about how her company, Charles Schwab, has embraced the challenges of being a leader in social responsibility.

Mrs. Pomerantz spoke extensively about how she has embraced Schwab’s responsibility mission and subsequently improved and expanded the extent to which the Charles Schwab could have an imapct on the community.  During her discussion, I had quite a few “ahah!” moments.  I had always thought of Social Responsibility as “community service”, “ethical business”, and “environmentally friendly”.  It had never dawned on me to use your strengths in business to your advantage, in terms of social responsibility.  I know this may seem short-sighted, but I always thought that every company should stick to the basics or just put more muscle in their approach.  Mrs. Pomerantz certainly changed my mind.

We heard about her work on the “Money Matters: Make it Count” project for financial literacy (in conjunction with The Boys and Girls Club).  She talked extensively about Schwabs refined and controlled systems of community giving by their own employees.  In the end, it became evident that the hundreds of thousands of lives that have been affected by The Charles Schwab Foundation had a much more dramatic effect on the community than I ever could have expected.

Thank you, Mrs. Pomerantz, for opening up my eyes.  I am very excited to see how I can use my strengths and experiences to have an effect in my business and personal life.

Hello world!

Hi there world.  My name is Alan Susi and I am a first year Global MBA candidate @ THE George Washington University School of Business.  Over the next year or so you will see my insights on how I came to to be involved in Business and Social Responsibility and what I experience as a student in this great MBA program here at GW.

I look forward to shooting you all a bunch of great stories.  Some of which will come pretty soon. 

Thanks

Alan