Partyslava

Monday brings with it site visits to both J&T and Peugeot. The bus leaves promptly at 9:45am carrying the array of highly valuable MBA's to Bratislava's foremost investment bank and financial institution. The ride is a short one -- of a duration only reaching about 5 minutes. Yet, the change in scenery is substantial. The backdrop quickly changes from one of historic architecture and of tourist-orientation to one of modern construction mixed amongst dilapidated structures that were the norm during the Soviet-era. Once at J&T, the group self-organizes and catches a ride up the persistently slow elevators. Situated atop the commercial tower is the firm's executive conference room. As the photos confirm, a reasonably breathtaking panorama of the city (at least by Slovakian standards) can be viewed by simply walking outside onto the wraparound observation deck. After a somewhat terse introduction by a young associate, we are introduced to a more senior decision maker at the firm. What is most striking about this individual is his certain exposition of the element of mystery. Overall, we are generally humored by his stories rooted in and inspired by Slovakia's communist era. Details include a discussion of political corruption and an explanation of how wealth rapidly emerged once property rights were privatized under a democratic regime. The general take-away from this visit was a reinforced notion that Slovakia's modern story is one of rapid transformation. Importantly, the message conveyed to us was that the country and its leaders have proceeded forward in light of the not forgotten perils of a Communist regime. After a short lunch at the mall food court (which by the way offered curiously delicious Slovakian dishes) the busses bring us to Peugeot which is approximately 45 minutes outside of the city. The plant is situated on a multi-acre site across an otherwise barren landscape. Two plant tours are conducted which sparks a discussion and a phase of reflection on concepts learned in our operations management course. As such, one could not resist symbolizing cars as cookies/cakes and also constantly searching for the elusive 'Herbie' (not surprisingly Peugeot's ops are very 'lean'). Once this site visit was completed we dispersed in pursuit of whatever night life could be found on a Monday...