It’s Simply Business (Budapest: Day 1)

              Tuesday afternoon we arrived at the airport in Budapest and found our way through the city to finally get to our hotel.                       
             Before we were allowed to sleep (in an effort to combat jet-lag) we went out to walk around Budapest a little bit. We walked a lot before arriving at a cute little crepe (or sweet/salty pancake) shop. I got 2 Nutella, banana crepes and then went and slept. On the way to the crepe place, we took a bunch of pictures on the Danube bridge that connects Buda and Pest, which are now one city: Budapest.             

      
              Wednesday the 26th we went to 2 different business presentations and tours in Hungary: Bosch and Telenor. Bosch, as most people know is a manufacturer of many different electronic items. The plant near Budapest in Hungary specifically manufactures electronics for cars. We learned the intricacies of how the breaking computer system and the acceleration system is created, tested, packaged and sent out. Most of what we learned was about Logistics and supply-chain management. Pretty much everyone in the group is still struggling from jet-lag and so the extensive presentation was rough on us, but we made it through! (They did not allow photos)
 
             The second business was called Telenor, which is a cell-phone company throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and most Scandinavian countries. The most important aspects of this company that make it different are its building and its philosophies. Their building is positively beautiful and it is extremely modern inside. Their building is extremely ‘green’ and it is possibly one of the most energy-efficient buildings I have ever been in.Their building is also set up around their philosophy of comfort and ease in the work place. Within each unit (for some organization) there is no assigned seating, no cubicles, no offices. The building has 50% less desks than most companies and saves a major amount of money due to this cut out. The removal of desks also proves a benefit when it comes to work space and the freedom to move around in your unit. Besides their ‘comfort’ and ‘green’ philosophies, Telenor is a very strong supporter of anti-corruption. Whether it is anti-corruption in politics, business, religion, etc. they openly oppose it. This causes many problems for the company and yet they have chosen to maintain this standard in an attempt to help change the business conditions both in Hungary as well as throughout the world. It was one of the neatest work-places I have ever seen, and I would have loved to sit and discuss better what the employees there do from day to day.
                After the tours we were able to go take a nap at the hotel, followed by a delicious, free dinner from a sister in the ward on the Buda side of the city. Dinner was amazing and I got to meet some of the local YSAs there. They are some incredible people with very strong testimonies and I feel so privileged to have associated with them, even with such short time. Following dinner, a few of the kids from the ward accompanied us to the castle along the Danube river to sight-see. It was positively beautiful and a wonderful experience.