Day 6 - Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility - Really.

Today we don't start with class, we start instead with a visit to Fundacio DKV, taught by Dr. Silvia Agullo. Our bus pulls up and we're invited into the conference room for our lecture today. The discussion today hit me the hardest in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility. We talk about how the company is investing in people and investing in Spain as a whole. This organization employs a minimum of 60% physically disabled personnel as a standard practice. This makes a big impact on an economy with 20% unemployment. The physically disabled might often be looked over. Instead, this company employs them, knowing that they have a special kind of compassion and ability to work with the clients they reach, and gives them the tools they need to be successful at DKV and beyond. It is actually the goal of the company that their employees go on to employment outside of DKV because of what they've learned here. I feel like we hear talk about Corporate Social Responsibility in the US, but to see the actions and company goals behind it is really an inspiration and a challenge. A really impressive business plan.

     During our visit here we also discussed schizophrenic consumerism and the continuing challenge to market one product that might benefit the consumers' health, while they also make smaller indulgences on items like alcohol, coffee, or fast food in the face of today's challenging economic needs. 

     We headed back to the hotel for a break. Some of our group hit the shops while others of us stayed back and relaxed while getting caught up. I had to find an inexpensive hair straightener because the one I had brought from home blew up on me. The shopping scene on this their biggest shopping day post holiday is a day for shopping mobs. Speaking of mobs... it becomes necessary to become "assertively European" in some of these instances and not take it personally should you get bumped, shoved, knocked into, or the like. It's part of getting from point A to point B. Hold your ground, don't get offended (yes, we Americans are used to our personal space), and move on about your business. 

My new straightener

     I joined the rest of our smaller group for dinner at a place we had visited a few nights before, Pirineus. We knew it would be a fun time, as it had been the first night we came here. We showed up at 7... what were we thinking? Of course they were still closed since dinner doesn't really start until 8 or after. We did some walking and browsing for a bit and went back a little later to find our restaurant open and ready for us. Ernesto, Val, and I had the seafood paella, yum! The other two in our group, Danelle and Colleen, had spaghetti. The server also had some additional free goodies for us, which included a couple of free tapas that were delicious. 

     Whew, this later dinner schedule makes me tired! We headed back to the hotel afterwards to get some rest. Tomorrow is our visit to Torres Winery.