3 sleeps and counting...

The Europe Business Family Tour starts Friday and I'm really getting excited. It's part of a joint BCom MBA course put on by the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta. Of course it all seems glamorous...off to Europe? Why yes...but the intensity of my real work and the load I'm trying to plow through seems to get worse as the date of departure creeps forward. I take solace in the fact that by Saturday morning I will leave that all behind and be sipping a strong "kaffe"(I'm not German so I may have this wrong) and a ...what do Germans eat for breakfast?

The EBFT tour is based upon learning more about intenational Corporate Governance, a hot topic these days especially in light of the decline of the stockmarkets, the outrageous paychecks of corporate executives and the overall impact a lack of regulation has had on all of us. Who hasn't had their meagre stock portfolio drop to the point where we discuss our wealth in terms of the extra years we now have to work. Freedom 75 baby! Looking good.

But in Germany the system is different. The businesses are less reliant on the stock market because of the control families have retained in operating their businesses. Governments, banking systems, and shareholder rights are unique. This trickles down into what motivates management, employees and creates culture in the company.

So with a few sleeps left I'm starting this blog to record our journey. Plus I needed to post something ahead of time...I'm not saying I won't find coffee on Saturday morning, I just want to put my full effort into that.