PRT 359
ROGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN SPORT, RECREATION & TOURISM
In this location a lot of our focus was on ethics and the complexity of making decisions in the ski industry, which is fitting since we were at the base of the Alps. In the relation to the Olympics a controversial topic was what to do with the ski jumping event. The sport is not sustainable especially when each location that hosts the winter Olympics must construct one of these jumps and will barely be used once Olympics are done. We visited the ski jump in Innsbruck learned the strategies on how they are to utilize the facility not just for ski jumping. We also got to interview successful leaders within the sports, recreation and tourism field. My team interviewed Georg Spazier, the CEO of Crankworx, a company that puts on mountain biking events all across the world. My favorite part of Innsbruck was being so close to the slopes, since I love to snowboard. On the weekend I skied Nordkette and St. Anton, too challenging yet beautiful experiences. |
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CULTURAL COMPARISON & EXPECTATIONS
My expectations going into Innsbruck was a beautiful city at the base of the Alps and I was not disappointed. I didn't know much about Innsbruck before arriving but I didn't expect winter sports to be so integrated in the city as much as it was. When I would be walking around time, I would see so many people out in their ski gear, either going or getting off the mountain. The culture in Innsbruck is heavily focused on outdoor activities, something that America lacks. Between skiing in the winter and mountain biking in the summer, Innsbruck has outdoor sports running all year round. During my interview with the CEO of Crankworx, Georg said if there was every a good snow day, he would call off work and let everyone go enjoy the fresh powder. In the US that would never happen. American companies are too focused on making money while the values of people in Innsbruck lie in the outdoors, something I admire. I didn't expect such a laid back culture either. Georg said that his office culture is laid back sometimes to a fault. He wants people to enjoy coming into work, he keeps it casual, sometimes too casual he was saying. You would not find this in global companies in America.