Report from Peru: Week 2
The second week of the College of Business Peruvian Study Tour brought a variety of new and interesting experiences. Students again attended classes at Universidad del Pacifico, as well as toured Villa El Salvador, Yobel Supply Chain Management, and Backus and Johnston.
Villa El Salvador is an urban district at the edge of Lima. It began as a pueblo jóven (shanty town) in the early 1970s, when people from the highlands of Peru invaded vacant land outside of Lima. Since this time Villa El Salvador has changed quite dramatically. Largely through the efforts of its own citizens, Villa El Salvador has been supplied with electricity, water, and sewage. During their visit the group was told about the district’s history, and students were able to see their industrial park, a park including a small zoo and visit a variety of summer programs for children (e.g., ballet, art, chess, martial arts and swimming classes).
Yobel Supply Chain Management is an outsourcing company focused on four main processes: planning, procurement, manufacturing and logistics. During their visit, students were able to see areas of the company engaged in manufacturing as well as product distribution.
Backus and Johnston is the largest brewery in Peru. It is part of the SABMiller group. The group had a very interesting presentation about the company given by Claudia Borasino Malca, the Strategic Planning Manager followed by a tour of their brewing and bottling operations.
The end of the week featured the beginning of a journey through the Andes. Students flew from Lima to Arequipa. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru in terms of population and is a beautiful city steeped in cultural heritage. There was a significant flight delay on the way to Arequipa, so students only had a brief period of time to rest and try to get acclimated to the altitude after arriving at their hotel. The group then walked the city, seeing beautiful sites such as the Plaza de Armas, the Company Church and Santa Catalina Monastery.
With week two of the trip coming to a close, the group enjoyed a picturesque bus trip between Arequipa and Puno. On the way out of Arequipa they stopped to take pictures of the amazing skyline dotted with volcanoes (i.e., Misti, Pichu Pichu, and Chachani).
Once reaching Puno, students visited the Uros Islands (floating reed islands) in Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. During their visit, they learned about how the islands are constructed and about the lives of the Uros people. They also had the opportunity to try on traditional clothing and take a ride on a reed boat. Despite the cold and rain, some of our students capped off the week with a swim in Lake Titicaca!
