Fowler Students Visit Germany to See Business Technology in Action

April 20, 2023

Nine business students from the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State University spent their spring break in Germany, where they got a first-hand look at how organizations utilize business systems in their day-to-day operations. 

Cereal factoryOpen the image full screen.
SDSU accounting lecturer, Nancy Jones (back row, fourth from right) and Nancy Nicholson (front row, fourth from left) accompanied nine SDSU business students on a trip to Germany
The students are in Nancy Jones’ Managerial Accounting Fundamentals class (ACCTG 202), which is a required course for all SDSU business students. Jones and Nancy Nicholson, director of SDSU’s Charles W. Hostler Institute on World Affairs, accompanied the students to several stops where they observed how enterprise resource management (ERP) systems impacted operations in an international business setting.

While in northern Germany, the group toured the Brüggen factory in Lübeck where they saw how grains, fruits and other ingredients were processed using both automation and direct labor to manufacture breakfast foods such as muesli and granola bars. The students got a first-hand look at the use of SAP ERP, an enterprise resourcing planning system developed by the German company SAP SEf that drives the factory’s accounting, scheduling and order processing operations. 

The group wrapped up the trip with a visit to SAP’s headquarters in Walldorf where they toured the organization and learned more about the technology from the company’s management and staff. 

Students on SAP tourOpen the image full screen.
The students tour SAP’s headquarters in Walldrof, Germany
“The travel experience was initiated with the expectation that students will gain a better understanding of manufacturing and business transactions in an international setting,” said Jones. “This experience offers students a real-world glimpse into operations and systems they will likely encounter, and need to master, during their business careers.”

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