Hutchie in the Big City
by Ranald Nisbet [S4]
During this time of economic crisis it is unlikely there has ever been a more appropriate time for the business and economics classes to pay a fly by visit to the financial heart of Britain. After spending five gruelling hours on the ten forty service to London we arrived at our destination and made our way to the Bloomsbury Park Hotel. As we walked towards the check in desk we had no idea our first lesson was looming.
We found ourselves in a seemingly calm hotel but what we didn't realise was that the check in desk was not as efficient as it could be. We found that the rooms we had asked for had not all been cleaned which left many of us sitting in corridors not lying on the comfortable beds we had hoped for. However, one room was worse than all the others. The two girls used their key and went into their room only to find that bags were already in there, the room was not clean and they were not happy. They had to wait for the luggage to be removed and for the room to be well cleaned. First lesson of the trip: bad organisation leads to unhappy customers.
The group then made its way to Covent Garden where we had time to experience the local area and explore. Some members of the group opted to stick to McDonalds for dinner in order to maximise shopping time while others explored the area further and found themselves in china town enjoying well cooked, tasty and cheap food. Lesson two: it is better to shop around before buying. With the first evening over we had already learnt things that a classroom simply can't teach you.
Day two of our trip took us to London City Airport where we saw exactly what you would see in any other airport. We saw duty free shopping, car parks and planes taking off. We did, however, find out some interesting facts. For instance; the airport usually has three point three million passengers travelling through it per year but since the downturn began that has fallen to two point nine million. Lesson three: a recession affects everyone. My favourite part of the tour was discovering that the airport employs people to scare the birds off the runway so they don't interfere with take offs and landings, the group came to refer to these people as "paid scarecrows".
After a quick hop on the tube and a wander round the sights the group made its way to Oxford Street to learn about money management. Some people found bargains while others missed out and ended up wasting their well earned cash and a few pounds borrowed from mummy. Thus lesson two was reinforced.
Our final day in London took us to the Bank of England Museum where we found out about what the bank does and its history. The talk we were given described the bank's two main goals: Financial and economic stability within the country, goals at which the bank is currently failing. After a quick look around the museum we made our way to the London metal exchange to view trading take place. The main lesson we gained there is that it is necessary to shout loudly and excitedly whilst trading stocks. After spending twenty minutes watching the comical performance the brokers loosely refer to as "work" we found ourselves on the train to Wembley stadium. The main thing we found so impressive about Wembley was its sheer size. There are enough seats for almost all of Ibrox and Celtic Park to squeeze in. The tour was more of a human interest visit rather that a business lesson but it was still enjoyed by everyone. However I did learn one thing from our tour guide. Lesson number four: Bobby Moore was the best England captain the world has ever seen. We then caught the tube back to the hotel for quick rest before it was off to the Dominion Theatre to see "We Will Rock You". The show was fantastic, enjoyed by everyone and taught us something as well. Lesson number five: presentation is key.
After a good night's rest and a final tour of London's shops we waved goodbye to the Bloomsbury Park Hotel and made our way home with heads full, legs tired and eager to put the lessons we had learned into practice.