Shanghai: Where Your Computer Is Made

Nimen Dajia Hao,

Wow, has it already been three weeks...?? This trip has been a whirlwind of great experiences and what a better place to finish than in Shanghai. If you have never been to Shanghai, just imagine a place where all the great cities of the world are joined together in architecture, feel, speed and culture. Walking down Nanjing Road through the Bund and across the river to the Pudong area feels like going through New York, Tokyo, Paris, London, Seoul and Beijing.

From Shanghai, we visited two OEM/ODM (original equipment/design manufacturing) computer manufacturers to speak with their managers and take factory tours. If you own a laptop, it was most likly made at Twinhead or Winstron. The most interesting point about these two factories is how much they differ from one another. For instance, one factory utilizes much, much more animation on their production lines than the other factory and one factory let us view its assembly much more in depth because it has less security constraints. These OEM/ODM's have two very different ways of doing business in the same industry and the on site lessons that we learned allowed us to gain valuable insights about sourcing and HR in China.

We also visited Suzhou Industrial Park which I think is best described as a Green Silicon Valley. It is a place where international technology businesses have heavily invested capital and knowledge to create a city that includes some of the top Science and Technology Universities in China, is the Asian headquarters for many global companies and houses thousands of well educated engineers and managers in LEAD certified, sustainable, buildings. I would not mind living here someday!

The Asia Trip section of my MIM degree has come to an end and I could not have imagined a better way to get a feel for doing business in Asia. This trip has cemented many concepts I have learned in the MIM program thus far and has also allowed me to have a better understanding of the processes and practices of business culture in Japan, Korea and China.

Many of the MIM students are heading back to Portland, but seeing how it is Spring Break, I am going to stay in China for a little while and spend some more time in the two "heavens on earth": Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Zaijian,

He Siyu (Casey)

Beijing: the Communist meets the Capitalist

Nimen Hao,

If you ever want to experience a place where the traditions of over 5,000 years meet the technology of tomorrow, a place where 20,000+ people are constantly striving to create a better life for the next generation or a place where a new form of government mixed between communism and capitalism is in its adolescence... spend some time in Beijing. Upon arrival, we learned that the People's Congress was in session and security across the city was very tight. Tiananmen Square, the biggest public square in the world, was closed during the evening, which made it seem even more grandiose without the usual throng of people. Since the Olympics, and since I lived here only a short 9 months ago, the city has already changed. There are more modern buildings, more boulevards, four more subway lines and all the historical monuments have been restored and cleaned. The speed and scale at which the Chinese can transform a plan into a reality is amazing.

Beijing is the center of government in China and if you want to do business in China, you have to have a government contact. We met with two Director Generals from China Banking Regulatory Commission, Department of Banking Supervision for Foreign Banks to discuss the history of banking in China, particularly since 1979 and how foreign banks and businesses go about investing or offering credit in China. It was a very valuable lecture, especially for those students who will specialize in Finance.

Unfortunately, Spring is the sand storm season in Beijing and the dust mixed with pollution was everywhere. Many students came down with a cold, including yours truly. Even worse, 10 people got food poisoning from the airline food on the way from Seoul to Beijing and I accompanied some of them to the Chinese International Hospital which is always a unique experience. It is pure chaos but somehow you are able to find the doctor, get the needed test and go home with medicine that works. Thankfully, everyone is almost back to normal now!

As for sightseeing, my classmate Jefferson and I arranged for a tour of Gugong (Forbidden City), Houhai Hutong (traditional Beijing neighborhoods around Houhai Lake) and Hotpot lunch... YUM! We also saw the Olympic Village, Temple of Heaven and Llama Temple. When eating food, the favorite is always Beijing Kaoya (roast duck) and Wanfujing Street Food (an assortment of food on a stick ranging from lamb to scorpion and seahorse.)

One of my classmates mentioned that Beijing is a city of incredible momentum. I would definitely have to agree. There is always a purpose here. People are always doing something to improve their situation as a community and individual. Whether for business, politics or culture, Beijing is definitely a place to get acquainted with and to keep a look out for in the future.

Zaijian,

He Siyu (Casey)

South Korea: The Future Is Now

Anyong haseyo,

Greetings from Seoul! The second city on our four city tour has been a fantastic experience. We landed at Incheon airport at 9pm and the beautiful night scenery along the Han River was breathtaking.

The first thing you notice is how futuristic the city is. We went on a tour of a Samsung apartment building and felt like we had transported 50 years into the future. The building was a closed loop system; environmentally friendly and technologically superior. For instance, while you are brushing your teeth in the bathroom, the tile floor that you stand on and your toothbrush takes your temperature, measures your body fat and blood pressure then sends that information to the fridge. The fridge then suggests the food you should eat for that day. Now that is a diet plan that might actually work! The house also senses where the people are in the room and directs the heat towards the people instead of heating up an empty space. The building generates its own energy through wind and solar power. It was incredible to see, especially for someone who is specializing in sustainability.

Our lectures were given by the President of the American Chamber of Commerce and a member of the American Consulate. We spoke about the situation between North Korea, South Korea, USA, China, Japan and Russia and how that can affect doing business in South Korea. We also learned about certain negotiation strategies when doing business with Koreans...i.e. negotiate till the very last second and that there is a very important etiquette for exchanging business cards.

The tour of Hyundai factory was incredible. Almost the entire car is built by robots! All 60 of us were walking through the factory with our mouths hung open in amazement as the robots welded, painted, assembled and checked for quality. Then, the wonderful people at Hyundai took us out for a traditional Korean feast:10,000 tiny plates filled with hundreds of kinds of Kimchi, Bulgogi, Sweet Potato Noodles and rice cake. SOOOOO GOOOD!!

Junu and Kwang, our full time Korean students, showed us a great time in the evenings. We went to one of the most swanky bars I have ever been to on the shore of the Han River and we took a cruise on the river. A lot of fun.

These past four days have been filled with amazing experiences. I am so glad to have gotten back to this great city again.

Casey

Japan: Land of the Rising Sun (or Heavy Rain), Kaizen and Amazing Toilettes

Konichiwa,

Well, the first leg of our four city Asia Trip is almost over and I have determined that Tokyo is one amazing town!!! My first impression of Tokyo and the Japanese culture was: clean, quiet and incredibly polite! For example, the most frequented subway station in the world is Shinjuku. On average, 2 million people transfer through this station every day. I was there during rush hour (8pm) and there were no cigarette buts on the ground, the only noise you heard was the low hum of thousands of people walking through like water flowing from tributaries to a river and every person I made eye contact with or spoke to went out of their way to make me feel comfortable. Incredible!

Our program began with two lectures about managing international teams from the Japanese perspective and about the Toyota manufacturing system of Kaizen. Kaizen means continual improvement and elimination of non value adding waste. This leads to JIT (Just in Time) or Lean manufacturing. (We learned about all these concepts in the Global Operations Class last term). Then, we went to Hino Truck factory and saw all these concepts in action. Hino also had some sci-fi like welding and supply stocking Robots that can see and sense/react to tact time or the speed of production. I was waiting to see Terminator.

We also toured a Kewpei factory. Kewpei is the most famous mayonnaise brand in Japan, and believe me the Japanese love their mayonnaise. It was fascinating. We saw everything from a machine that cracks and separates 600 eggs/minute to how a Japanese company has become 100% carbon neutral by implementing a closed loop system. The Mayo, by the way, is delicious and since I've seen this factory I am confident that it is probably the most sanitary mass produced food item in the world.

During our free time, our only Japanese student, Masaaki, generously took us around the town to eat Sushi at the Tokyo Fish Market, walk through the most famous Buddhist temples in Tokyo and to see the Imperial Palace. We also had a grand night at Izakaya (a restaurant where you have two hours of all you can drink and eat for a $20 USD), then KARAOKE! I also had a chance to network with the Tokyo Chapter of Net Impact an environmental business group where I met and exchanged business cards with Japanese employees of Toshiba and Kawasaki.

Fabulous Experiences

1. The Japanese Toilette: warm seat, bidet, automatic deodorizer...ohh so nice!
2. Food: Sushi Train = $9 USD for 10 plates of Sushi, Ramen Noodle = Broth that has been fermenting for 3 days, Red Bean Paste Dumplings (SWEET), and yes...raw beef and horse meat. (BTW, sometimes you just have to eat it before you know what it is. Horse meat texture is like elk and it tastes a bit like beef...pretty good)
3. Shopping: OH SO MUCH! I found many stores that have eco-friendly products!
4. Arcade Photo Booths: You all know the photo booths in the mall that you can get Polaroid pictures at... well imagine that but as a timed game where you can edit the pictures as you take them and in a room which holds 20 people.
5. Disney Tokyo: Truly the most friendliest place IN THE WORLD!

I would like to give a special Arigato Gozaimasu to all of the MIM students who speak Japanese and showed the rest of us a wonderful time!

Next stop is Seoul, so I'll say Sayonara for now.

Casey