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

Finals Week

Finals week is almost over...YAY!! I have really enjoyed my classes this term and am a bit sad they are over, but happy to move on. Just to give you an idea, my schedule this term was:

Tuesday: Chinese 10:15-11:30am, Global IT Management 12:30-5pm, Global Sustainability, Ecology and Business 5:30pm-10pm

Wednesday: Chinese 10:15-11:30am

Thursday: Chinese 10:15-11:30am, International Operations Management 5:30-10pm

Friday: Chinese 10:15-11:30am

I also had two Intercultural Communications classes and two Age of the Pacific Lectures spread out throughout the term.

The MIM program is definitely a time commitment. Sometimes it seams that getting everything done will be impossible, but it all comes together in the end. I think that the closeness of the cohort, your classmates, really help you get through the crunch times and succeed in all of your tasks.

Well, two more finals left for me(Chinese and Operations)then off to Asia! I better start studying!

Casey

Crunch Time

Wow, only one and a half weeks left until we go on the Asia Trip! Life is getting a little crazy trying to study for finals, finish papers and projects, get ready to be gone for a month and packing one 50lb bag for 3 weeks!! It will be a nice feeling when we are on the plane and all these items are checked off the list.

The Asia Trip is a very unique aspect of the MIM program. It is a 3 week long adventure, where full time and 2nd year part time students visit Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing and Shanghai. Along with cultural experiences we get to visit various businesses and factories, meet with international business leaders in each city and have specialized lectures about doing business in Asia.

This year we will be visitng:

Hino Motor Company, Tokyo
Kewpei Corporation, Tokyo
Hyundai Motor, Seoul
Twinhead International Corporation, Shanghai
Sunrex Technology Corporation, Shanghai
Wistron Corporation, Shanghai

It is going to be a great trip and I am really excited to experience these wonderful opportunities! Jack and I will definitely keep you posted.

Casey

MIM Fun

The MIM program isn't all just about studying hard and building skills to become a top manager in today's international business arena. We also have some fun too.

Here are a few great links to pictures and videos of fantastic MIM events this year!

ENJOY!!!!!!!

MIM Camping Trip

MIM Chinese New Year Celebration

Chinese New Year Celebration Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8020CKlBmc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhVEohE4wRw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU7rewz0kE0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LQ82Q7PhHw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx1py0wHsYo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k8gg1v64YY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs1Lqy04dlA

ASK MIM: All you need to know about the Masters of International Management Program

Hey All,

Are you interested in joining the MIM program? Want to learn more?

It was not long ago that we started the process of researching and selecting a graduate program to prepare us to meet the challenges in the new global economy.

There are so many reasons why the MIM program is such a great opportunity. First and foremost, we strongly feel that the curriculum in the program is as good as any other in the nation. Our professors are experienced and dynamic. Many of our classmates are international students, providing all of us with a diverse leaning environment. The foreign language training reflects the international aspect of this program. To cap it all off, we get to travel to Asia for a three week field study. This program has challenged us in every aspect and the results are rewarding. We are continually learning invaluable skills for our future careers in International Business.

As full time students, we feel very closely connected to our cohort, our program, and faculty members. We would like to invite you to speak with us about any questions you may have about the program. Let us share our exciting experiences with you. There are several ways to get a hold of us.

Feel free to:

Email us at ASKMIM@pdx.edu,

Chat with us on Facebook, or

Check us out on the MIM Blog


The Master of International Management program is definitely the right choice for us and the skills we are gaining through classes, teamwork and cultural understandings will continue to open doors for us throughout the rest of our lives. We hope to hear from you soon!

Cheers,

Jack & Casey

Jack Chiu and Casey Cleary
Master of International Management Degree Candidates 2009
Portland State University

MIM Collaboration

MIM alumni Eric Mann and Aaron Daniels with current student Sarah McRae are collaborating on Smarter Markets, a website focusing on:

"The so-called ‘bleeding edge’ of business thought [through staying] up-to-date with international business trends, letting you know what’s coming down the pipe before it his the business journals."

Check it out!

Past Student Profile - Matt Flax

Meet one of my colleagues, Matt Flax.  Matt is a full-time MIM student, and initially joined the program for the international focus, as well as the foreign language component and sustainability aspects. It is no surprise that he is specializing in sustainability, primarily due to his personal goal of pursuing a career in sustainable business.  He comes to the program with work experience as a computer programmer and a bachelors degree from PSU.  His favorite course so far has been Global Marketing with Brian McCarthy, MBA, for the energy and fun in learning and overall positive experience.  Matt believes the Asia Trip and Camping Trip have knit the cohort together, and plans to return to Shanghai, China to work on internship after graduation in August.  Good luck, Matt, in all your future endeavors!