Goals Accomplished Through IBS
Going into the IBS Summer China Seminar I had goals. I wanted to grow as a businesswoman, I wanted to feed my mind as much knowledge as it would allow me, I wanted to widen my horizon, and after attending this seminar I can say I was able to accomplish all of that, and more.
When I arrived in China I was met with a historic land that has only grown wiser and more powerful in the eyes of business and economics. The first company we met with was the US Embassy, there we were able to understand the Chinese government better. This company visit taught me the difference between the mindsets of Americans and Chinese people, and as I am a major in International Business this was a great thing to learn. It opened my mindset to think in a completely different way. Business in the United States moves at a different pace from China. Americans focus on speed and efficiency and will hurry to get things done quickly. Time is money, in other words. People are expected to turn up on time for meetings and to meet deadlines. The Chinese, on the other hand, can be slow decision makers, preferring to build consensus and foster relationships before plunging into anything. Deadlines may only be met when the time is right and the project is considered complete. Americans can find this attitude to punctuality frustrating and time-wasting, while in negotiations, the Chinese will take advantage of the American need for speed, playing a waiting game to secure a better deal for themselves.
An example of this which I learned is that while Americans plan for the sales revenue to increase by the year, the Chinese think of sales revenue long term, as they create 30 year plans that will surely enhance the sales of their products, showing they are in no hurry when it comes to quality and assurance.
The culture which surrounded me in the two weeks I was there really gave me a better prospect into what it is that the Chinese go through on a daily basis to influence how business’ are run. Chinese culture includes, architecture, music, literature, cuisine, visual arts, philosophy and religion. I was able to indulge in a Peking duck dinner, one of China’s legacy dishes, as the waiters taught us how to eat the dish properly. I learned that Philosophy and religion are two things which have greatly impacted the way the government has been shaped and run. I went to karaoke and noticed the huge popularity of it as people from all over sang their hearts out, but you can’t be too comfortable with your song choices because not everything is approved of. During our time there a three day long festival took place, called the Dragon Boat Festival. During this time karaoke was banned throughout the country, as everyone is out an about and if you were to choose a certain song that may have even the slightest offense to the Chinese government then you’ll be in trouble, because it could have the power to start a revolution.
Within business my main interest is marketing, and the marketing in China was something I had never seen before. Just by walking around I saw the movie ‘Spider Man Far From Home’ being advertised heavily as there were many posters around the cities of Beijing and Shanghai, I could tell a huge difference in how they took advertising by sight to the next level, whereas Americans rely on commercials and social media. This difference really surprised me, as I had no idea that they were still using an advertising method that Americans had moved on from with the huge amount of posters everywhere long ago, but old methods can have a huge affect as the movie ended up close to $230 million making the sheer size of the upswing present in China very well what pushed Far From Home past the $1 billion mark.
Being able to experience all of these things in the two weeks I was away during this seminar opened my eyes to a whole new branch of ideas. I saw the way things are run differently and similarly, allowing me to make a decision in which ideas are better. I will take all of this knowledge which I have obtained and use it to my advantage for my future business career.
