Asia: The Lifeblood of the World

How was Asia? Perhaps the most intimidating question I have heard since arriving home

in the United States. A seemingly simple question with a multitude of complex and robust

answers. What the Lindner Honors-PLUS of 2019 has been able to experience throughout the

last couple of months is an experience that many of us may never relive in our lifetimes. Having

had the opportunity to explore the likes of Japan, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, and

Thailand, we have exposed ourselves to a world that is left alone by the average American

citizen. From studying at a Japanese University to traversing the islands of Thailand, we have

expanded our horizons and deepened our knowledge of the world. Up until this point in my life

everything that I had ever known about Asia has been second hand knowledge from a textbook

or others personal accounts. With enthusiasm, I can now share my firsthand knowledge of a

much larger world with others. In a constantly advancing technological society, that world is

beginning to shrink. People around the globe are now connecting in ways that were never

deemed plausible before. However, traveling has given me perspective into how big our world

really is and how each countrys unique cultures and values add up to make the great big melting

pot that the world really is. Throughout this text, I will explain the cultural and business

differences between America and many Asian countries and how a better understanding of these

differences has impacted me both personally and professionally.

Asia is widely known as perhaps the most culturally different continent as it compares to

the Unites States. Many of the differences could be felt as soon as I walked off the plane in

Japan, however many others took much longer to identify. From varying levels of infrastructure

to bidets in every toilet to hot vending machines, Asia and America have a multitude of
differences. Although some of the cultural irregularities may have been somewhat extreme, they

were expected. I never thought that these two diverse societies would look or feel the same.

However, something that has drastically changed the way that I view Asia in its entirety is how

different each country was that we visited. For some obscure reason, prior to this trip, when I

envisioned Asia I grouped each country within it into one category: Asia. Thats all it was, a

conglomeration of different countries that had the same values and ate the same food. I couldnt

have been further from the truth. As I highlight cultural differences that I learned throughout my

time in Asia, it is important to note that each country is beautifully and undeniably unique. While

there may be shared traditions, the people, values, and customs are rooted in the rich history that

each individual country maintains.

Each of the cultural lessons that I have picked up throughout the trip will prove to be

invaluable if I were to ever pursue a life or career abroad. I believe that we had the opportunity to

pick up on things that could not have been learned in a classroom or textbook. When discussing

each place we visited, Japan consistently comes up as one of the most bizarre places on the list,

especially as it compares to America and the rest of the Asian countries that we visited. The

Japanese population is incredible adherent to all societal laws and norms. There are a few

examples that stick out in my head explicitly. The first is jaywalking in Tokyo. No matter what

the circumstance is, the people of Tokyo would refuse to cross the street unless there was an

explicit walk sign. This sounds extremely reasonable until you compare it to the streets of

Vietnam, Thailand, or even Cincinnati. They didnt cross the street because of the principle.

They were physical able but they refused out of reverence for the law. In a similar way, it was an

unspoken truth that the sidewalks and escalators had walking lanes that werent enforced by law

but by each citizen. As you may travel up or down an escalator you are expected to stay to the
left so others could pass on the right. Again, this isnt a mind-blowing concept, however it was

mind-blowing to an entire population follow the rules so stringently. In general, Japan always

felt as if the population was acting for the greater good as opposed to in any one persons best

interest. In America, China, Vietnam, and Thailand the feeling is that every person is out for

themselves as opposed to the communal feeling that I had in Japan. Another striking difference

that I saw between the Asian countries that I mistakenly grouped together was the varying levels

of regulation. I hadnt placed a lot of thought into how each country regulated things from

drivers license to littering. One of the most unique parts of the trip was traveling directly from

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam to Singapore. Im not sure if these stops were intentionally planned to fall

back-to-back with on another, but I think they provided our class with an extremely unique

perspective. Within a 24-hour time period we transitioned from one of the most loosely regulated

places in Asia to the most regulated place in Asia. In most of Vietnam there were no street lights

or strict FDA and safety policies. Motor bikes ran rampant all over the streets with seemingly no

order and I never saw a single member of law enforcement the entire time I was there. This is

quite the contrast as you transition to Singapore where it was forbidden by law to chew gum, spit

in public, or eat/drink in the subway. This is another pivot moment that I had while I was on the

trip that reinforced how different each Asian country truly is and why it is important to

understand as a leader that people from different nationalities truly come from such vastly

different backgrounds.

With that being said, another invaluable lesson that I have learned from this trip is that

after you strip away language barriers and menial cultural differences, people around the world

are strikingly similar. I firmly believe that all people, from all parts of the world, are inherently

good and want to experience success, love, and friendship throughout the course of their life.
Those are three pillars that everyone chases. Understanding the idea that nearly all people seek

success, love, and friendship to some degree throughout their lives has allowed me find ways to

communicate people that I dont share a common language with. This trip presented me with the

toughest language gap that I have ever experienced, however the longer we spent abroad the

more I was able to pick up on what I call the international language. The concept of the

international language is a way to friendly communicate with people no matter what language

they spoke, where they were from, or what they looked like. At its core, the international

language is made up of a warm smile, a genuine laugh, a firm handshake, and the word friend.

This may seem silly, but these four gestures got me further that any little bit of language that I

picked up while I was in each country. I also believe that this concept is extremely relatable to

life back home in America. The idea that an argument or miscommunication can be solved with

a friendly smile and handshake is powerful. I have realized that being genuinely friendly is

underrated and I hope that its a concept that I can carry with me throughout the rest of my life.

Business in Asia is extremely dynamic. From navigating the complex and intricate trade

policies to operating in communist run regimes, business can be confusing, difficult, and wildly

profitable. People and companies from around the world flock to Asia for the massive business

potential. The Asian business landscape provides an immense risk, but also offers huge rewards

if successful. While at YeePay.com we discovered that there are nearly 10,000 new start-up

companies every single day throughout China alone. That is nearly seven times the amount of

start-ups that occur year over year in the United States. This is a shining example of the fast-

paced work environment. Throughout the entirety of our trip, the company visits were one of the

most worthwhile things we did. They were interesting and extremely insightful. There are an
incredible number of topics to cover when discussing business in Asia, however I am going to

focus on the three I found most fascinating and relevant to our daily lives. I will discuss the fast-

paced work environment, the extreme technology and interconnectivity, and the challenges faced

by multinational FMCG companies.

Asia is hands down the fastest paced environment that I have ever experienced. While

there, you have the feeling that nothing ever stops. I titled this paper Asia: The Lifeblood of the

World because it feels as if the world operates in accordance with how much Asia can

physically produce in each day. One of the most fascinating paradigms to ponder is the typical

American workday and the atypical Asian workday. In America, a typical workday runs eight

hours per day and forty hours per week with added overtime. Most of Asia is incredibly

different. Countries such as China and Vietnam, whose economies are primarily driven by

exports, dont run on the typical American workday schedule. The sheer amount of labor supply

allows factories to constantly remain open and manufacturing never stops. It is an extremely

interesting dynamic because I believe the current state of Asia is similar to America throughout

the industrial revolution. Minimal regulations and regulatory enforcement paired with

overwhelming foreign demand and domestic labor supply drives many of these developing Asian

nations. This topic was discussed throughout multiple company visits. Specifically, while at Li &

Fung we discussed how they are able to maintain quality within their factories throughout Asia

while meeting the high levels of demand. In addition, something that I found incredibly

interesting is the fact that Li & Fung are also beginning move manufacturing from China to

southeast Africa. As we also discussed at Neilson and P&G, China is beginning to shift from an

economy that is driven by exports to an economy driven by domestic consumption. Li & Fung

projects that manufacturing within will see a 20% - 30% decline throughout the next decade and
have chosen to begin investing in Africa. It is interesting to consider that the next generation may

know Africa in the same way that we know Asia today.

Another mind-blowing realization that I experienced in Asia was the sheer technology

and interconnectivity that persists throughout nearly all of Asia. I made the Nave assumption

that America was on the forefront of all global technology. While America is technologically

advanced, the technology has not penetrated the lives of its users the same way it does in China.

WeChat is an incredible piece of technology that is used by nearly 800 million users daily. Over

half of Chinas entire 1.4-billion-person population utilizes the app. The app essentially

combines some of the largest apps in the US market into one mega app. Very few people in

China even carry wallets anymore because everyone utilizes mobile services to pay such as

ApplePay. Other services offered by the app are similar to Uber, Uber Eats, Venmo, Google,

Facebook, Twitter, Maps, etc. WeChat is an incredibly dynamic app that collects a massive

amount data on users that is then warehoused by Tencent, WeChats parent company, and can be

sold. However, while at the company visit to Neilsen in Shanghai, they explained an interesting

and somewhat scary reality of WeChat. Although WeChat is not operated in anyway by the

government, the Chinese government essentially has all access to the data collected by WeChat

because Tencent is operating within the county of China, a communist regime. Because of my

experiences in China and company visit to Neilsen, I have a much better understanding of what it

is like to operate business in a communist governed country.

Finally, the last topic that I would like to focus on the challenges faced by multinational

FMCG companies. With the opportunity to visit companies such as P&G, Unilever, and Johnson

and Johnson, we were able to dive into what is takes to successfully move products and brands

across international borders and compete with local companies. Visiting these FMCG were some
of the most memorable and influential visits that I had of the entire trip. One of the lessons that I

learned from each of these visits that will benefit me as I move forward with my career is the

necessity to understand your consumer. Companies of all sizes have tried a failed to pick up a

brand that has been successful in one part of the world and simply drop it into another part of the

world. While at Unilever, we heard examples of companies like Nike and Adidas attempting to

move clothing brands to Asia failing because they did not adjust the sizes to the Asian body.

Multinational companies will always be fighting an uphill battle against localized competition

because they simply do not know the consumer as well. This provides an opportunity for

marketing work to be outsourced to companies such as Nielsen to ensure that the products of

P&G, Unilever, and Johnson & Johnson are being marketed in appropriate and attractive ways.

The last two months have challenged me in several different ways. I have been challenged

personally, professionally, academically, and socially. This trip has also impacted me in more

way than I could have imagined. While I believe that I have grown in a number of different

ways, I have grown the most as a global citizen and a leader. This trip has forced me to expand

my horizons and travel nearly 6,000 miles outside of my comfort zone. I learned a lot about

myself and what I find to be truly valuable in life. I also found a lot of new areas for personal

growth. I have a better cultural understanding for the entire continent of Asia and I truly believe

the interpersonal skills that I acquired on this trip will benefit me for the rest of my life. Many of

the most important lessons that I learned are hard to put into words. They are the intangible

people skills that will benefit me as a future leader someday, they are the international

language that helps you get through a conversation with literally anyone, and the experience to

be comfortable in my own skin no matter where I am in the world. This trip has done more for
me than shown me a few cool places around the world and added a few stamps to my passport. It

has pushed me to want to understand the world more. I have gained a new perception of how big

the world really is and it is just waiting to be explored. It has sparked an genuine interest in

foreign political and economic debates. This trip has also shown me how fortunate I am in life to

be a part of a loving middle class, Midwestern, American family. I experienced first hand the

cultural and business difference that exist all throughout Asia and now after reflecting on my

experiences I am able to see how much this trip will truly impact me and the decisions I make for

the rest of my life.