My involvement in the Asia Business Study abroad in Japan and South Korea altered my worldview, business-wise and personally. One of the more interesting learning points would be how different cultural expectations are for foreigners, both in a broad sense and in the workplace. In both countries, I found that foreign-appearing individuals are not often held to the same rigorous expectations compared to the locals, especially relating to working hours. Based on conversations, this is a very real phenomenon, and for a local, it can certainly be seen as a disadvantage. Locals in both countries are known to face pressure for long hours and strict hierarchical work environments.
Although what might seem an advantage, this treatment does not necessarily apply to landing a job in either Tokyo or Seoul, as they have very competitive job markets. Both cities draw top talent from elite universities, and despite cultural differences, both expect heavy efficiency from any worker. We met with two EY Tokyo partners, as well as two professors from a private institution in Tokyo named Haneda University. This experience helped expand upon these cultural expectations and differences. Visiting Cheíl in South Korea and speaking with associates and the Executive Producer involved in Samsung Galaxy’s TV commercial marketing broadened my understanding of the business dynamics in Korea. Particularly, the insight on how corporate politics can influence the final creative product, especially when multiple firms are involved with a project, was valuable to learn. It emphasized how joint-firm collaboration can lead to back-and-forth conversational stagnation with a client on even a small detail.
Some of my initial expectations I found to be true in some cases, as I had heard Japan had nearly dangerously hard workers. This certainly is the case, so much so that the government has had to step in recently due to health concerns for employees. Overall, I feel I have learned much about the business environment and the culture and history surrounding business practice in each city visited.
