After visiting Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, I have changed the way that I see business in my daily life. From visiting Coca Cola Thainamthip to seeing the markets where negotiation was commonplace, the difference between US markets and Thai markets is prominent. US performance metrics are usually centered around outperforming the previous year and having a consistent growth rate, but in Thailand the company culture at Coca Cola Thainamthip was more focused on doing your best, or better than yesterday. The stark contrasts, especially as a finance major where everything matters down to the fractions of percents, was refreshing. However, I cannot assure a robust market created from this company culture. I think there are pros and cons to both of the working cultures, and being able to see first hand how it is around the world helps me gain a broader perspective on how I want to handle my working career.
My initial impression or thought of Thailand before going was more or less solidified by being immersed in the city of Bangkok. I thought that the “Land of Smiles” would have a generally easygoing culture, and that was accurate. Locals were very friendly and many tried to communicate regardless of our language barrier and we had mutually beneficial trades. The markets were the most fun for me, and I did not get any indigestion which is a major win for eating in a foreign country. There were stands with clothes, drinks, fresh coconut and mango, noodles, dumplings, and local eats. I’m glad we got to walk through the Floating Market because it had the best cultural experience, in my opinion. While exploring the market, we also saw a mini concert (or maybe karaoke) where people were up dancing. Some of my new study abroad friends even joined in dancing!! Overall, I would recommend going to see a new part of the world and getting some credit hours while we still can.