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Asia Trip 2017

Reflection Paper

Alex Hengge

Class of 2019
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Alex Hengge

Dr. Jeri Ricketts

LHP 2017 International Business Trip

30th April 2017

Ever since freshman year, I have been looking forward to the international trip. It has

been a topic that our class has talked about nonstop, trying to imagine the adventures we were

going to have abroad. It is unreal to think that not only is the trip over, but that it was as amazing

as we all thought it would be. Before this trip, I had only been abroad a few times and only for

short periods of time. I traveled to Guatemala, Mexico, England, Jamaica, and France, all for

only a few days each. I was excited to truly immerse myself in multiple cultures for a long period

of time. Would I experience culture shock? Which country will I connect with the most? What

will be the hardest part of the trip? How will I get along with the group? I was extremely curious

to see how I would respond to this trip, what I would learn, and how I would bond with my class.

Going into the trip, I decided to organize my goals and learnings into three categories: cultural,

professional, and personal.

In high school, I had a foreign exchange student from South Korea for four years. In that

time period, I was able to experience a taste of Asian culture. Now I had the opportunity to learn

about other cultures in Asia on a more intimate level. Each country that we visited has a different

economic and political system, with a unique history and culture that impacts how and why

people live. Going into the trip, the only information I truly knew about communism was what I

learned in grade school and high school. This information was based on solely learning about the
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Cold War and that the enemies were always communistic. I didnt accurately understand the

modern-day application and the differences between countries. Because I have only ever learned

about it in the context of the Korean and Vietnam War, I thought communism was inherently bad

without any redeeming qualities. However, I got a very different perspective in China and

Vietnam. While visiting Nielsen and Dow Chemical, we learned more about the advantages of a

Communistic government. Chinas digital consumerism is leaping ahead of any other

technological development in any other part of the world. Even though their media channels are

closed off from the world, they have been able to innovate at a fast pace while localizing their

technology to appeal to the Chinese population. The isolationism that was caused by communism

has resulted in unheralded technological advancements. Dow Chemical gave another perspective

of their expansion by explaining the rapidly evolving infrastructure of the country. Not only do

they have a high-speed railway network that is continually expanding, they are also in the

process of building an actual road where the Silk Road once existed. The speed of which China

executes its developments, especially in technology and infrastructure, is possible due to the

structure of their communistic government. Through my educational upbringing, I never thought

about the possibilities of advantages to communism. This trip made me challenge that

assumption.

A common sentence that one would hear on the trip was, I love Vietnam and Thailand;

they are so cheap! I have to admit, as a college student, this was a nice change of pace after

traveling from places like Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore. However, this statement would

always bother me, and I didnt know why. Dom Berardis presentation on his company,

Shorelight Education, gave us a good understanding of the struggle of Vietnam. A student could

be smarter and more motivated than any American student, but they might not have the financial
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capacity or connections to continue their education and move forward professionally. Luckily,

more companies like Shorelight Education are emerging to bridge that gap. I also talked to one of

Doms employees at dinner, and he really revealed the struggles of their communistic

government. Corruption is a major setback, and it is hard to do anything without having to pay

someone under the table. The impact of this really hit home when we went back to Vietnam for

our last ten days. We were driving in a rural area when we passed an accident between a truck

and a motorcycle. There was a clearly dead man on the road from the accident with a few men

standing around him. That was when the thought hit me - this is a third world country. Even

though I knew this going in, I didnt realize the full impact of what this meant for the natives

until that moment. So yes, everything is cheap, but I then understood that it is important to

understand why. It is a developing country, and it is important to understand your own privilege

to look candidly at the struggles and opportunities in another country. These two cultural

learnings really stretched me in ways that I did not anticipate. I realized that different doesnt

mean bad or wrong. It means just that - different. There are pros and cons with most political

establishments, cultural assumptions, and social norms. I learned you must understand the

history and causes in order to understand where they come from and to be able to have an honest

conversation. That is where progress is made for everyone involved.

Not only did I gain insight from the different cultures, but the company visits allowed me

to learn about international business and overall professionalism. I was astonished by the

multinational companies. As I started to think about my future as a professional, I always

debated going into either the non-profit or commercial route. I am a classic millennial; I want to

make a big impact in a big way and wondered which path was right for me. This trip completely

changed my perspective on this internal dialogue. Global giants such as Unilever, Luxottica,
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Johnson & Johnson, and Google went into great detail discussing how their companies aligned

making the world a better place with their bottom line on their balance sheets. I was so inspired.

Johnson & Johnson stated their purpose states they want to use big for good, empower their

employees in order to endure impact. The main reason they are based in Shanghai is to tackle the

main health issues that face China: throat and stomach cancer. They are passionate about using

innovation and science to make the world healthier and happier. Unilevers main goal is to

establish positive social impact while increasing business growth and decoupling their

environmental footprint. They are able to take a product as simple as soap and use it to either

empower woman or raise health awareness to save lives in developing countries. Even in China,

they have products that purify water and air which are major issues that face the country. Both

the Shanghai and Singapore locations spoke about their dedication to sustainability and impact

with the same passion and fervor. Luxottica is the worlds number one supplier and retailer for

eyewear. They also have a successful nonprofit which has successfully implemented a

sustainable process that empowers the locals of third world countries while providing first class

eyewear. Finally, Google is one of the biggest and most influential companies in the world.

During our visit, they said they are trying to find a cure for death. It was also obvious that their

mission is to connect the world and to make everyday actions easier for the consumer. These

company visits showed me that there is more than one way to make an impact. Multinational

companies have a unique opportunity to use their power and strength to help people on a local

and global level. I was sitting on the edge of my seat because I was so excited about what these

companies were doing and the passion in which they spoke. I am more eager to join the

workforce and to see how I can contribute to the cause now more than ever.
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It was extremely valuable hearing from expats and receiving professional advice. Before

this trip, I had not heard the term before and had not considered pursuing an expat life. Even if

this kind of life doesnt interest you, it was fascinating hearing their experiences that led them to

work abroad and how they were able to set themselves apart in their career to allow them to be

promoted. Some insights included taking risks and failing fast. At Johnson & Johnson, they all

touched on bosses admiring employees that took initiative, set specific metrics, and admitted

when their project wasnt working. Google even mentioned taking risks when they discussed

their 20% rule and the different projects they worked on outside of their assigned tasks. Each

expat employee, no matter the company, had a path that consisted of having an open-mind, being

determined to be the best in their field, exposing themselves to different cultures early and

becoming indispensable to their company. Tracy at Johnson & Johnson brought up a valid point

regarding expat life that really stuck with me. There is not a strong community of husbands for

expats (generally speaking), and her husband really struggled getting connected to other people.

Even though it may not be fair, that is another factor that was drawn to my attention during the

trip. The presenter at JLL Real Estate in Hong Kong was different than the other expats we heard

from. Most expats were able to work abroad later in their career. However, he was able to jump

into the opportunity almost immediately after college. That made me start to think not only if I

wanted to be an expat, but also when I wanted to be an expat. Each speaker spoke with such

excitement and passion for life that it was easy to be drawn to their lifestyle. It made me start to

think critically about what I wanted in my career and whether or not this was what I wanted to

pursue. I had never considered this seriously before. Nevertheless, I now believe I have

beneficial advice I can draw on and action steps I can take to get me on the right direction to an

expat life.
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Finally, the last and most important professional lesson I learned was to find your

passion, then your career. There was such a notable difference between a speaker who was

genuinely interested and passionate about the work he or she was talking about. Dom Berardi is

the perfect example. He took his time in college to explore all that UC had to offer and found his

passion of creating opportunities within higher education. He then traveled to China immediately

after graduation to set himself up for future jobs abroad. Even though it wasnt easy, and he

didnt get his dream job immediately, it is clear that he loves what he does. Todd Staley was

another LHP grad that obviously loved what he did. At the visit at PIMCO, most of his financial

terminology and explanations went over my head. What I did understand, however, was that he

was fascinated by the transactions of the financial world, and he was able to work in an area of

the world that he loved. Most of all, the Pier Luigi stood out to me the most. Even though he had

gentle voice and cool demeaner, his passion for his company and job astounded me. It was

obvious that what Unilever stood for aligned with his personal values perfectly. I was moved by

his humble upbringings and his determination to make a difference in the world through his

work. I am working in the Supply Chain division at GE Aviation; he was head of Unilevers

Supply Chain. I am more encouraged to tackle my summer co-op and to learn as much as I can

just so I can be more like him. In the college of business, we like to say do what you love and

youll never work a day in your life. One of the most valuable professional developments from

the trip was to see real world examples of this quote.

Not only did I develop as a world traveler and young professional, I also developed

personally. I learned valuable life lessons that can carry on for after my trip. The biggest of these

is that people matter most. This trip would not have been half as fun if it were not for the group

of people that were with me. This made me think that in order to successful in any arena (travel,
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professional, social, spiritual, etc.), you must surround yourself with people who will lift you up,

make you smile, and push you forward. Reinforcing this idea will make me a better employee,

world traveler, and culturally-aware leader. Our group dynamic was fun, energetic, engaging, and

open to anything. Without this group dynamic, I do not believe I would have learned as much as

I did in Asia.

Another obvious, yet tremendously important, lesson that I think we all learned was the

importance of travel. Asian countries are mentioned in mainstream media at an increasing rate.

Our country is at a crossroads in how we manage our relationships with the rest of the world,

both politically and financially. It is easy and natural to always have an American lens when

thinking about international debates. Whether you agree or disagree with this lens, it is important

to get outside of your own borders and see life through the eyes of people from across the world.

The world is becoming more and more interconnected, and it is now impossible to do business

on solely a local scale. Travelers become more open-minded, personable, savvy in conversation,

and knowledgeable in world events. This was evident in the professionals that we met. The more

places the speaker had traveled, the more interesting and wise they seemed. For example, the

expat panel at Bloomberg consisted of employees from all over the world whom have lived in

more than one country. It was obvious by the way they talked that they had a knowledge about

the world and respect for culture that not many people have the chance to develop. I desire that

innate wisdom that comes from travel alone. I was lucky to have grown up in a household that

valued travel. This trip just proved that this wont be the last time I will study abroad.

Throughout the trip, I had a few techniques to ensure I was learning as much as possible

and experiencing as much culture as I could. This consisted of a daily journal that simply listed

the activities, company visits, and tourist attractions we visited. I also consistently wrote letters
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to a few people from home. I first started this exercise to be able to share as much of this trip

with them as possible. However, I soon noticed that I was reflecting better in these letters more

so than when I tried to reflect on my own. These letters allowed me to summarize feelings about

different company visits, overall observations about different cities, struggles I was experiencing

while traveling, and fun stories I didnt want to forget. I kept a copy of all the letters I wrote to

ensure that I kept the reflections of this trip. It was an unexpected form of documenting the trip,

but I am happy that I recognized the value and took advantage of the letters for my own

reflection. Finally, I took studious notes in every company visit. Not only did I write down what

the speaker said about the company, I was fascinated about their position of the culture of the

country they were in and my own reactions to what they said. For example, at Nielson, I was

fascinated about the Chinese consumer and how they differed from the average American

consumer. I also made connections with their data, the Asian students, and my own foreign

exchange student. These notes were invaluable in reflecting about the true differences between

American and different Asian countries. Overall, I am proud on how I intentionally documented

the trip, thought through the different cities, and tracked my own personal development.

Overall, I was blown away by this trip. We all had an underlying fear that the trip was too

good to be true and that we would be disappointed. Instead, I learned more about international

business, Asian cultures, and myself than I ever imagined. I became closer to my LHP class. I am

now determined to travel every inch of this globe to discover more about the world and myself. I

am now more excited than ever to start working at a company that has the capacity and influence

to make a big impact on a big scale while pursuing a career that I love. I can confidently say that

I understand the direction that Asia is headed and how their consumers buy. I also recognize the

value and significance of reflecting on both trips and big life events. The cultural, professional,
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and personal developments I experienced on this trip are invaluable and are lessons I will take

with me wherever I go.