Ethical Issues in my Profession:
One thing that I learned in China that would never be allowed in the United States is the wage difference between Chinese and foreign workers. Dr. Gao told us that Chinese workers are paid the average salary in Beijing, but foreign workers are paid the average salary present in their own country. This would never be allowed in the U.S., but the Chinese company can definitely save money if they only hire Chinese employees, especially if the company has an international market. The cost of labor is much cheaper in China, so the profit margin is potentially much higher than an American company. Not only is the salary much higher, the company must provide insurance and other benefits for its employees, which is something that the Chinese government automatically provides.
In order for the United States to become a global business player, it must understand the business practices of other countries and accept them. The American system of business is just one method and it is not the only way to procure a successful business. An understanding of foreign business practices is necessary for the United States to be able to function as a cordial member of the global business community.
Educational Breadth as Professional Development:
It is extremely important to be educated about the international implications of engineering and business solutions. What may work in one country may be disastrous in another, so it is crucial to understand the consequences of any business or engineering practice in an international setting. A broad education is necessary for international business because of the extreme cultural differences between the United States and many other countries. Business and engineering practices in the United States are very unique, so it is important to understand how the rest of the world operates. There are a lot of differences between business and engineering practices in China and in the United States, so students should definitely expand their education to include several courses in international studies. In order to prepare myself for a global economy, I should take a variety of courses in international studies. Any course in international business would help me better understand the global economy, and other courses that deal with foreign cultures would be beneficial as well. Engineering practices are less different than business practices, so taking courses about different cultures would be sufficient to adapt American engineering principles abroad. Educational breadth is extremely important for a sufficient understanding of the global economy.
Lifelong Learning:
Lifelong learning is essential to business, especially in the engineering field. Only so much can be taught in the classroom because of the nature of the engineering field. Advancements in technology can happen overnight, so a good engineer must also be a fast learner. Some of the technology that existed even 10 years ago is now completely obsolete due to new advancements. Therefore, it is extremely important to be able to adapt to new technology.
In China, we weren’t able to interact with a lot of the workers of the companies themselves, but it appeared that most of the workers (at least on the business end of things) were given a strong foundation at University that set them up for success within their respective careers. It seemed to me that the engineers came out of school prepared for the current technology that they would begin working with, but they then changed the technology and learned about it in the process. Without lifelong learning, an engineer’s career would flounder after a year or so. Because of the pace technology changes, lifelong learning is crucial to any business environment—especially a firm dealing in technology—but all businesses are affected by this in some way. It is the company’s responsibility to teach its employees in order to remain competitive.
Social Environment:
It appeared to me throughout our trip that a person’s career in China plays a role in their social life, and that a lot of workers in China socialize with their coworkers. For instance, at Capital Bio, there is a dorm to house the employees so they both live and work together.
In China, the media is still censored, so much of the news we received while we were there dealt with the same issues: the ash cloud, Thailand, and the World Cup. The Chinese media only allowed us to see what it wanted us to see. Newspapers are still heavily censored, and many people don’t believe what they read in newspapers. I believe this is detrimental to a business environment because it is extremely difficult to work with someone from a different culture if you have no means to learn about their culture or if the only things you have heard about their culture are negative. There are many political, social, economic, and diversity issues that exist even within the United States, so trying to operate a business without accurate knowledge of the business practices of a different culture can be disastrous. The censorship of Chinese media seriously hurts its international business prospects.
Functioning on a Multi-Disciplinary Team:
It is vital for business and engineering professionals alike to be able to function and communicate effectively as a member of a team of individuals from diverse backgrounds. In my experience of traveling with business students, I found the best way to operate was to delegate tasks to each of the team members that they had the skills to complete and they felt comfortable doing. I feel that this is an effective strategy, as long as all of the team members have a common vision and finish their respective tasks on time and with a predetermined level of quality.
There are some challenges with dealing with this type of team, however. If proper communication fails to happen, the project is doomed from the start. The project leader should be in charge of delegating tasks and communicating with all of the project’s members. The individual team members should also be responsible for communicating with each other to make sure the project is cohesive. When finished, the project should be a whole, not just the sum of parts. Lastly, the project manager must ensure that effective communication is taking place from all directions and he/she must fix any communication problems that arise. This is the only way to ensure success within a multi-disciplinary team.