Reflective Journal 1 (CDE)

CDE Reflective Journal 1

1: What are your general thoughts on the course so far (good or bad)? 

After a few weeks of lessons including some group presentations as well as discussions in class what are you most looking forward to in CDE in the future?

CDE has been a new course this year for us, and so far I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the lessons. It is a very different course compared to other subjects since it focuses on the participation of the entire class significantly, relying on many presentations along with peer discussions, as opposed to plain powerpoints or lectures, and for me personally it is a very vitalizing change to the curriculum. The course can help hone our skills in areas such as public speaking with all the presentations, as well as our insight and ability to analyze differing events, which in this case, is the difference between cultures.

The main thing I’m most looking forward to in CDE in the future is most probably the section of case study on the dichotomy between China and the USA. To me this is obviously the epitome of the entire course, which is about Cultural Differentiation, and what better way to learn about different cultures than through comparisons of perhaps the most symbolic, the Chinese and American societies?

In addition, I will be doing a presentation on the topic as one of my projects in the course, so definitely more focus and interest will be placed on this topic. Moreover, I personally went to an American school located in Shanghai. Naturally, I’ve been exposed to both Eastern and Western influences, and have personally experienced the clash of American and Chinese cultures. Therefore, I am very interested in being a part of the discussions that will take place during the lessons when the time comes...

2: What are your feelings about the different cultures of the companies that you have looked at? 

You can include Google, Apple, Lenovo and the other companies that your group looked at.

Google, Apple, Lenovo, Huawei, Taobao, and Xiaomi. These are the main companies the class had focused on so far during the course. Obviously there are general differences that exist between the Eastern and Western companies, even our presentation topic was on how a Chinese company can break into, specifically, the North American market. However, if we dig deeper, we can see that the companies actually each have their own “cultures”, so to speak, regardless of their locations.

Take a look at “The world’s two most valuable companies”: Google and Apple. (http://www.mercurynews.com/60-second-business-break/ci_25087437/biz-break-apple-and-google-now-worlds-two)

Even though they are both located in the U.S., silicon valley to be exact, the difference between the cultures at the two companies are simply shocking. At Apple, especially so before the passing of former CEO Steve Jobs (RIP), there was a very systematic top-down form of management to the point where it was compared to a dictatorship, as anything and everything must go through Jobs first before it can be given the green light for publishment. All the releases and annoucements were also glamorous and monumental. (Similar to Xiaomi)

Whereas at Google, a much more carefree attitude fills the company. Employees are given time to work on their own projects, and have a peer-review system to select the best projects with the most potential. There are relaxing facilities such as tennis courts at the headquarters of Google, where employees can even travel around in scooters. (Similar to Huawei)

Now who’s to judge which culture is superior? As we can see, the companies have both succeeded, bringing in profits of billions of dollars annually, earning great reputations around the world.

I feel like it is, in fact, the same thing with cultures overall. Regardless of the cultures in companies, societies, or countries, nobody can simply make a statement that a certain culture would be superior to others, after all, “As long as it works, keep using it!”

(597 Words)