Culture shock: studying a distance learning MBA or studying for an MBA on a different continent
24/06/2012 19:40
It is almost one month since I arrived in Perugia to study Bradford University School of Management’s MBA in the heart of Italy instead of the distance-learning MBA in my own country. I am from Japan and have been to Italy before but living and studying here has given me a new experience.
There are a lot of similarities between Italy and my home country. The weather and seasons resemble Japan which means it is very comfortable for Japanese people to live here. Also, Italian food is popular in Japan. I particularly recommend Italian pasta and the excellent wine in the region of Umbria. My reason for choosing to study in this region of Italy and not a distance learning MBA was that, like Japan, it has a big manufacturing industry. After the devastating earthquake that hit my country, I wanted to do an MBA to learn about how I could help rebuild the economy and Italy seemed the perfect place to do this, especially because Bradford’s course offers the opportunity to do a placement with a local company.
However, I have noticed one big difference between Japanese and Italian culture srince arriving here , the business hours. Banks, clothes shops, real estate agencies, and many other companies close for 2 hours from 13:30 to 15:30 during daytime to take lunch. In Japan, almost all companies don’t close for lunch because they want to avoid the risk of losing customers. By keeping the doors open, they don’t lose the opportunity to gain revenue.
A recent invitation to lunch from my Italian friend gave me some insight as to why this relaxed business culture exists. We met at 13:30 at the front of his office and travelled by car together. As soon as we got to his fine house, I was welcomed by his friendly family. We had a glass of Umbrian white wine served with an Italian full course lunch. I sincerely enjoyed the time with them for around two hours and was extremely grateful for their hospitality.
On the way back to the bank where my friend works, I realised that the Italian commitment to family culture is actually what makes them such good business people. In most Japanese enterprises, people have a one hour lunch break and don’t ordinarily get home to have lunch with their family, nor drink wine or have a large meal. In Italy, lunch with the family comes above the risk of losing revenue by closing for two hours. But this social culture resembles the attitude towards their customers and foreigners including myself.
Italian companies tend to maximise revenue by focusing on enhanced customer satisfaction and quality rather than volume.
Already I am learning a lot that I can apply to my MBA studies and seeing the value of immersing myself in another culture instead of studying the distance learning MBA.
It is almost one month since I arrived in Perugia to study Bradford University School of Management’s MBA in the heart of Italy instead of the distance-learning MBA in my own country. I am from Japan and have been to Italy before but living and studying here has given me a new experience.
There are a lot of similarities between Italy and my home country. The weather and seasons resemble Japan which means it is very comfortable for Japanese people to live here. Also, Italian food is popular in Japan. I particularly recommend Italian pasta and the excellent wine in the region of Umbria. My reason for choosing to study in this region of Italy and not a distance learning MBA was that, like Japan, it has a big manufacturing industry. After the devastating earthquake that hit my country, I wanted to do an MBA to learn about how I could help rebuild the economy and Italy seemed the perfect place to do this, especially because Bradford’s course offers the opportunity to do a placement with a local company.
However, I have noticed one big difference between Japanese and Italian culture srince arriving here , the business hours. Banks, clothes shops, real estate agencies, and many other companies close for 2 hours from 13:30 to 15:30 during daytime to take lunch. In Japan, almost all companies don’t close for lunch because they want to avoid the risk of losing customers. By keeping the doors open, they don’t lose the opportunity to gain revenue.
A recent invitation to lunch from my Italian friend gave me some insight as to why this relaxed business culture exists. We met at 13:30 at the front of his office and travelled by car together. As soon as we got to his fine house, I was welcomed by his friendly family. We had a glass of Umbrian white wine served with an Italian full course lunch. I sincerely enjoyed the time with them for around two hours and was extremely grateful for their hospitality.
On the way back to the bank where my friend works, I realised that the Italian commitment to family culture is actually what makes them such good business people. In most Japanese enterprises, people have a one hour lunch break and don’t ordinarily get home to have lunch with their family, nor drink wine or have a large meal. In Italy, lunch with the family comes above the risk of losing revenue by closing for two hours. But this social culture resembles the attitude towards their customers and foreigners including myself.
Italian companies tend to maximise revenue by focusing on enhanced customer satisfaction and quality rather than volume.
Already I am learning a lot that I can apply to my MBA studies and seeing the value of immersing myself in another culture instead of studying the distance learning MBA.