Ethical Issues in My Profession:
There were many ethical issues that I came across when travelling through out Beijing. They would most definitely be handled differently if they had been in the United States. First and foremost, the pollution was absolutely terrible in Beijing. Most days you could not see any of the skyscrapers in the distance or even the sun. In the U.S., I believe extreme measures would be taken to ensure that the air was cleaner, so that the citizens can lead a healthier life without worrying about their lungs. In addition, the traffic was horrendous. Any time we travelled by bus, it would take us a very long time to get to our destination—not because of the distance, but because of the heavy traffic. There seems as if there is no order. For example, I saw many illegal turns and people driving through a yellow light that had just turned red—causing gridlock and thus, more traffic. This would never be allowed in the U.S. because there is more law enforcement and more order.
In China, a majority of the citizens speak Chinese. I believe this is a diversity issue. Although China’s economy is so large and China is a great place to do business today, I believe if more Chinese people spoke English, then China would be an even greater place to do business.
Educational Breadth as Professional Development:
Based on my travels to China I’ve learned that engineering is all the same all around the globe. Yes, it may seem different, but that is because different countries have different ideas. For example, in the U.S. and in China solar panels are made to help conserve energy and eliminate pollution, but the way the solar panels are made are not necessarily the same exact way. Thus, when it comes to engineering I do not believe that a broad education is not important. On the other hand, the major difference that I noticed is how business is handled. The mannerisms are different and how one communicates with one another is different. An example here is when we went to Capital Bio and the man giving us the tour took a phone call in the middle of the tour. In the U.S. that would not be acceptable, but it China it is not looked at as rude or disrespectful. Therefore, I think there should be courses that provide students with information on the customs and expectations of people in other countries. This will prevent any miscommunication or disrespect when doing business between two or more countries.
Lifelong Learning, Continuing Education as Professional Development:
At Tsinghua Solar, I talked to one of the employees there who presented to the company to us and told us what Tsinghua Solar was all about. He went to school at Tsinghua University, but he was not studying what was being done specifically at Tsinghua Solar obviously. Thus, he came in a background in the science and technology of devices that store solar energy, but he did have to learn a great deal when he got the job. This madde me realize that it is not dire for newly employed individuals to know exactly what they are doing when joining a company in order to compete. As long as they have a strong sense of what is being done at the company and have some sort of degree related to what is being done at the company, then they will perform. All in all, life long experience is key because the more you practice what you are doing, the more skilled you become and are more likely to make new discoveries.
The Social Environment of Professional Life:
The social life and professional life are different in China, but they do both share a laid back atmosphere. For example, on one of our tours at Capital Bio, our tour guide answered his phone in the middle of talking to us. In addition, when you’re out in the city somewhere, the Chinese do not take notice of lines. The subway system everyone just squeezes on and manners are dismissed. The Chinese do not really speak of politics. Also, contrary to the United States, they know who the next president will be prior to his election. In the United States, no one ever knows who is going to win the presidency. It is important to have knowledge of contemporary issues related to the global economy because no matter where you live on the planet, it is going to affect you.
Functioning on Multi-Disciplinary Teams:
I believe it is so important for people to be able to communicate regardless of what their background is. Communication is the most important part of team work, so if a business major and an engineer want to work together to create a product and market it, they most definitely must be able to communicate effectively in order to succeed. On my study abroad program I was mixed with engineers and business majors—I am a business major, myself. We all were able to get along and communicate because we were all understanding and cooperative. Some challenges that came up were when we were doing our end of the trip project of creating a product. I did not understand some of the engineering behind it and the engineers did not understand some of the supply chain aspects of the party. Thus, we explained as best we could to each other and in the end were able come up with a very unique product.
lichtmanplus3china2012 