2324T1 Tokyo/Reflection
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- Key takeaways or learning points from the course and project
- Quotes from presenter/senior management/owner/founder
- Keep to one sentence for the course and one sentence for the project
All acts of academic dishonesty (including, but not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, facilitation of acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of exam questions, or tampering with the academic work of other students) are serious offences. All work (whether oral or written) submitted for purposes of assessment must be the student’s own work. Penalties for violation of the policy range from zero marks for the component assessment to expulsion, depending on the nature of the offense. When in doubt, students should consult the instructors of the course.
Amanda LIM Si Hui
This was a highly enjoyable class that I learned a lot from. We were given the opportunity to visit major companies like SMBC, JPX and the Kajima corporation, that belonged on the Nikkei 225. From this, we learned how major companies were able to incorporate new technology into their operations to cope with ever-changing demands. For example when we visited SMBC, the SMBC representative explained how SMBC was constantly innovating, seeking new ways to use technology to increase its revenue and productivity. There was a SMBC initiative where they provided e-signature services to their clients, as well as facial recognition services. As SMBC also elaborated on the way that they were able to use ideas generated in their Innovation Centre in San Francisco and implement it across its regional groups, I was able to appreciate the degree of influence these large corporations possess. On the other hand, we also managed to capture a glimpse of how Japanese SMEs also make use of technology to continually innovate. For example, we visited ChatPlus, which had to adapt to the up and coming trend of generative AI by leveraging ChatGPT's API for their software to be able to generate questions and answers for clients with minimal client input. They also shared that as an SME, they had to think about how to differentiate themselves from competitors such as Zendesk. To succeed, they disclosed that they used a low price strategy, and are planning to expand abroad. It was inspiring to hear about a relatively small company with 30 employees have such big ambitions. Additionally, I was given the chance to gain a deeper understanding of Japanese culture and its associated customs. We visited the Meiji-Jingu Shrine, and I felt that visits to these kind of cultural sites allowed us to observe how native Tokyo residents behave and interact with each other. I believe that this is valuable knowledge because we we might have a Japanese colleague or business partner/client in the future. In such a scenario, it would be important to show them hospitality, and to take care not to offend them. These kinds of visits also allow us to undertand why Japanese working culture is the way it is. Thus, I felt that culture-based destinations were equally important as the corporate visits and that we struck a good balance between both types of visits during this trip.
AU YEONG Wei Bin
I think that Japan is a really interesting environment for startups, but not in a good way, as the environment here can be quite stifling, as I thought that the “startups” that emerged from existing companies like TradeWaltz from NTT were able to perform so much better compared to startups like ChatPlus. Japan is currently not an ideal place for startups to be.
Beatrice GAN Tong Xin
During the course, I gained valuable insights into the distinct operational and presentation dynamics of companies, highlighting a notable contrast between large corporations and smaller enterprises. Understanding these differences enhanced my appreciation for the diverse approaches companies take in their operations and how they showcase their unique strengths.
CHEAH King Yeh
I truly enjoyed my time during the past week here in Tokyo for the Technopreneurship Study Mission, learning about how startups and companies in Japan grow and thrive amidst the global situation. I am truly impressed by the Japanese culture of hard work and respect, as seen from their presentations, where companies here would give a brief overview of their entire executive management first, before proceeding on to explain about their company. A more interesting observation for me was at Chat Plus, where they discussed about their detailed company information and strategic roadmap -- something which I thought only angel investors would have access to, not normal university students like myself. All the company visits were very interesting and gave me a greater insight as to how technology facilitates progress and functions as an enabler for these companies, like how SMBC is breaking the traditional convention of a corporate bank, TradeWaltz utilising blockchain to move towards a paperless trading ecosystem. What impressed me more was the Tokyo Stock Exchange tour, where we were able to see how technology has completely overhauled the stock exchange market system. In the past, stockbrokers would have to stand at a stock pit and memorise countless hand signals to understand and interpret the actions taken by various traders. Today, these pits have become a thing of the past and are replaced by trading brokerage and trading order systems. Having heard stories from the traders in my previous internships on how chaotic stock exchanges used to be, it was really difficult to comprehend and understand him fully, as I have never seen such a situation before. However, through the tour, we were able to watch how numerous traders and stockbrokers would congregate at the pit, which makes this comparable to how one would go for the best bargain at a wet market! It also fascinates me even more to learn how machine learning is being used in the stock exchange to predict any fradulent market manipulation actions right from the center of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Another part of the trip that was memorable to me was interacting with 2 of our SMU alumni, Kevin and Timothy. Hearing about their experiences in Japan gave me a better overview and understanding of the Japanese working culture, and their way of life, providing me with valuable insights to add to my consideration, should I receive a successful conversion offer from Nomura and be given the chance to join their Japanese headquarters. The lesson given by Professor Tsujimoto at Tokyo Institute of Technology also allowed me to better understand the incubation and startup culture in Japan, and the tour around their INSTDesign really resembled that of Connexion, but at a much larger scale. From my conversation with Professor Tsujimoto, I asked him about how traditional Japanese companies like Toyota, who are famous for their incremental innovation, are dealing with the radical innovation that are brought about by these up and coming startups. His reply was that these companies have also begun incorporating startup cultures into their research department, and Toyota even provided research grants to Professor Tsujimoto to work with them on innovating their processes. This was a wide eye-opener for me, and showed that the startup culture is slowly opening up and shaking ground in the Japanese culture.
Daniel LAI En Xian
Things Learnt: - I learnt a wide variety of how different sizes of businesses work, especially in the Asian context in SMBC, TradeWaltz (startups, SME, MNCs) - I learnt how culture has a deep impact on how businesses run, and there is no one size fit all kind of situations from Kevin and Timothy - I learnt what are some crucial and critical factors businesses consider at the varying sizes from ChatPlus, Nikon and Canon, TradeWaltz - I learnt the importance of constant research and innovation in the betterment of society from KATRIS, Tokyi Tech Uni and Miraikan Museum
Felice PNG Song Ting
As my first time travelling to Japan, this TSM trip provided me with a valuable opportunity to explore Tokyo and experience its culture at a deeper level. Over the past 5 days, the various organisation visits have helped me understand Japan's company culture better, both for smaller startups and larger MNCs. I am thankful to have travelled to many cultural sites and attractions as well, such as the Sensoji Temple and Meiji Jingu Gaien. Overall, this trip has been a fulfilling one for me
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