Essay Contest Result

Introduction

Despite the fact that many Korean companies are operating worldwide, producing and selling products in various countries around the globe, students are often surprised to learn that, for example, LG is a Korean company rather than an American or European corporation. In other words, knowledge about Korea and Korean businesses is still very limited. Familiarizing more Business students around the world with such knowledge will be very useful for enhancing the image of Korea. I will, first of all, outline why I became aware of this problem before I make some suggestions as to how to rectify the situation.

Korea – A Silent Cultural Powerhouse

In the course "International Human Resource Management" that I am teaching to undergraduate students in Canada, some class meetings are focusing on how companies prepare expatriates pre-departure to succeed in their host country. One way to prepare expatriates for their overseas assignment is, next to language lessons, to let them see documentary videos about the country focusing on its history, culture, business etc. and then testing their knowledge. In order to simulate to students what it means to be exposed to a completely different culture while being prepared for an expatriate assignment, I showed the BBC documentary: "South Korea: The Silent Cultural Super Powerhouse". The students learned while watching the documentary about the history of Korea, its economic miracle and about some of the most important Chaebols like LG, Samsung and Hyundai. In addition, also some internationally less known companies were introduced to students like, for example, Lotte corporation. Students learned that Samsung was originally a food selling general store that rapidly developed into one of the world largest electronic companies. LG, on the other hand, was originally a manufacturer of cosmetic creams and Hyundai a shipbuilding company founded by the son of a farmer with no previous business experience. They quickly realized how dynamic the country and the Korean economy was and is. Students were very surprised to hear that South-Koreans donated gold and jewellery to the government to help it pay back an IMF loan it had received after the Asian financial crisis. They were amazed to find out that the IMF loan was completely payed off few years ahead of schedule. It made them to realize how determined Koreans are to succeed and overcome together adverse situation. The BBC documentary highlights also the "balli, balli" (빨리 빨리) culture of Korean businesses and how the K-Pop industry helps South-Korea to garner more attention and sympathy in the world. Finally, while seeing some images of modern Seoul, with a skyline and size that dwarfs large Canadian cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, many students realized for the first time how advanced urban Korea is already developed and the pace it is further developing. For many if not all of my students it was the first time they have learned something systematically about Korea from an explicit cultural and business perspective. In order to simulate expatriate pre-departure training I also administered a test with questions related to information the documentary provided. It would give them a first idea what it means to become an expatriate working and living in a country culturally very different from their own.

However, I had to search widely and check out various video clips in the internet before I finally found the BBC documentary that I deemed suitable for illustrating how expatriates may be prepared for an assignment in South-Korea or to work closely with South-Korean business partners. Yet, since the documentary did not come with any material for instructors or a prefabricated quiz or a set of questions, I had to generate a quiz myself. This was a somewhat onerous and tedious activity that may deter other professors in Business Schools from using the documentary for instructional purposes. This experience brings me to outline some suggestions that may help to improve Business students' understanding of Korea.

Suggestions

According to Statistics Canada, approximately 250.000 students were enrolled Business students at Universities while another approximately 100.000 Business students were enrolled at Colleges in Canada in 2015. Worldwide, several million business students are enrolled at universities and colleges at any time and the following suggestions may be helpful to make the culture, history and dynamics of Korea's businesses and economy better known to them and enhance the image of Korea.

First, a series of videos that focus on specific Korean companies or industries in Korea that are successful or have mastered challenges should be produced. For example, an instructional video could focus on how Korean companies and Businesses coped successfully with the Corona (Covid-19) crisis. In addition, videos that focus on Korean business culture may be helpful for students to improve their understanding of Korea and especially Korean working life. It will be important that accompanying quizzes and material for instructors (e.g. ppt slides, background material, instructor notes etc.) are developed and provided that may be used by instructors for teaching and quizzing students. Such instructional videos may be 45-75 minutes and they could be newly produced or existing material from Korean broadcasting companies (e.g. KBC, SBS etc.) could be used and made available.

Second, several case studies that focus on Korean businesses should be commissioned and logistically as well as financially supported. The case studies could focus on companies in challenging situations and ask students to suggest how to deal with the problem. The instructors could discuss the suggested solutions by the students while contrasting it with how the company have dealt with the issue at hand using the instructor notes. For example, how do Korean app companies like Katok compete in the light of international competitors like Whatsapp etc.? The case studies should not only be supplemented with instructor manuals and ppt slides but also with short video clips in which corporate representatives speak for a short period in time (approximately 3-5 minutes) about the problem at hand. There are very few case studies available in English or other non-Korean languages focusing on Korean businesses. Even after extensive internet research I could find only one case study in English offered by the Korea Institute of International Economic Policy. Other business case providers like, for example, Sage, Ivey and Harvard Business School, are keeping their cases behind a pay-wall and are therefore less likely to be accessed and used than cases provided for free. The Academy of Korean studies could run a competitions offering prizes for submitted cases.

Third, business simulations/games that focus on business issues in Korea or are related to Korean companies should be created and made available to instructors and professors in Business schools around the world. The business simulations could be in industries that are very popular, including hospitality and tourism or the K-Pop and High-tech industries. For example, a simulation could focus on how tourism was impacted by the stationing of the THADD system in South-Korea and how the various companies dealt with the problem. The development of such simulations or apps can be commissioned to computer science and business students that may cooperate internationally in so called "hackatons". In "hackatons", that have recently become very popular and successful in the higher education environment in Germany and other countries, competing groups of computer science students and students from other disciplines develop within a limited time-frame a proposal for a program or app. The various teams present their proposals to adjudicators and the team that wins may be commissioned to actually create the simulation for a modest money prize. Not only the final product, i.e. the program or app, but also the development of the computer-based simulations has educational value.

Conclusion

All the suggested material should be made available to instructors for free and in various languages (e.g. English, Russian, Mandarin, German, Spanish etc.) in order to keep the barrier for adoption in Business schools around the world low. In any case, there should be a central institution that hosts the case repository, the simulations and videos and promotes those instructional products like, for example, the Academy of Korean Studies itself. It will be important not only to produce the material but to regularly update the Business Schools and Business programs at universities and colleges around the world about new additions and revisions of the instructional material. This will increase the chance that potentially hundred-of-thousands of business students will be exposed to some of the instructional material and learn more about Korea, its history, culture and about its domestically and internationally thriving businesses that successfully overcame many obstacles and used opportunities in order to succeed.