Master Thesis (4)

As I said previously, the previous weeks have been really dedicated to the master thesis. For a 'Pre-Final seminar', our supervisor, Marie Bengtsson, asked to provide her with a complete version of our thesis by April 30th. To describe what she expects, she uses the metaphor of a Swiss cheese: our thesis can have holes and parts missing but it has a form and be held together.

Indeed, we managed to write the missing parts, namely the analysis and the conclusion, before the deadline. Although it was a bit sloppy and we knew it was not perfect, we felt pretty good once we uploaded our thesis draft. This version was supposed to serve as the basis for a first evaluation regarding whether we would be able to present our final master thesis in June. If we are too far behind or the quality is not sufficient, we would have to present in August.

Hopefully, Mario and I managed to hand in a complete thesis, even if it was of a lower quality. Indeed, most of the other groups did not manage to finish in time and are wondering if they'd ever manage to finish before May 27th, the final deadline!

The 'Pie-throwing' seminar was held a few days later, leaving time for each group to read at least 2 theses and give a detailed feedback on one of them. That's how I could combine working / hosting friends for a few days, playing with Swedish red days (Valborg/King's Birthday and Första Maj) and the week-ends. 
Anyway, Mario and I really appreciated the comments from our colleagues. It gave us guidelines to go forward and make our draft better! However, since the seminar, we feel really frustrated as we basically spent half a week trying to go deeper in our analysis. The preliminary step was to reformulate our research question, which made us reconsider various theories and rewrite our methodology and empirical chapters. In short, we lost confidence in our work for a moment.

Receiving feedback is helpful and devastating. Of course, there is no point in receiving only positive feedback as we have 3 weeks left before the final hand-in. Yet, there are some comments that we would have preferred to receive earlier as we could have tackled our issues directly!

In other words, we are going through a really stressful period. I find it really hard to lock ourselves in study rooms on a 8.00-18.00 shift everyday, when the sun is shining hard outside and the thermometer exceeds the 20°C!!! But I rather remind myself: why give-up now? After 4 months, there are only 3 weeks left :)

A Scandinavian Journey!

In France, there are the Spring Holidays, beginning at the end of april, which allowed my friends to pay me a visit. It was a great deal of organization to combine sightseeing and thesis-working, but it was definitely worth it! We managed to spend a week-end in Stockholm, visit Linköping, travel to Lund and have a day in Copenhagen :)

Gröna Lund, Stockholm

Moderna Museet, Stockholm

We began with 2 days in Stockholm where we walked around a lot between Södermalm, Djurgården, Gamla Stan, Skeppsholmen and Norrmalm. Even though it was pretty sunny, the blowing wind was exhausting us!

I brought my friends to some nice places as Vigårda Barbeque for the greatest  burgers in Stockholm, Kelly's for cheap beers (a challenge in the city), Café String for a big brunch, Koh Phangan for an exotic dinner, etc.

Kanelbullar

Then we came back to Linköping for a short while but I had to go to the university and let my friends alone. Anyway, they visited Gamla Linköping, the Valla forest and the city center until the Stångån river.

Also, they were asking me what was the typical dish/food in Sweden... I couldn't answer anything else than the köttbullar (meatballs) :/ We tried to find some kinda moose-meat but didn't succeed. Yet, they got to try the kanelbullar :)

Caro in Lund

Then we went to Lund where my friends discovered Valborg! It was quite something... Hopefully, we had time to walk around the city in between the Stadspark, the old university (dating from 1666), the botaniska trädgården, and in the colorful cobbled streets.

View from the 'Church of Our Saviour', Copenhagen

Christianian demonstration

Unfortunately, two of my friends were flying back to France from Copenhagen on the next day. I thought it was a good opportunity to spend the morning there. We went around Tivoli, in the touristic streets towards the Church of the Holy Spirit, and we continued until Christiania, passing by Slotsholmen.


I believed my friends enjoyed their trip to Sweden, even though it was only a few days, these days were quite busy!!

Bike-ride throughout Linköping: Trädgårdsföreningen, Gamla Linköping and Tannefors lock.

Me and my friend who stayed for five more days, went back to Linköping once again. The weather got way warmer and we could enjoy bike-rides, forest walks, play kubb, and chill-out in the evenings around BBQs with friends!

I'm really glad my friends paid me a visit! That was a really appreciated "break" in the thesis schedule. Much appreciated!

"Doing international business?" / SMIO presentation at Mjärdevi Science Park

At Linköping University (LiU), the SMIO master program being followed by 95% of international students represents the diversity of the world cultures. Our differences can be interesting and we learn everyday how to build stronger relationships. 

"We didn't all come over on the same ship, but we're all in the same boat."  — Bernard M. Baruch.

Last Friday (May 3rd), Shideh, Andy and Sunny gave a breakfast presentation on the hidden aspects of cross-cultural communication between Sweden and Canada (Shideh), the U.S. (Andy) and China (Sunny). It took place in the Mjärdevi Science Park (nearby the campus) in front of 70 participants: mostly entrepreneurs or experienced businessmen or women engaged in international business, as well as supporting classmates interested in their multicultural experience.

Shideh Tabe, Andrew Wind and Yangzi Sunny Wangsun 

Hofstede's cultural dimensions comparison
between Sweden and Canada

Originally from Iran, Shideh kicked-off the presentation based on her 11 years of experience in the banking sector in Canada: this large country where people hate to be mistaken for Americans! She emphasized that the Canadian culture largely influences their communications in terms of tone of voice, body language, personal space, greetings and most importantly: small talks! Taking into consideration Hofstede's cultural dimensions, she noted that the main differences reside in the masculinity (MAS) and uncertainty avoidance (UAI) of Canada. However, when she arrived in Sweden, she noticed that Canadians focus more on attracting new customers, their satisfaction & loyalty and they give sugar-coat negative answers.

Shideh's key take-aways to do business in Canada were: 

1. Motivation is in individual success
2. Incentives to stand out
3. Customer  is always right
4. Be ready to have 'small talk' in streets, banks, stores, bus stops, etc.

Hofstede's cultural dimensions comparison
between Sweden and China

Sunny—most Chinese have an English name, she says—started her speech using Hofstede's power distance (PDI) dimension to show that hierarchy is really important in China: employees do not publicly challenge their manager's directives, which makes it easier for the latter to implement changes. Making business in China mainly means building a relationship. Karaoke is an option, a dinner  invitation seems easier but Sunny warned the audience on the Chinese dinner etiquette: "Prepare to get drunk and don't finish all the dishes, otherwise more food will be ordered!" 

Moreover, Chinese dislike being negative: they never say no, but 'maybe' and have difficulties to give negative feedback.

Hofstede's cultural dimensions comparison
between Sweden and the U.S.

Sweden likes the American culture. Yet, Andy started his part on communication in the U.S. by reminding that most of Americans never traveled out of their country. Thus, having a business relationship with a Swede is seen as exotic and highly valued in their culture. Showing Hofstede's individual (IDV) dimension of the U.S. and  Jack Welch's quote "Control your own destiny or someone else will."; Andy shows the dynamic and competitive environment of the American business culture and the motivation of the American workers. As a result, managers focus on the short-term implications of decisions and that's why Andy recommends the audience to focus on 'quick wins' when making business in the U.S.

Moreover, Americans love debates and they'll show it by talking clearly about their issues. Yet, at work, the manager decides: as Steve Jobs said "My job is to say when something sucks rather than sugarcoat it." Andy added that small talks are also common for Americans, it is part of the language protocol. You should answer politely but it doesn't mean that a long-term relationship is being set-up! Eventually, with Hollywood or Broadway, Americans are historically embedded in storytelling. Using metaphors to illustrate a concept and making a scenario to connect them all is the key to understanding in the U.S.

Andy's key take-aways to do business in the U.S. were:

1. Americans value straight talking and 'getting to the point'
2. Sell your pluses
3. Humor or ‘small talk’ can be an important relationship builder
4. Create storylines.

Doing international business?

The audience enjoyed a buffet-breakfast while Andy wisely concluded a successful presentation, showing the SMIO programme engagement towards the business world and its main actors:

"As our world flattens and we come closer together we find new connections and also expose new individualities. You are the mapmakers of the 21st century, your intercultural business partnerships will expose new ideas and ways of communicating yet to be uncovered that will bring us all forward in the future to come."  — Andy.

Master Thesis (3)

I know, I know: time flies. It's been a month since my last thesis update and again, a lot has changed. For better or worse? I believe that it will turn out better!

Free time? Playing around with the SMIO program's logo...

Initially, we intended to study the automotive industry. More precisely, they hybrid bus: it is a really complex and innovative product, targeting a niche market and making use of very new technologies...it sounded like the perfect product to focus on regarding our project: 

KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION IN TIMES OF UNCERTAINTY

After promising contacts in Germany, we had to give up our intentions. Indeed, we have a deadline by the end of April, so we had to collect data as early as possible...and this organization was taking its time and it did not seem like we were going to interview them before 2014!

Right...

As a matter of fact, we are now most likely to use secondary data (a raw transcript of a meeting) from another industry: electrical powerplants. More specifically, an organization is developing a new steam turbine. So we stay into complicated engineering stuff :) Obviously, our chapter I (intro) and chapter II (methodology) had to be changed for the most of it...and we go on with chapter IV (empirics) and chapter V (analysis)! Quite challenging!

Since a few weeks, we know the official deadlines

- to hand-in the final version of the thesis: May 27th;

- the seminars will take place for 3 days from: June 3rd;

- the Farewell Ceremony (graduation day) will be on: June 12th.

...and then I'll sleep for a month!

More seriously, I look forward another break into our schedule (8.00 - 17.30 daily). Easter was too short! Hopefully, I have some friends coming soon and then my parents will come for a week in june before mid-summer. I guess it will be weird to not 'have to work' after these intense weeks...I gotta find something else to do by then!

LKPG HA HA! @ Arenabolaget

Backstage

“I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it's the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It's probably the most important thing in a person.” ― Audrey Hepburn

Laugh brings happiness and relieves stress. That's what LKPG HA HA! intends to do. Linköping's comedy club, created in 2008, introduces comedians on the Backstage of the Konsert och Kongress. Three Thursday nights in Fall (with Messiah Hallberg, Soran Ismail and Ann Westin in 2012) and three Thursday nights in Spring. With some friends, we went to the show last night  (April 4th), which was partly in English, with Al Pitcher from New Zealand.

Al Pitcher

This Kiwi revolutionized the comedy scene in Sweden since he moved here a few years ago. His life as a foreigner led him to joke about all surprising Swedish customs, such as the fika, fy fan, "tackar tackar", etc. Have a look for yourself.

His Fika Tour all over Sweden was a great success. Yesterday, felt like the show I saw was unique: very spontaneous and playing around with the audience a lot.

“Heckle is the funniest thing ever. I was talking about this before the show tonight, that it’s important to have that moment, that one-off event, that feeling that this is only happening tonight,” he explains. 

The atmosphere was really chill-ax, nice music during the break and people having drinks at the bar... Good times!

Linköping is sold out tonight. But if you don't make tonight , come to Norrköping in October. Shurping , shurping. alpitcherpatartour.se
— Al Pitcher (@TheAlPitcher) April 4, 2013

Pontus Ströbaek

James McKay, Adeel Faqih,
Pontus Ströbaek & Ben Kearsley

Prior to his show, Ben Kearsley, the usual LKPG HA HA!'s host, invited other comedians on stage. Adeel Faqih, Swedish with Indian origins, made fun of his own day-to-day life in Sweden. He made fun of the "chai tea", explaining that it literrally means tea-tea as chai is the word for tea in many countries... Even though it was in Swedish, I could understand most of it! Then, James McKay, an Englishman, came on stage for a short while, joked about his life in Stockholm and wondered why there was always a picture of the farmer on egg boxes in Sweden. Eventually, Pontus Ströbaek, another Swede, came on stage and... got naked! He said that people laugh when they're surprised. He might have ended chocking a few of them though!

Al Pitcher

As part of his new tour, Påtår (meaning a coffee refill), Al Pitcher was warmly welcome on stage by the audience. Of course, he told jokes about the culture clash he lives everyday in Sweden. He also made fun of Swedish hockey; Ryanair; his two-years old son about whom he sometimes feels like  he's a hobbit on crack; and the two Australian girls in the front row. Using the audience to such extent proves how last night was unique. He ended his hour-long show by desperately inviting people to be friends with him on Facebook! Lots of laugh which put a smile on our faces for the next hours :)

The next show of LKPG HA HA! is on May 2nd, with Jesper Rönndahl. Winner of the Stand-up Championships of Norra Brunn in 2007, he his famous in Sweden for being in the Comedy Fight Club in 2009 and presenting Extra Extra since 2012 on SVT (tv) and on the radio. Some of his sketches can be seen in funny videos on Youtube. There will be other comedians (Henrik Blomqvist, Christina Nordhager and Thomas Eriksson) which Ben Kearsley will introduce before the big show. Check him out!