Nina Huang- Final Blog

If I had the opportunity to do over my project, I would researched different startups that are already in the market so that it could give me a better idea on what a startup is. Then I would have tried harder on thinking about what country, nation, or city I would want to brand and look at what startups are already there. Even though we had sample presentations from past students, I was still confused on what a startup is and how to rebrand a nation. My group mates and I had some ideas on what we may do, but most of the ideas did not fit into the assignment requirements or did not work as a startup. We just took the easier route to sticking with our original idea and changing it to fit the assignment since we wanted to be done with the assignments that were due each week. If we talked about our ideas more and have it confirmed earlier that our idea is good and works in this project, we would not have to redo the first two assignments.

Besides that, I would have tried harder on the group project assignments if I knew what we need to have in each assignments. Most of the assignments did not have specific guidelines, so we did do much research and just tried to answer the prompt with our ideas alone. For some reason, I thought we had to put all the assignments into an essay format for the last assignment so that I thought that is when we would edit our answers and cite the sources from assignment two. As a result, I thought we answered the questions well and would get a good grade on each assignments. I now know that we need to cite outsides sources after the second assessment so that we would have other information to support our arguments. Moreover, if we communicated better and divided the assignment equally, each person would have done equal amounts of work for each week. That way, each of us would know exactly what we have to do to finish the weekly assignments and how to answer the prompts better. It would also help us generate more ideas and make us put more effort on each assignments.

Kristina Nguyen -- Final Blog

If I had the opportunity to start my project over, I would have firstly changed my approach of how I was going to do the project. Instead of doing something community based, I would have tried harder to think of a nation that could use a re-branding of (and I really tried to brainstorm of another nation where I could focus this re-branding theory to). Secondly, I would have made sure that everyone in my group was on the right page and that there was not a miscommunication among us with what each individual person had to do and that everyone should have put in the same amount of work. For things that I could have done more of, I could have researched a lot more and I feel that our group could have also been more on top of things with deciding what we were going to do. I felt that we changed our approach and idea many times in the beginning because none of us had an idea that met the requirement of nation re-branding, so we did what was easiest for us to understand and stuck with community-based re-branding instead. Regarding the actual project itself, if I had the opportunity to start the project over again, I would have put more time and effort into researching. Reading the requirements of the group portion due every Friday made me believe that all of our ideas are pure speculations. If I had known that we had to have at least 2 sources to support the prompt, I would have definitely researched more. That being said, even though my group project did not answer national re-branding, it is still a project with good intentions that focuses on trying to re-brand a group (Southeast Asian Americans) and make them more independent from the "Asian" group that includes all Asians and groups everyone as being Chinese or that we speak the same language.

Nancy Bui: Final Blog, Reflection

Answer this prompt: If you had the opportunity to do over your project, what would you have done different and/or more?


If given a time machine, I think I should've reached out to previous presenters and asked for feedback as I was still developing my app idea. In the early stages, our idea kept changing (which isn't bad) but it did delay and limit the possibility of how extensive our research could've been. I feel like talking to Vy or Shannon could've been very helpful in the development process (of just generating ideas). 

Another thing we could've improved on was the actual "re-branding" notion of the start up. Whilst our app did have good intentions, we should've narrowed down and focused on the current image of our chosen nation/population and worked around the realm of re-defining it. It seems as though we went backwards in our thinking process, where we came up with a startup and then found the problem. 

The last thing could've been working on the financial feasibility as denoted by James during our final presentation.  He denoted to research more on the actual possibility of our financial plan and execution. Considering that I did/do not have any type of background in Finances, I could've gone contacted an economics professor or meet with them in general about questions in reference to things like ROIs. Or I could've bought more text material to utilize as reference. This aspect would've been helpful to reach out to Dinh (the male presenter you brought in) in regards to execution plan to make this app become a tangible and feasible investment. From the mentor's involved at the Big Bang, I could've also emailed Karen Harding to see if any judges would've been interested in working as a consultant with us in the development of our financial execution plan.

I really enjoyed the different approach towards the material and the development of skills that aren't part of a usual lecture style class. Granted there were some curve balls such as the way Mr. Bui decided to cut out 10 min pitch to 50 secs, it really forced me to think on my feet and help develop my critical thinking. I was also very grateful to learn about the re-branding/history of different nations such as Vietnam, Korea, and China. 

Week 5 Blogpost -- Jaselle Abuda

Jaselle Abuda

Professor Valverde

ASA 189F

8 December 2017

Denmark elevated its aesthetics by proactively and collaboratively working onto build the furniture super power that it is known for today. Reconstructing the structure of the Danish furniture industry by implementing modern and personal connection to the consumers. Tactics that Denmark utilized were using stories to connect to consumer buyers for them to better understand the furniture products that Denmark produces. Heavy influences from networking and advertisements greatly benefited the production and commercialization of Denmark’s furniture industry. To become more relatable and “in” with the era of “minimalism” and “modernity”, Denmark really pushed their goal into the manufacture of more modern and sleek furniture products as to accommodate to the taste of the buyers.

Lessons that I can draw from this article when thinking about my own project is the commitment and efficiency of Denmark’s use of resources to be the super power furniture industry that it is now. Because our project is completely and solely focused as a youth program, we must be critical in utilizing the resources that we need for the community. In order to reach this goal, our program must be economically stable to be able to assist and distribute resources to the community.

Question: Are there other major products that Denmark produces other than their furniture industry?

Image source: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jun/17/ikea-generation-buy-antique-vintage-furniture

Citation

Grahame, Alice. "Can The Ikea Generation Buy Into Vintage Furniture?." The Guardian, 2015.

week 10 Bin Xiao

Vietnam Aesthetics

Vietnam is a nation that has been for a long time characterized by political instability and insecurity which had adverse effects on both its economic development and business environment. The country has since then implemented structures that are meant to create a favorable business environment and encourage external investors to venture into the land (Pincus 36). The war period had adversely affected the relationships between the country and other nations such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Vietnam has been working hard to remake itself whereby it first attained political stability and then embarked on developing business links with potential business partners. The nation reestablished its business connections through the revising and formalized its business relations with the United States in 1993 which is one of the factors that led to an intensification of business between the two nations (Nguyen and Anna 642). The efforts are emphasized by the collaboration of Vietnamese with American working together in achieving a sustainable economic and social environment as depicted in the below photograph.

Source: Vietnamese emphasizing the need to come together (Nguyen)

There is a lot that can be done to enable Vietnam to achieve national aesthetics status. This includes coming up with policies that are aimed at streamlining the political environment to encourage investment. As compared with other Southeast Asia, Vietnam emerges with the least economic growth rate at 6.4 percent over the period 1985 to 2013 (Pincus 28).

Source: Southeast Asia counties’ economic growth rate (Pincus 36).

Notably, the Vietnamese production sector which is dominated by local investors shows that the situation does not sufficiently support external financing. Vietnam has the availability of labor which has led to the current move by some companies to establish production plants in the nation (Valverde 8-12). This is one of the potentials that the country should exploit besides its outstanding agricultural production. Footwear and electronics assemblies have dominated the Vietnam production industry currently making them the best business options that reflect the nation’s aesthetics. The association of Vietnam with international business organizations and the dominant countries in the global business arena is one of the factors that can enable the state to achieve international aesthetics status.

Works Cited

Nguyen, George, and Anna Shillabeer. "Issues in Transnational Higher Education Regulation in Vietnam." (2013). Print.

Nguyen, Viet Thanh. "Interview With Kieu-Linh Caroline Valverde: We’Re Not Just Boat People." Diacritics.Org, 2013, http://diacritics.org/?p=15739. Accessed 27 November 2017

Pincus, Jonathan. "Why Doesn't Vietnam Grow Faster? State Fragmentation and the Limits of Vent for Surplus Growth." Southeast Asian Economies. 32.1 (2015): 26. Print.

Valverde, Kieu-Linh C. Transnationalizing Viet Nam: Community, Culture, and Politics in the Diaspora. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2012. Print.

Week 10 -- Kristina Nguyen

Vietnam's rate of growth (slow for what they produce) and the labor productivity growth is due to three reasons: first, "the presence of surplus labor in the rural sector means that labor can be redeployed from agriculture to higher productivity industrial jobs without decreasing agricultural output." Secondly, "manufacturing is uniquely capable of delivering economies of scale through specialization and technological learning." Finally, "rapid growth of output stimulates the development of downstream industries that process manufactured goods and upstream industries that produce capital goods" (Pincus 27). A term is used to "describe the mobilization of underutilized land and labor for export production" called "vent for surplus" which he deems as "pivotal to Southeast Asian development" (27). I feel this term resonates well with Vietnam because the Vietnamese have a lot of land that can potentially produce many great products. In this article by Pincus, they describe that "coffee and fish export growth ... increase[d] at average annual rates of 15 to 23 percent ... over the twenty year period from 1992," however, "Vietnam's small farmers have proven more adept at increasing volumes than improving quality" (30). To start, I feel that Vietnam's coffee produce and rice produce reflects Vietnam's national aesthetics. Rice and Vietnamese coffee are a staple in every Vietnamese household, and it is a really big let down to know that Vietnam is able to shell out, hypothetically, twice as many rice and coffee products than improve on quality. I know that many people are a big fan of Vietnamese coffee, so to improve the quality of coffee beans is of utmost importance especially because Vietnamese coffee is well-known to other ethnic groups. In general, improving quality of the produce that Vietnam is exporting is a really good start for Vietnam's rebranding because then people who buy the coffee beans or rice will be able to say "This is imported straight from Vietnam!" and people would be glad for it. I feel that the Vietnamese themselves and the overseas Vietnamese would be able to facilitate Vietnam's development, and to also help foresee Vietnam's national branding.

How to traditionally make Vietnamese coffee with a drip-brewer.
Source: https://eatlittlebird.com/how-to-make-vietnamese-coffee/

Works Cited:

Pincus, Jonathan. "Why Doesn't Vietnam Grow Faster?: State Fragmentation and the Limits of Vent for Surplus Growth." Journal of Southeast Asian Economies (JSEAE) 32.1 (2015): 26-51.

Week 10 - Naomi Almanzor

Question: Consider Viet Nam as a case study for National Aesthetics. What may be a plausible branding, product that reflects Viet Nam's aesthetics, and which group(s) (inter)nationally could help facilitate Viet Nam's development.

Because the diaspora was such a big factor in carrying the country forward through factors such as remittances, perhaps a brand of a nation that takes care of its students, and products such as more widespread, better-funded programs, for students both domestic and abroad may reflect Viet Nam’s aesthetic of a nation with increasing ties to its diasporic population (Valverde). As for domestic-based students, the flaws in communication, regulation, and innovation with foreign institutions and the consequences suffered by students as a result, show a potential in improving these aspects in higher education management to help build this brand further (Nguyen). This may also assist in building a steadier bond between future or younger generations and Viet Nam with the knowledge that support is available from their home country.

Also, the prospective replacement of commodities like rice and coffee by “new exports and labor-intensive manufactures” may be assisted by the further development and advancement of transnational higher education in Viet Nam (Pincus). The curricula and training based on other nations that have resources better suited to these particular industries, along with nations or areas that have adopted the same moderate-liberal model in domestic-based foreign education such as Hong Kong and Singapore may also help Viet Nam increase their focus on education and assist in their economic development by reducing their reliance on imports.

My Question: Is relying on the diasporic population a common method of growth for developing countries?

Sources

Image: https://www.vietnammanufacturingexpo.com/

Nguyen G., Shillabeer A. (2013) Issues in Transnational Higher Education Regulation in Vietnam. In: Mandal P. (eds) Proceedings of the International Conference on Managing the Asian Century. Springer, Singapore

Pincus, J. "Why Doesn’t Vietnam Grow Faster?: State Fragmentation and the Limits of Vent for Surplus Growth." Journal of Southeast Asian Economies (JSEAE), vol. 32 no. 1, 2015, pp. 26-51. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/article/580398.

Valverde, Kieu-Linh Caroline. Transnationalizing Viet nam: community, culture, and politics in the diaspora. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2012.

Week 10 - Jaselle Abuda

Jaselle Abuda

ASA 189F

Professor Valverde

27 November 2017

Week 10 Blogpost

Approaching Viet Nam as a case study for National Aesthetics, a plausible branding of a product that reflects Viet Nam’s aesthetics would be transnational education as explained in the article Issues in Transnational Higher Education Regulation in Vietnam by George Nguyen and Anna Shillabeer. The groups that best assists in facilitating Viet Nam’s development would be foreign investors and the government of Viet Nam itself. However, since transnational education is a new method of approaching new lengths in higher education in Viet Nam, it may resume potential risks “in terms of financial, personnel, legal and other considerations due to the increased investments required” (Nguyen & Shillabeer 638). As the risks of transnational education may lead to a potential fiasco, commercial presence seems to be the most popular model in Viet Nam as it gives students the opportunity to acquire a foreign degree while being in Viet Nam. As explained in the article, “Vietnam is ready and able to embrace of global trends in education and become a player on the world stage in terms of graduate placement in the workforce” (Nguyen & Shillabeer 640). Viet Nam’s government has been giving preliminary measures in showing their active participation of investing in Viet Nam’s education as their policies and governance measured to be plausible in sustaining Viet Nam’s development. However, there must be more improvements in the government regulations and mutual partnerships in terms of internationalizing higher education in Vietnam as it still lacks a sufficient regulatory framework that suffices in collaborating between foreign investors and the student attainment of Vietnamese students.

 

Photo credits: https://blog.navitasventures.com/transnational-education-partnerships-and-internationalisation-gei-75-6fc581aa5122

 Question: As explained in the article of all the risks and precautions of TNE, is transnational education the best path for Viet Nam even though Viet Nam is more than enthusiastic in approaching this new model of acquiring higher education through international investments?

Week 10 - Riley Frederking

Bridging the Divide

            I believe it is important to look at a country as a whole—the culture, government, local resources, technological capabilities, and population—rather than as separated pieces. While it is a necessary to narrow down focus to feasibly increase and sustain a nation’s aesthetics, it must be done with inclusive consideration, with all aspects of the nation in mind. In addition, in order to grow, a country must have to people behind it, which requires bridging distances both metaphorically and literally, particularly for those countries with large populations overseas, which requires good governance.

            Nations, such as Botswana, have “fostered the conditions of governance that have ensured stability and social and economic progress” (Lewin 82). Such governance, which depends on good relations both with other countries and with their own population abroad, can close the fragmented boundaries that may inhibit countries from growth. Viet Nam however, as George Nguyen and Anna Shillabeer argue, is currently experiencing “a lack of governance in quality control for the penetration of western transnational education in this [Vietnam] country" (Nguyen & Shillabeer, 637). The Vietnamese government needs to direct focus to “the development of policies that emphasize the important contribution that overseas Vietnamese students can make to their home country” (Gribble 305). 

            It has been argued that “overseas Vietnamese population could not possibly make a significant impact on the country’s development” (Valverde). However, in order for Viet Nam to prosper, it is imperative that they utilize the benefits of their overseas population, particularly their international students. Cate Gribble asserts “today’s international student is intimately connected through communication technology and globalized media forms and many overseas Vietnamese students are eager to maintain personal and professional connections with Vietnam” (304). Each country’s future depends on the younger generations, and it has been shown that “bright young talents go on to become the leaders required for the sustained development needed in many developing countries” (Gribble 305). Thus, the Vietnamese government should work to develop “policies that emphasize the important contribution that overseas Vietnamese students can make to their home country” (Gribble 305).  This will ultimately enrich not only Viet Nam as whole, but also help to develop transnational relations with other countries as well.

Chippendale, Emma, et al. “Political Remittances and Political Transnationalism: Narratives, Political Practices and the Role of the State.” OxPol, University of Oxford, 25 July 2017. Digital Image.

Gribble, Cate. “National Policies on Skilled Labour and the Cross-border Student Market, with a Focus on Vietnam.”  Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific. Higher Education Dynamics, vol 36. Springer, Dordrecht.

Jonathan Pincus. “Why Doesn’t Vietnam Grow Faster?: State Fragmentation and the Limits of Vent for Surplus Growth.”

Lewin, Michael. “Botswana’s Success: Good Governance, Good Policies, and Good Luck.” Pp. 81-90.

Nguyen, George and Anna Shillabeer. “Issues in transnational higher education regulation in Vietnam.” Proceedings of the International Conference on Managing the Asian Century, Springer, Singapore. pp. 637-644. 2013.

Valverde, Kieu-Linh Caroline. “Introduction: Transnationalizing Viet Nam, Community Culture and Politics in the Diaspora" 2012. pp. 1-28