asiaContents

asiaReport4 LEGACY OF THE BEJING OLYMPICS

6 “THE BEST AND WORST THING ABOUT JAPAN IS THE POPULATION”

8 TOKYO CONVENIENCE

9 A LEADING GLOBAL BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

10 BORDERLINE BIZ.

12 BRIDGING CULTURES

14 HUAWEI TAKES THE LEAD FOR 4G

15 PAY WITH TV MOBILE

16 SHIPPING - AN INDUSTRY ON THE MOVE

18 GETTING WUFFED IN CHINA

19 THE SIxTH ExTINCTION

20 THE NORTHENMOST TIGER IS ON THE HUNT

22 EFFICIENCY AND PERFECTION

22 ONE-WAY TICKET TO SHANGHAI

asiaOffice2 LETTER FROM HEAD OF OFFICE

3 OFFICE REPRESENTATIVES

6 “THE BEST AND WORST THING ABOUT JAPAN IS THE POPULATION”

Photo: Anton Kolbe

asiaLetter

The magazine you are reading right now is the result of this

fantastic semester in Taiwan. Chalmers students from all over

Eastern Asia participated to accomplish it.

My feeling right now is happiness, partly due to that I have had

the chance to travel so much and meet a lot of new people,

partly because I am having such a good time in a country almost

10000 kilometers away from home: new culture, different logics,

difficult language and interesting food.

I did not really expect anything when I came here to Taiwan but

I knew it was different. My goals were to learn the language,

taste the food and get new experiences from a global world far

from home. Taiwan is a beautiful mix of so many things. It is hard

to put it in one category of countries. It is such an interesting

island in an exciting part of the world in times of change. I will

never regret I took the chance to be a part of it as an exchange

student from Chalmers.

To be honest, I do not really think that students home in

Sweden realize the opportunity that is given to them with

Chalmers Asia. The small technical university at the west coast

of Sweden suddenly shows up on the international arena. It

gives us as students a chance to visit international corporations,

talk with CEOs and travel around learning more about different

industries. Studying abroad for about one year is just what a

student needs to get a more complete world experience. I

needed to complete myself.

Johan Svennung

2

asiaOffice RepresentativesasiaChronicle

The grand reopening and 6th anniversary

of the Chalmers office at NCTU Taiwan in

september was the beginning of a long line

of events following throughout the autumn

semester.

The grand opening was followed a few weeks

later by the two professional dancers in

our crew giving a lesson in Swedish Boggie

to interested Taiwanese and international

students.

Next up in the rather long line of events was

a movie night and two evenings of continueing

tradition – teaching the Taiwanese to play floor

ball. Then came advent and the lighting of the

first of four candles, gingerbread, mulled wine

and all around merriment.

The Nobel price ceremony interrupted the

Christmas preparations. With Nobel being

Swedish we decide to give the students at

NCTU a bit of a feeling for what it might be

like, with fancy clothes and champagne. Next

was the very Swedish Tradition of Lucia with

more gingerbread and Lucia buns and singing

that was appreciated by the visitors. The final

event of the semester was on Christmas

eve itself where visitors got to help make

decorations, build a gingerbread house and

sing songs.

So there you have a brief review of our first

semester here. Mixed in with school work

and the joys and troubles of surviving in, and

exploring a very different country than our

own, we have displayed some of our own

culture through these activities. But enough

about that, now on to what you have been

waiting for, the brand new Chalmers Asia

Magazine in your hands. Enjoy!

Johan Svennung - Head of Office.

Graduate student at the Department of Business Admintration

and Electrical Engineering at NCTU. Similar background at

Chalmers University of Technology.

Jesper Nilsson - Deputy Head of Office.

Graduate student at the Department of Applied Chemistry

at NCTU. Similar Background at Chalmers University of

Technology.

Mattias Winsten - Representative.

Responsible for the Alumni group. Graduate student at the

Department of Electrical Engineering at NCTU. Similar

background at Chalmers University of Technology.

Anders Twetman - Representative

Editor of the Chalmers Asia Magazine. Graduate student at

NCTU’s Department of Electrical and Control Engineering.

Similar background at Chalmers University of Technology.

Karl-Johan Sellberg - Representative

Art Director of the Chalmers Asia Magazine. Graduate

student at the Department of Architecture at NCTU. Similar

background at Chalmers University of Technology.

Martina Johansson - Representative.

Member of the Corporate Relations group. Graduate student

at the Department of Bioscience and Engineering at NCTU.

Similar background at Chalmers University of Technology.

Maria Arvidsson - Representative.

Member of the Academic Exchange group. Graduate student

at the Department of Applied Chemistry and Environmental

Engineering at NCTU. Similar background at Chalmers

University of Technology.

Anna Gunnarsson - Representative.

Member of the Academic Exchange group. Graduate student

at the Department of Management Technology at NCTU.

Background from the Department of Mechanical Engieneering

at Chalmers University of Technology.

3

4

It has gone a little over four mounts since the end of the

Olympic games in Beijing and I have been there to see

what has happened in the city in that time.

My first impression of Beijing as I look out of the window of

the air plane is.... Brown. Dusty fields and uniform houses seen

through a haze of low clouds or smog – I cant really tell the

difference – dull,boring brown. All that changes the next day, as

I go to the Swedish embassy for an interview with commercial

officer Joakim Diamant. The sky is blue and the sun is shining

and Joakim, who has been living here for 3,5 years, points out

that because of the Olympic games there are many more days

of blue sky than before. Looking out the window, one can see a

tall building not so far away and Joakim tells me that before the

Olympics it was common that this building was so coverd by

the smog that it was invisible.

He explains that some big factories where moved from the

central parts of the city before the games and despite an average

number of 1000 new cars per day, the air is still cleaner. This is

due to the Beijing government limiting the number of days per

week any given car can drive within the city limits. All in all,

much was done to make the environment - especially the air

quality - better.

That the air is fresher and that there are more days of blue sky

is something that Jessie, my contact at Ericsson, also mentions

when I meet her at the Ericsson tower. She has lived in Beijing

and worked as an accountant for Ericsson for 1,5 years and even

during this relatively short time she has noticed many changes

due to the Olympic games. Except for the environment she says

that the communication has become better with more buses

and new subway lines. The buses have also become cheaper.

She also tells me that Beijing has invested much money in new

building projects, Olympic facilities such as the Water Cube and

the National Stadium being the most obvious. Joakim says it has

not been limited to that, but that many other things have been

built. This is partly due to the general economical growth in the

country but he thinks it would not have been so much and so

spectacular so quickly had it not been for the games. After the

pre-game rush some of the heavy traffic involved in the building

projects has diminished and this has also contributed to the

good air.

The changes in Beijing due to the games are not only physical,

both Jessie and Joakim point out that there has been a change

in the people. The people have gained a new confidence in

themselves and become more openminded and friendly. They

dare to get in touch with others more often and some even

learned English for the Olympics. There is also a new found

national pride and, according to Joakim Diamant, China as a

country is showing its strength more as the games have taken it

one step further on to the international arena. Part of this step

is of course the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai which, some say,

is the next big thing after the Olympics. That it will be held in

Shanghai rather than Beijing could be because financial centre

Shanghai wants to show culture capital Beijing that it too can

put on a big event, as part of an ongoing rivalry between Chinas

two major cities.

However, time flies, and both Joakim and Jessie say that it is

sometimes hard to believe that it has already been four months.

The preparations for the Olympics where big and during the

actual games there was much going on as some people would

even stop working to watch an important event, but afterwards

things quickly slowed down. According to Joakim, the tourists

who would normally show up in September came in lesser

numbers this year as the “big thing” had already happened.

Quite a dramatic slowdown in my opinion.

Legacy of the Beijing OlympicsText: Anders Twetman Photo: Anders Twetman

5

Even though I myself experience a blue sky every day of my stay

in Beijing it will not necessarily stay this way. The smog might

be on its way back, just as some of the beggars – who were

moved to other places during the games – have found heir way

back. In the same way, some clubs and bars of the less sightly

kind are starting to reopen after having been closed. To put it

simply, many things where done before and during the Olympics

but things are going back to normal now that the spotlight

of the world is aimed elsewhere. However, people hope that

the changes are here to stay and there is a generally positive

atmosphere about them.

So what is the Olympic legacy? I see the most obvious one

with my own eyes, the large, empty stadium that, together with

the rest of the Olympic venues, is unlikely to be put to full use

again in the near future. Apart from this, the communications

are better and cheaper, the environment is fresher and cleaner

and the city is full of people who are more open minded, more

friendly and have more pride and confidence in them selves. Will

these changes last long enough to become a real legacy? Let’s

hope so, but only time can tell.

6

When visiting “Tokyo City View” located on the top

floor of Mori Tower, a 54-floor building in Roppongi Hills

in the center of Tokyo, looking at the panoramic view

without finding any end of the high buildings raising

up all over beneath me, my friend suddenly exclaimed:

“This is the first time I’m in a city that I find to be too

big for me!”.

It is rather impossible to see the end of Tokyo metropolitan

from Mori Tower, at most you can recognize a building that is

located in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture which is next to

Tokyo prefecture, and on a clear day you can sometimes see

Mount Fuji. But that is it. Perhaps I should use the term Tokyo

megalopolis instead of Tokyo metropolis. Tokyo is namely a part

of the Tokaido corridor, a megalopolis (an continuous chain

of metropolitan areas) which stretches from Ibaraki, through

Tokyo and Kanagawa, it passes Osaka all the way down to Oita

prefecture in the south. It stretches over 1200 km and it includes

82.9 million of Japan’s 129 million people.

Is it the size of this massive Metropolis (or Megalopolis) that

makes life in Tokyo so special? Or is it perhaps rather the

population density?

Out of the 33 million people living in Tokyo, 8,652,700 people are

living in the 23 wards of Tokyo, together these municipals form

the core of Tokyo . Most of the places people would think of when

talking about Tokyo, places like Shibuya, Shinjuku and Meguro,

are located within the 23 wards. Because of their popularity

and their attractiveness in form of restaurants, shopping, events

and other entertainment, the population density for these areas

is more than double of other parts of Tokyo; population density

of the 23 wards are 13,890 people per km2 compared to 5,796

people per km2 for the Greater Tokyo Area. These numbers

could also be compared to the population density of New York

which is 10,482 per km² and 1,108 per km2 for Gothenburg.

“The best and worst thing about Japan is the Population”Text: Rebecka Weideman Photo: Anton Kolbe

9

Recently, the concept of Quality of Life (e.g. the degree of

well-being felt by an individual or group of people) has been

frequently discussed in Japan. Having that high population

density means that an enormous amount of people has to live

in and share the same space. This can many times be frustrating

for the citizens and can have a negative effect on the Quality

of Life; to never be able to sit down on the train, to always

bump into people while walking the streets, always queuing for

restaurants and exhibitions and so on. But in a survey made by a

European magazine in 2007 which used criteria such as housing,

cost of transportation, crime rate, education and environment,

availability of public Wi-Fi net access, restaurant hours and so

on, Tokyo actually came as number four despite the general

trend for smaller cities (cities with less than 2 million people)

to rank higher than larger cities.

The following comment found in a forum on the internet might

explain the high ranking of Tokyo in the survey;

“The best and worst thing about Japan is the population”.

Because of the high population density Japanese society has

become better and better at efficiently using public space. Talking

to Japanese people who have been living in different places in

Japan they still find Tokyo to be one of their favorite places

to live. “-Tokyo has so many business opportunities and it is

soo benri!!”, the older man explains. Benri means “convenient”

in Japanese. And yes, there are many things in Tokyo that are

convenient, I would rather say that Tokyo is the birth place of

“convenient” inventions (see next page).

So, as a “Tokyoite”, if you find it hard to stand sharing the space

with all of the 14 000 people living in your neighborhood, you

just need to remind yourself that, maybe it is just because of

the high population, just because of the high population density,

that all of these clever “convenient” inventions has been made

possible.

Hard work in the Body shop, Bangkok factory

8

Pay with your cell phone

No more cash and no more plastic cards – all you need to pay in stores and on

trains is your keitai.

Tokyo Convenience

asiaGadgets

Click & pay – ordering at restaurants

No more misunderstandings when ordering, just enter some money and press a

button and give the ticket you receive from the machine to the waitress and you

will be served.

Plastic sample menus

Have you ever ordered something that sounds good and got really disappointed when the food arrives?

This is not a problem in Tokyo, most of the restaurants literally shows you the food at the entrance.

Toilets with flushing sound buttons

Walls in Japan are quite thin and sometimes you just don’t want

to share everything with others…

Automatic multi-level parking system

Land in Tokyo is scarce which makes parking really expensive so Japanese tend to build on the height and

not on the width. Just park the car on the parking pallet and the car will be automatically be moved to an

empty place on some upper level of the building.

Umbrella dryer

No more accidents in shops because of wet floors

– this environmentally friendly gadget will quickly dry your umbrella.

2D code bars

If you get lost you can always take up your cell phone, take a photo of

the 2D code bar on the street sign and the phone will connect to the

internet and download a map of where you are.

Convenience stores

Convenience stores is said to be “the only shop you will ever need”. It is open 24 hours

a day so you can buy all your days meals here; breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and alcohol.

You can also buy flight- and concert tickets, withdraw money, pay your bills, use the toilet

or the laundry service and even borrow money from their bank service.

100 yen stores

“10 kronor” stores never became a hit in Sweden but in Japan it is definitely popular, both young students and

business men shops at this store to buy everything from food to kitchen ware.

Trains

The trains arrives every second minute, it will take you anywhere and you hardly

ever need to walk further than a few hundred meters from the station to get to your

destination.

Text: Rebecka Weideman Photo: Rebecka Weideman

Tokyo Convenience

9

Biotechnology is an expanding field in most

developed countries. From the beginning of year 2000

biotechnology companies has practically exploaded and

is now increasing as never before, by making money out

of basic research.

In the year 2000 the Japanese government funded a lot of

companies in the biotechnology field as well as research and

development with the goal to become world leading in five

years. This goal was achieved in 2005 as planned, when Japan

actually had the second largest biotechnology sector in the

world after United States.

By 2010, the Japanese government predicts that its biotechnology

market will reach 25 trillion yen and create at least 1000 new bio-

based companies, driven primarily by transferring basic research

and development into industries that are entrepreneurial in

nature.

Biotechnological innovations incorporate biomass materials and

information into processes, services, goods or tools that can be

applied to the development of new medicines and foods, create

new energy sources, or generate new organs. Drug discovery

and medical treatments gets the greatest attention because of

their potential of making money. 40% of the current market in

Japan is credited to bio-pharmaceuticals.

As we can see, Japan was an obvious destination for me as a

graduate student in Biotechnology. I went to Tokyo to visit The

Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry,

the largest and oldest biotechnology association in Japan. The

association was founded in 1924 as an academic organization

with the purpose of contributing to scientific, technological and

industrial developments, mostly in the field of agriculture. In

1989 the Agricultural Chemical Society of Japan changed its name

to the current as its research fields had greatly expanded.

Today these fields incorporates environmental science, food and

plant science, organic and bioorganic chemistry, enzymology,

microbiology, virology, tissue engineering and a lot more. The

visit was very exciting, and very secretive.

When I entered the building they took my camera and cellphone

and my laptop was properly sealed with tape. I was then guided

by two Ph.d students that showed me around in this giant

building that was completely stuffed with engineers, researches,

professors and teachers in lab after lab. I soon realized how

Japan can be so far ahead in this field. A strong commitment

together with working spirit and first-class technology can’t

possibly fail. All the labs were super modern and had very costly

equipment.

This is not the only research complex in Japan. In fact, only

this association have seven buildings of the same size spread

throughout the country.

Socially, bio-based innovations have two clear markets. The

aging population in Japan will benefit from new diagnostic

treatments, medical equipment, and other applications for home

and health. The second covers innovations that can ease the

growing environmental and energy concerns. After my visit to

Japan, I am more convinced than ever that biotechnology really

is the world’s most modern research field, as well as the future

solutions to modern concerns.

A leading global biotechnology industryText: Martina Johansson

South Korea has technically been at war with its northern

neighbour for more than 50 years and the boarder is

under constant surveillance from international parties.

The question then, must be; what is it like to try to live

a normal life and run a business in a country in constant

conflict?

July 27, 1953 the Korean war ended with cease fire. Since the

two countries haven’t signed an official peace treaty, they are

still technically at war and the situation is tense. North and

South Korea are devided on the 38th degree of latitude and the

boarder is the world’s most surveiled demilitarized zone, also

known as the DMZ. Under these conditions an economy of

gigantic proportions is thriving, aiming to become the economic

centre of Northern Asia. It is just recently that things have taken

a turn for the worse... again.

The so called Sunshine Policy, established by the former South

Korean president (and Nobel Peace Prize winner) Kim Dae Jung

in 1998, has been abruptly halted. The policy was considered

by many as an attempt to prepare for a unified Korea. The

Sunshine Policy emphasized cooperation and major economic

assistance for the hungering North Korean population. The

frosty relationship was getting better and few argue the fact

that things were looking up. This made the very isolated North

Korea open a few windows.

In 2004 this resulted in the opening of Kaesong Industrial Park,

an economical cooperation between North and South Korea,

located one hour from Seoul. The industrial park basically

consists of South Korean companies constructing manufacturing

facilities with North Korean labour, employing over 30 000

North Koreans. The story goes that a poor North Korean boy

stole one of his villages cows and went south to sell it. For the

money he earned he started his own business. As his business

grew the boy, who now was a man, wanted to return what he

Borderline Biz.Text: Maria Arvidsson / Jesper Nilsson Photo: Maria Arvidsson

10

once had stolen. After some calculation he decided to return one

thousand cows to his home village. This gesture gave the man,

who was the founder of Hyundai, a very good reputation in North

Korea and improved the relationship between the countries. So

it might not be a coincidence that Hyundai Asan, a devision of the

Hyundai empire, got the contract for the development of Kaesong.

Another example of good will between the two countries was

the opening of some mountain tourist areas, the Mount Gumgang

tourist region in the very east of Korea.

The election of sitting South Korean president Lee Myung-bak in

2008, changed things dramatically. The new government has put a

stop to further implements of the Sunshine Policy, mainly due to

the lack of response from the North Korean side regarding the

dismantling of it´s Nuclear program. Since the fifties, and still, the

defence of South Korea relies greatly on US assistance. It’s said

that the withdrawal and passing of command will soon take place,

putting South Korean military in charge once again.

It’s astonishing, the attitude Koreans have to each other. No

doubt do most South Koreans refer to themselves simply as

Koreans, there’s no distinguishing of sides and it’s hard to make

out the extreme situation they’re in. The answer to the question

of unification is predominantly positive. The issue is not when

but how, and at what cost. It’s obvious that the main concern is

the enormous change of cash flow a united Korea initially would

experience.

Perhaps it’s the people of an exhausted nation, tired of hardships

that eventually have to decide. From an international point of

view there’s not much to gain from a unification in the six-state

region. The initiative most likely has to come from within, through

cooperation and political contact. As generations shifts, this may

prove more difficult as the population remembering a united

Korea grows ever thinner.

However a shot at new, improved international relations may

have appeared on the horizon as there’s a new player stressing

the importance of international talks in charge in the US.

11

12

The cultural differences between the east and the west

can be a huge barrier to any foreigner trying to adapt to

the Japanese society, even more so than the language.

Despite this; with just a little interest and effort this

problem can be mended if you have the necessary

tools.

The process of understanding a new culture can be both

difficult, painful and time consuming, especially if you lack a good

approach. So I did what every respectable science student would

have done, I explored the literature and applied it in practice.

This turned out to be a good move. One could argue that it

would have been easier to ask a native Japanese citizen but that

method falls short because most individuals are not aware of

what factors that form their behavioural patterns, what makes

them “tick”.

There is a vast amount of information on this topic but after

some research I found two of the real gurus in the field,

Geert Hofstede and Gert Jan Hofstede (Yes they are related).

Together they argue that the cultural learning process can be

divided in to three steps. Awareness, Knowledge and Skills. Of

these awareness is the most important because it requires

the individual to understand his own mental programming and

what implications this has on his social interaction in a foreign

cultural context.

A good example is nepotism, that is shunned in a Swedish

context, but to not act accordingly would dishonour our peers in

a Japanese context. This difference can, along with many others,

be traced back to one of the fundamental differences between

the Japanese collectivist and the Swedish more individualist

oriented cultures.

The root cause can be traced to how the emphasis on social

acceptance of an individual is oriented. In Sweden each individual

is assessed and judged based on his different skills, capabilities

and so on while in Japan your organizational belonging is vastly

Bridging CulturesText: Magnus Kruber / Erik Hallberg Photo: Magnus Kruber

13

more important. You practically exist through your organization,

something that became exceedingly apparent to me the more I

mentioned my Japanese university in regular conversations with

Japanese citizens.

The next step in the process is to gain knowledge about the

particular culture. For this end Hofstede utilizes the terminology

and framework created by C G Jung, learning about the cultural

symbols, heroes and rituals. This terminology describes the

core of the mental programming that in the end constitutes

the individuals we are, and explain why we act and react as we

do in different situations. A business application of this would

be the customary exchange of business cards, or “Meishi”, not

something to be taken lightly as it is closely linked to personal

and professional respect.

The last and final stage is skills. Skills are gained by combining the

first two to steps and applying them in practie. The possibilities

to do this prior to the arrival are available through practical

but expensive courses thus predominantly utilized by company

executives. Instead my advice is to quickly form bonds and

spend a lot of time with your Japanese peers at your university

institution. They have more or less an obligation to help you and

frequently your supervising professor will assign you a fellow

Japanese student to assist you in practical matters. Moreover

closer relationships make it easier for your peers to express

what possible faults or offence you commit where a more

distant peer would not because the risk of brining you shame.

This type of pragmatic approach to the final step involving your

institutional peers creates a safe and efficient environment for

you to evolve in.

These three steps will ultimately open your mind to new mental

programming, thus allow you to assimilate new symbols, heroes

and rituals as well as finally hone your social relation skills, thus

hopefully allow you a more smooth transition into the Japanese

society.

14

Mobile phone with TV and super fast, cheap, mobile

broadband access. Those are the latest trends in the

mobile business, presented at a congress in Macau a few

weeks ago. The Chinese company Huawei dominated

the congress and try to pass Swedish Ericsson in

the development race for next generation mobile

telecommunication.

In Asia, the name of the game is TV - everywhere. On the bus,

on the train and at home. The Chinese mobile phone producer

ZTE showed a bunch of new phones prepared for analogue

and digital TV, double SIM cards and support for communication

over IP.

On the system side, mobile broadband is still the hottest thing,

but now it is all about making the Internet connection even

faster, cheaper and more mobile. Chinese Huawei, that produces

system equipment for telecommunication showed its latest

advancements in fourth generation mobile telecommunication

– LTE.

Huaweis biggest competitor is Ericsson, who did not participate

in the congress but still had a few scouts on location. Even

though Ericsson at the moment is in the lead concerning

the development of LTE, Huawei is quickly catching up. Every

month Huawei’s LTE department increases by a little over 100

researchers and engineers. At Huawei, a total of 800 people are

working with LTE and 500 with SAE, the network architecture

behind LTE. Most of them have previously worked with research

and development of GSM, where about 5000 people still work.

The LTE development takes place at four locations around the

world, three in China and one in Kista, Sweden.

”LTE is extreemly important for us but it will take another few

years before system and terminals are developed enough for

consumers to use the technology”, says Jason Hao at Huawei.

Another advantage for Huawei is that the company started to

work with the network standard WiMAX five years ago, which

is more similar to LTE than 3G is.

Huawei takes the lead for 4G Text: Anders Frick Photo: Anders Frick

Facts:

Huaweis approximate plan for LTE is as follows:

2008: Final standard for LTE decided before the year is over

2009: The first commercial LTE products for testing launching on the market

2010: Hauwei launches LTE for the operators and more mature products are developed

2011: The operators will probably have a few hot spots where LTE works

2013: Commercial launch of LTE from operators to consumers

15

Jason HaoThe mobile phone of the future contains both a wallet and

an entertainment system. And further on, you will even be

able to pay with your phone, via a wireless transaction chip.

That is at least what the organization GSM Association hope

for with their project ”Pay-Buy-Mobile”

”Instead of swiping your credit card when you go shopping,

you just hold your phone in front of a reader and hey presto,

the hamburger or shoes are payed for”, says Bob Lovett,

marketing director of GSM Association.

Right now a pilot project is on the way in a number of

countries - including France - to ensure that the solution

will work with different types of payment systems. GSM

Association have decided that Pay-Buy-Mobile should follow

the standard Single Wire Protocol.

”This will be available within two years, as I see it”, says Bobn

Lovett.

Pay with the TV-MobileText: Anders Frick Photo: Rebecka Weideman

Within the first six months of 2009 the company promises

the first commercial launch to operators. After that it is up

to the operators to decide when to let normal users take

part of the technology.

However, many operators will keep using HSPA and the

upgraded version HSPA+ a while longer. HSPA+ will soon

be released and can reach speeds up too 42 Mbps.

”At the start, the operators will probably use different

versions of HSPA together with LTE. But LTE is more

advanced, easier to use and really the ultimate technology.

The prices will also decrease drastically, both for operators

and end consumers, since the base stations are much more

efficient”, says Jason Hao.

Facts:

To be able to pay with Pay-Buy-Mobile, a special SIM card is

needed, called UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) and

a special NFC-chip (Near Field Technology), together with

payment software from e.g. VISA or Mastercard. Moreover

the seller must have the correct equipment.

16

Shipping - An industry on the moveText: Henrik Svensson / Göran Nilsson Photo: Henrik Svensson / Göran Nilsson

Shipping of goods is a vital part of today’s economy,

fueled by worldwide trade. In addition, the future

prospects of the shipping industry are looking bright

with the accelerating globalization. Yet, shipping is

relatively anonymous amongst Chalmers students

and few choose to pursue a career within the industry.

To learn more about the industry and hopefully be

inspired, we met up with Anna Lundgren and Anna

Holstensson, who are both working in Singapore for

shipping companies, to discuss their experiences.

Before coming to Singapore, Anna L studied Industrial

Engineering and Management in Lund. Her interest in working

abroad led her to write her Master’s Thesis for a company in

Singapore. While doing so, she got in contact with the Danish

shipping giant Maersk at a career fair. Today, she is employed by

Maersk Tankers with operations for Handytankers, a partnership

between five large shipping companies that operate a Pool of

product tankers.

Maersk was the first contact with the shipping industry for

Anna H as well. During her studies in chemistry at Gothenburg

University she worked part time, as well as writing her Master’s

Thesis, for Maersk. After graduation she went on to participate

in Maersk’s international trainee program, where she got placed

in Singapore. Since then she has been working at the logistics,

finance & accounting and customer service departments at

Maersk. Currently she is working as a Systems Manager at Shipco

Transport, a non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC).

NVOCCs operate as logistics intermediaries booking space on

ships and selling it in smaller quantities.

The shipping value chain begins with the customers – companies

and individuals demanding freight transportation. The next

step is forwarders (e.g. NVOCCs), whose main function is

to consolidate volumes and buy shipping capacity from the

shipping lines (e.g Handytankers). Between the forwarders and

the shipping lines there can also be shipbrokers, buying capacity

from shipping lines and selling it to forwarders. Naturally, not

all shipments go through the entire value chain customer –

forwarder – ship broker – shipping line. A really large customer,

for instance, may skip both forwarders and ship brokers and

negotiate directly with shipping lines.

So far about the industry and our interviewees’ backgrounds,

but what is it like to live in Singapore in general and work

with shipping specificly? Are there big differences compared to

Sweden? Anna and Anna both agree that there are differences

compared to back home. Even though Singapore is somewhat

“Asia light”, it is still important to be aware of the Asian culture.

An example is that it is important not to make anyone lose his

or her face. Anna L points out that it is important to be humble.

Not in such a way that one needs to be afraid to take initiatives,

but simply just to avoid the “here-I-am-I-know-everything“-

attitude. Even if this is not the most popular attitude in Sweden

either, it is especially important as a westerner in Asia to have a

respectful attitude towards the locals. Another big difference is

the attitude towards meeting times and deadlines, which both

interviewees find to be worse in Singapore than in Sweden.

When asked how she deals with it, Anna H says, half joking, that

she uses the simple strategy of being moderately late herself

to avoid the frustration of spending too much time waiting for

others.

The social life in Singapore is something that both find very

satisfying. They rarely go straight home after work. Instead

they go for dinner with friends and of course for an occasional

drink or two. A lot of business in the industry is made in

person, making personal contacts very important, so there are

numerous networking functions. The picture we get from our

conversation with Anna & Anna, as well as other people working

with shipping, is that the people in the industry often spend

time together, both professionally and personally. It is common

to have friends among both clients and customers and even

competitors.

Another example of cultural differences is shown in company

parties in Singapore. A typical Singaporean get-together consists

17

of playing games of various kinds, as well as eating food. A

popular way to get everybody to stay as long as possible is to

have a lucky draw at midnight.

The next office happening for Anna H is a treasure hunt in the

city, where the participants will try to find various things and

“collect them” by taking photos of them. The get-togethers are

quite different from the typical Swedish company parties (let’s-

get-drunk-and-do-things-we-will-regret-tomorrow).

We have covered the cultural perspective about working in

Asia, but what is it like to be a young woman in an industry

dominated by middle-aged men? Not surprisingly, Anna L who

is working within shipping operations – “hard core shipping”, is

almost entirely working with men.

Although she acknowledges the risk for “little girl”-attitudes,

she finds men easy to work with, so she does not have any

problem with the male domination in numbers. Anna H does

not have any problem with male domination either. Her office

is actually pretty even in terms of male vs. female employees.

Several companies in the industry are trying to even out the

gender distribution. As an example is Maersk, who, according to

Anna H, employs 50 % women in their trainee program.

Looking into the future, neither Anna H nor Anna L plans to

leave Asia. They both agree that Singapore offers an exotic

and comfortable lifestyle compared to Sweden. At work, it is

not negative for the career to be a westerner. Rather, our less

hierarchical culture and mindset often allow us to take more

initiatives, which may lead to faster promotion.

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Getting wuffed in China Text: Karl-Johan Sellberg Photo: Karl-Johan Sellberg

WUF is short for the World Urban Forum and is the

United Nations and UN Habitat´s attempt to deal

with global environmental issues and also an attempt

to create an open international forum for knowledge,

debate, exchange of experience and solutions to

problems of housing and building - as close to reality as

possible.

The theme for this year was ”Harmonious Urbanisation: The

Challenge of Balanced Territorial Development”. The actual

manifestation involved around 8000 participants. During four

days in the beginning of November people from all over the

world came just to participate in the fourth edition of the

biannual conference WUF. The schedule included a wide array

of activities; both social events and more lecture-like events all

parallel with the big exhibition where countries, organisations,

foundations and companies expressed themselves and their

opinions.

The Chinese government hosted this event which took place in a

huge and newly built conference area on the outskirts of Nanjing.

Giant billboards were seen all around Nanjing announcing the

conference in a loud and proud manner.

3/4 of the total exhibition area was filled with Chinese provinces

promoting themselves, mostly with some giant city models. This,

combined with my impressions of the vast construction-areas

constantly expanding Nanjing, really put the whole conference

in another point of view. It is predicted that in 50 years 2/3

of humanity will be living in cities. With China as an example;

presently a building site of epic proportions, I can now catch a

glimpse of the impact of the choices we make today will have for

the environment and sustainability of the future.

Sweden had a big participation and a great many organisations

including Boverket, the Building- Living Dialogue, the Swedish

trade council, Formas, KTH, Lund University, The Government

Offices of Sweden, The Swedish National Heritage Board, Sida,

SLU, and the project The Good City all made their contribution

to the Swedish showcase “The Swedish Centre” which

became a hub for politicians, planners, researchers, officials and

entrepreneurs. Deputy environment minister Elisabeth Falemo

was also present at the conference.

Chalmers was also present, as many students and staff from the

architecture department had travelled to Nanjing to participate

in the prize ceremony for the international student competition

“Cities without oil”. All of the competition entries were

displayed close to the Swedish centre.

WUF edition 5 will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2010.

The conferance area

The sixth extinctionText: Johan Svennung Photo:Johan Svennung

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What happens when animals become extinct due to

man, when the rainforest is subject to deforestation

or if no one takes responsibility for decreasing the

emissions that boosts the green house effect?

Issues like this were discussed by people from all around the

world together with Taiwanese students during a four days long

conference in Zhong-li, Taiwan. Including activities such as visit to

the president’s resident and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei,

yoga lesions and tips in how to relax from a Chinese Kung Fu

Master, it was a crammed schedule.

The Global Youth Leadership Summit was held for the third year

in a row and was very much like a copy from the real United

Nations agenda with declaration and commission discussions,

with each guest representing a nation. Living in a dorm, the

schedule started 07.30 a.m. every day and ended at 10 p.m. The

first day included speeches by professors in each area that was

discussed during the summit, in order to provide necessary

information for us.

Every member was further divided into one of 24 different

countries that actually have something to do with the three

current issues discussed by organisations world wide. The issues

were whether whaling should continue, whether the rainforest

should be saved and about lowering the carbon dioxide emissions

due to the Kyoto protocol.

Eight countries were in each issue, half of them were pros and

half were cons. The country members were to find arguments

for their country, and also to buy votes from other countries

with fictive money that each country got.

At the end, prices, awards and diplomas was distributed to

everyone, depending on their performance during the last

negotiations.

Spending four days with students from all over the world, one

could actually see differences between people depending on

where they come from. Most of the people agreed upon that

western people share the same habits and that one actually can

feel like home, by visiting another western country. While being

in an eastern country, almost every day is a new adventure with

surprises and interesting situations one never expected to be

in.

The guests who participate were mostly students in Taiwan,

about half of these were foreigners. Many people were originally

from South and Central America or from other Asian countries.

Five Europeans participated, where one, the British oxford

student John, came all away from England, just to visit this four

day summit. The next Global Youth Leadership Summit will be

held in Taiwan next summer.

20

South Korea is on the move. As competition from low

cost countries gets tougher, so does the Korean people

as they strive to catch up with, not only the rest of Asia,

but also the west. We have visited several companies in

Korea to investigate.

It is said that South-East Asia has four newly industrialized

countries, these are also known as the Asian tigers. One of them,

South Korea is facing major competition on many levels. One is

in the production area, where China and other Asian countries

have far cheaper labor costs. For instance the production cost

in North Korea is 10% lower and in China it is 20% less than

in South Korea. Another one is in their innovation area, where

Europe is regarded as a big threat and a role model, dealing with

new thinking for several decades.

Considering that South Korea does not really have any natural

resources they have to focus on their labor force and on

innovative thinking. Their strength is in the knowledge and the

culture of hard working employees. Just like in the Japanese

culture the employees of Korean companies are expected to

work far more than that of the usual, compared to European

working hours.

It is not rare that an employee, who works in a Korean company

goes to work at six o clock in the morning, works until seven in

the evening, goes home for dinner and then continues to work

at his home until twelve. South Koreans are the hardest working

nation in the world, looking at Organization for Economic

Co-operation and Development (OECD) South Korean

employees work in average 2,357 hours per year. That is the

most out of all OECD members. Nowadays, entrances from

international firms, mostly from the west, has caused an eye-

opener for many Korean workers, showing that the international

firms only have eight hours of work per day, and that this still is

keeping the company competitive.

As for all of the four tigers, the infrastructure in the country

has shown considerable development during the last decades,

for example the complex metro system in Seoul was built in

1974 and now has the second largest amount of stations in the

world after New York City. Another modern way of intercity

transportation is KTx (Korea Train express) which was built

in 2004. KTx is a copy of the TGV from France and it makes

the country more united as it only takes two and a half hour to

travel from Seoul in the north to the next largest city Busan in

the south, in total 330 kilometers.

The South Korean economy is today on the 13:th place in the

world and on forth place in Asia. One reason is their huge

export, surely you have heard of brands like Samsung Groupe,

LG, and the car manufacturing company Hyundai Kia Automotive

Groupe. A lot of foreign companies have established offices in

South Korea, among them many Swedish companies such as

SKF, Saab and Atlas Copco.

The northernmost tiger is on the huntText: Johan Svennung / Anna Gunnarsson Photo: Anna Gunnarsson

23

To maintain their strong economy South Korea has invested a

lot of money in the education system to make it competitive

and it is common that young people continue to study after high

school. One way to make the schools more competitive was to

provide all schools in the country high speed internet access.

South Korea has the highest broadband internet access in the

world, for example you can bring your laptop down to the beach

in Busan.

This shows that South Korean society is unique. For some

curiosity, not only is their written language so unique that it is

on the list of UNESCO, but the Korean people are also uniquely

devoted to their country. Once when the country suffered from

economic crises the whole population brought all their gold to

the banks to save the country and succeeded.

Today the government is also extraordinary devoted to the

Korean industry. They will do anything to keep its shipping

industry alive and in the world lead, in fact, half of the produced

ships in the world are made in Korea. Such teamwork is rare. And

it shows that South Korea has something special, which makes

them strong and unified.

It is this, which makes Korea such a special country, a perfect

harmony between government, population and industry. They are

slowly growing towards the size of a modern western country.

The northernmost tiger is on the hunt, slowly, catching up, and

soon, very soon it will reach its competitors in the west, and then

on to new goals.

For most car manufacturers the name Toyota is

synonymous with efficiency and quality. All over the

world, companies like Volvo and Saab are trying to

implement the “Toyota model”. So what is it that

makes Toyota so special?

Toyota city is the main facility of Toyota Motor Corporation

with 8 production plants and a science park with the impressive

amount of 10 000 engineers. The production plants are located

in such a way that it only takes 15-20 min between them by

car.

Toyota city’s original name is Koromo and was changed in

1951. The natural name for Toyota would be Toyoda, the same

as the name of the company founder Kiichiro Toyoda, but to

differentiate his working life from his home life he decided to

name the company Toyota.

Toyota were pioneers in the “just in time” concept that today

is standard among anyone wanting to be a competitive car

manufacturer. Just in time means that, to decrease investments,

stocks are reduced as far as possible. This means that products

are delivered to the factory just before they will be used. As a

result of this, most of Toyotas suppliers are located in or around

Toyota City, to be close to the plants.

The efficiency and quality in Toyota is stunning. Before new

employees start working in the factories they have to go

through an introduction. The purpose of the introduction is to

educate them, both in the ideas of Toyota as well to train the

personal in assembling. So before new employees are ready for

the production line they have to pass a lot of different practical

test and learn how to follow assembly instructions and to

increase their speed. For example a test can be to wire a rope

through several rings in a short period of time.

The quality thinking in Toyota permeates the whole assembly

process e.g. all employees have the right to stop the entire

production line. The process is as following, if an employee

discovers a mistake or suspects that something is wrong with a

car on the line, he or she can pull a rope that goes around the

whole line, and an alarm is set off.

The production line is divided into workstations where each

station is responsible for assembly of a small part of the car.

A person only working with quality goes to the alarmed

workstation and helps out to solve the problem. If the problem

is not solved when the car reaches the next station the person

pulls the rope twice and the line is stopped. The car with

problems is removed from the line and is transferred to another

location in the factory.

When each car is finished a lot of tests awaits to check if it

fullfills the high quality standard. For example the at Toyota

check for scratches on both interior and exterior. A lot of

functionality tests are also performed, e.g. checks are made to

see if water leaks in and if the breaks are working property.

The working environment also holds a high standard and each

car lies on an adjustable table so that, if two workers at different

stations have different height, the car will also be on different

heights. A special hanging chair is used for some assembly

operations inside of the cars, so the employees can work in

better positions.

Toyota also concerns itself about the environment and tries to

reduce the amount of energy needed in the production. For

example have they come up with a way to dry three layers of

paint at the same time, instead of drying them layer by layer.

Apart from this Toyota, like many other Japanese companies,

also helps the environmental by planting threes. The market of

Japan differs from the market of west, and concern about noise

levels and perfection have to be made, but it results in high

efficiency and products of very high quality.

Efficiency and perfectionText: Mattias Winsten

22

Three years ago, Klara Sibeck bought a one way ticket to

China. At the time she had just got her degree in technical

design engineering from Chalmers University of Technology

and thought it was about time to get an interesting job –

for example in Shanghai.

She got her first job after only six weeks in China. That was for a

French lighting company. One of the lamps she developed there is

now sold in the Swedish store Clas Ohlson, by the name Polaris.

”I replied to an employment advert I found on the Internet and

a few days later they asked me to come to an interview. The day

after I was told I got the job, and i started working the following

Monday”, says Klara Sibeck.

The whole process from the company placing the ad until Klara got

the job took less than two weeks. After some time at the company

she switched both jobs and field of work and started working in

the manufacturing industry instead. For the last year, she has been

project manager at the design firm WILDDESIGN, where she works

with ten other people. The firm focuses on industrial and product

design, and also graphical form and marketing materials.

Klara is mainly involved with branding, graphical form and packaging.

One of her latest projects was to develop a new chewing gum

package for an American company that is going to launch a new

brand in China in the near future. On top of that, she is running her

own company which is offering production services in China.

”I feel that my engineering degree is of use, especially in these

projects. Right now, for example, I am involved in development of

an electrical vehicle for a Swedish customer”, says Klara Sibeck.

Klara has earlier been an exchange student in Taiwan, while there

she got a taste for Asia. She points out that even though the salaries

are lower in China, the taxes are also lower, which gives a pretty big

disposable income. She has friends with an age around 25, who earn

between 5000 and 50000 SEK per month, but the main reason for

working here is not the pay:

One way ticket to ShanghaiText: Anders Frick Photo: Anders Frick

Today Klara Sibeck is manager for design projects in China

”After living in Asia, Europe soon becomes rather boring”,

says Klara Sibeck.

23

National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) är det främsta tekniska

universitet i Taiwan. Universitetet har sin starkaste profil inom

elektronik och informationsteknologi. I samarbete med National

Tsing Hua University täcker utbytet alla civilingenjörsprogram på

Chalmers. Utbildning ges på engelska för studenter från Chalmers

genom anpassning av de kurser som utbytet omfattar. Utbudet

på kurser som kan ges på engelska ökar men det är en fördel att

kunna en del kinesiska varför företräde ges till de studenter som

genomgått språkkursen i kinesiska föregående sommar.

Ekonomierna i östra Asien har visat en enastående ekonomisk

utveckling under slutet av 1900-talet. Japan har fått sällskap av

Kina bland världens ekonomiska giganter. Regionen är intressant,

dynamisk och utmanade. Allt fler med teknisk utbildning kommer

att i sitt yrkesliv ha kontakter i hela området från Japan till Sin-

gapore. Därför har Chalmers utvecklat ett specialprogram som

ger studenter möjligheter till studier och erfarenheter från dessa

ekonomier.

Programmet består av följande delar:

* Intensivkurs i kinesiska, 6 veckor i juli – augusti 2009.

Kursen är förlagd till Hsinchu,Taiwan.

* Kurs i Ostasiens ekonomi och teknik, som planeras till

våren 2009.

* Studerandeutbyte med National Chiao Tung University

* Utbyten med andra partneruniversitet i Asien: Japan,

Singapore och Hong Kong.

National Chiao Tung University

Chalmers Asienprogram

24

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