On 27 June 2017, the meeting room of Shilla Stay Hotel in Seoul was buzzing with excitement. Having all flown halfway across the world, a group of 20 anxious and jet-lagged students waited in anticipation to receive their project briefs.
I was fortunate to be teamed up with three talented students to consult for Tourism Australia. However our collective skill and talent did not mean that the project was an easy one. Tasked with analysing Tourism Australia’s social media presence in South Korea, the team ran into numerous challenges. The first major obstacle was determining what was actually in the scope of the project, and at times we had to go back to the drawing board to formulate a new plan of attack.
Challenges such as the lack of sleep and cultural differences stood in our way but all of these problems were soon overcome through a combination of coffee, sheer determination and teamwork. My team was diverse in terms of both culture and skill set and soon we were all able to find places in the project to apply our expertise. By drawing on each other’s strengths, we worked collaboratively and efficiently and in the end, delivered a high quality presentation that was well received by our client.
One highlight of working at Tourism Australia was the people. On the first day, the Country Manager, who was also our supervisor for the project, spent a large part of his day explaining to us the cultural norms, recommending tourist spots and treating us to a delicious bibimbap, a popular Korean dish consisting of rice, sautéed vegetables and chilli paste. Every person at the office was friendly and approachable which made our daunting task as student consultants in a foreign country all that much easier.
Every person at the office was friendly and approachable which made our daunting task as student consultants in a foreign country all that much easier. Jesse Zhao
My participation in Global Management Consulting was a highly rewarding experience. It was the first time I had worked in a professional setting and I finally had the opportunity to see how my classroom learning translated into a business environment. It was also highly satisfying to see that our work made an impact, as following the presentation, our client confirmed that they would be looking into some of the recommendations we had proposed. I was also able to strengthen my research, teamwork and presentation skills and also, meet a group of people that I am proud to not only call my colleagues, but my friends.
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