Student Journal 1
Hong Kong
May 15th
After a long but not too unpleasant trip, we arrived at our hotel in Hong Kong. I was pleasantly surprised. On top of that, Ed and I apparently lucked out – our room was massive and smelled clean, especially in comparison to the tiny room Eileen and Tanya were stuck with. So far, so good.
After getting some rest, we went for a group dinner at a restaurant recommended by Greg – good food and a much needed beer.
May 16th
We had a 6:15 wake-up call, though jet lag had me up at around 4 am. After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we got on our way to our first company visit – HK Disney.
We met with the GM who talked to us a little about the Walt Disney Company and HK Disney. Some notable things about Walt Disney:
- Creativity and technological innovation are of prime importance, and the firm runs on high operating leverage.
- Parks and resorts make up 27% of Walt Disney’s revenue and 17% of operating income
He also discussed “first pass” at HK Disney which is in place to increase two metrics: “excellent overall experience” and “intent to return”
Factors Disneyland considers when evaluating international expansion: population, tourism, income, economic and political stability, brand affinity and potential investment partners.
After our meeting, we spent a few hours enjoying the rides at the park – great fun, though I had to buy a pair of Mickey Mouse flip flops since I brought a change of clothes but forgot to bring my sneakers.
After Disney, our next stop was Victoria’s peak. It was foggy and misty but nevertheless, the view was still stunning. Later that night, we went out for drinks at one of the highest bars in the world with a friend of Dan’s.
May 17th
Today we visited the HK Chamber of Commerce and met with Chief economist David O’Rear. He gave us some interesting insights on what’s happening in Hong Kong and China economically. His presentation was jam packed with charts, graphs and statistics, but he complimented it with a lot of humor. All in all, it was an excellent and informative presentation.
Later that day we visited SSGA and met with a BC alum, who manages investments, and a couple of her subordinates. She told us quite a bit about her background and how she got to where she is. She also gave us some do’s and don’ts for success working in Asia. Her colleagues talked to us about their functions and how they ended up in Asia. One was Eastern European and had an interesting background.
In the evening we took a ferry to the other side for an alumni dinner with quite an impressive turnout.
May 15th
After a long but not too unpleasant trip, we arrived at our hotel in Hong Kong. I was pleasantly surprised. On top of that, Ed and I apparently lucked out – our room was massive and smelled clean, especially in comparison to the tiny room Eileen and Tanya were stuck with. So far, so good.
After getting some rest, we went for a group dinner at a restaurant recommended by Greg – good food and a much needed beer.
May 16th
We had a 6:15 wake-up call, though jet lag had me up at around 4 am. After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we got on our way to our first company visit – HK Disney.
We met with the GM who talked to us a little about the Walt Disney Company and HK Disney. Some notable things about Walt Disney:
- Creativity and technological innovation are of prime importance, and the firm runs on high operating leverage.
- Parks and resorts make up 27% of Walt Disney’s revenue and 17% of operating income
He also discussed “first pass” at HK Disney which is in place to increase two metrics: “excellent overall experience” and “intent to return”
Factors Disneyland considers when evaluating international expansion: population, tourism, income, economic and political stability, brand affinity and potential investment partners.
After our meeting, we spent a few hours enjoying the rides at the park – great fun, though I had to buy a pair of Mickey Mouse flip flops since I brought a change of clothes but forgot to bring my sneakers.
After Disney, our next stop was Victoria’s peak. It was foggy and misty but nevertheless, the view was still stunning. Later that night, we went out for drinks at one of the highest bars in the world with a friend of Dan’s.
May 17th
Today we visited the HK Chamber of Commerce and met with Chief economist David O’Rear. He gave us some interesting insights on what’s happening in Hong Kong and China economically. His presentation was jam packed with charts, graphs and statistics, but he complimented it with a lot of humor. All in all, it was an excellent and informative presentation.
Later that day we visited SSGA and met with a BC alum, who manages investments, and a couple of her subordinates. She told us quite a bit about her background and how she got to where she is. She also gave us some do’s and don’ts for success working in Asia. Her colleagues talked to us about their functions and how they ended up in Asia. One was Eastern European and had an interesting background.
In the evening we took a ferry to the other side for an alumni dinner with quite an impressive turnout.