Profile of int'l volunteer program in Vietnam
Erica Seidel, WG'04
Issue date: 1/27/03 Section: News
Project Background: Vietnam has a communist government, and its economy is gradually becoming more open. Private entities have only been allowed to exist since 1992. There is a need for business training for entrepreneurs, and Loredana and Damian say the Vietnamese women they met were open to Western business methods.
What kinds of business were these women involved with? Among others, Loredana and Damian interviewed a businesswoman who had developed a paint that withstands humidity. Another businesswoman headed a 100-person company that produced wooden home products such as breadboxes for Asian export.
In Vietnam, women enjoy a strong role in the family. This translates into a similarly strong role within a business context. Loredana and Damian explain that while some gender inequalities exist in Vietnam, these inequities are not as obvious as one might expect from a developing country.
The Vietnamese entrepreneurs' immediate business concerns were staff education, networking opportunities, and access to capital. They were focused on the practical issues of development in the short-term, and not so much on the opportunity costs of running their business. Contrary to the United States, where there is an ongoing dialogue about women balancing work and family, the Vietnamese women that the WIVP volunteers encountered had made a choice to both work and maintain their family roles, and they didn't look back.
Not surprisingly, the biggest challenge the Wharton volunteers faced was the culture gap. Loredana comments, "We didn't know much about the culture before arriving, which was a liability." Damian learned that "We had to help the Vietnamese people their way, not our way. We had to adapt to them, not the other way around." On the other hand, Loredana believes that it was valuable for the Vietnamese women to have a Western perspective on business training.
The WIVP project provided a forum to implement some key MBA skills. Loredana and Damian agree that the Vietnam project called upon their teamwork and general management skills. Loredana remembers that given the short timeframe for the project and its limited resources, "leveraging everyone's skills was fundamental." Damian's experience in Vietnam reminded him of his experience with his learning team at Wharton: "We needed to move quickly and communicate, and stay flexible as a group." Loredana mused that "if we had a non-profit major at Wharton, that would have been an asset."
What kinds of business were these women involved with? Among others, Loredana and Damian interviewed a businesswoman who had developed a paint that withstands humidity. Another businesswoman headed a 100-person company that produced wooden home products such as breadboxes for Asian export.
In Vietnam, women enjoy a strong role in the family. This translates into a similarly strong role within a business context. Loredana and Damian explain that while some gender inequalities exist in Vietnam, these inequities are not as obvious as one might expect from a developing country.
The Vietnamese entrepreneurs' immediate business concerns were staff education, networking opportunities, and access to capital. They were focused on the practical issues of development in the short-term, and not so much on the opportunity costs of running their business. Contrary to the United States, where there is an ongoing dialogue about women balancing work and family, the Vietnamese women that the WIVP volunteers encountered had made a choice to both work and maintain their family roles, and they didn't look back.
Not surprisingly, the biggest challenge the Wharton volunteers faced was the culture gap. Loredana comments, "We didn't know much about the culture before arriving, which was a liability." Damian learned that "We had to help the Vietnamese people their way, not our way. We had to adapt to them, not the other way around." On the other hand, Loredana believes that it was valuable for the Vietnamese women to have a Western perspective on business training.
The WIVP project provided a forum to implement some key MBA skills. Loredana and Damian agree that the Vietnam project called upon their teamwork and general management skills. Loredana remembers that given the short timeframe for the project and its limited resources, "leveraging everyone's skills was fundamental." Damian's experience in Vietnam reminded him of his experience with his learning team at Wharton: "We needed to move quickly and communicate, and stay flexible as a group." Loredana mused that "if we had a non-profit major at Wharton, that would have been an asset."