INSEAD Blog by Zanat0s the INSEAD(er) @ Tokyo ! The Biggest among INSEAD MBA blogs. Insead is over, blogging not.

Singapore Digital Marketing

It seems SIngapore is trying to hard to position itself as a digital Marketing Hub! My interactions with Singaporean unfortunately haven:t persuaded that this island is creative. It can be creative when it needs to find uses with its land use and development but regarding content?

THe singaporeans are great at adhering to rules and be efficient. Creativity needs to be fostered. The environment plays a major role. If you burden the people with rules and proper etiquette minds won:t learn how to adapt to a situation where flexibility is required.

A good business environment is not enough and incentives do help but the missing ingredient is: People! People in SIngapore have been brought up in a education system where following the rules and becoming good at science,Math is of the utmost importance.

I remember when we at INSEAD the first day, the singaporeans would Bombard the Dean regarding grades and awards! You have to learn to go out of the box sometimes in order to get a better round view. Videos cannot make up for the missing talent.

By the way this video is a bit over the top! I do not consider it successful. The people who are starring are definetely made to do this, or even if not, they do not seem natural.

Like my colleague at work commented, they are trying really hard to become something they are not.

True!

Mobile phones in Japan!

What about getting a phone in

Japan

? First of all there is no SIM cards, the world’s biggest invention regarding the mobile phones. Most foreigners make the mistake of thinking

Japan

has the most advanced mobile phones and networks. Correction

Japan

has the world’s best Networks(3G) and services for them. Their mobile phones are all the same(clamshells) which flilp and close, have a mediocre camera and monolingual.

It is even worse since the consumers here are a facing an oligopoly. In

Europe

, this fantastic continent(in some issues at least), consumers have the EC to protect them and foster competition. Therefore Europeans enjoy the privilege of either buying a service, a subscription to a carrier. The carrier will provide then a SIM card, so simple but yet so advanced. This SIM card can be used with ANY handset in EUROPE, ASIA*excluding of course

Japan

* and in maybe in

USA

(not the forefront of mobile phones).

So a European can get a subscription to a Carrier(Vodafone) and buy/select any handset they want. Japanese have to prove to the world that they can complicate things more than they have too. In

Japan

you do not mobile subscriptions. You buy phones which are also your mobile phone number. So if you like a specific phone you can get it only from a specific carrier and you cannot change provider. If you visit DOCOMO’s page(the bully monopolist) you will see that all the phones look exactly the same with the same trivial features. What does that mean? It means no Cool NOKIA phones, no iphone, no PRADA phone, no nice HTC Windows mobile phones. But hey if you are a crazy Japanese willing to watch TV on your mobile phone and flip it every 5 seconds you will be very satisfied.

Also Japanese mobile firms provide you with GREAT variety…………………………………………………………………………… in colors of course! A consequence of this huge offer in models(imagine 3 companies offering like 10 or 15 different models each) means that when a truly useful phone is out it will snapped by the users in NO time! Do not make assumptions that defy reality.

Japan

may have the technology but not the policies which can lead to innovation.

OH here is the funniest part; you cannot send SMS to other users in

Japan

. Only to your friends.

Discussing on the phone!

One last question why are Japanese so bad at learning English? I mean even the ones who speak English will give you a headache sometimes since you will be lost in translation. While I am making some phone calls it takes me an average a lot of time to get an answer which is probably useless to me!

I will ask/ inquire about A and then after 5 minutes I will get an answer regarding B! What is even worse though is asking whether you can do something different (flexibility) and they suddenly black out. Singaporeans are the same in this aspect though. One day I was talking on the phone for half an hour for an issue that wouldn’t have taken more than 5 minutes. Since then though I learned what I should do and what not to.

Here is my advice, when talking with Japanese on the phone say yes or “I understand” to everything he or she says. Moreover when you communicate it is more practical to do something else at the same time so you can save important time. I read emails, reply to them, read the news, sign forms(tons of them in

Japan

), sign forms( you cannot imagine what I am talking about) and maybe eat something while I am at it.

Like I explained in my previous post Japanese have an innate ability of looking at a situation/procedure finding out the minimum time they can accomplish it and then try to do a judo move by elongating its duration. Even the simplest things become a burden, like a phone call! The worst of this whole saga? It is considered normal.

The Snail called Japan, a *paradise* for foreigners!

A piece of advice for people going to work abroad(especially

Japan

) get used to bureaucracy. Here is a brief description of my adventure until now. I am a bit frustrated and I need to relax and vent off my emotions.

From the start this has not been an easy procedure. Japan an incredible country(with good and bad connotations). Most people will relate

Japan

with efficiency and organization. At best I would say they are incredibly ignorant. They make a comparison between

Germany

and

Japan

due to their punctuality. Yes both of these countries are punctual. But Punctuality may differ. For example to get your German Visa or let:s say the card that lets you work and stay in Germany the whole procedure(from beginning to the end) will last no more than 1 month. The major difference is　that one can take care of his business while in Germany.

1. Visas: EU citizens and some other nationalities do not need a visa for

Germany

. If you do need a visa, you have to apply in your home country (visas are never issued in

Germany

). Visa applications take some time and the type of visa will affect your residency rights, so choose accordingly.

2. Residence registration: In the first week after arrival, you have to register at the local residence registration office ( Einwohnermeldeamt).

3. Residence permits: Everybody staying in

Germany

for more than 3 months must officially obtain a residence permit (including EU citizens). After completing your residence registration, you need to apply for your residence permit at the local immigration office ( Ausländeramt).

4. Work permit: Once you have your residence permit, you can apply for a work permit at your local labor office (Arbeitsamt). EU citizens do not need a work permit to work.

Germany

is a bureaucratic country and bureaucrats love documents. Be prepared to fill in many forms, take them to different offices, have them stamped numerous times and spend a lot of time waiting in line. Before leaving home, you may find it essential or useful to get:

·    a passport valid for the entire period to be spent in

Germany

·    if going to study, a notification of university admission or confirmation of application

·    proof of financial resources

·    visa (not a tourist visa), if applicable

·    originals and certified (!) translations of your birth certificate, secondary school leaving certificate, possibly academic qualifications and your insurance documents. Certifications can be made at German diplomatic and consular missions.

·    confirmation of health insurance cover or, for students from the European Union, a European health insurance card

·    book of vaccination certificates, if you have one. Check at the German diplomatic presence in your home country whether you need any vaccinations

·    an international driving license if you need one (EU citizens do not)

This seems daunting right? But it is nothing, NOTHING compared with the Japanese procedure. I had to wait more than 45 days in

Greece

in order to take my Work permit(which I needed it before I entered

Japan

), then I had to go to my OWN’s country embassy(that makes no SENSE) apply for a VISA which takes 4 days. Then one is ready to enter

Japan

. But wait not everything is over yet. The foreigner(who will be FINGERPRINTED and photographed, in case he is a terrorist) will need to register to the city council to get his alien registration card. This takes exactly 21 days, no less no more. Of course these 21 days are awful because one can do nothing during these 21 days. Renting an apartment(which is very important I hope everyone can realize that) is impossible as is the ability to get a phone in

Japan

. Both require a Bank account(for obvious reasons). But wait in order to get an account a residence permit is required. Strange heh? 21 days which pass by very slowly.

To put things into perspective let me inform the readers that the same procedure in

Singapore

can be in less than 2 weeks(total). I got my residence permit in

Singapore

in less than a day.

Singapore

is an extreme example I will confess. What about

China

?

China

is not synonymous with efficiency as

Japan

is. So in

China

I got my 1 year visa within 4 days(1 day would be also possible provided I paid an exorbitant price). While in

China

I had to register to the local municipality which was easy, fast and efficient. The only snug was I had to do it again after the 30 first days since my work permit wasn’t ready.

My point in

Japan

everything can be on time. The sad part is that the time required will be extremely long even if there is no reason behind this. There is actually no logic in

Japan

. A procedure has to take 21 days just because they say so. One procedure may only actually need 3 days. No matter what though, the applicant will have to wait days. This is how things work in

Japan

. Get used to it! I am trying.

What I would LOVE to do!

After a lot of soul searching I realized the following things about me. I love a nice big comfy bed with a refrigerator next to it. Having a nice comfy bed can lead to long hours of studying/reading interesting books or subject. The bed will make the process more enjoyable while the refrigerator will cater to nourishment needs.

Of course no other place or a life can be satisfying without an AIDA! Aida(only those who know me personally will understand what AIDA is) is a must for everybody’s life. I cannot imagine my life long term without an AIDA to facilitate the situations and encourage a better quality of life.

Then we have gadgets. There people who rather have one-gadget machine that includes everything: Camera, Video, PC, PDA, time keeper, email. Something akin to a swiss knife. I on the other hand I rather have a gadget that is great at what it does. I rather have a mobile phone that is great at making phone calls, a camera that takes fantastic pictures, a video player which can dazzle with its crystal clear screen and a game machine on its own. Gadgets is a love of mine but not as much as my biggest love

A Huge LCD TV screen which is used for gaming and viewing movies/Tv shows. I want to design my place in such a way that the viewing experience will be unsurpassed. If I didn’t have to work I could stay indoors non stop and indulge in viewing the dvds and movies I have amassed.

But (un)fortunately that is not the case(yet).

I WANT AN APARTMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GRR! *(&(*&^! meaningless, but it is starting to affect me. Every place i  find has a big minus which makes the decision making worse!

Blogging at INSEAD

This post is totally dedicated to Blogging @ INSEAD my own perspective. INSEAD is among the TOP 10 MBA programs worldwide. If you exclude the states it is within the TOP 3 on average. INSEAD is known mostly for 2 things: 1 year program and 2 independent campuses. It is a French business school which is very close with European business.

Now blogging is something totally new, but becoming old in the age of the internet. Blogging is like keeping an online multimedia diary. It started scarcely around 2002-2003 and it exploded after 2005. At INSEAD I found bloggers in the class of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. But due to the length of the program(1 year) they were not a lot of them and they were not organized. The most famous blogger at INSEAD was my good friend AUris (his blog is one of the most famous, google it)

In 2007 though the situation changed, my class had 4 official bloggers who were very active indeed. One of the them persuaded me to start blogging (he didn’t have to try a lot). You can read hallonman’s blog here, though it is now defunct. Domodomo was by far the guy to follow if any one wanted specific advice about Fonty and the classes there. Domodomo was one of the most read blogs last year and he definitely had a talent at writing and describing situations to the unknown reader.

As for mine blog it started as a reaction to the all garbage flying around; that explains the title: BRUTAL FACTS. This blog was supposed to be like a moat against stupidity. It would deliver only the raw facts, no matter how brutal they were. My blog started slowly getting readers either my groupmates would read it or different students in

Singapore

campus. My family definitely played a part at giving me incentives to go on reporting to them about INSEAD. I would try to post everyday and give a detailed account of either parties that took place or any funny events. My classmates started getting interested and paid more attention to this tiny blog. I would even create profile posts for various people and then they would have a reason to check it daily.

My big break came in November where in one single day I had 500 visitors. I had a problem with my passport issue(long story, but you can read it here). I posted my own odyssey regarding my quest to renew my passport. It became a hit because during that time a lot of Greeks were having the same problem or wanted to know more about it. When I post my own account I got flooded with emails and questions. I remember that if you googled the term GREEK PASSPORT this blog would be the 2^nd or 3^rd result.

After that I witnessed the snowball effect. The daily visitors would increase steadily and more places would link here.

CLEARADMIT provided me with a steady amount of visitors regarding INSEAD. During middle of January I started receiving emails about INSEAD, how to get in and whether it was worth it. What was even stranger was that during some events at INSEAD for future students I would have people approaching me and asking me whether I blog. It is quite interesting to meet up with your readers. Helping them by answering questions and giving them advice would be a source of satisfaction for me.

So where does this blog stand? It has a google pagerank of 4, which is really good if you take into account that www.msn.com has a rank of 8! This blog tops the google’s search for either INSEAD, MBA, BLOG, and everything else related to these terms.

I may have graduated but I will keep on blogging, keeping everybody in the loop regarding my job, my life and my relationship with INSEAD.

I will think I may apply for INSEAD’s brand ambassador status. Unfortunately I do not have chance to follow all my dreams and hobbies

Gen Pets! U fancy? Get your own

Wouldn't you like to have your own favorite biobuddy? A chance to bio engineer your own buddy. Do not miss out. If you find this intriguing try to visit the official website!

01.

Genpet™
The Only Bioengineered Buddy. Available in 7 different personality types.
02.

Color Coding
Each personality type of the Genpets has been linked to its respective colour, and that color is then used as a base for each package. (Read more)
03.

Heart Monitor
Each package has a built in low cost heart monitor that is fully functional, with green LED lights and built in speaker. (Read more)
04.

Fresh Strip
Every single package includes an easy to use "fresh gauge". Four simple blue LED lights display the status of the Genpet™. The display will also display if the Genpet™ has been sitting on the store shelf too long, or if the package circuitry has malfunctioned in some way. (Read more)
05.

Bio-Genica IV System
While the Genpets hang on the store shelves they are in a form of hibernation. Each Genpet™ package has a special nutrient feeding tube attached to it, supplying our specially formulated mix and keeping them healthy and asleep. 06.

Genpet™ Restraints
Restraining the pets in their packaging ensures no damage to the product, as well as allowing for optimal consumer viewing.

Unpackage your Genpet and unpackage a world of possibilities.

Say Hello to the all New Genpets™ from Bio.Genica!
The Genpets™ are Pre-Packaged, Bioengineered pets implemented today!

That’s right, Genpets are not toys or robots. They are living, breathing genetic animals.

We use a process called "Zygote Micro Injection" which is quickly becoming a favourable method to combine DNA, or to insert certain proteins from different species. Most notably it was used in 1997 to splice mice with bioluminescent jellyfish (link) and has since been used to create glowing rabbits, pigs, fish, and monkeys (link). Since then, human DNA has been injected into rabbits, chimpanzees, spider DNA into sheep, and now, Genpets have arrived!

Read National Geographic's site for more information on human animal hybrids (link).

We’ve gone one step further by packaging the Genpets™ into plastic packages unlike any other. Each Genpet™ package has a fully functional heart rate monitor and Fresh Strip to better gauge the state of each pet while it lies in its hibernation state. More Info.

 

The Genpets™ come in 2 base configurations, a 1-year model, and 3-year model.

From there we’ve broken it down even further. While each Genpet may look the same, really they aren’t. Each Genpet™ comes with a color-coded personality. For example, a child that wishes to have a Genpet™ that is very energetic would choose a Red Genpet™ (see features section for details).
Engineered DNA, engineered personalities, and engineered lifespan, it doesn’t come any better than that. Bio-Genica has you covered on all bases. Just leave the details to us.

In the Packages
As you’ve noticed, each Genpet™ comes pre-packaged as a fully self-contained unit. This packaging is part of what truly separates the Genpets™ from every other product on the market today. Each package has an embedded microchip that monitors and controls the state of the Genpet while it is asleep waiting for you to take it home. Better yet, it displays the status of the Genpet™ with a Fresh Strip, as well as a fully working heart monitor in the top right of the package.

Out of the packages,
Genpets™ have limited mobility. Like dolls, puppies or human babies, they must be looked after and cared for. Upon waking from its dormant state the Genpet™ will immediately bond or imprint to your child.

The Genpet™ line-up pulls its basis from a natural1 stage of evolution in the market. Dolls and robotic toys quickly become tiresome, while traditional pets require a high level of upkeep. Genpets™ however, learn and adapt 2. They are living pets, but better, modified2 to be as reliable, dependable and efficient as any other technology we use in our busy lives.

More questions? Check the FAQ or Features section for more info!

I need points! Help me

Hey all,

I just need to gather some more points. You can help me by clicking this links. Come on you won't be bitten! You will just help to be able to listen to some nice tracks while i am commuting to work.

These are the links

Link 1 : Main page to FF

Link 2 to Soundtracks!

Link 3 MANGA!

SO have you clicked all 3 of them?

Tokyo Motor show

Sunday: It is over. But it was quite packed with events and meetings with friends. I went out on Saturday and that meant that I had to stay awake until 07.30 then take the train and return home. I did that once and it is not the best of options. Now I had the privilege of having met one of the most connected persons in Tokyo, who appears also to be kind-hearted and gave me his sofa. This was the third I have crushed to someone’s place.
I will get my apartment ASAP because it is either going out and crushing at peoples’ places or going home at 22.30 on Saturday/Friday.
I got 4 hours of sleep and then headed for the brunch I organized at the Hilton. There we met randomly all of us in front of Shinjuku station(chaotic) and after waiting for some people to turn up we ended at the brunch restaurant. Getting fool with various delicacies and having a magician and a clown to perform for us was a fantastic experience.
Having finished the brunch some of us headed to TOKYO MOTOR SHOW. For the infidels who do not know what MTS is stop reading now and watch the video

To cut a long story short a friend from Holland and me ended up in Akihabara where we challenged each other in Tekken 5, Gundam and various techno games. Once again I find myself in my BIG apartment unable to fall asleep. Blogging though is fun and Tokyo is a nice place to meet foreigners.