“Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.” Russell’s quote has encouraged and inspired me to cherish every single day of my life and to prepare myself to make this world a beautiful place. The words recenter me in times of chaos and allow me to focus on things that truly matter. Moreover, thanks to my parents who both have Ph.D. degrees, I have always been interested in science and learning. Since an early age, I was interested in attending school gatherings, professorial meetings such as parent-teacher conferences, and any event I was able to attend with my parents involving intellectual individuals across China. I grew up not only knowing another environment which incorporated smart and talented people around me, but I also firmly believe that education is very important, as I witnessed it providing people with the ability to think critically and independently. No matter their status at birth, education gave them equality and I began to realize if one wants to succeed in life and gain traction in society, they must understand the power of knowledge and academia. Therefore, if there is something I am willing to devote my whole life to, it is my education.
Currently, I am in an M.S. program in Global Commerce program at the University of Virginia, living and studying with fifty-eight students all coming from fourteen different countries. This makes me realize that today’s living environment is not a safe haven for everyone, nor is it always as equal as mass media would have us believe. People all around the world are facing challenges, threats, and uncertainties caused by the bias, ignorance, and many other issues generated due to the differences in each of us. Education, in my point of view, is the best way to embrace and solve the challenges peacefully, but sometimes radically. Therefore, I am applying to the Ph.D. program at the renowned KATZ Graduate School of Business to pursue my research interests and career goals. I wish to be a part of the solution, rather than the clammering problem.
I joined University of Virginia’s M.S. in Global Commerce program because it offered an excellent education and a unique study format; studying across three different continents mixes a unique understanding of diverse consumers into my background while providing invaluable information that education in a classroom cannot. Given how cultural and societal backgrounds play significant roles in determining consumer behavior, UVA’s program gives first-hand experience in different cultures, especially in Europe, a place that is less known to me, but could help drastically concerning the critical comparison and contrast of different cultures.
The program’s practical aim also impresses me, and has turned into a potential inspiration for my doctoral research. XXX experienced based learning environment is a primary reason for me to pursue my Ph.D.; my past experience benefits me from a marketing perspective so that I may take full advantage of the educational resources at XXX. Thus, I feel very honored that I could have the opportunity to be a part of this great school, reaping these rewards later in my career, and even now as a learn more about the subjects.
Research Interests
As I have the opportunity to get in touch with people from varying social backgrounds, I have become extremely passionate about consumer behavior. This includes, but is not limited to decision-making, self-regulation, construal level, emotional influence on purchasing decision and social and cultural influence on consumer behavior. Personally I view marketing as a bridge linking two sides: businesses can take advantage of their marketing intelligence to reach out to the target consumers while from the consumers’ perspective, it reminds them of their demand, helping them find the right match concerning a product. I am enthusiastic about what I can do to build sufficient communication between these two sides, as well as to improve overall consumer satisfaction. Today, marketing is becoming a more complex subject as a larger portion of the world transforms into the economic state of developed countries. Consumers tend to spend more time on satisfying their inner desires, attempting to discover what appeals to them on different levels. These desires can be rooted in culture, social norms, or take on other sociological features depending on the individual. In addition, the discrepancies between the lower class and upper class are widening, with the gap extending most notably in Western countries and fast developing economies like China. This, in turn, raises the question of catering to different segments accordingly for marketers. Furthermore, purchasing behavior across different generations exhibits more dissimilarity, which can be manifested by the millennial generation.
Research Experience
The one-year research experience ultimately made me realize academic research is a creative process. Based on current findings and papers, researchers can dig deeper into the minds of consumers, as well as marketing in order to better understand presented theories or propositions that are applicable to the real marketing environment. Another takeaway was conducting research is a process of elevating any logical thinking ability and building up rigorous learning aptitude. I still remembered that initially my ideas were always revised or rejected by my professor because some were untestable or too complicated to design and implement experimentally. I started to repeat the “stay hungry, stay foolish” by reading more academic journals. As a result, my knowledge of marketing basics gradually became more polished and my ideas more theoretically sound. More of them were in line with the findings in published papers.
Currently, I am working on the thesis that attempts to investigate possible adaptations from luxury brands in the Chinese market. Catering to the tastes and needs of customers in a new market is essential for success in most businesses expanding globally. However, when the brand image is perceived as high-end, localizing the product in an unacquainted market can result in value reduction. The situational differences between global markets begged the question if there was a way to create a set of guidelines that would help managers of luxury goods companies decide when and how to adapt their product for a new market. The process of conducting the literature review, designing the survey to collect customers’ insights and analyzing the cases while applying what we learned from class has prepared me for Ph.D. study.
Work Experience
The experience of being the Product Specialist at Tesla in China also made me realize the impact on consumer behavior based on different cultures. Last summer, when I first decided to choose Tesla as the channel to connect with customers, I did not think it would be a difficult task. As it turned out, I grossly underestimated the importance of culture gaps between the United States and China. Tesla does not invest heavily in advertisements or commercials in America, while in China, the company might consider revising its marketing strategy to direct itself more thoroughly towards the consumer. Although potential consumers appreciate the concept of going green and being kinder to the environment, they were hesitant about making the purchase considering the social image associated with Tesla. The company did belong to any luxury automobile category in China when compared to the Mercedes Benz and BMW, andthe brand image cannot remind consumers of premium or luxury despite what it offers the environment or each of us as human beings. As a result, Tesla did not perform well in on Chinese market initially considering that Chinese consumers’ have a tendency to use luxury products in an effort to demonstrate their purchase power and social identity. Should Tesla assert themselves as a luxury vehicle, they may gain more traction in the Chinese culture.
Real business cases are the resources and nutrition of academic research and the academic findings, in return, should make instructive and instrumental contribution to real business cases. The relationship is symbiotic. My working and master study experience gave me the chance to find out interesting points, existing problems, and even potential failures caused by incorrect marketing strategies based on this relationship. Essentially if there was a flaw in the relationship there was a flaw in the marketing. I believe the Ph.D. study is the process of generating better solutions to help companies to find out more effective approaches in selling products. Moreover, it will assist consumer, allowing them a more satisfied purchase experience.
My past internship experiences in China offered me perceptions of Chinese customers: they are unaware of the power and influence of marketing. Tranlin, the leading paper producer in China, is a perfect example of this: the company just made $2 billion direct investments in Virginia, while it does not even have a marketing team in China. When the CEO from the company’s American subsidiary talked to us, he stated that due to the manager’s personality, the company prefers to stay away from the media, making every attempt to hide themselves, as well as making their product story less noticeable. Indeed, the shopper generation has changed; Younger customers are more interested in storytelling, an approach that underlies brand perception and brand awareness. In China, marketing is not supposed to be limited to advertisements or sales promotion; it is the bridge between the business and consumers. Although I am passionate about learning the consumer decision-making process and what could possibly influence their purchase behavior, I have to learn more to turn hopes into reality. Chinese business needs expertise in the marketing industry, and I genuinely wish I could make contributions to my beloved home country with a more solid academic background. The program will allow me to do this.
Career Goals in Education
I appreciate the opportunity to study in a global program at the University of Virginia, not only due to the insightful classes offered there, as well as the desirable learning environment, but more importantly, the talents coming from all around the world that would surround me. The staff and faculty are first rate, and my education would be as such, as well. I appreciate the chance to listen to and communicate with them since every single one of them can refresh my mind with their unique stories, educating me on subjects I need to know more about, or know nothing about. This is truly a memorable moment to feel global citizenship. Although, predicting the future trend concerning globalization is no easy task, considering the increasing power of anti-globalization the reality is we are all in this together, connected, in a bubble and forced to work together even if we do not realize it. There are also a lot of challenges waiting ahead of us when we come closer to our own future. To me, education is the best way to turn potential challenges into cherished opportunities.
After the Ph.D. program, I hope I can also be a faculty member in a business school, educating and serving our next generation. It is an invaluable opportunity to spread my knowledge to future generations if I am to become a valued member of the academia community and something I consider an obligation, but also an opportunity. The proportion of faculty at Chinese universities that hold overseas Ph.D. degrees is skyrocketing, and I would be very happy to be one of them. I want our generation to get more in touch with advanced education and concepts, and make benefits to the society in return. This might not be the biggest cause, but it is a crucial reason as to why advanced products by Chinese companies are becoming popular and loved by varying consumers.
Uncountable number of business is operating globally, which is an inevitable trend. The improvements in technology and manufacturing, plus the increasing diversity in consumers’ appeals and demands, have made marketing an indispensable component in a business’s core operations. While a marketing mindset is still in its infancy in China, I always wish to expand connections between real business scenarios with theoretical, inventive and applicable marketing concepts. Over the past decade, we have witnessed the boom of Chinese companies going global. Huawei, Gree Electric and Haier are among these business giants, who also build up impressive brand reputation in different markets. Nevertheless, it is often more complicated for less know companies to expand in market shares, whether in domestic market or in global market. I’ve made my mind to apply the knowledge I could learn at XXX to Chinese companies, to dissect their marketing strategies and approaches. Similarly, Chinese customers are more exposed to a global business setting, and their purchasing behavior can be easily shifted and influenced. Conducting consumer research on them not only tell businesses how consumers behave, it would also shed a light on potential adaptation approach for both Chinese and foreign companies.
