Five National Chi Nan University students spent their summer completing an internship program at the Myanmar-based De Mart network of convenience stores, gaining valuable work experience at an important emerging market thanks to the support provided by NCNU professor Wang Ming-chieh (王銘杰) of Department of International Businesses Studies and the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Global Trade Pioneer Project.

The students recalled that the service and operations of De Mart greatly differ from those of Taiwan’s convenience stores. For example, while De Mart does not function as a walk-in payment center for utility bills and other monthly fees, employees have to take orders from customers who dine in and serve up oden skewers, tea eggs, and steaming bowls of instant noodles.

Other memorable tasks include taking inventory of new stock when the delivery truck makes its rounds, and participating in the development of the company’s website. The interns were able to offer some insight from Taiwan’s burgeoning e-commerce sector, including success stories from homegrown shopping sites to the behavioral patterns of Taiwan’s digital shoppers.

Apart from undertaking on-site corporate training, the NCNU students also strove to learn conversational Burmese and explored the streets and museums of former royal capital Mandalay. In their travels, they also took note of variables that could shape local consumer habits, such as the number of automatic teller machines available and the frequency of drink stands.

The students were rewarded for their studiousness and efforts to learn more about Myanmar’s culture by their direct manager, who agreed to relegate more responsibilities during the 42-day internship program. After one month of training, the five students were pleasantly surprised to be entrusted with the opening and closing operations of a De Mart store without supervision.

Apart from learning through the practical applications of their academic knowledge in sales and marketing, the students also became much more equipped at responding to customer requests and thinking on their feet. They also experienced the importance of embracing inclusivity as they grew accustomed to working with patrons and coworkers from a wide range of backgrounds.

NCNU professor Wang, who orchestrated the internship program in Myanmar this year, said he looks forward to offering more academic content on cross-cultural management and communications. The second takeaway from this summer’s experience, he added, was the importance of being well-versed in e-commerce and mobile payment solutions, and that he plans to incorporate related marketing courses in the near future.