Class at NTNU, a stock exchange, and expensive porcelain

After leaving Taipei 101 and getting some rest, we returned once again to NTNU. This time though, it was to go to a class. We listened to a presentation about eHarmony from a group of four students and then had a discussion. The main topics was about the business structure of eHarmony. For example we talked about the pay structure of eHarmony and ways that it might be improved in order to make current and potential subscribers happy. Hearing some of the opinions of the NTNU students was quite interesting and I enjoyed participating in the discussion as well. Plus, the classroom itself was interesting. This particular classroom was set up with cameras so that classes could be held with people from long distances (like UofM - Flint). While I'm usually not a big fan of classes, I really did enjoy this one and I was actually a bit sad to leave.

Following the class, it was time to go back to Taipei 101 one last time. This time, it was to go to the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE). The presentation was very well set up. We sat at tables and watched a short video about the stock exchange before listening to a representative named Alex Liu. He told us about some key points that happened in the stock exchange since it began in 1962. The TWSE has 809 different stocks, but this includes foreign companies. What was really interesting is that about 40% of the entire population of Taiwan (about 9 million people) have a trading account. Of those people, 60% of them are just regular people. This is partially what leads to some of the other differences in the rules of this stock market. For example, the trading hours are from 9:00am - 1:30pm. The minimum trade that is allowed is 1,000 shares and each stock is only has a daily price fluctuation limit of 7% (meaning it can only go up or down 7% from the previous day's closing price). These are some major differences from the markets in most other countries, but it is what fits Taiwan. This really showed me I haven't exactly learned a lot about other stock exchanges, because I thought rules like the ones in the DOW and NASDAQ were more common. It was interesting to learn about different rules though and I'm glad I had the chance to learn about this market.

At the Taiwan Stock Exchange

After getting some lunch in the food court of Taipei 101, we headed to our next visit. This time, it was a porcelain company called Franz. While I am not a really big art fan, this was a rather interesting trip. I was surprised to learn about how Franz has kept themselves so successful, but have limited the amount of stores they have opened. They do very well at making themselves be appealing because of how exclusive they are. In fact, their artwork has been given as gifts to people like the Pope and President Obama. I think one of the main things I found most impressive was just how much work goes into making one of their art pieces. It was somewhere around 3 months just to get one of their pieces completed, from the planning stage, to the designing stage, to the production stage, and then just finishing it. I was impressed by just how much dedication, time, and effort they put in to making their vases. It definitely gave me a high respect for Franz.

With the visit to Franz completed, it was time to show our appreciation to the NTNU students. We told them we would pay for dinner and they could choose where we went. Surprisingly, they decided they wanted to go to McDonalds. Equally surprisingly, the Big Mac I got was probably the best Big Mac I've ever had. Also, the McDonalds was two floors and really set up as more of a hangout spot then the McDonalds back home. After taking a few group pictures, everyone split up into groups and enjoyed our free night. Personally, I explored the night market some more and then went to bed since I knew the next day, like all the previous ones, was going to be very busy.

Franz vase

Franz vase