Internship Report The Analysis Of Orporate Culture Of Sun Inc Vietnam.docx

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HANOI FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF BUSINESS ENGLISH
*********
INTERNSHIP REPORT
THE ANALYSIS OF CORPORATECULTURE OF
SUN* INC. VIETNAM
Name: Vu Thi Mai Lien
Student Code: 1717710115
Class: English 1 – K56 – FBE
Supervisor: Dinh Thi Ngoan, M.A.
Hanoi, August 2020

TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................. i
LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... ii
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 1
1. Reason for choosing this topic .............................................................................1
2. Purpose of the report.............................................................................................2
3. Scope of the report .................................................................................................2
4. Research methodology.......................................................................................... 2
5. Report structure .................................................................................................... 2
CHAPTER 1: AN OVERVIEW OF SUN* INC........................................................ 4
1.1. Company overview.................................................................................................4
1.1.1. General introduction........................................................................................4
1.1.2. Vision, mission and core values .....................................................................5
1.1.2.1. Vision........................................................................................................... 5
1.1.2.2. Mission........................................................................................................ 5
1.1.2.3. Core values..................................................................................................5
1.1.3. Products and Services..................................................................................... 7
1.3.4. Organizational structure ................................................................................ 9
1.2. Internship activities..............................................................................................10
1.3. Theoretical basis of corporate culture..............................................................11
1.3.1. Definition ......................................................................................................... 11
1.3.2. Models of corporate culture ...........................................................................11
CHAPTER 2: CURRENT SITUATION OF CORPORATE CULTURE IN SUN*
INC. VIETNAM...............................................................................................................17
2.1. Corporate culture of Sun* Inc. Vietnam.........................................................17

2.1.1. Overview............................................................................................................... 17
2.1.2. The analysis of corporate culture of Sun* Inc. Vietnam.........................18
2.1.2.1. Artifacts and symbols................................................................................18
2.1.2.2. Espoused values.........................................................................................20
2.1.2.3. Basic underlying assumptions..................................................................22
2.2. Assessments.............................................................................................................23
2.2.1. Strengths............................................................................................................23
2.2.1.1. Open and equal workplace culture .........................................................23
2.2.1.2. Clear goals and strategies........................................................................24
2.2.1.3. Effective internal communication............................................................24
2.2.1.4. Appropriate reward system .......................................................................24
2.2.2. Weaknesses.......................................................................................................25
2.2.2.1. Lack of specific policies............................................................................25
2.2.2.2. Lack of strong authority............................................................................25
2.2.2.3. Lack of connection among units..............................................................25
2.2.2.4. Lack of external communication..............................................................26
CHAPTER 3: RECOMMENDATIONS .....................................................................27
3.1. Providing Sun* uniforms.....................................................................................27
3.2. Improving external communication..................................................................27
3.3. Improving the connection among units............................................................28
3.4. Hiring employees based on Sun*’s culture......................................................28
3.5. Providing training and development for employees......................................29
3.6. Learning from other organizations ...................................................................29
CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................31
REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to many people whose
encouragement, support and assistance were crucial to the result of my field report.
First and foremost, I am particularly grateful for the guidance given by my
supervisor, Mrs. Dinh Thi Ngoan, with her dedicated advisory and suggestions in
writing of this report despite her limitation of time. I really appreciate her valuable
guidance during the internship. Her encouragement really plays an important role in
the success of my report.
In addition, I would like to express my special thanks to Sun* Inc. Vietnam in
general and Internal Communication group in particular for the experience and
detailed instructions during my internship. I am also really grateful to Mrs. Nguyen
Thuy Quynh, leader of Internal Communication group, and Mr. Tran Hai Nam, leader
of Human Resources group, for providing me with not only the key documents, but
also the great knowledge and support. Without their help, I would not be able to
complete this report.
My sincere thanks are extended to my friends and family who supported me
during the internship and in writing this report.

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Organizational structure of Sun* Inc. .........................................................9
Figure 2: Denison model of corporate culture...........................................................12
Figure 3: Edgar Schein three levels of corporate culture........................................14
Figure 4: Edward T. Hall’s Cultural Iceberg Model................................................15
Figure 5: The company's logo........................................................................................18
Figure 6: Organizational level of Sun* Inc.................................................................19

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INTRODUCTION
1. Reason for choosing this topic
Culture is a system of shared values defining what is important, and
norms, defining appropriate attitudes and behaviors, that guide members’
attitudes and behaviors (O’Reilly & Chatman, 1996: 166). Since the very first
day when humans appeared on earth, people have lived and worked together in
groups, such as family, tribe, village, team, and so on. Uddin et al. (2013) also
confirmed the existence of a strong relationship between organizational culture
and organization performance. There is no denying the importance of
organizational culture in maintaining and improving the performance of every
member (Idris, Wahab, & Jaapar, 2015). Clearly, the corporate culture is also in
the flow of this trend. In such an unpredictable market and organizational
changes, it becomes vital for every corporation to develop and maintain a strong
and unique culture to provide guidelines for the behavior of its members.
As a Japanese-based corporation that has offices in 4 countries including
Vietnam, Sun* Inc. sets organizational culture as one of the first priorities. The
company focuses on building and maintaining the culture as it plays an important
role in promoting the company’s values and business strategy. As a result, Sun*
has achieved some certain success in creating its own culture that brings Sun*’s
identity. However, besides these achievements, there have been several
difficulties and limitations that affect the efficiency of corporate culture of Sun*
Inc. Vietnam.
Based on the above reasons, the author has decided to make a report on
“The analysis of corporate culture of Sun* Inc. Vietnam” with the hope to
discover some problems regarding corporate culture existing inside the company
and to offer several recommendations.

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2. Purpose of the report
This report aims at two main purposes. The first purpose is to assess the
current situation of corporate culture of Sun* Inc. Vietnam by pointing out its
strengths and weaknesses in applying the corporate culture model. After that,
from the theoretical basis of corporate culture and these assessments, there will
be some solutions and recommendations to suggest improvements for its
corporate culture in the future.
3. Scope of the report
The report focuses on researching and analyzing the corporate culture and
specifically, the application of corporate culture model of Sun* Inc. Vietnam.
Besides, the collected data are from 2019 to 2020 as they are updated versions
of company’s documents.
4. Research methodology
This report is written using a combination of these methods: descriptive,
desk research, and synthesis. The secondary data is provided by the company as
well as collected through observation and desk research for analyzing and
synthesizing.
5. Report structure
Except for table of content, acknowledgments, list of tables and figures,
introduction, conclusion and references, this report covers three chapters:
Chap I: An overview of Sun* Inc.
Chap II: Current situation of corporate culture in Sun* Inc.
Vietnam
Chap III: Recommendations
Chap I gives an overview of Sun* Inc. consisting of its formation and
development, organizational structure, products, and achievements. My
internship activities would be also added in this chapter along with the theoretical

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basis of corporate culture. Chapter II provides an actual situation of corporate
culture in Sun* Inc. Vietnam. Chapter III points out recommendations concluded
by analyzing the current situation of the company.

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CHAPTER 1: AN OVERVIEW OF SUN* INC.
1.1. Company overview
1.1.1. General introduction
Sun* Inc. (Sun Asterisk Inc.) - formerly known as Framgia Inc., founded
in 2012, is a Japanese software company with more than 1500 members in 6
cities in 4 Asian countries including Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, and Bangladesh.
In Vietnam, Sun* is located at three cities: Ha Noi - the head office, Ho Chi Minh
City, and Da Nang city. With the mission of connecting international businesses
with Top Talents in Asia, Sun* has always made every effort to bring the world
“Awesome” values.
The company’s founding idea is based on the CEO’s - Kobayashi Taihei,
with the hope to change people’s lives with technology. Mr. Taihei chose
Vietnam to be the founding location since he foresaw the country’s development
potential and the programmers’ quality here. During the first few years, Sun*
focused on three main areas: software development, business development and
human development. After seven years of establishment and development, Sun*
is currently expanding into many other areas, still with its founding mission to
make people’s lives better and easier with technology.
Currently, the company is operating primarily in the field of Startup
Studio services, software development, and digital transformation, employing
the latest technologies, and IT engineer training to create new values
professionally. It continuously consults clients as a professional company in
many different sectors, not only in programming or design but also in project
management, design and business consultation, providing financial support and
marketing. Along with the increase in personnel, the solution provision segment
has also been expanded. Not only does it create software products, Sun* also
creates services and business industries and establishes subsidiaries if necessary.

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1.1.2. Vision, mission and core values
1.1.2.1. Vision
Sun* Inc.’s vision is to create a world where everyone has the freedom to
make awesome things that matter. Sun* is a company in the field of Information
Technology. In this fair and unlimited field, every individual is allowed to share
opportunities and is recognized through their real effort. Whether programmers,
teachers, or students, every member in the company can make use of the
advantages that IT brings to make products that contribute to this society. For
that reason, Sun* always strive to create a world where people are free to work
and create products or services that bring about positive changes to the world.
1.1.2.2. Mission
The mission of Sun* Inc. is to create radical products and businesses with
people who actually care about what they do. Together with people who are
creative, passionate and adventurous, the company aims to bring positive
changes and good values for society through various software products and
business sectors.
1.1.2.3. Core values
The first core value is Be a Team. The attribute of this core value is trying
hard to understand others and being willing to help others whenever needed.
“We are all on one huge boat heading to our goal and mission. Under
any circumstances, we’ll try to understand others. Remember: You are always
part of our team because teamwork enables you to achieve so many things that
you cannot do alone. Forget the idea “that’s not my job”. Be willing to help
whenever needed to sail our boat at the maximum speed.”
(Sun* Inc. 2019: p.6)
The second core value is Think Outside the Box. With this core value,
Sun* encourages employees to always think about improving, and try on the new
ways.
“To produce something that matters to the world requires trials and
error. Innovators such as Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers,Nikola Tesla and

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Steve Jobs believed in themselves, modifying and adjusting even the smallest
things to create great inventions thatseemed to lastforever. They nevergave up,
even though others said it was impossible. And that’s how epic innovation is
created.”
(Sun* Inc. 2019: p.6)
The third core value is Get Risky. This value is to remind everyone to
share the opinions or ideas with others and be ready to take risk to challenge
yourself.
“Don’t be afraid to share your ideas. Innovation is achieved without
taking risks. Persist, no matter how many times you fail and share those
experiences with your team. It will help others learn and lead to mutual growth
and success.”
(Sun* Inc. 2019: p.7)
The fourth core value is Be Optimistic. This core value motivates
members to think positive about things and focus on identify problems to move
forward.
“Thinking positively makes you happy. And happiness grows when you
share it with others.It’s noteasy to force yourselfto think positively when you’re
unhappy, but don’t get disappointed; Identify the problem and be positive for
tomorrow. Thinking positive and moving forward will get other people (and
yourself) more motivated and engaged.”
(Sun* Inc. 2019: p.7)
The fifth core value is Go Fast. Specifically, it means that always realize
fast, learn fast and exchange information fast.
“An organization’s growth depends on everybody’s everyday
achievements. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. To be the best, you and
your team need to recognize, learn, and exchange information faster than
everybody else. Speed is important. Ideas don’t create innovation; they do only
when you put them into action.”
(Sun* Inc. 2019: p.7)

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The sixth core value is Be Professional. Three main attributes of this core
value are be on time, complete your work and do things wholeheartedly.
“Accomplishment leads to trust and praise from clients and team
members. Without accomplishment, you cannot have satisfaction toward work.
Never do things half-hearted. Always be learning. There is always room for
improvement. Have pride in yourself. And people at Sun* will have pride in
you.”
(Sun* Inc. 2019: p.8)
The seventh core value is Stay Focused. Each individual should act with
right moral and act as the mission defined to achieve their goal and the
organization goal.
“Our destiny is to make society and people’s lives better. It’s not just
about you. But Sun* needs the most authentic, passionate, and genuine you to
make this mission a success. Do not lose your focus, let’s act with the right moral,
and you will create big success.”
(Sun* Inc. 2019: p.8)
1.1.3. Products and Services
At the moment, Sun* is focusing on six fields relating to information
technology. The first field is software development. In this field, the company
focuses on the outsourcing and products. Outsourcing is used mostly by
Information Technology companies, including Sun*. Using lean start-up and
Agile development approaches, Sun* has successfully worked with many
startups and large companies to launch software projects which require high
speed, novelty and creativity. The company also builds its own products, such
as Viblo (Platform for sharing IT knowledge); CI/CD (continuous integration
and continuous deployment); Talky Bird (Japanese communication training
application using artificial intelligence technology), etc. These products are
widely used and received high appreciation from users.
Research & development is the second field that Sun* is developing. In
the age of ever-changing industry 4.0, the company researches and applies 4.0

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technology in its product development, such as applying Deep Learning to
natural language processing and human resource analysis; applying Machine
Learning and knowledge about Recommendation System and Document
Retrieval to build an analysis system that helps select suitable candidates for the
project; and applying VR-AR to develop Virtual Driving software. Aside from
these applications, Sun* has also researched core technology and develop games
on Blockchain platform (Cipher Cascade).
The third field is digital transformation. Sun* supports and develops
digital transformation to solve management issues of large companies
representing the industry. The company is currently supporting five projects in
this field. With the process of using digitized information, Sun* makes
established ways of working in these companies simpler and more efficient.
The fourth field is new business co-create. The company creates a new
business by multiplying with the power of Sun*’s technology and promoting
business characteristics. Currently, there are 5 projects which are in progress.
This is the field that Sun* is accelerating as well as will focus on more in the
future.
The fifth field of the company is Startup studio. Founded in 2018, Sun*
Startups has been operating as a Startup studio. The company seeks and
accompanies with startup business ideas that make positive changes into life. For
potential ones, it invests the necessary resources that help them not only in
founding their solid team but also in idea verifying, MVP building and boosting.
The integration of startup science mindset, internal resources and opened
network model among startup ecosystem is Sun*’s power when it comes to
startups.
The last and important field of Sun* is IT talent education. To train and
employ IT talents, Sun* develops Japanese information technology engineers
associating with top universities in Vietnam. Moreover, Sun* also opens
Awesome Academy to train programming, provides opportunity to study abroad
about information technology in the Philippines, and organizes programming
school for Japanese university students.

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Members
Team
Leader
Group
Leader
1.3.4. Organizational structure
Figure 1: Organizational structure of Sun* Inc.
(Source: Sun* Inc.’s official document, 2020)
The Board of Directors includes the founder and CEO Taihei Kobayashi,
who is in charge of making important decision in the business operation, and
Directors - Makoto Hirai, Yusuke Hattori and Takuya Umeda. The Directors are
responsible for directing and managing the offices directly. Under the Board of
Directors, the company is divided into 4 offices: Creative Studio, Talent
Development Office, Business Administration Office, and CEO office.
The Creative Studio includes 5 units. The Engineering Unit Vietnam 1, 2,
and 3 are the three main product development units of the company. The Project
Acceleration Office Unit accelerates project development to make sure the
Creative
Studio
Talent
Development
Office
Business
Administration
Office
CEO Office
Engin Engin Engin
Design eer- eer- eer-
Unit ing ing ing
Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3
Project
Acceler
ation
Office
Vietnam Global
Education Educat
Unit ion Unit
Business
Administra
tion Office
R&D
Unit
Human
Resour
ces
Unit
Start PaaS
Up Design
Studio Unit
Board of Directors
Members
Teams
Groups
Sections
Section
Manager
Unit
Manager
Head
Of f ice
Manager

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projects run with the right process, without any problem. In Design Unit, there
is a Creative Group specializing in designing external marketing products, and
organizing SAA (Strategic asset allocation). The Talent Development Office has
2 Units. Vietnam Education Unit is responsible for training interns for the
projects. The Global Education Unit specializes in organizing job fair, and
training Vietnamese human resources to work in Japan. Business Administration
Office is in charge of facilities, insurance wages, corporate legal, and accounting.
The last Office, which is CEO office, is divided into 4 Units. Human Resources
Unit Vietnam includes 4 groups, which are Recruiting & Employee Relation,
Employer Branding, Human Resources Strategy, and Internal Communication.
Startup Studio Vietnam takes the responsibility for accelerating the incubation
of startups in Vietnam. The R&D Unit develops and researches internal products,
Viblo, AI, cyber security, machine learning, and new technologies.
1.2. Internship activities
During my internship period, I had the chance to work at Sun* Inc.
Vietnam in two months (from June 1𝑠𝑡 to July 31𝑠𝑡 in 2020). I was assigned to
intern in the Internal Communication group under the guidance of Mrs. Nguyen
Thuy Quynh - the group leader of Internal Communication at Hanoi Branch.
As an intern, I was in charge of translating internal documents and Sun*
News - the company’s internal website, which updates daily all the latest news
about the company such as internal events and activities, product releases, new
employees, good tips and personal sharing. Aside from that, I also supported the
content team to build content and write news; helped the logistic team to prepare
equipment for internal events; and participated in organizing big events and team
building in the company.
The internship period has given me precious experience and knowledge
in the field of internal communication as well as soft skills such as teamwork
skills, listening skills and communication skills. These are all necessary factors,
which can benefit me in pursuing my future career.

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1.3. Theoretical basis of corporate culture
1.3.1. Definition
Corporate culture is defined as patterns of shared values and beliefs over
time which produces behavioral norms that are adopted in solving problems
(Owens 1987; Schein, 1990). The corporate’s internal environment is
represented by its culture and is construed by the assumptions and beliefs of the
managers and employees (Aycan et al., 1999). Corporate culture manifests in
beliefs and assumptions, values, attitudes and behaviors of its members is a
valuable source of firm’s competitive advantage (Hall, 1993; Peteraf, 1993)
since it shapes corporate procedures, unifies corporate capabilities into a
cohesive whole, provides solutions to the problems faced by the company and
thereby, hindering or facilitating the organization’s achievement of its goals
(Yilmaz, 2008).
1.3.2. Models of corporate culture
The Denison model was developed by Dr. Daniel Denison, formerly of
the University of Michigan Business School, and currently Professor of
Organization Development at IMD - International Institute of Management
Development in Lausanne, Switzerland. Dr. Denison's study centers on the
connection between organizational culture and bottom-line efficiency indicators
such as profitability, development, quality, innovation, happiness of customers
and employees. Denison's organizational culture design is focused on four
cultural characteristics that have been shown to affect organizational efficiency,
stability, adaptability and mission. The four traits of organizational culture in
Denison’s model are as follows:

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Figure 2: Denison model of corporate culture
(Source: Daniel Denison, 2006. Diagnosing organizational
cultures: Validating a model and method)
Involvement
This trait means building human capability and creating a shared sense of
ownership and responsibility throughout the organization. Effective
organizations empower their people, build their organizations around teams, and
develop human capability at all levels (Becker, 1964; Lawler, 1996; Likert,
1961). Executives and staff are dedicated to their job and believe they own an
organization piece. People at all levels feel that they have at least some insight
into choices that influence their job and that their job is directly linked to the
organization's goals. (Katzenberg, 1993; Spreitzer, 1995).
Consistency
This defines the principles and structures on which the culture is based.
Organizations also tend to be efficient because they have extremely coherent,
well-coordinated and well-integrated "powerful" cultures. Behavior is grounded
in a collection of key principles, and leaders and supporters are able to come to
an arrangement even when there are different perspectives. (Block, 1991). This

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type of consistency is a powerful source of stability and internal integration that
results from a common mindset and a high degree of conformity.
Adaptability
It indicates translating the requirements of internal environment into
practice. Ironically, well-integrated organizations are often the most difficult to
modify. Often there may be odds with internal inclusion and external adjustment.
Adaptable organizations are motivated by their clients, take risks, learn from
their failures, and have the ability to create change and experience. They are
continuously changing the system so that they are improving the corporates’
collective abilities to provide value for their customers.
Mission
This means identifying the organization's significant long-term direction.
Successful organizations have a definite sense of purpose and direction defining
organizational goals and strategic goals and expressing a view of how the
organization will behave in the future. If the fundamental mission of an
organization varies, changes also occur in other aspects of the organization’s
culture.
Besides, Schein’s model is also a well-known one. Nowadays it is used
extensively in organizations worldwide. In 1980, Edgar Schein, an American
management professor, created an organizational culture model to make culture
within an organization more visible. Schein's model of organizational culture
enables organizations to recompose their culture by applying the concepts
proposed by the model. It highlights the different levels of each organizational
culture and the concepts to take into account.
According to Edgar Schein, there are direct and indirect mechanisms
within organizations. Direct processes directly influence the organizational
culture model. This involves exemplary behavior, beliefs, status and
appointments. Indirect processes, however determinative, do not immediately
affect the organizational culture. This involves a company's mission and vision

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statement, official rules, business identification, rituals, and design. In Edgar
Schein’s model, culture exists at three successive levels:
Figure 3: Edgar Schein three levels ofcorporate culture
(Source: Schein, E. H., 1984. Coming to a New Awareness of
Organizational Culture)
Artifacts and symbols. It is the most obvious stage of society, composed
of an organization's built physical and cultural setting. These mark the culture's
surface and are the organization's recognizable components. Architecture and
interior schemes, physical space and office design present physical artifacts.
Language also brings culture through speech methods, slogans and expressions.
Technology is also a component of the culture because through activities,
materials and understanding it represents beliefs. Like personal procedures,
management methods and working traditions, they can be recognized by people
not part of the culture but can be difficult to understand easily by everyone since
they can be confusing.
Espoused values. The level of behaviors and artifacts is less apparent.
This level of culture's members provides the fundamental meanings and
interrelations by which behavior patterns and objects can be deciphered.
Espoused values are the declared values and behavioral standards of the

15
organization. It is how participants represent the organization to themselves as
well as to others. This is often articulated in government identification statements
and formal philosophies. Often it can be a projection of what the participants
expect to become for the future.
Basic underlying assumptions represent an unconscious level of culture
at which, over a period of time, the underlying values have been transformed and
taken for granted as an organizationally acceptable way of perceiving the world.
Basic assumptions are also the most difficult to relearn and adjust by this
concept. In addition, the fundamental hypotheses are often hard to define and are
only really known by individuals who have become accustomed to how the
organization operates. Usually, these are unseen. They're not published
anywhere and individuals may not want to talk about them, but they exist and
are often powerful. The iceberg model is based on Schein's organizational culture
model and includes four other concepts that influence the way people behave,
which are explained in the cultural onion model.
Figure 4: Edward T. Hall’s Cultural Iceberg Model
(Source: Edward T. Hall, 1976. Beyond Culture)
The first concept is Symbols, which are any kind of pictures, objects or
words which carry a particular meaning only recognized by the members of one
culture. For instance, accent, idioms, clothes and colors.

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The second one is Heroes, which are role models possessing
characteristics that are highly prized in a culture, as for example, politicians or
historical people.
Rituals are then described as conventionalized models of behavior that
occur in specific circumstances. Business conferences or small talks, for
instance.
Lastly, Values definition is described as the core of culture. They are
trained in early childhood, and they are most essential to one's correct or
incorrect decision.
All of these concepts have to be taken into account when defining
corporate culture. Companies have a lot of different nationalities which imply
that everyone has different symbols, heroes, rituals and values. Therefore, people
react and behave in a different way when facing a situation. For this reason, it is
essential to have a corporate culture which contemplates these variable concepts
and to be consistent on its parameters. In this report, the organisational culture
of Sun* will be analyzed using the theoretical lens of Schein’s framework with
three cognitive levels: Artifact and symbol, espoused value, and basic underlying
assumption.

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CHAPTER 2: CURRENT SITUATION OF CORPORATE
CULTURE IN SUN* INC. VIETNAM
2.1. Corporate culture of Sun* Inc. Vietnam
2.1.1. Overview
As a Japanese company, the culture of Sun* Inc. is also Japanese-styled,
from the way of greeting, collaborating with colleagues and superiors and how
to overcome difficulties. For example, according to a paper from Doshisha
University in Kyoto, Japan, many Japanese firms adhere to a mantra called ho-
ren-so. Ho-ren-so is a mnemonic device combining three verbs' first syllables:
Houkoku (report), renraku (contact), and soudan (consult). This implies that a
Japanese employee must always keep their supervisors informed of what they
are doing. Every decision should go through the chain of command, no matter
how low it may seem, and get the approval stamp from the boss. Employees
should report any problems to their bosses instantly before attempting to take
care of anything on their own. Sun* has applied this method to control and
operate the daily employees’ performance.
However, when choosing Vietnam to locate its head office, Sun*
understands that the core value and corporate culture need be changed to be
adaptable to the Vietnamese working environment and above all, the
characteristics of Vietnamese employees. Sun* thoroughly believes that the
culture nurtured within the organization creates the enabling environment and
helps the environment reach its high aspiration levels. These values transcend
across the businesses and hierarchy and bind its employees together as an
organization. Sun* is able to foster a strong spirit of inclusiveness and maintain
the “small company feel” whilst growing the company from 10 members to a big
staff of 1300 employees. This has only been possible by systematically ensuring
open and continuous communication across the company.

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2.1.2. The analysis of corporate culture of Sun* Inc. Vietnam
2.1.2.1. Artifacts and symbols
This first and most cursory level of Schein’s model consists of the
superficial organisational attributes that can be seen, felt and heard, such as logo,
structure, facilities, visible rewards, employees’ dress code, slogan, the manner
of the organization in which the employees interact amongst themselves and with
outsiders and other artifacts. Organisational behaviour at this level is also easy
to study by observing the attitudes of the employees. Here are several factors of
this level of culture:
Figure 5: The company's logo
(Source: Sun* Inc.)
Firstly, it is the company’s logo. The "Sun" in the company's name means
the "Sun" that nurtures all life on Earth. With the name "Sun", Sun* Inc. aims to
become the most powerful source, enlighten and ensure the development of new
business areas. Asterisk (*) mark represents a multiplier in many programming
languages. This is a indicator that Sun, as a company, is a multiplier for potential
clients. Moreover, the asterisk is also a symbol of the Sun. Sun*’s logo helps
the company inspire all employees and bring Sun*’s image to customers. The
customers can easily know and remember the company’s brand.
The second factor is slogan. The company’s slogan is “We make
awesome things that matter”. This is the company's motto to express its vision
& mission, always wanting to create really awesome products with high
applicability and practical benefits to bring a positive impact into people's lives.
This slogan is decorated right on a large wall of the office, which reminds
employees to their obligations during work every day as well as the mission of

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the team. Moreover, the slogan also acts as a reminder for everyone to always do
their best and aim for the goals that the company has set. Because of this, the
performance of each employee is enhanced, and the business development is
rapid. To be worthy of the name “Sun”, staff will wholeheartedly try their best
to create a state-of-the-art infrastructure, to nurture the sprout named “Awesome
things”.
Thirdly, it is the corporate dress code. Sun* encourages creativity and
tries as much as possible to avoid the situation when employees feel constrained,
which is different from the culture of many Japanese companies - in particular,
the rule about dress code for employees. Whereas in Japan the staff was forced
to wear a suit every day, in Sun*, the employees were allowed to wear what they
wanted, as long as the costume was not offensive and made the other person feel
embarrassed when looking. It makes employees feel they are respected for their
personal preferences and lifestyles.
Lastly, a special feature of Sun*’s culture is empowerment. The structure
of the organization is clearly divided: at the top is the CEO, the lower level is the
manager, group and team leader, finally the members. The structure is illustrated
as below:
Figure 6: Organizational level of Sun* Inc.
Source: Sun* Inc.’s official document (2019)
Lower-level employees have the right to propose ideas and
recommendations to help the work be more effective or the project operate more

20
smoothly. Meanwhile leaders in projects act as a guide, the staff will be the one
to propose ideas and implement them. Managers always show all employees
their fair treatment. Whoever achieves excellent outcomes will be awarded and
whoever has mistake will be warned or punished according to the seriousness of
the mistakes. The manager had a straightforward discussion on the staff’s
mistakes at conference. Some random mistakes that did not cause any damage
have been passed but the serious faults have been evaluated and the lessons have
been learned.
2.1.2.2. Espoused values
This second level is the norms within the organisation, such as company’s
core values and other unwritten rules that provide guidelines on organisational
behaviour. Organisational behaviour at this level can be studied by conducting
interviews and surveys of the employees to get insights into the attitudes of the
employees. The detailed rules of behavior among the employees below:
Firstly, the policy on behaviors among employees is strictly followed.
Sun* is a Japanese company so it is understandable that the company culture is
Japanese-styled, especially when it comes to the rules when communicating and
dealing with colleagues. Managers have an important role in propagating and
reminding, training subordinates to follow the rules of greeting, discussing and
reporting etc. For example, when employees in the company meet, they need to
bow 45 degree or smile when the clients visit the office. Or when reporting to
superiors, it is necessary to send information via email or the communication
tool of the whole team so that everyone can see it in writing.
Secondly, the core values of Sun* are also an important factor which
helps employees acknowledge about who they should become and what the
company expects from them. Core values are the beliefs and values of the
organisation. They are the results of the views of the founder, not the conscious
creation; are discovered rather than being invented. They are the basic ideology
of the organisation, with regard to the way it treats its employees, its social
behaviour or the value it gives to technical excellence. They are based on the

21
moral and ethical principles of the founder and become the fundamental part of
the way people think (Dowding, 2002). Thus, core values are the beliefs that are
good for the organisation. The core values of Sun* are listed as: Be a Team; Get
Risky; Get Risky; Stay Focused; Think Outside The Box; Be Optimistic; Be
Professional. For members to instill these core values, all the activities in each
month are carried out under the concept of one certain core value. For example,
in the month of “Think outside the box” core value, which is April, the Units in
the company organized series of creative and unique activities for their members
as well as seminars and workshops with the topic of creative.
Thirdly, in terms of internal communication, at Sun* Inc. Vietnam,
staffs are open and friendly to one another. Everybody talks with each other and
shares knowledge as well as personal experience to their colleagues when they
have time or after working hours. Besides, Sun* is using a combination of
various channels, such as news, radio, youtube channel, chatbox, meetings, talk
shows, seminars, etc. Some of these methods are used daily and continuously
updated to meet the employees’ need and expectation. In particular, there is a
talk show at Sun* called “Speak out”. In this show, everyone can frankly share
their personal view on different issues of life and the company. People felt
comfortable to raise their voice or to talk about the problems they encounter at
work, their daily life and even their plan for the future. Many viewpoints and
suggestions were offered and the problem was solved by the end of the show.
Lastly, it is the reward system. Fostering teamwork in Sun* is creating a
work culture that values collaboration. Sun* creates a culture of teamwork so
that the employees understand and believe that thinking, planning, decisions and
actions are better when done cooperatively. The organization works together
which means everybody is receptive to ideas and input from others on the team.
It rewards and recognizes teamwork. This means that Sun* has structured
compensation, bonuses, and rewards that based on collaborative practices as
much as individual contribution and achievement. For example, the rewards and
recognitions for employees for the profits earned by a particular product.

22
The structure of the company is divided into three divisions, each one has
small groups. Because of this cultural characteristic, managers will receive
higher salaries, in addition to seniority and project management bonus. Whereas
lower-level employees are often rewarded for fulfilling the company's core
values or suggesting creative ideas that contribute to improving the group's
performance.
2.1.2.3. Basic underlying assumptions
The third and the deepest level consists of the company’s tacit
assumptions. These assumptions and beliefs are the values that are good for the
organisation. The elements of culture in this level are unseen and not easily
identified by mere interactions with corporate members. The underlying
assumptions are often difficult to describe, are intangible and are often only
really understood by people who've become accustomed to the way the
organisation works. Values are translated into reality through norms and
artifacts.
Sun*'s basic assumptions are often well grasped and understood by the
leaders and longtime employees here, and they will use useful methods to bring
these values to subordinates and new members. For example, one of Sun*'s
operating areas is outsourcing, taking software requests from clients and
following what they ask for. However, the mission that the company always aims
is to motivate the employees to do better than what the clients expected, and to
advise the clients to improve the product, bringing better benefits to the users.
Or the nature of the projects is working mainly with Japanese clients, so the
leaders will understand the clients’ requirement that the product need to be
completed and detailed to almost perfection, from then they will disseminate and
remind members in the project team to do their best, and try to be meticulous as
to not make any mistakes.
Sun* also has the conception of time. This organization considers time
as money, therefore everyone appreciates time. Employees believe time is the
most valuable asset that once lost never can be found again. That is why

23
employees get familiar to the thought that being late is one of the first things to
avoid.
2.2. Assessments
Basically, the corporate culture of Sun* Inc. Vietnam is similar to
Schein’s model in the theory. After Sun*’s corporate culture was analyzed, some
strengths and weaknesses within it were then realized.
2.2.1. Strengths
Overall, Sun*’s corporate culture has several outstanding points which
make it a strong and unique culture. These strengths are as follows:
2.2.1.1. Open and equal workplace culture
Sun* is proud to have an open environment where everyone has the
freedom to work and create values for society. The company encourages and
values creativity, and gives employees opportunities to be more creative. As
mentioned above, all members can wear freestyle costume when coming to the
company. In addition, due to the empowerment in Sun*’s culture, everyone has
the right to argue, or give personal opinions. After considering all the ideas, if
the majority support, the proposal of the staff will be immediately approved. The
democratic leaders of Sun* always encourage new, unique and even unusual
ideas. Employees always want to contribute more to the project and the
company, and feel that their opinions are truly appreciated. Consequently, it
reports positive results such as member satisfaction, friendliness, creativity, and
dedication to decisions made within the company. The genuine efforts to
empower participants to effect changes, present ideas and develop their careers
has led to some outstanding contributions from individuals. The potential and
untapped capability of participants, when released, had remarkable impact. Most
of the staffs in Hanoi branch have a positive attitude towards managers. In return,
they show respect for their superiors. The respect is shown by the way of greeting
and the language is used. Staffs use the formal words along with a smile when
greeting their managers.

24
2.2.1.2. Clear goals and strategies
Sun* has built a clear, specific system of goals and strategies for
employees to work accordingly. Every member in the company is aware of the
importance of overall organization goals. Specifically, the culture of the
company represents predefined policies which guide the employees and give
them a sense of direction at the workplace. Each individual is clear about his/her
role and responsibility in the organization and know how to accomplish the tasks
ahead of the deadlines. Therefore, they can have an overall perspective about
their career path and what they need to do in order to improve their technical
skills.
Moreover, members in the company can easily instill the seven core
values through many well-prepared activities by the company. These activities
are part of the strategy of bringing the Sun*’s core values to life. The members
in each Unit found it meaningful to them and responded to these activities with
great enthusiasm. They know what exactly they have to do and are clear on how
they will achieve the company strategies.
2.2.1.3. Effective internal communication
The communication among employees within the company is promoted
effectively. With the combination of different internal communication methods,
Sun* members find it easy to get information, communicate and interact with
each other. As a result, some of internal communication campaigns have
attracted a large number of members, and employee engagement and
communication among them have increased. According to my survey, nearly
80% Sun* employees felt satisfied with their relationship with colleagues and
managers in their unit. Many members of each unit are even very close to each
other.
2.2.1.4. Appropriate reward system
Sun* has an effective reward system that motivates employees to work
harder and boosts their moral. The policies of appropriate reward are made by
the human resources department for each group and each employee level due to

25
the characteristic of the company structure. Everyone’s effort, though small, is
recognized and honored. Sharing their thoughts when receiving the award from
Sun*, many employees have expressed their happiness and appreciation to the
company.
2.2.2. Weaknesses
That the corporate culture of Sun* is unique and strong is undeniable, but
nothing is perfect. Although it has a lot of strengths, weaknesses still exist within
it. These drawbacks are listed as follows:
2.2.2.1. Lack of specific policies
Some of the staff policies are not very strict and clear. For example, when
it comes to the dress code policy, there is no specific requirement on what to
wear to the company. As the company has many employees and everyone wears
their own different style, it is difficult to identify Sun* staffs. Due to the freedom
in wearing costume, some individuals wear unprofessional clothes, which
decreases the polished appearance among employees and professionalism
towards customers.
2.2.2.2. Lack of strong authority
A workplace democracy at Sun* gives employees a strong voice and
equal power within the company. However, despite its prevalence, this
workplace democracy presents some challenges. Employees may abuse their
democratic voice. Some employees of Sun* with strong personality and big ego
have found that their opinions conflict on various topics. In some cases, it was
difficult to get employees and leaders to agree on what to do. This may go against
the teamwork culture of the company and lead to delayed decisions when the
projects require quick responses to urgent situation.
2.2.2.3. Lack of connection among units
Due to the large scale of the company with a thousand of employees and
many different offices and units, it is difficult to connect members of all units in
the company. In Sun*, different units take responsibility for different tasks and

26
projects, so the core culture also differentiate from others. Each unit has its own
culture identity and a Culture Development Team which is in charge of planning
and organizing cultural activities of the unit. Therefore, it lacks the connection
and exchange with other units. They only focus on activities related to their unit
or participate in their unit’s programs.
2.2.2.4. Lack of external communication
Although Sun* has effective internal communication, its external
communication has certain limitations. Most of the sharing and cultural activities
are carried out internally. Many seminars and workshops were held in the
company but only few of them were for outsiders, partners, or customers. Some
of the company’s cultural activities are updated frequently on the Youtube
channel - Sun* Vietnam, Facebook page or internal website, but most viewers
are the company members. That is why Sun*’s culture has not been introduced
and widely known by people outside the organization, despite the fact that the
company has its own unique culture.

27
CHAPTER 3: RECOMMENDATIONS
Culture of an organization is contributed by each individual of that
organization. Therefore, the only way to boost Sun*’s corporate culture is to
appeal to each staff of the company by fulfilling their fundamental needs,
listening and making them closely connect with the company. Although Sun*
has implemented various policies and activities to strengthen its corporate
culture, there is still room for improvement. Here are some recommendations
from my point of view that Sun* can consider while applying the methods of
maintaining and boosting its culture.
3.1. Providing Sun* uniforms
Wearing uniforms to the company can make the employees feel proud
and feel like they are being part of a reputable company. Therefore, instead of
having uniforms within each unit or group as now, Sun* should provide all
employees company uniforms. The uniforms should be designed properly with
quality materials and show the characteristic of Sun* which is young, dynamic
and open. Besides, the company should encourage everyone to wear uniforms to
the company by making some specific requirements. For example, all employees
are compulsory to wear uniforms on every Monday or for special events of the
company.
3.2. Improving external communication
To promote and introduce Sun*’s culture to a broad scale, it is necessary
for the company to focus on external communication. It should organize more
culture exchange programs and knowledge sharing with other organizations, and
expand the number of participants who are from outside of the company. Some
of the programs for Sun* to consider are Sun* programming contest, technology
seminars, Sun* job fair and so on. These programs are more likely to attract
everyone’s attention and introduce the company’s culture to a large number of
people. Aside from that, other online channels should also be used to make the
promoting process faster and more efficient.

3.3. Improving the connection among units
In order to connect all employees in the company, outdoor activities and
sharing are necessary in culture as they make members happy to work and
dedicate to the company, thereby increasing the productivity. Sun* should find
out proper ways to implement these outdoor and sharing activities on a large
scale, such as Sun* Football Cup with the participation of different teams from
different units, more company team-building events, knowledge sharing, and
seminars among units. Besides, Sun* should encourage members to actively join
the clubs in the company and form more clubs for those who share the same
interests, such as Music Club, Dancing Club, Volunteer Club, etc. From there,
everyone can feel more connected to other and feel like they are family, despite
the fact that they are working in a big organization.
3.4. Hiring employees based on Sun*’s culture
To have effective organizational culture practicing, one of the first
method Sun* could use is to hire employees based on its original culture so that
it would be much easier to maintain its own culture. To hire for culture, Sun*
should add the company’s core values to the decision-making process in
recruiting. The company may optimize its interviewing and hiring for cultural fit
by finding employees who have the ability and skill set to procedure results in
particular position and those who are naturally wired to work according to the
core values of the organization.
To achieve that, recruitment team should make a list of questions related
to the core values of the company that can reveal the nature of the applicants
also. These personal characteristics questions will be the method determining
whether the candidate is suitable for Sun*’s culture, for example the interviewer
can ask “Have you ever accomplish a difficult task without giving up or decline
to do it?” in order to know whether the candidate is adventurous or not. They can
become a loyal staff of Sun* or if they are considered to match with the company
environment.
28

29
3.5. Providing training and development for employees
Human resources department should make training and development
programs readily available to employees and allow them the time to learn new
skills that will not only benefit the company, but also help themselves in their
personal lives. This department should find out what interests them and what
skills they want to develop, and helping provide educational resources that they
can use is the method of helping staff find ways to improve and develop. Once
employees understand the importance of their job and understand the purpose
behind the assignments, they will be more dedicated and willing to finish it to
their maximum capacity.
In addition to that, Sun* should train and give employees lessons on each
case study of culture matters and solutions to them. It will be easier to deal with
the conflicts among members or among managers and members during the
project in case some members raise their opposed ideas or abuse their democratic
voice. Not only managers, but also employees will know how to cope with the
situation as they have been learned about it earlier. Therefore, it can help them
reduce the delayed time caused by these conflicts.
3.6. Learning from other organizations
Another recommendation for Sun* Inc. Vietnam to improve their internal
state is to learn from external sources. Even though Sun* has succeeded in
keeping its employees satisfied, there are still other organizations with much
more appealing policies that are effective in attracting talents and boosting the
organizational culture. Therefore, it is essential that Sun* should also learn from
its competitors in the market and other organizations which have strong culture.
There are some great examples of having a strong corporate culture.
Netflix, Facebook, Twitter and Google are very well-known tech companies in
the world and they all have a team-oriented environment as well as a unique and
firm organizational culture. To be able to do that, they have put extensive effort
into employee team building and culture promotion, focused on teamwork and
open communication, or had successful reward and recognition system. The

30
professional workplace environment is also a remarkable factor in creating a
successful corporate culture in these organizations. These are the lessons that
Sun* can learn from to go on the journey of becoming a big tech company in
Vietnam and in the world.

31
CONCLUSION
In summary, through 7-year journey of development and establishment,
Sun* Inc. has become a strong technology corporation and gradually brought
positive values to the society. To promote the company’s values and business
strategy, Sun* has focused on building and maintaining its corporate culture and
achieved several outstanding successes. It is undeniable that Sun*’s culture plays
an important role and contributes greatly to the achievements of this
organization. These reasons urge me to write on the topic of: “The analysis of
corporate culture of Sun* Inc. Vietnam”.
Despite having a short time of internship at Human Resources Unit, I had
a chance to work and support the Internal Communication group in planning and
organizing the internal activities and events of the company.
Besides, I took charge of translating internal documents, website and
news of the company. Having the opportunities to approach these information
helps me gain a lot of valuable knowledge about the company in general and its
corporate culture in particular. During my internship, I found that Sun* Inc.
Vietnam’s corporate culture has currently faced some problems that would be
improved if they are dealt with.
With the hope to improve the quality of the corporate culture of Sun* Inc.
Vietnam, I have synthesized several problems encountered within the
corporation as well as analyzed and figured out a number of solutions. First,
about dress code policy, Sun* should provide all employees company uniforms
and specific dress code policy. Second, about the external communication, Sun*
should consider improving the external activities as well as channels to promote
the culture more efficiently. In addition, Sun* should improve the connection
among units by organizing company team building and sharing. Moreover, Sun*
should hire employees based on the company culture and learn from other
organizations with strong culture in order to make it easier to improve and deal
with the problems that may happen.

32
However, due to time constraints, limited materials and my research
capability, the report still has some certain shortcomings relating to the lack of
understanding about the complexity of the problems that need to be fixed and
lack of knowledge about the basic underlying assumptions in culture. If I have
an opportunity to do more research, I will learn more about the basic underlying
assumptions of Sun* so that I can be fully acknowledged and avoid being
subjective when analyzing the information.
This internship at Sun* Inc. has been a great experience to date for me. I
have gained a deeper understanding of Internal Communication and corporate
culture and learned a lot from other experienced colleagues. I hope this report
would help the company in rebuilding and maintaining its corporate culture and
contribute partly to Sun*’s greater success in the future.

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