ABSTRACT
In my first academic job in Australia, my supervisor told me at lunch time that she would “knock off” for the day to take her poodle for a hair-do appointment. I was lost for words. Would this be the kind of work ethic to instil into a new research assistant like me? At the same time, I found her honesty refreshing. I became curious to learn about cultural differences in values and social rules between workplaces in Australia and Hong Kong, where I was from.
