Issue 3 - August 2015
Welcome to the CityU MBA Newsletter Issue 3
Welcome to the 3rd CityU MBA newsletter. In this issue, we are excited to outline the latest snapshots of our MBA programme over the past few months, including one of our key international study initiatives – the Enterprise Residential Diagnostic Trip. This trip was successfully held in Shanghai at the end of June, and participants experienced and also learned to develop their business skills in the greater China region. The programme allowed participants to explore what is strategically important in the business world of today. In addition, hear from one of our MBA students on her recent exchange experience at a world class business school in France; career workshops and events held; plus a feature story on a successful MBA alumnus who graduated in 2008.
In this Issue 1. The Enterprise Residential Diagnostic Trip in Shanghai
4. The Alumni Corner -
“Redefined by CityU MBA” by Mr Victor Chang 2008 MBA
2. My Exchange Experience in France 3. Career Management and Development -
5. The Latest Achievement: The Charity Bike Ride
Recruiting Pro Bono Alumni Mentors Introducing Vault and Workmaze Career Guides Job Posting Board for Alumni
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Issue 3 - August 2015
The Enterprise Residential Diagnostic Trip in Shanghai The MBA Residential Trip (R-Trip) 2015 was successfully held from 21th to 30th June in Shanghai, China. The trip was organised by the MBA programme as one of its core courses. A group of 27 students consisting of 22 CityU MBA students and 5 Indiana University students, led by Professor Kevin Chiang, Programme Director of MBA, completed a 10-day challenge in the host company Chuangshi Group. This year, the management team invested an enormous amount of time and resources in selecting the most suitable host organisation to ensure exceptional learning outcomes. After a significant number of meetings and discussions, Chuangshi Group was finally selected as the host organisation with a strategic focus on key challenges and best practices in multiple areas including: strategic planning; domestic and international marketing strategies; socially-responsible leadership development; innovation; intellectual property protection; talent development and management; operations; and technology. Chuangshi Group [http://www.shchuangshi.com.cn] is one of the most notable enterprises in the hot and cold healthcare industry in China, and was established 20 years ago. The company prides itself on being the first choice for world famous brands and companies in delivering hot and cold healthcare products of high quality and competitive prices. With more than 500 employees working under three production plants and 30 researchers in their research and development facility, the company is well known for pioneering innovative hot and cold healthcare products. Our MBA students were divided into small teams and commenced the interviewing process immediately upon arrival. Through a range of meetings and discussions with representatives from Chuangshi Group, including line managers, department heads and members from their management team, the participants analysed and examined the company's business processes and logistics and identified loopholes in areas which required improvement. With extensive support and guidance from our team of supervisors, the MBA students developed strategic recommendations and implementation plans for the host organisation in their final presentation, which were highly appreciated and will be adopted by the host organisation into their existing operations and management practices.
Chris Chen “Unforgettable! You don’t receive the same experience elsewhere. I think it was the business operations and other insights of the host company which were invaluable to the trip. It was a unique opportunity which enabled us to be exposed to real world practical business problems – help diagnose and derive improvement plans for the business under study. This was truly a helpful and practical experience!”
Jing Tong “I just wanted to thank for such a memorable experience! The trip far exceeded my expectations, and provided opportunities to meet Chuangshi’s senior management team, and learn the latest developments in the hot and cold healthcare products industry in China.”
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Issue 3 - August 2015
My Exchange Experience in France MBA Student Lisa Wang has spent one semester at EMLYON Business School in France. Hear from Lisa how she prepared for the exchange and the highlights of her exchange experience.
Q1
Why did you decide to participate in the exchange?
I started planning for my exchange experience in the middle of my first year of MBA study. I happened to go to an exchange information session and my first impression was that an exchange would challenge me in various ways. Also, I thought the experience would be unique and beneficial for my understanding of cultural diversity and globalisation.
Q2
What preparations did you do for the exchange?
Q3
Which overseas institution did you study in and what are the differences between studying locally and abroad?
The critical element with organising an exchange is preparation. The earlier you start, the better your chance of having a beneficial and positive experience. I first started by researching potential places and business schools suitable for an exchange. Then I submitted a student visa application to the French Embassy as soon as I received the exchange offer from EMLYON Business School. I was extremely excited when I received the visa which took almost two months to process. That was the moment when I started to plan for my exchange trip.
I was admitted to EMLYON Business School in France, and my favourite course was Business Negotiation. EMLYON Business School is a leading business school in Europe and their courses are as challenging as those conducted in the CityU MBA Programme. The major difference in studying at EMLYON was that each course I studied was delivered by multiple professors. Some professors at EMLYON are industry practitioners who are recognised industry leaders in their fields who introduced real case studies in the lectures. On the other hand, courses offered by CityU are usually delivered by one professor although there are a number of courses which are delivered by industry practitioners which students have the option of selecting.
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Issue 3 - August 2015
Q4
Where did you stay while you were studying abroad on the exchange programme?
Q5
What was the best part of the exchange?
Q6
Would you recommend other MBA students to participate in an exchange programme?
I stayed with a traditional French family. My host family provided me with a safe and welcoming home environment, as well as the opportunity to learn more about French culture through experiencing their lifestyle from a different perspective. It was a very rewarding and positive experience and I would strongly recommend homestays as one of the best options to other MBA exchange students.
The best part about the exchange can be described in three areas. The first is new lifelong friendships. These have been formed not only with my wonderful host family but also with people from EMLYON Business School, and the other students. After the exchange, I feel much more comfortable approaching strangers even though they may speak a language other than English. The building of my interpersonal skills will help me greatly in the future as I feel I can now communicate easily with anyone. The second best part about the exchange is my career goal. The MBA study programme and this exchange trip have given me the time to decide exactly who and what I want to be. Travelling abroad has given me a sense of wanderlust and I am confident about relocating and working in different countries when the opportunity arises. Last but not least, the exchange programme has provided me with personal growth. The opportunity to travel overseas has widened my perspective and I now find myself always thinking about things from a broader point of view.
I strongly encourage CityU MBA students to participate in an exchange programme at some point in their studies. An exchange trip gives you the opportunity to learn from people with different backgrounds and languages; to experience a different academic system; to travel to another part of the world; and to make new friends.
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Issue 3 - August 2015
Career Management and Development Recruiting Pro Bono Alumni Mentors We are recruiting pro bono alumni mentors who are: • Willing to share their attitude, skills and knowledge to succeed in work and life with mentees • Willing to help students learn more about their chosen industries; review career paths; and fine-tune their career goals • Willing to create unique learning opportunities outside the classroom and offer exposure to the business world • Willing to give constructive feedback Benefits of being a Mentor: • • • •
Increase personal satisfaction in helping others Develop leadership skills like coaching and counselling Exposure to new ideas and different perspectives of the mentees Widen professional network
If interested, please contact the MBA Career Centre at mbacareer@cityu.edu.hk.
Introducing Vault and Workmaze Career Guides The MBA Career Centre has subscribed to two world-renowned career exploration and development resources, which are available to all MBA participants and alumni. The 120+ career and interview practice guides in Vault are available to all our current MBA participants and alumni. The Workmaze Guides include the company and recruitment information of the top 100 companies in Asia; the top 100 management consulting companies; the top 100 global MBA recruiting companies to 100 media, advertising, PR & FMCG companies, as well as the top 100 banking, finance & investment companies. Both guides can be accessed within our Career Services Management System (Symplicity). MBA Alumni and participants can register for an account in Symplicity from our MBA Career website. Once your registration is approved, you will be given direct access to these guides plus other career and job search resources in the Symplicity resource library.
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Issue 3 - August 2015
Job Posting Board for Alumni Alumni are invited to post your company’s full-time and internship job opportunities on the job board of our Career Services Management System (Symplicity). The job board is available to all MBA participants and alumni, and it is a cost effective way for employers to reach the City University MBA network. If interested, please register your employer account in Symplicity. You can start posting vacancies after your registration is successful set up. Alternatively, you can contact the MBA Career Centre at mbacareer@cityu.edu.hk to create the employer account and post the th jobs for you.
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Issue 3 - August 2015
The Alumni Corner “Redefined by CityU MBA� Mr Victor Chang 2008 MBA
Current Location:
Hong Kong
Undergraduate:
Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance) Monash University, Australia
Postgraduate:
Master in Business Administration City University of Hong Kong
Position:
Director and General Manager, WKK Distribution Limited Business Mentor, CityU MBA Programme
CityU MBA programme was my first choice because of the opportunities it provided to advance my career development. I can truly assure you that I have enjoyed the learning environment offered in terms of its ubiquitous learning platform to have me better equipped for new business challenges and fundamental communication and collaboration skill sets to continue to succeed in the modern business world. The Residential Diagnostic Trip that I participated in was truly a hands-on experience which enriched and aligned the skill sets learned in the classroom by applying them in real life. The in-company project was a surprising challenge as I was able to collaborate with a group of participants from a diverse background, to explore in-depth real business problems and to design solutions for these problems. These skill sets cannot be taught in a classroom environment, and can only be learned through close interaction with people in real situations. This special experience allowed me to better equip myself and prepare for making an impact in the business world with innovative concepts and ideas according to market needs. Leveraging my experience in sales and marketing with my CityU MBA, I have been promoted to various positions at WKK Distributions Ltd (WKK) since my graduation. I am now working as the Director and General Manager for WKK, and I am mainly responsible for developing and launching innovative marketing strategies to help generate new opportunities as well as build sustainable businesses. Ever since I have started working in a management role, I have believed that responsible leaders view themselves in relation to others. Whether it is to inspire or motivate others to be the best that they can be, it has to start with setting yourself up as a good role model. This is part of the reason why I have volunteered to be a Business Mentor for the CityU MBA Programme. I hope that I can motivate current MBA students by sharing my own experience in study and career, as well as supporting them to develop skills required to excel to the next level in their career.
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Issue 3 - August 2015
The Latest Achievement: The Charity Bike Ride The Cycling for Millions 2015 event organised by Pok Oi Hospital and Shanghai Commercial Bank was successfully concluded on Sunday, 12th April 2015. It was the first time for CityU MBAs to form a team of 10 which took part in the largest fundraising cycling event in town. More than 6,000 enthusiastic cyclists participated in two categories - individuals and corporate teams for the event. The CityU MBAs, including both participating team and those who went to support their learning partners, showed up energetically in the early-morning of the charity bike ride. The team completed the route from Nam Wan Tunnel, through Stonecutters Bridge, past the turning point on Ngong Shung Road, followed by returning to the finishing line at Tsing Sha Highway, which totalled 13 km in distance. Apart from raising donations to contribute to the development of Pok Oi Hospital, the CityU MBA team had also set up a regular meets to gear up their minds and bodies for their participation in the fundraising activity. All team members gathered at Shatin’s Shing Mun River every Saturday morning in the months leading to the charity bike ride, for a 3-hour training session along the scenic Tolo Harbour Cycling Track prepare themselves to perform at their best in the charity event.
“Our team is very passionate about supporting others, especially the underprivileged in the community” said Derek Lai, a CityU MBA participant. “Cycle for Millions is a combination of endurance and challenge, which echoes our MBA study experience and ethos. I am very thankful to all CityU MBAs who participated physically in the event, as well as the support we’ve received throughout to make our participation successful.”
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