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Dean's Message
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Our School witnessed a greater level of global recognition in the past few weeks. We saw our Asia-Pacific Executive Master of Business Administration (APEX) programme being ranked 20th in the world in the Financial Times EMBA 2008 Rankings; improved in the EIU MBA rankings; officially launched the S3 Asia MBA Programme and were admitted into the EMBA Council.
We had the honour of hosting prominent speakers such as Mr Jim Rogers, the world-renowned investment guru; and Dr. H. M. Hidayat Nur Wahid, the Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia. They shared their unique insights in investing and political developments respectively and it was an eye-opener for everyone.
In line with our goal to provide thought leadership on pertinent issues in the community, our faculty published 12 articles as part of the ST-NUS Series on the recent financial crisis. We also hosted leading experts from the financial industry for a forum on this financial tsunami. This was a wonderful partnership where both School and alumni created a platform for students to make sense of what was happening . We care for our students, not just academically but also for their future and how we can help push them in the right direction.
I’m heartened by our alumni’s efforts to contribute back to the School and the community. The NUS Business School Alumni Association (NUSBSAA) set up a Bursary Fund to support the next generation of business leaders; the Southern China Alumni Network (SCAN) donated generously to rebuild a school for children in Suichuan; and some local alumni have been volunteering with the YMCA-NUS Business School Volunteer Service Management Programme. I hope their efforts will inspire more alumni to step forth and be re-connected to their alma mater and enjoy lifelong learning with us.
Our students bonded among themselves too, through the many activities on and off campus. Our BBA students kept the tradition of winning and clinched first runner-up award at HKUST Citi International Case Competition in Hong Kong, while two others came in second for Tata Crucible 2008 in Singapore. We also provided opportunities for students to prepare for the working world, through recruitment events such as MBA Career Connexions and BBA Relazione.
There may be an economic slowdown but the School is still bustling with activities. I look forward to more eventful times ahead.
Prof Bernard Yeung
Dean and Stephen Riady Distinguished Professor of Finance
NUS Business School
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School News
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NUS Business School’s Asia-Pacific Executive
Master of Business Administration (APEX) programme
has been ranked 20th in the world in the Financial
Times EMBA 2008 Rankings, released on 27 October.
This is the first and the only Singapore business
school that has ever been ranked in the top 20 in any
FT or global survey of the world’s leading business
schools. This is also the highest rank of any Singapore
business school in a leading global ranking of MBA
Schools or programmes.
"The high ranking of our APEX programme is an affirmation
of our academic excellence and the quality of our
faculty, students and alumni,” said Professor
Bernard Yeung, Dean of NUS Business School.
“What is significant is that we broke a new threshold
and raised the bar of excellence once again for Singapore
business schools.”Professor Yeung explained, “The
top 20 listing has always been dominated by US and
European schools and we are very pleased that NUS
Business School is the first business school in Singapore
and one of the very few schools in Asia that has
made it to the prestigious list.”
In addition to a strong showing in the overall ranking,
NUS Business School’s APEX programme, is also
listed among the world’s top 10 in specific categories.
It is No. 6 in “International Students”,
No. 7 in “International Course Experience” and No. 9 in the world for “Work Experience” categories.
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NUS Business School has been ranked among the top
100 leading business schools in the world for its
full-time Master of Business Administration (MBA)
programmes in the Economist Intelligence
Unit’s (EIU) ranking of the world’s full-time
MBA programmes, released in September.
This year, NUS Business School is ranked 89th globally, up by five spots. NUS Business
School is also one of only two top business schools
in Asia to have improved on their rankings. The other
institution is Chinese University of Hong Kong.
"We are showing improvements globally and within Asia.
What is significant is our steady improvement three
years in a row. Clearly, our improvement efforts
are in the right direction,” said Professor
Bernard Yeung, Dean of NUS Business School.
He added, “As Asia’s global business
school, we know Asia best, providing the best of
East and West in business education and research.
We are continuing with our strong improvement efforts
and will further inject new energy into these efforts.
We are confident that with our focus on the pursuit
for excellence, we will continue to be ranked among
the top leading business schools in the world.”
Economist Intelligence Unit’s ranking of full-time
MBA programmes takes into account four factors it
has identified as the primary reasons why students
pursue an MBA: career prospects; personal development
and educational experience; salary increase; and
potential to network.
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NUS Business School has been admitted as
a member of the Executive MBA Council, as of
4 September.
The School's Executive MBA Programmes – Asia-Pacific
Executive MBA (English) Programme, Asia-Pacific
Executive MBA (Chinese) Programme and the UCLA – NUS
Executive MBA Programme – fulfilled membership
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requirements such as accreditations of the
programmes, experience and background of students and strength of the curriculum.
The Executive MBA Council is a non-profit association
of universities and colleges that offer Executive
MBA programmes and related graduate business programmes
for working executives. The Council was formed in 1981 with the aim to foster excellence and innovation
worldwide through activities and services, to educate,
network and inform administrators and faculty.
Current members of the Executive MBA Council include more
than 200 colleges and universities that administer
over 320 programmes in more than 25 countries.
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The S³ Asia MBA Programme, an inaugural tri-university
double degree MBA programme jointly established
by Fudan University, Korea University and the National
University of Singapore Business School, officially
opened on 27 August. The opening was held
at Fudan University, marking the first collaboration
between these three prominent universities in Asia.
After a stringent six-month selection process,
33 students from six countries get the opportunity
of being the first cohort of the programme since
its launch on 26 February.
In the cohort,
30% are Korean, 30% are Chinese, 27% are Indian,
and the rest are from Singapore, Indonesia and
the USA.
The student representative who spoke at the ceremony, Govind Pandey from India, expressed his motivation and aspirations, "I am motivated by the growth potential of the Asian economies and the skills and knowledge that the S³ Asia MBA will equip me with. The real strength of this programme lies in the opportunity to interact with students from all over Asia and the rest of the world, in three renowned business schools in Asia."
The opening ceremony was attended by the deans of the three business schools and distinguished guests.
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Veteran bankers
and financial experts shared their insights on how
graduating students could position themselves in the
face of an increasingly volatile job market, at a forum titled "Riding the Financial Tsunami of 2008", held on 22 October.
The distinguished board of panelists included Mr Hsieh
Fu Hua, CEO of SGX and member of NUS Board of Trustees;
Mr Mark Bowden, former Managing Director and Head of
Equities (Asia), Merrill Lynch; Mr Guan Yeow Kwang,
Senior Joint General Manager of Mizuho Corporate Bank
and Ms Anthonia Hui, Chairman and CEO of AL Wealth
Partners.
In his welcome address, NUS Business School Dean Professor
Bernard Yeung highlighted that such a forum was part
of fulfilling the School’s responsibility in
helping graduates better understand the financial crisis
and its impact on the job market.
He said, “It is very important to us to help
our students think ahead in times like these. Having
a forum with leading experts definitely generates thought
leadership on the situation. This comes at a critical
time—it helps strengthen and prepare our students
upon graduation. Ultimately, we want to assure our
students that we are with them through these tough
times and that we are committed to helping see them
through.”
Panelists gave students compelling pointers on not
just how to ace the job search process, but also how
to proactively seek their ideal job in a difficult,
competitive market.
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In the wake of the recent financial crisis, the NUS Business School has taken proactive steps in providing thought-leadership in the community.
Our faculty members authored 12 articles on topics related to financial crisis as part of the ST-NUS Business School Series. These articles were featured in The Straits Times and can be read from our website.
(Click here to read the articles.)
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The NUS MBA marketing campaign has begun; and the
NUS MBA Fair got the crowd it wanted -working adults
who wanted to improve their employability or to give
themselves a leg up in making a career switch, by
taking up an MBA or an Executive MBA.
Held on 18 October, the whole-day Fair consisted
of a public talk by the Dean of NUS Business School,
Professor Bernard Yeung, on the causes of the US Financial
Crisis, briefings on the various NUS MBA and Executive
MBA programmes, career opportunities upon graduation,
as well as talks by the business school’s Associate Professor Jochen Wirtz and his co-author Dr Patricia Chew,
an NUS MBA and PhD alumnus.
Associate Professor Wirtz and
Dr Chew, co-authors of a textbook entitled “Essentials
of Services Marketing”, launched their book
at the Fair. The introductory services marketing
textbook is written for the marketing student in
mind, with substantial content that makes it easy
for faculty to teach as well.
The NUS MBA Fair was
well-attended and the level of interest was high,
with many sitting in the various
programme briefings and staying on to get their
questions answered. This Fair is one of almost 50
information
sessions (comprising programme briefings and fairs)
that the School will be organising in more than
20 cities between Sep 2008 and Apr 2009.
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Mr Jim Rogers, renowned investment guru, gave a
talk to a packed auditorium of about 1,600 participants
at the NUS University Cultural Centre Hall on 13
October. He spoke about his life, investing, importance
of following one’s passion and how he sees
Asia as the next big thing after the United States.
"Yes,
save money and invest wisely," said Mr Rogers, when
asked for any lesson to be learnt from the recent
financial crisis.
"Singapore has more foreign currency
reserves per capita than most other countries and
this should
be the way to go," he added. "I am confident that
in the situation when this crisis worsens, Singapore
will be the last country standing."
Professor Bernard
Yeung, Dean of NUS Business School, moderated the “Questions & Answers” session.
Participants from various background took to the
microphone to ask the legendary investor a variety
of questions, from investment to his views about
Singapore.
When asked for advice to investors who
are just starting out, he said: "Always only invest
in what you understand.
If you are young, follow your heart and do what
you are passionate about. Lead a life that you're
interested
in and success will come naturally."
The two-hour
session titled "An afternoon with Jim Rogers",
was co-organised by the NUS Business
School,
Nanyang Business School and Action Community
for Entrepreneurship.
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NUS MBA Office collaborated with Thomson Reuters to
organize a talk titled “Bridging Strategy to
Execution” on 10 October. Approximately 60 persons,
comprising alumni and students from BBA, MBA and other
faculties, attended the talk at the Hon Sui Sen Auditorium.
The speaker, Mr David Gurle, explained how to integrate
people and operations into strategy to establish
the building blocks of execution and deliver results.
He is the Executive Vice-President (EVP), Global
Head of Collaboration Services, Head for Sales & Trading
Asia, Thomson Reuters Markets.
Mr Gurle talked about real life scenarios where
major players in industries such as TelCo, MEDIA
and Software succeeded in building the “bridge” and
won the market. He also pointed out examples where
they missed out one or two pillars of the “bridge” and
failed to execute.
The talk impressed upon participants that success was possible in any industry with good execution.
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Italy has the 7th highest GDP in the world, is the 6th largest exporter of manufactured goods, ranks 8th in the world as a country with 'quality of life' and comes in 20th for 'human development index'. NUS Business School community had the opportunity to understand better about Italy at Meeting Italy @ NUS on 24 October.
Approximately 80 participants joined in the event at the Hon Sui Sen Auditorium to listen to various business leaders of Italian companies share about their best practices.
Topics such as marketing, strategic planning, human resource management were discussed by the various speakers who came from banking, semiconductor, telecommunications, electronics and oil and gas industries.
Dr. Massimiliano P. Sponzille, Italian Trade Commissioner in the Italian Trade Commission Singapore since 2007, was also present to give an insight into the workings of Italian companies.
MBA and BBA students, together with the alumni and corporate partners, got a better understanding of Italian firms' strategies and management practices from this talk.
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Securities Investors Association Singapore (SIAS)
held its first Investors' Corporate Governance Conference
in collaboration with NUS Business School’s
Corporate Governance and Financial Reporting Centre
(CGFRC).
Mr S Iswaran, Senior Minister of State for Trade
and Industry was the Guest of Honour for the full-day
event held at Raffles City Convention Centre on 8
October. Associate Professor Mak Yuen Teen, co-director
at CGFRC, gave a speech titled “Improving the
Substance of Corporate Governance”. He mentioned
that corporate governance is about “empowering
management, while ensuring that there is adequate
oversight and accountability.” Assoc Prof Mak
spoke on issues such as building an effective board,
internal control and risk management.
Singapore Corporate Governance Awards were also
given out to companies exhibiting exemplary governance,
with SMRT taking the top honours.
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Eleven financially needy business undergraduates
received bursaries worth $2,500 each from the NUS
Business School Alumni Association Bursary Fund on
22 September, thanks to about 70 alumni and donors
who contributed to the Fund. They had raised $289,500
in endowed funds to support bursaries in perpetuity
at the business school. This is the first time that
a bursary fund is set up collectively under the NUS
Business School Alumni Association (NUSBSAA).
A Donor Appreciation-cum-Bursary Presentation Ceremony
held at the NUS Kent Ridge Guild House on 22 September provided an
opportunity for the student recipients to thank their
donors personally.
The NUSBSAA Bursary Fund attracts a dollar-for-dollar
matching grant from the Singapore government, bringing
the current amount to over $579,000. For those who
donated more than $25,000, sub-named bursaries were
created under the Fund. This fund was initiated by
Mr Yeo Keng Joon, immediate past president of NUSBSAA.
At the Appreciation Ceremony, Professor Bernard
Yeung, Dean of NUS Business School, thanked the donors
for making it possible for deserving students to
enjoy a top quality education at the NUS Business
School.
The students, too, are grateful for the shot in
the arm from the alumni. “This bursary will
help me defray the rising cost of living… because
my family’s income is not enough to cover expenses,” said
Ho Chuan Ming, one of the student recipients, who
is in his second year of studies.
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The NUS MBA Career
Connexions on 19 September is one of the anchor recruitment
events organized by the Career Services Office to
harness recruiters from various industries to reach
out to NUS MBA students. About 120 MBA students attended
the event at Suntec Convention Centre. This is an
excellent platform for both recruiters and students
to network and interact face-to-face.
In her welcome speech, the Vice-Dean of Graduate
Studies, Professor Susanna Leong shared with recruiters
some of the latest initiatives at NUS Business School
including the inaugural launch of the S3 Asia MBA
program in August 2008 of which students get to study
in three dynamic cities – Shanghai, Seoul and
Singapore.
Organisations such as Ernst & Young
and Freight Links Express commented that the
diversity of work experience is one of the
important factors that they look for in their
selection criteria and they are glad to have
this platform to interact with such a diverse
group of MBA candidates.
Some organisations such as 3M and Emerson also
took the opportunity to shortlist and interview
selected candidates. |
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A similar recruitment networking event named “Relazione” was
also organized for the business undergraduates.
Over high tea, 142 BBAs interacted
with 66 recruiters from a diverse range of
industries including consulting, finance, FMCG,
High Tech, Logistics and Real Estate.
“The recruitment event gave me access
to potential candidates for several positions
I am hiring for.” quipped Ms Jeslyn Yong,
Central Global Recruiter at Bloomberg. |
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The students had a fruitful afternoon
too. “Relazione gave us an excellent opportunity
to mingle with relevant people from the different
organizations to understand what they seek from
us,” said Hasvany Kumanan, a final year
BBA student graduating in May 2009. |
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The Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy
co-hosted a forum on sustainable development with
the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre
(NVPC) and UBS AG on 15 September at the Kent Ridge
Guild House.
Held in conjunction with the Global UBS Philanthropy
Forum in Singapore, it covered topics such as China-Singapore
Tianjin Eco-city project, philanthropic strategies
and the environment and the role of philanthropy
in marine conservation. Presentations on various
topics were delivered by representatives from the
Ministry of National Development, National Geographic,
Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation (India), and the
PEW Charitable Trusts (United States).
“In a world faced with challenges ranging
from extreme poverty to global warming and civil
conflicts, UBS recognises the vital roles played
by entrepreneurs and philanthropists in providing
risk capital for social development,” said
Raoul Weil, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of Global Wealth Management and Business Banking
of UBS AG, in the press release on the Global UBS
Philanthropy Forum.
Approximately 140 participants, made up of civil
servants, representatives from environment-related
non-profit organizations, academics, faculty, staff
and students packed the hall at the Guild House.
There was also a lively discussion between the speakers
and the members of the audience on the various topics
presented.
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The NUS Business School had the honour of co-hosting
with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP),
a rare public lecture by a distinguished speaker
on 9 September at the NUS Bukit Timah Campus.
Dr. H. M. Hidayat Nur Wahid, the Chairman of the
People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic
of Indonesia, delivered an insightful talk on “The
future of political Islam in Indonesia and its contribution
to regional stability”, to a full house of
civil servants, ambassadors, academia, members of
the public and students.
At the talk, Dr Wahid shared his views on how Islam
had always been a pillar in the national stability
of Indonesia, and how it would continue to influence
politics in the country.
The room was filled to the brim with some participants
standing along the aisles and some even sitting on
the floor. When it was time for Questions and Answer
(Q&A) session, hands went up spontaneously as
participants competed for the moderator’s attention
to have their questions answered. The Q&A session
was moderated by Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean
of LKYSPP.
As part of the closing speech, Professor Bernard
Yeung, Dean of NUS Business School, thanked Dr Wahid
for providing insights into Islam in ASEAN region.
Professor Yeung also extended his appreciation to
Dr Tahir for facilitating the invitation to Dr Wahid
to speak. Dr Tahir is the Chairman of the Mayapada
Group in Indonesia and the International Resource
Panel (Indonesia Chapter) at the NUS Business School. |
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The NUS MBA Marketing Team continued its global
outreach efforts in September. Mr Richard Rubnan
Que, Marketing and Admissions Manager of The NUS
MBA, visited 3 diverse cities – Sao Paulo,
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Santiago (Chile) – from
10 to 12 September, to promote the NUS MBA through
roadshows there.
Mr Que quipped, “It was a fruitful visit to
these cities as there is a growing interest now for
a real pan-Asian MBA programme. Brazilians, especially,
were aware on the global impact and development of
Asia in today’s economics and politics; hence,
were keen on pursuing an MBA in Singapore.”
Besides Brazil and Chile, The NUS MBA Marketing Team’s
series of roadshows would also cover the USA, Germany,
Manila, Vietnam, China, etc – aiming to attract
an even more diverse and higher quality cohort of
students for its MBA and Double Degree MBA programmes.
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With a common goal to develop Singapore as a capital
financial hub, Saw Centre for Financial Studies (Saw
Centre) teamed up with the Institute of Banking and
Finance (IBF) to organise the series of three finance-related
talks in August and September 2008.
These talks centered on the Investment Banking and
Securities Operations industry (27 August), Fund
Administration portfolio and prospects (10 September)
and Risk Management and Insurance Industry (15 September).
Held at various venues in NUS Business School, these
talks hosted an average of about 100 students per
session from various faculties and specialisations.
Speakers were invited from ACI Singapore, Mizuho
Corporate Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Franklin Templeton
Investments, BNP Paribas Securities Services, Customs
House Singapore, Lloyd’s of London (Asia) and
the Federal Insurance Company. Each talk culminated
in an exciting panel discussion with questions about
Islamic Finance, banking support for the farming
industries, REITS Fund Management and Administration
as well as career prospects of the little known Risk
Management and Insurance Industry.
In addition to these talks, Chart Nexus Technical
Analysis workshop on “Cracking the Stock Market
Code” also made a popular comeback. Held on
24 September, forty-nine students downloaded
the ChartNexus software and were taught on various
tools to recognize stock trends and patterns. Using
these technical analysis techniques, they learnt
to evaluate the performance and forecast of a stock.
Those interested in attending future talks by the
Saw Centre can find out more from its website. |
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The following two new academic directors were appointed
for the S³ Asia MBA programme and NUS MBA Double
Degree programme with Peking University respectively:
| S³ ASIA MBA PROGRAMME |
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DOUBLE DEGREE WITH PEKING UNIVERSITY PROGRAMME
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Assoc Prof
Sum Chee Chuong |
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Assoc Prof
Brian Hwarng |
Associate Professor Sum Chee Chuong would serve as the academic
director for the S³ Asia MBA programme, a collaboration
between NUS Business School, School of Management
(Fudan University) and Korea University Business
School.
Associate Professor Brian Hwarng will serve as academic director
for NUS MBA Double Degree programme with Peking University.
Assoc Prof Susanna Leong has been running this programme
since July 2006, in addition to being the Vice Dean
for the graduate office.
Both appointments took effect from 15 Sept 2008. |
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Winners for the Department Outstanding Researcher
Award 2008/2009
1) Assistant Professor Chu Junhong (Department of Marketing)
2) Assistant Professor Sai Yayavaram (Department of Business Policy)
Winners for the Faculty Outstanding Researcher Award
2008/2009
1) Associate ProfessorAnand Srinivasan (Department of Finance)
Names under Recognition List (for faculty who has
won the awards before in the past 3 years)
1) Dr Melvyn Sim (Department of Decision Science)
2) Assistant Professor Wu Yaozhong (Department of Decision Science)
3) Associate Professor Chung Chi-Nien (Department of Management & Organisation)
Nominees for Outstanding Researcher Award (University-level)
1) Dr Melvyn Sim (Department of Decision Science)
2) Associate Professor Anand Srinivasan (Department of Finance)
Nominees for Young Researcher Award (University-level)
1) Dr Melvyn Sim (Department of Decision Science)
2) Associate Professor Anand Srinivasan (Department of Finance)
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The following faculty and staff were honoured for
their service to the School, at the School Meeting
on 29 August:
| 10 – YEAR AWARD |
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ACADEMIC STAFF
Dr Melvyn Sim, Decision Sciences
Dr Yeo Wee Yong, Finance |
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ADMIN & NON-ACADEMIC STAFF
Mr Aw Beng
Teck, GANO
Mdm Kwok Siew Geok, Dean’s Office
Mdm Jothiletchumy Shanmugam, Department of Marketing
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| 15 – YEAR AWARD |
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ACADEMIC STAFF
A/P Alfred Loh
A/P Brian Hwarng
A/P Lim Wei Shi
A/P Wirtz Jochen |
Accounting
Decision Sciences
Marketing
Marketing |
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ADMIN & NON-ACADEMIC STAFF
Mr Azmi Salleh
Mdm Azlina Kasmari
Ms Wang Kim Fong |
Dean’s Office
Dean’s Office
Marketing |
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| 20 – YEAR AWARD |
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ACADEMIC STAFF
A/P Thompson Teo
A/P Vivien Lim |
Decision Sciences
Management & Organisation |
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NON-ACADEMIC STAFF
Ms Callie Toh
Mr Mohammad Fairuz Ali |
Finance
Dean’s Office (AV Unit) |
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| 25 – YEAR AWARD |
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ACADEMIC STAFF
A/P Sum Chee Chuong
Dr William Koh
A/P Prem Shamdasani |
Decision Sciences
Management & Organisation
Marketing |
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NON-ACADEMIC STAFF
Mdm Saraswathy Thiruchelvam
Mdm Rohaiyah Sarmin
Mdm Indirani Muthu |
Dean’s Office
Dean’s Office
Dean’s Office |
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| 30 – YEAR AWARD |
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ACADEMIC STAFF
A/P Trevor Wilkins |
Accounting |
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NON-ACADEMIC STAFF
Mdm Ang-Ng Bee Eng |
OEE |
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Administrative staff from the School had the annual team-building session on 31 October. With “forging bonds, strengthening ties” as the overall theme, the one-day team-building session was held at Furama Riverfront Hotel.
The activities for the first-half of the day were held indoors, with the Dean, Deputy-Dean and Vice-Deans joining in the fun. The various games tested the participants' wits, speed and team work in solving problems. Participants had the opportunity to work with different people, as they were placed in different groups throughout the day.
The main activity for the afternoon was a treasure-hunt, with teams having to identify tourist attractions in the vicinity of the Furama Riverfront Hotel. Teams braved the hot afternoon sun to race to various checkpoints. Many took photos along the way to record the rare moments of outdoor adventure with fellow colleagues.
It was a great opportunity for everyone to know each other better, especially through fun and interactive games. Facilitators rounded up by concluding on a high note – that everyone played a part in making a team succeed.
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Student News
NUS Business School's BBA students won over the panel of acclaimed judges with their highly innovative ideas, strategic thinking and effective presentations at Citi International Case Competition 2008.
The team received the second prize from Mr Thomas Mehrmann, Chief Executive of Ocean Park. Calling themselves “Team Horizon”, Peggy Teo, Tobias Chan, Candice Lim and Ng Hong Kiat gamely took on the challenge of conducting in-depth analysis and providing strategic recommendations to Ocean Park Corporation (Ocean Park), Hong Kong’s home-grown theme park.
Within the 26-hour time limit, Team Horizon brainstormed, conceptualised and proposed a plan to install tourist attractions such as a wild cat enclosure, bungee jump station, cable car rides, dancing water fountain, restaurants and retail outlets on Tai Shue Wan, an open hilly area within the Ocean Park compound.
While many other teams chose to utilise the coastline and the area at the base of the hill, Team Horizon wanted to offer a range of exciting activities up on the hillside that people of all ages could engage in. Aptly named “The Horizon”, it would give visitors a chance to connect with nature.
Held in Hong Kong from 20 to 23 October, this prestigious Citi International Case Competition was co-organised by Citi and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s School of Business and Management (HKUST).
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Bai Zhiyong and Tay Shijia won third prize at Tata Crucible, a game show- style quiz that required speed and a knowledge of business history. This competition on 24 October at Suntec City drew participants from various tertiary institutions in Singapore, and was organised by the Tata Group, a business conglomerate in India.
Examples of questions included the following: “Which company was originally known as Finnish Rubber Works?”; “Which toy company got its name from the Latin translation of "I put together?”; and “Which vacation resort was started in 1950 by a former Belgian water polo
champion, Gerard Blitz, on the Spanish island of Mallorca?”
“It was really difficult to prepare for the quiz, because anything could have been asked,” remarked Zhiyong on the unpredictability of the questions.
Zhiyong and Shijia won $2,500 after defeating more than 90 teams to get into the Finals. Zhiyong mentioned that he would use his share of the prize money to go for an exchange programme at New York University.
“As for me, I'll be treating my friends to a good meal,” Shijia said.
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The annual NUS Business School Internal Case Competition
attracted a record number of 480 NUS business undergraduates
this year, a contrast to just 80 participants four
years ago.
Called BizInC 2008, this year’s competition
was organised in collaboration with UBS. It was
also a platform for students to showcase their
business skills in analysing business cases and
devising business proposals, so as to have a chance
to be picked for an international case competition
eventually.
Having been shortlisted for Semi-Finals just 48
hours before the Finals, Teams Kaleidoscope, Parfait,
YAS and Enigma survived the stiff competition to
battle it out at the Finals on the afternoon of
13 September at NUS Business School’s Hon
Sui Sen Auditorium. All teams in the Finals were
required to propose growth strategies for Hong
Kong Disneyland and convince the judges of their
recommendations.
Team Parfait clinched the top prize of $1,000.
Team member Soon Qishan remarked that the team’s
logical presentation could have been the winning
factor. Team Kaleidoscope took the second prize
with its team member Tobias Chen winning the “Best
Speaker” award.
The judges comprised faculty members from NUS
Business School, Mr Yam Siu Lun, Associate Director
of UBS and an alumnus of NUS Business School, and
Mr Melvin Kwek, Head of Business Management, UBS.
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The preliminary round of the Second CFA Singapore-
University Investment Research Competition was
held on the 27 September. This annual competition
aims to promote professional investment
research among university students in Singapore.
Besides the NUS students, undergraduate students from NTU,
SMU and UniSIM took part. Sixteen teams participated in this preliminary round, and two top teams from each university would be competiting at the Finals, to be held on 13 December.
The company selected for
analysis was Healthway Medical Corp Ltd.
The judges for the competition were Mr. Tolmas
Wong, Board Member-CFA Singapore; Mr. Th’ng
Beng Hui, Secretariat Director- CFA Singapore;
Dr. Lam Swee Sum and Dr. Low Chee Kiat.
Members of the two teams which will be representing NUS Business School at the Finals are as follows:
First team:
Bai Zhiyong; Goh Khee
Hong; Toh Yongrui; Woo Sharon and Yew Colin.
Runer-up team:
Huynh Tran Vy; Liew Chin Cheak; Peng
Xinxia and Zhou Ruting Justin.
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The MBA Social Impact Club was launched on 15 October, with Ms Vernon Kang,
the CEO of the Singapore Heart Foundation, gracing the opening ceremony.
Adjunct Associate Professor Bob Fleming
and Associate Professor were also present.
The Club aims to provide
members with hands-on experience in social responsibility
and platform to collaborate with thought-leaders in the filed of social responsibility.
The club has
thus created partnerships with global and local organisations, and with other business schools, to carry out activities in line with its objectives.
Besides
placing members community projects, the club also plans
to host four annual events, on the themes
of Health, Environment, Education and Sports. Started by a core committee of six members (Debesh, Kashif,
Kathrin, Vikram, Vivian and Suraj), the club has
now grown to a strength of 50.
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NUS MBA students organised the annual International
Day on 21 September. Shilpa Marodia, Director of
Student Activities of the MBA Club, led the organising
team to showcase costumes from various countries
and numerous performances from countries such as
China, India, France, Pakistan, Myanmar and Korea.
Shilpa recalled her first experience of the International
Day in the previous year, “I attended last
year’s “International Day” without
much expectation. But to my surprise, the night turned
out to be one of the most memorable times in NUS.”
She was in the thick of the activities this year,
with the event featuring food from various countries
as well.
“It is a pity I may not be here next year
to enjoy this celebratory mood again,” she
lamented, as she was due to graduate soon. |
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The semi-annual table-tennis tournament for MBA
students was held on 6 September.
There were 6 individuals competing in the Women's
Singles, 21 individuals in Men's Singles, 6 and 7
groups respectively in the Mixed and Men's Doubles.
Held in MPSH2 in the SRC, the tournament comprising
knock-out matches and Round Robins last for about
6 hours as the participants battled for the winning
titles.
The winners are as follows:
Women's Singles
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Champion : Lin Jun
1st Runner-up : Swanzel Rautel |
| Men's Single's |
Champion : Eesh Mengi
1st Runner-up : Kuruvilla
Alexander |
| Mixed Doubles |
Champion : Lin Jun & Yao Wei
1st Runner-up
: Dhivya Ranganathan & Kashif Alam |
| Men's Doubles |
Champion : Suraj Subramaniam & Lim Wei
Song
1st Runner-up : Eesh Mengi & Jaimin Shah |
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Alumni News
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Lectures on the lawn, “bicycle theory of management” and separation from Malaysia: these were some of the things that the alumni of the first BBA batch recalled at the reunion on 31 October.
Held at Oei Tiong Ham Building of the Bukit Timah Campus, the reunion brought back fond memories for these pioneering BBA graduates, as they sang, ate and mingled with one another.
Meeting 40 years after their graduation was indeed a nostalgic experience for the 17 alumni who fondly recalled the days of youthful rebellion at the then-University of Singapore. Led by the then-Acting Head, the late Dr Andrew H Zecha, the newly set up Department of Business Administration in 1965 had 21 students, with just one girl among them.
Back then, getting into a University was a rare privilege as places were limited. In contrast, almost 700 students enrol every year in the BBA course now. Being in a small cohort of students offered another kind of privilege for these pioneers. “Classes were small... and our professors were so close... we were like family,” Dr Dr Mohamed Sultan enthused with a sense of pride. He is now semi-retired, and sits on the Board of Melorita as the Chairman.
Professor Bernard Yeung, Dean of NUS Business School, congratulated these pioneers at the reunion for their many achievements over the 40 years. He invited them to keep in touch, “I hope… that you drop by and tell us how we are doing.”
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NUS Business School organised the Alumni Summit in Jakarta on 26 October. The programme for the day started with a lunch with key appointment holders of the English and Mandarin Alumni, Jakarta Chapters.
Held at Shangri-la Jakarta, the programme continued with two concurrent seminars: one in English and another in Mandarin. Participants packed the ballrooms where the seminars were held, with some of them having travelled from other parts of Indonesia.
At another ballroom in Shangri-la Jakarta, there were information sessions on The NUS MBA and APEX MBA programmes.
Professor Bernard Yeung, Dean of NUS Business School, hosted the dinner for the alumni of Jakarta Chapters in the evening. It was a good opportunity for Professor Yeung to get to know the alumni and vice versa.
The installation ceremony for the new committees of the English and Mandarin Alumni of Jakarta Chapters was also held in conjunction with the dinner.
The new Presidents of the Committees are as follows:
- Mandarin Alumni President: Mr Dharma Surya (APEX-C alumnus)
- English Alumni President: Mr Junius Lee (MSc(Mgmt) alumnus)
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Thirty-nine participants of the third run of the YMCA-NUS Business School Volunteer Service Management Programme (VSMP) received their certificates at the Commencement Ceremony that was held at the NUS University Hall on 29 August.
These participants of VSMP were also participants of the Citibank – YMCA Youth for Causes, a social entrepreneurship programme for youths. Most of them were students, with more than 90 percent of them aged between 15 and 20 years old.
Associate Professor Albert Teo, the Programme’s director at NUS Business School, commended the volunteer-facilitators from the NUS Business School Alumni Association, whom he described as having “full of enthusiasm”. He praised them for their dedication, as some of them had volunteered for up to 6 out of the 8 facilitating sessions in VSMP.
“I extend my heartiest congratulations… not just for completing this programme, but also because you chose to answer a noble call,” said Professor Bernard Yeung, Dean of NUS Business School, to the participants at the Commencement Ceremony.
Mr Eric Teng, President of YMCA of Singapore, and Mr Tay Puan Siong, Chairman of YMCA-NUS Business School Volunteer Service Management Programme, were also present to witness the graduation. |
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Approximately 130 members of the alumni, faculty, student body and staff gathered together at Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant, Vivocity on the 16 October.
The event, which was organized by MBA Alumni-NUS and MBA Office with support from NUS Global Alumni Network Office (GANO), featured Bavarian cuisine with a special Oktoberfest platter.
The networking evening was an annual affair alumni looked forward to and served to provide yet another platform for the alumni to keep in touch with one another and the school. Ms Chua Nan Sze (IMBA 2005), Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Professor Prem Shamdasani, Academic Director of APEX MBA Program (English) were among those present to engage the alumni.
“It’s my first time celebrating Oktoberfest in Singapore,” shared Dr Sung Do Song (APEX-E MBA 2007), Director of Agro Genesis Pte Ltd. “I used to celebrate it in Germany as I used to work there. Although the atmosphere here is different, the food and the beer are just as delicious.”
The highlight of the evening was when live band ‘Anton & die Lustigen’ took to centre stage where alumni, faculty, students and staff all joined in the singing.
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Five hundred primary school children in Suichuan
County of Jiangxi Province in China can now attend
school with peace of mind at a brand new 4-storey
brick- structured building, thanks to the generous
donation of 20 alumni and friends of the NUS Business
School Southern China Alumni Network (SCAN) (新加坡国立大学管理学院华南校友会).
The NUS Shatian Hope Primary School was officially
opened on 19 September 2008, with the idea of rebuilding
the School was conceived since September 2007.
The
larger school compound now enables the school to
expand its teaching capacity to accommodate 500
students for the domestic population of 6,000 in
Suichuan county and other nearby villages. The
school is now more accessible and better equipped
with water
and electricity supply. The new school building
also includes better teaching facilities, such bigger
and brighter classrooms equipped with multimedia
facilities, a common reading room for the teaching
staff and students, as well as a common staff room
with IT facilities.
SCAN had donated RMB300,000 (S$63,000) to co-fund
the cost of the new building and installation of
utility and other teaching facilities, which totalled
about RMB800,000. The remaining amount is funded
by the local government.
Besides the Hope School in Suichuan County, the
NUS Business School alumni are also looking at establishing
a few other schools in China, like Sichuan province,
Kelamayi County in Xinjiang province and in Hunan
province.
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The BBA Class of 1993 met up for the first time in 15 years at the NUSS Suntec
City Guild House on 17 September. Twenty-five alumni
attended the event, which was organised by the Global
Alumni Network Office (GANO).
Many of the alumni recalled special memories of their time in the University,
such as having an equal number of
male and female students in the batch for the very
first time in the history of NUS Business School.
Mr Tan, who was President
of the Biz-Ad Club from 1991 to 1992, expressed his
excitement to catch up with his ex-classmates and
relive the good old days. During his address, he
expressed how he hopes to meet up with his friends
every five years and challenged all alumni present
to bring along five other classmates at the next
reunion.
Associate Professor
Quek Ser Aik, Vice Dean of Undergraduate Studies,
took the opportunity to update the alumni on developments
in NUS Business School and urged the alumni’s continual
support to the school.
He also encouraged
the alumni to stay connected through the University’s
alumni portal or through other popular social networking
websites such as Facebook.
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About 120 alumni, their spouses and students were treated to a hero’s welcome
at Villa Seafood Galleria on 16 September. The
special dinner was organised to honour office bearers
and alumni who made contributions to the School and
their respective alumni associations.
Present that
evening were office bearers and members of NUS Business
School Alumni Association (NUSBSA),
the MBA Alumni-NUS and NUS Business School Mandarin
Alumni. Professor Bernard Yeung, Dean of NUS Business
School; Professor Kulwant Singh, Deputy Dean; Associate
Professor Quek Ser Aik, Vice Dean of Undergraduate
Studies; and Associate Professor Prem Shamdasani,
Academic Director of APEX-E MBA Program also attended
the event.
Certificates, medals and plaques were presented to
alumni who took on or were currently holding positions
in the respective associations.
Apart from the alumni,
representatives of the Alumni Relations Team (ART)
from the MBA and Bizad Clubs
were also given recognition for their work in connecting
the alumni with the current students in the BBA
and MBA programs.
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About 120 alumni and members of the public attended the mandarin seminar jointly
organized by the NUS Business School Mandarin Alumni,
Asia-Pacific Executive MBA (Chinese) Programme Office
and the Office of Executive Education.
Held on 25 September at the Swissotel Merchant Court Hotel, this seminar
was part of “Management Seminar Series for Entrepreneurs”.
Three distinguished
NUS Business School alumni shared their experiences
and observations on the problems of management and
corporate governance faced by listed companies and
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Professor Bernard
Yeung, Dean of NUS Business School, opened the dialogue
and set the stage for Mr Thomas Chua (Executive Education
1984), Managing Director of Teck Wah Groups, Mr Wang
Jian Bing (APEX-C MBA 1998), Founder and CEO of Cristofori
Music School, as well as Mr Lin Chin Fei (MBA 1994),
Director of Fei Yue Family Services. Associate Professor
Lan Luh Luh, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies,
chaired the panel discussions.
The seminar was well
received by its audience. Ms Chang Chun Yuan (APEX-E
MBA 2006) expressed her satisfaction: “The speakers
were entertaining. The contents of their speeches
were relevant. This event is of a high caliber.”
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Commencement
Class Giving 2008
Students of Class of 2008 will
make a difference by giving back to the School
. To make your gift, please click here.
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