The first insightful seminar was on investment opportunities for the second half of 2010 and beyond. The speakers were Mr Daniel Chan, CEO of Lion Global Investors, Mr David Mok, Head of Institutional Clients and Private Client Division, IPP Financial Advisers and Prof Joseph Cherian, Practice Professor of Finance and Director of CAMRI of NUS Business School, moderated the Q & A session. Participants were curious to find out how they can maximise their investments and which industry has the best return in investment.

Assoc Prof Tan Soo Jiuan from the Department of Marketing gave a talk on the marketing and growth strategies for SME. The new economy is here but fundamentals remain unchanged; Know the rules of the game, know how to play the game.

In an interactive third session, Innosight Ventures Managing Director Mr Scott Anthony prescribe practical tips to spot innovation opportunities, build booming growth businesses, implement systems and structures to support innovation, and drive the personal reinvention required to thrive in today’s challenging times.

After the conferences, discussions and debates, the event ended with a scrumptious celebration dinner with many opportunities for alumni to network and catch up. There were also tapas tasting, wine tasting, Smart mug printing, instant glamour shoot and belly dancing during the dinner.

Overall, it was a very successful session and participants had a glimpse of the exciting and enriching life of a NUS Business School undergraduate.

The school also had the pleasure to host its first networking event for CEMS corporate partners and alumni. The event was held on 25 May 2010 evening and was attended by several local and headquarter representatives of CEMS corporate partners, alumni working in Singapore, CEMS and NUS colleagues, as well as some of our CEMS and MSc (Mgt) students. All guests were invited to a networking buffet dinner at the atrium of the Mochtar Riady Building following a useful information session on CEMS and the MIM programme in NUS Business School.

The session, held at the CAMRI Investment Management & Trading Lab, was fully booked with participants eager to find out more on small cap investing. The Seminar Series program runs through July 2010. Expert members of the financial industry will be speaking to our NUS Business School finance students, as well as applied financial researchers, on various current topics related to capital markets and asset management.

The column will be run every Thursday till the end of the year. Do keep a look out for it.

At the CON-2010 May Asia Regional Conference on 23 to 25 May, Dean Bernard Yeung was part of a panel of esteemed deans and faculty that discussed the current state of management education in Asia. They touched on trends, opportunities, and challenges in the region, as well as focus on the strategies their individual schools use for success. Besides Dean Bernard Yeung, Professor Yingyi Qian, Dean of Tsinghua University, Assoc Prof Christian Koenig, Director, ESSEC Business School Paris-Singapore and Prof Victoria Soncliya Licuanan, Dean of the Asian Institute of Management as the plenary moderator.

From 27 to 28 May, more than 100 deans, faculty and academic personnel from more than 30 institutions in the Asia-Pacific region showcased their latest research at the Mid-Year Conference of the Association of Asia-Pacific Business School (AAPBS). The conference was organised and hosted by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) for AAPBS and Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. It was held in Manila, Philippines.

With the theme Building Research Bridges: Networking Across Asia-Pacific, the conference sought to build a collaborative network among top management schools in the region to share their innovations in research and teaching. In his keynote address, NUS Business School Dean Bernard Yeung, AAPBS president, emphasised the importance of teaching with values and researching with a mission. He reiterated that as academics, they should be aware of the latest issues, develop intellectual intensity, invest in the development of faculty, share knowledge and use location advantages.

Besides speakers from renowned schools such as KAIST Business School (Korea), Keio Business School (Japan), Fudan University (China), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and University of Queensland (Australia), the conference also featured several NUS Business School faculty, including Assoc Prof Nitin Pangarkar from Department of Strategy & Policy and Assoc Prof Ang Swee Hoon from the Department of Marketing.

This book gives readers an insight into Mr Loi’s leadership motivation and drive, and his passion to grow the company. It also looks at the importance of human resource management in growing a company, and having the right organisational structure and culture to support business growth. The book also examines the strategic choices that confront a small business. Unlike an MNC that can compete in any market by selling the same product, Ya Kun has to choose its products carefully, select it battlefield with wisdom and grow strategically.

Held on 1 May, Peak Time is the largest international business student competition in Europe. There were more than 300 applications from schools across the globe, and only the top 20 are chosen to fly to Riga, Latvia for the final stage. Some of the judges include Mr R Ian Davis, Executive Coach & Leadership Consultant at Lee Hecht Harrison, Mr Joakim Helenius, Chairman and CEO of Trigon Capital and Chris Church, Co-director of consultancy CEA.

This competition requires application of theoretical knowledge and analytical skills to compete in the computer-aided business simulation CESIM and solve real business problems. For this round, using CESIM, Team Greenatics had to operate a hotel chain and competed against others for the highest cumulative market share. It was a dynamic simulation; every decision taken by the team will have an impact on other teams. The teams were also given a business strategy case which was sponsored by McKinsey. Their performance in both CESIM simulation and the case study was used to pick the top 20 teams.

At Latvia, Team Greenatics competed with four other teams within the same region. They managed to beat teams from China that are well-trained in CESIM and other Singaporean teams like SMU to move into the finals. Other competitors include teams from Oxford and Copenhagen Business School. At the finals, Team Greenatics acted as consultants for a Latvian Bank and impressed the judges with their comprehensive analysis of the business case and their astute recommendations.

At the Singapore leg, teams were given the task to conceptualise a range of hair care and hair styling products for the fashion brand Diesel. To capture the Diesel’s brand essence, oTeam Modish used fire as their central theme. At the presentation, they wowed the judges with a magic fire trick together with their exciting concepts and flawless presentation. The judges include Mr Christopher Neo, Managing Director, L'Oréal Singapore, Ms Isabelle Svartstein-Bourjade, General Manager, Luxury Products Division, L'Oréal Singapore, Mr Nicolas Pauthier, Human Resource Director, L'Oréal Singapore & Asean, Mr Alex Lim, Creative Director, Publicis Singapore and Ms Deborah Tan, Editor, CLEO Magazine. The Guest-of-Honour was Mdm Ho Geok Choo, Member of Parliament, West Coast GRC, Advisor, Boon Lay Grassroots Organisation and CEO, Human Capital (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Their ideas also resonated well with the audience and they were awarded the People’s Choice Award. This award is given to the team with the highest number of votes via Facebook and SMS (during the actual presentation day). Two prominent bloggers in fashion and trendsetters also judged the entries.

Even though Team Modish have various commitments and were actively involved in other global case competitions, they still manage to meet up and develop their winning presentation. One member, Jonathan Loh, was having fever during the semi finals round in February.

They will be flying to Paris in June for the International Finals. Best of luck!

The meetings the students had with Gawad Kalinga (GK), an International NGO, also gave them an insight into social entrepreneurship. Prior to the trip, the team researched and put their business skills into good use by putting together a presentation on how GK can expand their social entrepreneurship initiative into Singapore. At Manila, they made their presentation and had an interesting discussion on social entrepreneurship. During their visits, they also saw firsthand how direct selling of Human Heart Nature products by a GK affiliated company provided livelihood opportunities and income for the GK villages. The highlight for the trip was the one night stay with a host family. Students have the opportunity to experience the simple yet peaceful life of the slum dwellers.

Another aspect gained from the trip was the bigger picture provided by the World Bank and Asian Development bank. The team saw how the bank worked with the various governments of developing countries to cascade resources down to help the poor in a systematic, sustainable and comprehensive manner. These organisations too, placed importance on building and strengthening more public and private partnerships.

In all, this trip complemented the students’ academic learnings at the NUS Business School. Each of them saw for themselves how collaborative efforts outweigh competition and how business disciplines such as entrepreneurship and innovation operate in profit and non profit organisations.

The MBA students therefore drew upon their ingenuity and creativity while controlling their urge to eat those white fluffy marshmallows. After a short break, participants then took part in another activity called Water Balloon where they had to throw and catch water balloons from various distances. Fortunately, most participants got soaked in the process, which made the game all the more fun and funny. Afterwards, teams participated in the Amazing Race - the highlight of the Sports Day. Basically, participants had to do a series of tasks such as fill a bucket with water using their hands, mouth and shoes; eat wasabi-flavored peas; show off their football skills, and dash towards the finish line. To cap off the Sports Day, the event’s last activity was an M&M’s Relay where teams had to race around an obstacle course while balancing M&M’s on a plastic spoon. In the end, most participants went home with prizes. More importantly, the MBA students got a chance to know their fellow classmates better. For once, they got to work together without having to care about grades but only about fun and friendship.

To strengthen the NUS MBA network beyond graduation, students were also introduced to their MBA Alumni in China. They have a great time chatting and reliving their memorable moments at NUS Business School.

This is the fourth time that NUS Business School has taken part in this Challenge. In this year’s event, nearly 300 EMBA alumni, faculty and staff from 12 local and international business schools covered 111 kilometers in four days on foot, ranging from desert, gobi, river, mountains, alkaline land through to Danxia Landform. It was a true test to the mental and physical strength of the competitors.

Leading the group, Dr Zhaoli Song pointed out, “In our EMBA education, we help the participants decide their destinations, in addition to the transfer and sharing of management knowledge and expertise. This Challenge reiterated the philosophy of remaining upbeat and keeping a healthy lifestyle.”

Having come all the way from Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong and Sichuan, the alumni at this year’s Gobi Challenge were glad that they had the chance to reconnect to their Alma Mater and learn from the experience. One of the alumni commented, “Thanks to this Challenge, I have a further understanding on NUS’ philosophy, in particular from Prof Quek.”

This event was also highly supported by Class APEX-C17, which not only contributed several participants to both Team A and Team B, but also served as the cheerleaders. With the class meeting set at the location of the competition, they cheered the players on and shower them with flowers and champagne. KROCEUS, the outdoor brand of Shanghai Challenge Sports Supplies Co., Ltd., with Ms Zhou Ning (APEX-C17) as their President, sponsored the gears for this event, and Ms Chen Dongmei and Mr Li Gang sponsored the dried fruit to the team members. Mr Deng Tuquan will be sponsoring the production of the album.

This chapter was founded by the alumni in Chengdu in 2008, based in Longquanyi, which hosts regular activities and events. Ms Qin Yin, Secretary General of Chengdu Alumni Chapter and a graduate of Chinese MBA Programme, explained, “Two years ago, I proposed that a Chapter should be set up in Longquanyi, Chengdu. After two years, we are gathered at the same spot again, with our families. We also hope every member will have the chance to seek for the peace of mind in our fast-paced career and life.” The participants agreed that it was a valuable and refreshing experience and they look forward to contribute more time and efforts in charity.

Ms Tee Bee Lock, Consul-General of the Republic of Singapore in Xiamen, Ms Bai Xueqing, President of Xiamen Alumni Chapter and APEX-C alumna, Mr Chen Xiao, Secretary General of Xiamen Alumni Chapter and Chinese MBA alumnus, Mr Calvin Yan, Director of NUS Business School Shanghai Office and nearly 20 NUS Business School alumni in Xiamen as well as 20 friends from government sectors and enterprises in Xiamen attended the alumni gathering. Ms Tee, Ms Bai and Mr Calvin Yan gave a welcome speech and highlighted their appreciation towards the alumni’s efforts in organising the event. They also praised their contribution to Xiamen’s economy and hope that both communities will bond to promote both Xiamen and Singapore’s development on economy, culture and politics. At the event, Mr Yan introduced the structure of SCAN and chapters under SCAN.

After all the speeches, participants enjoyed a scrumptious buffet, toasted wines and networked with other alumni and friends for more than two hours. Gathering such as these provide a very precious opportunity to strengthen the friendship and get to know new friends from different industries and areas.

IOT, the Internet of Things, is an emerging force, and was a main focus on Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and National People's Congress plenary sessions. In the forum, Mr Wang Jinbao, alumni of MBA 2002 and Vice President of China Northern Alumni Network, delivered the keynote speech. He introduced IOT’s definition and national strategy, it’s key technology and products, market and application, problem and future, and IOT and the capital market. Last but not least, he shared the case “The Application of Food Safety Traceability System in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games” with the audiences.

After the keynote speech, Mr Wang Jinbao, Mr Huang Zhiyong, and Mr Chris Wang were invited to a panel disccusion moderated by Mr Henry Zhang. They discussed the investment return of the niche markets – RFID, reader, and software and service in the next three to five years, IOT’s development and protection of individual privacy. This is the first event of FIC, China Northern Alumni Networks in 2010, and received strong support, positive response, and favorable comments from alumni.