Honor Roll

【Student Achievement】The Team from the College of Management, NSYSU, Shines in the 9th PwC's CSR Campus Seed Camp Competition

The 9th "PwC's CSR Campus Seed Camp – Have Fun and Make Your Sustainability Impact (資誠CSR校園種子營——玩出你的永續影響力)" has concluded, and the students from the College of Management of National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) performed outstandingly well, winning the "Heart-shaking Award" in the Chunghwa Telecom Category. This year's event was held online due to COVID-19, but it was as exciting and solid as the in-person events in previous years. The event organizer not only invited experts to give lectures but also had them personally guide each team to analyze corporate cases from different perspectives, such as trends, policies, and enterprises, so that during the lectures and active discussions, the students could brainstorm various ESG*-related action plans that could be used by enterprises for reference.

* The concept of ESG (E for Environmental, S for Social and G for Governance) was introduced in 2004 by the United Nations Global Compact (UN Global Compact), which can be used as an indicator to evaluate business operations and has received a lot of attention from enterprises in recent years.
 

During the five-day event, three companies from different industries, namely Chunghwa Telecom, DBS Bank (Taiwan), and RFD Micro Electricity, were invited to present their issues, and each team was asked to propose solutions to the assigned issues in the presentation competition. The team working on Chunghwa Telecom's case was from NSYSU’s Department of Business Management, College of Management, and consisted of Min-Xin Hsu (許敏芯), Chiu-Yi Tang (鄧蕎譯), Gui-Ying Hsu (許桂楹), and Yu-Ro Lai (賴宇柔). The team was tasked with helping rural and disadvantaged groups to access Chunghwa Telecom's information and communication services in the era of booming innovative applications and digital convergence, and with achieving the goal of reducing the digital gap. The team proposed the project "e!derly – Play with Your Silver Power and Discover a Vibrant New Life (e!derly 玩出你的銀響力 髮掘活力新生活)", using what they had learned from the camp to analyze the current situation first, then conceive a solution, and finally evaluate what impact their proposed solution could have on these digitally disadvantaged groups.

The team found that although the government has been actively promoting digital transformation policies in recent years, the internet access rate for people over 65 years old is less than half, and information literacy is insufficient. Moreover, the risk of heart disease, immune system disease, and dementia is higher for seniors who live alone for many years. Chunghwa Telecom's infrastructure in Taiwan is more robust than that of other telecommunication companies. Through Chunghwa Telecom's various volunteer service programs, as well as the design of manuals and other physical teaching materials to enhance digital education and strengthen the connection with the elderly, there is a chance to increase the willingness of the elderly to use the service. In this regard, the team proposed a "one-stop interactive information platform for seniors" with a senior-friendly visual design and experience, combined with an AI voice robot and volunteer consultation service, allowing seniors to be assisted by volunteers through audio or video calls when they encounter difficulties with using the platform. The platform can also serve as an educational channel for seniors, reducing the chance of them believing fake news or purchasing products from suspicious sources. The platform's volunteers can also chat with the elderly remotely in order to reduce their feelings of loneliness.

Over the course of a week, the team brainstormed ideas, identified problems and came up with solutions. They found that the most important things were to improve the friendliness and convenience of the platform, to integrate volunteer service programs to enhance digital education and companionship, and to deliver the right information in order to reduce the digital gap. The group presented a complete picture of their ideas and were sensitive to the needs of the elderly, and their concrete proposal was favored by the judges and eventually won the “Heart-shaking Award” in the Chunghwa Telecom category.

DBS Bank (Taiwan) has been using its financial expertise to help social enterprises for many years, such as lowering interest rates on loans and emphasizing products for social enterprises. One of the teams participating in the DBS Bank (Taiwan) category was from the Department of Business Management of our College, consisting of Li-Ren Lin (林立仁), Cheng-Yun Chang (張正昀), Yu-Rou Weng (翁雨柔), Chu-Yun Liu (劉楚雲), and some students from other schools. They analyzed DBS (Taiwan) Bank's efforts to connect with social enterprises through advocacy, cultivation, and integration with its in-depth social enterprise activities.

In order to become closer to the general public and spread the word about social enterprises and their connection with DBS Bank, the team members planned three stages: short-term, medium-term, and long-term, in order to strengthen the general public's awareness and favorability towards DBS Bank, and to work on four aspects: platform, campus, public, and living. The team proposed that DBS (Taiwan) Bank and the related social enterprises should issue sustainable co-branding cards and promote their activities on the platform in order to increase the public's recognition of the bank's value. By doing so, DBS (Taiwan) Bank could gain profits from people's card purchases and spending to help other social enterprises, and then increase their visibility through word-of-mouth among social enterprises to achieve a win-win situation for the society, economy, and environment. During the competition, the students made rich gains.

In addition to the two teams from the Department of Business Management, Shu-han Chang (張舒涵), a graduate student from the Department of Finance, took part in the competition alongside students from other universities. Chang explained that she decided to participate in this event because she wanted to learn more about the way different companies contribute towards and work on sustainability issues. The team formed by Shu-han Chang made a proposal to DBS Bank (Taiwan) to help promote the concept of social enterprise through the Social Enterprise Boardgame App, with the aim of raising awareness of the concept among the public.

Dr. San-Yih Hwang, the Dean of the College of Management, has said that one of the educational focuses of the College is to nurture students to become business management professionals with knowledge of social responsibility and sustainability concepts. In 2019, the Office of Responsibility and Sustainability Actions was established, and three issues of the CSR Annual Report have been published in order to promote the social responsibility of the College and its departments. For this year's “PwC's CSR Campus Seed Camp", 96 students were selected to participate in the online learning and competition from among 230 college and university students. With an acceptance rate of only 40%, the nine students from the College did well to be selected. The students overcame the space constraints and created a close and efficient method of teamwork online, applying what they learned to their projects within a short period of time. This reflects the industry's recognition of the NSYSU students' concern for CSR issues and their potential for implementation, and the College is very proud of them.

PwC Taiwan's "Campus Seed Camp X Camping for Good (資誠CSR校園種子營╳Camping for Good)" was launched in 2016 as the first CSR-themed student camp in Taiwan and has trained nearly 550 students to date. Every year, PwC Taiwan invites corporate and industry experts from different fields to give lectures on the latest global sustainability trends, combining issues such as SDGs, climate change, ESG, and circular economy in order to practice the spirit of cross-disciplinary CSR learning, provide young students with the correct concepts and knowledge of sustainability, and raise awareness of sustainability in Taiwan in order to draw in more positive energy.

:: top ::

News Report

【Intern Experiences】GHRM MBA Alumna Barbara Yang Shares Her Internship Experience At International Relations, College Of Management, NSYSU

Internships offer students hands-on experience and are an excellent way of prepping them for the outside world. Many GHRM MBA and IBMBA students have completed their internships at various prestigious companies all across Taiwan. Today, we share the internship experience of GHRM MBA alumna Barbara Yang who did her internship at International Relations, College of Management, NSYSU.

Barbara is from Kaohsiung, and during her bachelor's, she studied Medical Sociology and Social Work. After her graduation, she worked as a Project Management Co-Ordinator for the city government. However, after one year of working, Barbara soon realized that this field of work wasn't for her. As a result, she decided to apply for GHRM MBA with the hope of switching her professional field. Barbara did her internship at International Relations, College of Management, NSYSU. As for the responsibilities of the department, Barbara shares:

“This unit is basically taking charge of the international programs, such as GHRM MBA and IBMBA, many affairs related to the international students, and the activities regarding English learning for the students of College of Management.”

After completing the ESSCA Dual Degree Program in Europe, it was mandatory to undergo a 4-month internship. Barbara thought it would be fruitful to get some practical experience to cultivate her professional skills before entering the real market. Around that time, the International Relations department was looking for an intern. Since Barbara had already worked with the office several times before, her boss notified her of this opportunity. Barbara characterizes the work culture during her internship as ‘respectful,' ‘trustworthy,' and ‘flexible.' In her words:

“The main task of the internship was to hold 6 Business English Writing Speeches. I was responsible for leading an undergraduate student to organize every detail of speeches, including deciding the speech topics, contacting the lecturers, analysing the target participants and reviewing the feedback, etc. The office was quite respectful of any of our ideas, we could offer creative and innovative concepts into the speeches, and we could try to communicate with the lecturers to add more interesting or attractive things. So basically, we worked independently with trust and flexibility, which made me feel very good because I could bring my skills and thoughts into full play, and get appropriate support meanwhile.”

However, her internship experience wasn’t all smooth sailing for Barbara. At times situations of conflict arose due to differing opinions and standards. Barbara was well-versed in writing content such as news articles; however, in one scenario, the first edition created by the undergraduate student didn’t meet her expectations. As Barbara had taken her under her wing and was responsible for mentoring her, Barbara had to carefully deliver constructive criticism without hurting the undergrad students’ feelings. However, she overcame this obstacle by complimenting the undergraduate student whenever she did a good job and also informing her of the standards and requirements whenever required. By guiding her step by step, Barbara and the undergraduate student were able to work well together and maintained a cordial relationship. Barbara remarks that she was delighted at their relationship as well as the undergraduate student’s positive growth.

Her internship experience was full of wonderful memories, but if she had to highlight one, Barbara says it was the opportunity of meeting the leaders of major companies and the brilliant workers from various markets and industries. During her internship, Barbara even had the chance to meet "the acquisition lead of ASML, the business intelligence manager of SHOPEE and the outstanding alumnus who devotes himself to the Taiwanese market."

Questioned about the most valuable skill she acquired through the internship; Barbara says it was the 'marketing skills. Even though it was a daunting task, Barbara was eventually able to achieve the goals. Lastly, Barbara also has some wonderful advice for students who are interested in doing internships in Taiwan. She shares:

“Take on the challenges and never be afraid to get busy!” This is what I would deliver to whoever wants to do an internship. I was always enjoying the business I had during being a student. The internship made me feel energetic to apply my expertise to the practical field. Though it’s a cliché, I still want to say that it’s the only period that allows you to make mistakes and train yourself to be more competitive. So, seize the opportunities and challenge yourself!”

GHRM MBA is delighted to know that Barbara Yang’s internship experience was so fruitful and valuable. GHRM MBA is sure Barbara Yang will do exceptionally well in whatever field she chooses to foray into.

:: top ::

【College of Management】Business Data Analytics Teacher Training Courses – Nurturing the Next Generation of Digital Talents

Due to the continuous technology development of big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, the application of data science is gradually becoming more important, and the demand for talent in business data analysis skills is increasing. Many schools are now offering data science related programs. The College of Management, National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU), in collaboration with business schools from many other universities, offered a series of "Business Data Analytics Teacher Training Courses" from July 23 to July 28. By establishing this teaching resource platform, the College hopes to lower the threshold for business school students to move into programming, integrate business logic and management skills, and cultivate a new generation of talent with the ability to analyze business data and lead the digital transformation of enterprises.

Teachers from different universities, including Cheng Shiu University, National Formosa University, Minghsin University of Science and Technology, Chihlee University of Technology, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, National Pingtung University, and Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, participated in the three events. Through this sharing among teachers from different schools, it was found that the biggest difficulty in introducing big data or business analytics courses is the students' learning effectiveness. The focus of teaching in technical schools is on the application, but many students encounter problems in tools and environment development. In the past few years, the College has been working hard to build a comprehensive business data analytics platform with the aim of reducing these barriers. During the three-day event, teachers from the College shared business data, analyzed the content of their courses, and introduced the resources available at the College in order to help other teachers gain a deeper understanding of this platform.

The event started with Dr. Li-Min Wang's introduction to the Cross-Disciplinary Smart Innovation Program, which integrates the content of online courses from leading business schools such as Harvard, Wharton, and MIT. The program is divided into three micro-programs according to the fields, namely business big data analytics, digital marketing and e-commerce, and financial technology and financial services. Through this cooperation with business, students can better understand how the different industries use these data to make digital decisions. In addition, Dr. Wang also introduced the big data analytics platform and text analysis platform that NSYSU currently provides. The former allows for better performance in processing large amounts of data; the latter allows students to retrieve data online and process and analyze text data in advance, all on the same platform. Finally, Dr. Wang introduced a learning map of a set of online learning resources on the website of the College's Business Big Data Platform, which includes international audio and visual courses, e-books, students' works, etc. Anyone can learn on the website according to their needs.

The next course was the Business Data Analytics course, taught by Assisting Professor Yung-Jan Cho. The teacher explained, "Students come from different departments such as business management, information management, finance management, and marketing, and if they want to go from not knowing how to write programs to understanding the programing languages and learning how to analyze and make decisions through programs, they have too much to learn. Therefore, in terms of grouping, each group has been assigned students of different majors so that they can teach and learn from each other when they work together.” Dr. Cho also presented another course on digital marketing. He hopes that after this course, students will be able to make enterprise-level marketing decisions from the perspective of a digital manager, not just as a social media editor in digital marketing.

Social Media Analytics was presented by Prof. San-Yih Hwang, the Dean of the College of Management. Prof. Hwang said that although this class focuses on programmatic data processing, he also shared the "Text Analysis Workflow System" that he had built with his students. This system has a graphical interface, drag-and-drop operation, and the flexibility to set parameters at each node. By understanding the basic applications of text analysis and using this workflow system, anyone can perform text analysis and its application. Compared with other online open source software, this system is more focused on text data and is more detailed. In addition, it is also designed for Chinese text mining. Prof. Hwang hopes that, in the future, it will be available for university teachers to apply it to accounts and to use it in the classroom.

In the class on Big Data Analytics and Introduction, Dr. Yihuang Kang shared his insight into data scientists: "The Harvard Business Review says that data scientists are the sexiest profession in the world. However, according to statistics, there are fewer and fewer data scientists abroad." This is because more and more platforms, such as Google and AWS, are providing automated, modular systems that can automate modeling. The teacher expressed his hope that students could learn how to carry out data analysis from his course instead of using tools. The class touched on many concepts of statistics, data analysis, and programming that are considered advanced in the micro-programs, as well as social media analytics.

The final session of the event was a presentation by Prof. Chou-Wen Wang on financial technology and financial services. Students were required to take the basic courses shared above, in order to gain the ability to write programs and think in terms of data analysis, and then make practical contact with the industry through the class. This semester, they were working with Taishin Bank and O-Bank. One of the interesting aspects mentioned by Prof. Wang was that the CEO of O-Bank suggested that students should come up with a list of potential customers, and the company would actually draw up a strategy based on this list. The assessment at the end of the semester received positive feedback from O-Bank. This experience not only allowed the students to participate in the problem-solving process but also increased the interaction between industry and academia.

Mr. Kuo-chang Fu, Secretary General of the Chinese Institute of Business Education Development (CIBED), said that after looking at international trends, many business schools are combining information and marketing in their courses, and the College has a complete system in this area. Therefore, through the linkage of the Vital Wellspring Group, he hoped to create an alliance with schools with expertise in various fields, combine each other's fields of expertise to develop an education system for business data analytics, and provide a better quality learning environment for students.

(Written by Joo-Soo Cheng from the Department of Information Management / edited by the College of Management)

:: top ::

【IBMBA】The Online Seminar for IBMBA Local Freshmen

IBMBA of the college of management, NSYSU is ready to welcome the freshmen next semester, and it held the first online seminar for the local freshmen before enrollment. At the beginning of the seminar, students were first introduced to the IBMBA program, its ranking and positioning in the world. IBMBA is ranked 85th in the 2020 Financial Times Master in Management, 14th in Asia and no. 1 in Taiwan. IBMBA program coordinator Yvonne said that after enrolling, students can not only participate in courses taught in English in IBMBA, but also interact and study with foreign students in the classes and experience the international learning environment; they can also seize the opportunity to apply for dual degree programs stretching from America, Asia and Europe. For example, the dual degree in cooperation with KEDGE Business School which is in the top 10 in France is only open for application to IBMBA students, in addition, the courses offered by the college of management, NSYSU are also open to all IBMBA students. Studying for IBMBA, you are able to acquire the business management knowledge and have abundant opportunities to obtain dual degrees from prestigious foreign universities.

Li Tan - Liya, the third year of IBMBA student, who has just completed a dual degree in International Business at the BSB Burgundy School of Business in France, and has just returned to IBMBA in NSYSU, shared her experience of studying in France; because the main campus is located in Dijon, the environment is safe and peaceful, and the transportation is very convenient, also there is a vineyard near BSB makes the learning environment is more comfortable, and the BSB courses are very solid, international students make up 25% of the total number of students, it let the class to be more cross-cultural stimulation in learning. Regarding the thesis, Liya shared that if students cannot find an advisor, BSB also provides services to help students assign professors so that students can complete their studies at Burgundy School of Business more smoothly. Liya encourages everyone not to miss courses on sustainable development-related topics when attending the BSB class, because the EU is now focusing on the sustainable development goals of enterprises, and the EU is also the world leader in this regard. Students should use the resources provided by BSB to think more about sustainable development issues. At the end of the sharing, Liya emphasized how to protect yourself, pay attention to local news, and learn about local medical resources are very important, so that you can focus on your studies more at ease under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

TzuHsiu Yuan - Gary, an IBMBA second year student who has just finished his internship in the Risk Consulting Department of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, also had an internship in the General Manager's Office of Air Liquide, Gary then shared his experience regarding participating in internships and business competitions. Gary said that the main reason he got the internship opportunity was that he participated in various courses during his studies at IBMBA and the college of management of NSYSU, which consolidated his knowledge of business management so that he could use a more complete and logical narrative to convince the interview supervisor during the interview, then get an internship opportunity in a foreign company. Because the practical experience learned in the internship in foreign companies was applied to the subsequent Hult Prize business competition, Gary and his teammates won second place regionally, which everything is interlinked. Gary then encourages future freshmen, do not miss any learning opportunities that can make you powerful while studying at IBMBA, seizing the time stayed in IBMBA and NSYSU during the upcoming two years!

At the end of the seminar, Yvonne said that IBMBA is located in the beautiful XiziWan, with unique magnificent mountains and seas. It is an academic institution that can relieve the pressure of studying. Students can also expand their horizons and make foreign friends through the international environment of the college of management. Yvonne hopes that  IBMBA students can all become international talents that the global business market is seeking for after two years of solid study in NSYSU!

:: top ::

GHRM MBA Alumna Esther Shares Her Incredible Exchange Student Experience At Seoul National University, South Korea

Exchange programs are an excellent opportunity for students to experience an entirely new way of life. It was an immense pleasure for me to get the chance to visit Seoul National University (SNU) as an exchange student. Before coming to SNU, I didn’t know any Korean at all. I was very impressed to see how hardworking the Korean students were in general and the amount of effort they put into academics. Naturally, the courses were intense. Having some classes with local students sometimes was honestly very competitive. I was discouraged after the midterm, but the challenges encouraged me to stay motivated and work harder throughout the semester.

The process of learning to navigate new administrations and pedagogical styles, living alone in a new environment, making new friends, I sometimes wondered if all of this was worth studying abroad during the pandemic period. But when I booked and planned the next adventure with friends in Korea, I made lifelong friends from all over the world during our time there and genuinely enjoyed our experiences.

Besides, their exchange student group, SNU Buddy, was incredible. You get to integrate with local and other exchange students from all over the world. The local students tried hard to put together fun events so that everyone could mingle together. Thus, we still needed to be cautious of the risks of getting infected, but none of us regretted seizing the opportunity to study in Korea.

:: top ::

【Dual Degree】NTU – The First Module：International HRM - GHRM MBA Students Volha Sakhatskaya Studying in the UK

The education structure in NTU is quite different from the one we have in NSYSU. In the UK we had one subject at a time. In other words, for four weeks we were working mainly on one module. I think this is a good approach to stay focused on one thing for a period of time to get more deep and continuous insight. However, it would require a lot of self-learning, too.

The first module we had after the induction week was International HRM which we had twice a week 6 hours a day. At first, it sounds overwhelming to sit in one lecture for 6 hours a day. But don’t be discouraged! Actually, it is not that bad as it sounds. The whole lesson is divided into two sections:  morning and afternoon. Both morning and afternoon, sections consist of a one-hour lecture and two-hour workshop. And there is an hour break between morning and afternoon sessions. Like in most of the modules all students from the programme attend the lecture together where you might have different professors from time to time from that particular module and then students divided into three-four smaller classes to make workshops more interactive and efficient. The main idea of the workshops in this module was to work in a team, and, in order to make it more realistic like in the professional settings where most of the time you cannot choose people you want to work with, every student was assigned to a particular group where there are no two students from the same university. They also tend to make groups more diverse. I think it makes learning more interesting and exciting. 

During workshops, we were working in a group of 4-5 people. Even though I have a lot of experience working in international groups, it was still challenging this time. Well, I guess, it is never really easy because we are all from different backgrounds and cultures, with different beliefs and values, have different circumstances at a different point in time, and have different experiences. And I have never worked in one team with students from Nigeria, Myanmar, Kashmir and India. That was totally new experience for me. And I learned a lot, it helped me to improve my cultural awareness and communication. 

In this module, 80% of the grade were based on the group assignment, and only 20% on your individual report. Therefore, it is very important to get along with your team and to start to work together as earlier as possible because everyone has a different schedule, and most of the work would need to be done outside of school hours. During workshops, we worked in groups with case studies using our own experience, and knowledge we received at the lecture. For the final project, we had a consulting project, where we had to analyse the company, find issues (hint, company does not have problems, they have challenges or issues) or gaps, and based on the theories and academic literature provide solutions and suggestions. It is very important to show that every member participates and contributes as you will be evaluated by ability to work well as a team. Your goal will be to persuade the committee that you are the best consulting team to get this job. You will be competing with another team at the formal meeting, and at the same time with the rest of the teams. Remember to be professional.  

What this course taught me is it is very important to develop listening skills. You have to be patient and a good listener, not just hear but listen. Communication is the key. This module will also require you to build organisational skills and time management, as you only have less than 4 weeks to learn and accomplish the task. Don’t waste your time on distractions, absorb everything that lectures provide.  

As being chosen as a team leader I got also a very valuable lesson for the future. After the assessment, I reflected on what had been done well and what not and what I could do differently as a leader. It is very helpful to avoid mistakes in the future at work. So my suggestion for the future students who will come to the NTU use this time to go out of your comfort zone and try your leadership skills or build them if you have never tried, don’t be afraid to make mistakes now because it is just training before you step in into a real job. Don’t miss this opportunity! 

:: top ::