【Honor】Recipient of 2021 MOE Outstanding Academic Performance - Elon Bar-Lev(IBMBA)
June 2021, while Taiwan is facing a nationwide alert level 3 caused by Covid-19, there are some things to be celebrated.
Other than the obvious upcoming graduation of IBMBA class of 2021, among them is an international student who has an extra reason to celebrate.
His name is Elon Bar-Lev, and he has been acknowledged by the IBMBA program, National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) and has been awarded the Outstanding Academic Performance Award for the year 2021.
This award is given to Taiwan Scholarship recipients under the Ministry of Education program, who have not only maintained an outstanding academic performance based on an average of their GPA, but have also been proactive in other extracurricular activities. From the hundreds of MOE scholarship recipients, only a few recipients are nominated for this award. From those few nominees, only a handful are selected. In 2019, from 560 scholarship recipients from the MOE, MOFA and MOST ministries, only 13 recipients were selected to receive the award. Elon, originally from Israel has been selected as one of those few in 2021.
Listed below are the reasons why Mr. Bar-Lev was chosen for this prestigious award:
Average GPA of 4.01 throughout his 2-year Master’s degree
Head coach of the International Dragon Boat team of NSYSU (2 semesters)
Internship in an International Taiwanese company (1 semester)
Unfortunately, due to the recent pandemic, the official ceremony held by the MOE office in Taipei had to be cancelled. During the ceremony, recipients would be introduced, would receive their certificate and enjoy a variety of Taiwanese cuisine. In addition to the honored guests such as the MOE office representatives, the country representatives of the recipient’s countries of origin have attended in the past, however this would not be the case this year.
Mr. Bar-Lev shared his feelings on being selected for the award:
“It was overwhelming at first when the IBMBA and OIA offices in NSYSU both told me they have discussed and wanted to nominate me for the award. I have never received any award for my previous academic achievements. To be fair, there weren’t that many, none actually. I always considered myself average, maybe average plus, but never outstanding! This was just proof to me that I could do it, and do it well. A few weeks after the nomination, the news came in that I was actually selected! I couldn’t believe it! I was so happy, not only for receiving the award, but to also finish my time in NSYSU on such a high note! The support I’ve received throughout my time in the program has been unimaginable, and I couldn’t think of a more supporting and motivating support system.”
Mr. Bar-Lev also wanted to share his experience with the IBMBA program and the MOE scholarship:
“I came to Taiwan initially to study Chinese. I had received the Huayu MOE scholarship for Chinese language studies for a duration of 1 year. It was great, but I looked for a reason to stay in Taiwan longer. I had known some friends in the IBMBA program, who have advised me to check it out. I went to the IBMBA office, and had a chat with the lovely employees there. Since then, I’ve come back to the office many times throughout my studies, always being greeted with a smile, or a hiding smile behind a face mask. The MOE scholarship has not only given me the opportunity to improve myself and my education, but had also given me the opportunity to live in this wonderful country. I consider Taiwan to be my home, and I intend to stay here for as long as I can. I highly recommend anyone who is even considering moving here, to apply for the MOE scholarship, whether the Master degree program scholarship or Chinese language studies scholarship, and find a way to live in Taiwan.”
【The International Office of the College of Management】Taiwan, Germany Cross-Cultural Online Seminar II
In view of the successful long-distance cultural exchange activities held in mid-March, the international Office of the College of Management once again cooperated with Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW)in Germany to organize another“Virtual Teams in an Intercultural Context”seminar and 16 students from two universities were invited to participate in the cultural event.
Before the main cultural exchange session, there were some warm-up activities for the students to complete. Everyone has to share their thoughts and basic knowledge of each other’ country. Also, they could learn about their own characteristics through answering which three survival supplies they would choose, if were put alone on a desert island. There were options like foods, survival tools and items to relieve boredom. The host referred to the collected statistics and explained that students tend to have different mindset in related to their cultural backgrounds. Also, with the aid of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we can understand what kind of needs students care most. If foods like a pack of fruit and vegetable seeds were chosen, it means “a short-term plan to survive” is the most important thing in one’s mind. If items like volleyball or dog were chosen, it means “a long-term plan and psychological needs would be essential when one facing adverse conditions. Through carrying out these tasks, students can get to know more about themselves and their mixed-nationality teammates.
After conducting self-introduction, students greeted virtually and were equally divided into four groups: red, yellow, blue, and green. They were asked to complete two tasks, firstly the” Entrepreneurship Across Cultures” by proposing an international marketing plan in trading products or service into the opposing countries and try to promote it in regard of the different cultural background. All teams worked out very quickly and smoothly, presented their creative ideas with concise powerpoint. Second task, “Virtual Problem Solving Skills”, was more difficult to all the teams, each groups needed to integrate useful clues through online communication and careful analysis, in order to complete the mission. Though there were challenges in carrying out the trials virtually, the students could hold their hands to get over most of the obstacles. All participants felt like it was an pleasant online intercultural exchange experience to them and have reacted positively. Through various kinds of tasks, students could use own strengths to collaborate with team members and find ways to deal with the difficulties that we encountered in the virtual events.
Lots of interpersonal communication and cooperation have also been converted to an online mode. The virtual seminar provided students more learning opportunities to experience cultural differences during the pandemic.
【Student Association】Language exchange in Spring 2021 –The Friendship Bridge
The Language Exchange is an annual
activity which is provided by the Student Association(SA) of the International
Programs. Its purpose is to connect individuals who want to practice and
improve their English and Mandarin speaking skills. This Spring semester, this
program attracted more than 30 participants who are from different countries and
various departments of the National Sun Yat-sen University.
On March 15th, 2021, the SA conducted a
“Gathering Time” for participants to meet each other and introduce themselves
to all language exchange partners. After that, partakers were informed about
Language Exchange guidelines and the benefits of joining it during the session.
Besides, some students who took part in the program last semester participated
in this program again and shared their experience to the new members.
Lima Longkumer, a second year GHRM MBA student from India said: “It’s a valuable chance for me to improve my
Mandarin conversation skills. I can learn everyday terms and phrases in
Mandarin with local friends”. Rosie Cao, a first year GHRM MBA student from Vietnam, stated that
whenever she and her partner met, they shared their cultures with others, which
helped them appreciate the differences and similarities between Taiwanese and
Vietnamese cultures.
As a newbie of the program, Demi Wen, a Taiwanese IBMBA first year student, expected to build social networks through friendly interactions. “Besides improving my English skills, I would like to learn an additional language and know about their culture as preparation for studying abroad next year’’.
Following the “Gathering Time”, each group began their weekly meetings with various themes. They could proactively decide the location, time, and topics on their own. However, due to the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic development, all activities are impacted, and the Language Exchange is no exception. Partakers were recommended to use virtual platforms to exchange language instead of real interactions, such as Google Meet, Messenger, or Microsoft Teams.
Santosh Sharma, an Indian student from College of Science, shared “Yes, the pandemic is a difficult time for all of us, but we still can find other interests anyway. My partner and I use LINE to communicate with each other more frequently. We don’t talk only once a week any longer, and sometimes I message him every day to update news and our daily lives. When we chat, we use a lot of cute emojis. I feel like we are brothers in a family”
The Student Association continuously strives to organize activities that are not only entertaining but also educational. We are overjoyed at the overwhelmingly positive response during this term. In the future, the student association of the International programs plans to broaden the exchange by adding other languages and making it a platform for cultural interaction to make our learning environment and the campus more lively and internationally.
【IBMBA & GHRM MBA】DIY Fragrant Sachet Online Tutorial Held On 16th June: Celebrating Dragon Boat Festival The Online Way
Dragon Boat is one of the major festivals in Taiwan, and it's celebrated on 14th June every year. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, NSYSU couldn't celebrate the occasion like every other year, but that didn't stop the Student Association of International Programs from commemorating the event. On 16th June, a 'DIY Fragrant Sachet Online Tutorial' was held with Ms. Yufen Hsiao from the Chinese Language Center.
The event lasted from 4:00-5:30 PM. It started with a brief introduction to the origins of the Dragon Boat Festival. Ms.Hsiao also talked about what people do during the Dragon Boat festival, such as eating dumplings, egg balancing, watching the Dragon Boat, and making fragrant sachets. She also talked about the different types of dumplings and how different countries put different ingredients into the dumplings. The online event was attended by about ten students. The materials required to make the fragrant sachet were supplied beforehand with the energy pack.
Finally, the DIY fragrant sachet tutorial started. Initially, as most of the participants had never done it before, there were some difficulties. However, despite that, they were able to make their own sachets thanks to the instructions of Ms. Hsiao. In the end, a screenshot was also taken to commemorate the event. Limaonen, a 2nd-year GHRM MBA student who attended the online event, found it exciting and remarked that it was a great way to celebrate the festival despite the limitations brought about by the pandemic.
【International Relations Office】5/22 Pre-Departure Seminar of ESSCA Business School’s Joint Program
On May 22nd, the International Relations Office of the College of Management, NSYSU held the “Pre-Departure Seminar of ESSCA Business School’s Joint Program”. Alumnus Chuang Wei-Hao was invited to share his achievements during his study and to provide notes before the junior students departed.
At the beginning of the seminar, Chuang talked about the International Business program on which he majored at ESSCA, and reminded the participants that the required courses listed on the website were not the same as the actual courses available. Therefore, they needed to be open-minded about the school’s arrangement, because he had not even attended the same courses as other alumni. Afterward, he talked about a particular feature of ESSCA: most of the professors in the school also work in the industry, so students need to pay attention to changes in course times; it is not like Taiwanese universities, which have fixed daily schedules.
Chuang also explained the current epidemic measures, which included: “Present a PCR negative report within 72 hours when boarding a plane, print out the declaration of entry into the country and the declaration that you are asymptomatic”; “Implement a curfew”; and so on. These are the measures required in France and Hungary, the locations of the ESSCA campuses. Afterward, he used the visa application process as a bridge to introduce information about preparation and pre-work, as well as various problems students may face post-entry, such as transportation and accommodation, health insurance, housing subsidies, etc.
In the second phase, Chuang reminded the participants that although lockdown has eased in those two countries, the vaccination program in France is not going well, and the French campus is remote and difficult to access. In Hungary, however, the number of COVID-19 cases is relatively moderate, and the campus is located in the capital city with convenient transportation links. Therefore, he suggested that students focus on their studies while in France, and relax and have fun while there are no classes in Hungary. Chuang explained that there are many things to observe and learn, not only through traveling experiences, because the world is currently in a period of economic recovery; he advised that students wear masks properly and pay attention to their safety.
During the Q&A session at the end of the seminar, a participant asked Chuang about his internship and the job responsibilities involved. He explained that he is a business analyst in a consulting company focusing on digital transformation, and talented applicants with R, Python, and VBA skills are welcomed. Although one can always learn from work, applicants will have a greater chance of being hired if they are equipped with these skills. One of the reasons he was successful in applying for the position was that a supervisor who was an alumnus of our school, and had a favorable impression of it, had noticed him. Chuang admitted that luck had been a crucial element too, so it would be nice to attempt applications with different aspects. The seminar ended with enthusiastic questions from the students.
Contributor ZHANG YA-QING, Department of Business Management /Edited by College of Management
【International Relations Office】5/25 pre-departure seminar for KEDGE Business School's Joint Program
On May 25th, the International Relations Office, College of Management, NSYSU held a pre-departure seminar for KEDGE Business School's Joint Program. A senior from IBMBA, Paul Huang, was invited to share his local life experience and journey with the participants.
Huang opened by introducing the rich resources of the school, including its online course website and international internship CV workshop; he stated that when participating in the workshop, it can be seen how serious all the students are about the internship opportunity. However, he also reminded the audience that the school only provides the platforms; students have to ensure their internship quality by themselves. Next, he walked the students through the essential documents they would need to prepare, such as residential ID, house allowance, social insurance, and bank account. He also explained the additional details and mandatory papers they would need, and passed on some tips for speeding up and simplifying these complicated procedures.
Huang divided the subject of daily life into five categories: Accommodation, Telecommunication, Transportation, Supermarkets, and Foods. Students should identify their needs before they move into accommodation, including nearby transportation and commute distance. Students also need to pay attention to house insurance. Huang explained that in his own experience, he had not noticed the terms of the automatic contract renewal, and it cost quite a lot of effort to deal with the issue afterward. Therefore, he advised students to read the contract terms carefully to avoid loss of their rights. As for telecommunication, Huang provided a comparison between companies in terms of cost and signal strength. He explained that the light rail system and buses are the two primary means of transport in the area, and cycling is also a good option. He also recommended that students remember to prepare their shopping bags and shopping cards when doing a supermarket run. Huang talked about all the local supermarkets and showed the routes from the school to each one, as well as the time it took to travel there.
At the end of the seminar, Huang provided some valuable suggestions. Despite the personal items students need to bring, the documents they need to save on the cloud, and the lists they need to make, the most crucial point is to maintain a healthy mentality when alone abroad. There will be all sorts of situations that students will face, and so they need to learn to adapt, fix problems, and build up the ability to tolerate and cope with pressure and frustration. Huang finished by encouraging students to enjoy their time in the school and make friends from different cultures.
Contributor ZHANG YA-QING, Department of Business Management / Edited by College of Management
【English Corner Series】Lecture on 2nd June– “Hi, South Africa”
On June 2nd, International Relations under the Dean's Office held a lecture titled “Hi, South Africa.” The industrial lecturer Natasja was invited to give the lecture, and she led the participants in “going abroad” online by introducing the customs and features of her home country, South Africa, in English. In addition, she shared all her accumulated experience of the IELTS test by analyzing and solving questions, and suggesting practical techniques and tips for the test to help the students prepare for it efficiently.
At the beginning of the lecture, Natasja gave a presentation on South Africa, her country of origin. The “Rainbow Nation” is an alternative name for South Africa due to its diversity of ethnicity. Moreover, although South Africans communicate mainly in English, there are up to 11 unofficial languages. Natasja introduced the well-known animals, sports, cuisine, historical background, and stunning scenery in South Africa. In the southern part of the country, there are French-styled rural landscapes and a boundless blue ocean coast; in the eastern part, there are fascinating views of the rainforest and floral sea. Finally, she provided a thorough guide to her home country using the video “TOP 10 things to do in South Africa”.
In the second part of the lecture, Natasja shared her experience of the knowledge and techniques used in the IELTS test. First, she briefly unpacked the basic information about the test, explaining its four main parts and their corresponding duration and question format. She then discussed the first part of the exam, the Speaking Test. Natasja stated that if a student wants a high score in the Speaking Test, they have to cultivate logical, systematic thoughts and a certain level of insight for the questions. If they master the concept of “listening carefully and answering the questions with emphasis” and practice their grammar, language fluency, and other aspects, they will achieve good grades in the Speaking Test within a short period. To help the students achieve better results with lower effort when preparing for the Speaking Test, Natasja also introduced and demonstrated some online pages and YouTube channels for IELTS practices.
At the end of the lecture, Natasja concluded by discussing some techniques for the IELTS Speaking Test, such as using a clear voice and moderate speed when speaking; she emphasized that “speaking clearly is more important than speaking fast.” She also recommended some tool books for the test and answered some FAQs, such as whether one’s accent affects the grading, whether the student can ask questions of the examiner, what accent the examiner has, and how one should arrange their time during the test. Finally, the application of paraphrasing was introduced. Natasja reminded the students not to panic if they forgot vocabulary during the speaking test; using alternative words to describe things would elevate their performance. Finally, she encouraged participants to practice languages more often, stay engaged during the pandemic, and explore the world with passion.
Contributor HUANG LIN-YI, Department of Chinese Literature / Edited by College of Management
【ACT】Seniors’ Navigation of the ACT Global Program
On June 4th, the ACT Global Program held an online pre-departure seminar. The invited speakers were Kevin Hsieh, a student on the Health Care Management master’s degree, and Riva Tsai, a student on the Business Administration master’s degree. Both are currently participating in the Austria module at the Johannes Kepler University (JKU). Kevin and Riva overcame the time differences to share their education journey in Canada and Austria, and provided many tips for preparation before departure.
Previously, the ACT program always started with the Canada module at the end of August at the University of Victoria, Canada. However, due to COVID-19, every aspect had undergone some transformation, such as the course arrangement, the way classes were conducted, and daily life in general; even the program itself had been delayed. For the Canada module, Kevin gave the participants helpful advice on food, clothing, accommodation, and transportation. For example, delivery apps like Skip the Dishes and Funtuan Delivery have continued throughout the quarantine. Another tip was that in the ACT program, there are many opportunities to present to corporations, so it is useful to have a suit or business casual outfit on hand in case of a last-minute group presentation. Moreover, the seniors explained that UVic is an academic-oriented school, and the workload there is very different from NSYSU. To quickly adapt to that teaching pace, it is better to preview and prepare while still in Taiwan.
In the second part of the seminar, Riva talked about the students’ current life in Austria and their experience of studying in JKU. For accommodation, JKU provides student halls, known as Raab Heim, for the students, so participants do not need to find their own place to stay. Riva and Kevin provided photos of the hall and showed how it is configured just for students. They also suggested buying a sim card on arrival in Austria, due to the epidemic situation. Sim cards make it more convenient to contact people and purchase items during quarantine. The other seminar participants, all students embarking on the ACT program, asked enthusiastic questions towards the end of the seminar and seized the opportunity to make through preparations.
Finally, the International Relations Office of the College of Management reminded students of the necessary administrative procedures. The office asked everyone to pay special attention to their transportation arrangements during the three modules and reminded them to confirm their plane tickets and ensure that they could participate in the ceremonies of the three schools on time. "Work hard, play harder!" was the exhortation of the International Relations Office to the participants. It is hoped that through this seminar, students who are travelling to Canada to embark on their ACT journey will have a better understanding of the local situation. With a prepared mind and good health, they will be well set for their year-long challenge in the future.
Contributor LAI YAN-ZHU, IBMBA / Edited by College of Management
【College of Management and the Management Studies Research Center】2021 College of Management Doctoral Consortium
On June 17th, the Management Studies Research Center and College of Management jointly organized the "2021 College of Management Doctoral Consortium" in order to increase communication among doctoral students and allow them to become more familiar with each other. Through this unique business management doctoral event, students gained an initiatory understanding of the research field from different departments and increased their opportunities to collaborate academically, which will generate innovative thoughts and ideas from different fields.
The students were eager to participate in this activity; new teachers from each department also joined them, and even master students applied to attend the event. The opening statement was given by Professor Hsu Shih-Chieh, Management Studies Research Center Director. Representatives from various departments were invited to share their personal and departmental profiles and to introduce their current academic work. As it was the first time that the College of Management had held this type of forum activity, Director Hsu initiated a brainstorm between academia and intelligence by extending a particular invitation to scholars with outstanding academic research results to share their comments.
Five doctoral students – Kuo Shi-Jie from the Department of Business Management, Tsai Bing-Jie from the Department of Finance, Chang Jia-Hsuan from the Department of Information Management, Chang Ling-Yo from the Institute of Public Affairs Management, and Lin Jie-Yu from the Institute of Human Resource Management – shared their personal research directions and the methods they were using.
Kuo Shi-Jie, from the Department of Business Management, explained that his research's core is institutional theory, and spoke about several topics. First, he explored the relationship between irregular financial restatement and the changes in senior managers through different cooperation systems and control from the authority of the cooperation. Second, he explored how Uber has changed the taxi industry in Taiwan. His data resources included interviews (with the GM of the taxi company and the chairman of the guild), the company's publications, and event observation. Finally, he introduced the concept of inclusive change between the defender (taxis) and the challenger (Uber) in the field.
Tsai Bing-Jie, from the Financial Management Department, talked about the resources and advantages of his department. His research focuses on examining the different trading behavior of investors (e.g., personal and corporate investors), the way it affects overnight returns, and its relation to investor sentiment. He explained that investor sentiment relates not to the way they feel personally but instead to their sentiments in terms of evaluating the whole market. Indicators include the volatility of financial market stock prices, closed-end fund discounts, consumer confidence, market liquidity, and the overall level of cooperation investments.
Chang Jia-Hsuan, from the Information Management Department, has studied at NSYSU for her bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees. She was an exchange student in the U.S. last year, focusing on text mining. On this occasion, she introduced two articles that she had published in an international journal. The first article was about establishing a bilingual emotional vocabulary; in her examples, she maintained the emotion and the meaning of the original English when translating it to Mandarin. Furthermore, she proved that in their precision and coverage, the two languages have significant differences. The second article was about building a cross-source themed model in the globalized context, exploring the volume of discussion on different topics in different markets in order to make subsequent business decisions.
Chang Ling-Yo, of the Public Affairs Management Institute, focuses on aboriginal caretaking under the governmental long-term care policy. Through field observation and in-depth interviews, she has found that caretaking within the tribe was previously mutually beneficial. However, the caretakers have become salary-taking laborers, instead of the young generation who are ethically responsible for the tribe, because the implemented long-term care measures have impacted on aboriginal rights to culture and society. She explained that she hoped her ethnography research would open up a conversation with the tribe and act as a catalyst for traditional aboriginal culture.
Lin Jie-Yu, of the Human Resource Management Institute, explained that her institute has a solid theoretical teaching and faculty background. Her research focuses on organizational behavior. She shared an article that won her an Outstanding Research Award from the Taiwan Academy of Management last year. Exploring the effect of compulsory citizenship activity on subsequent behavior, she conducted the research through the daily experience sampling method. She tested the subjects intensively and repeatedly, which is different from the usual method of collecting data. Her research indicated that managers should avoid requesting that employees perform organizational citizenship behaviors. If employees do happen to complete any such behaviors, their supervisor could thank them; this way, the employees will spontaneously engage in similar behaviors in the future.
Following the presentations of these five doctoral students, Professor Hsu, Professor Chi Nai-Wen, and Professor Wang Chou-Wen summarized the application of the theories to each department. They further emphasized the word "sentiment," which had been brought up before, using concepts such as macro market sentiment (financial management), sentimental comment words in media (information management), and quantifying the sentiment of subjects (human resource management). The teachers also explained that the more primer data used in research, the higher its value. Prof. Lin Hao-Chieh concluded by unpacking the layers of the discussed issues; he stated his belief that there should be more activities like this in the future in order to remove the boundaries of previous separate doctoral seminars, and that a team should be formed to complete the research. Finally, Associate Prof. Yang Yu-Chen called on all doctoral students to focus on one specified research identity that they could then generalize to research topics, and on the potential value of their research.
At the end of the consortium, teachers and students had a Q&A session and free time to exchange their thoughts. The seminar ended with enthusiastic questions from the students.
Contributor ZHENG, JUN, Department of Information Management / Edited by College of Management