Practical experience in the industry and extensive teaching experience
Professor Tsai worked as a corporate finance assistant at Yuanta Bank for two years, focusing on providing financial services to corporate clients and performing industry analysis to measure credit risk. However, he got tired of the daily work in the banking industry, and decided teaching would be his new pursuit in life. He went to the University of Cambridge in England to pursue his PhD and then returned to Taiwan to teach. He has taught at National Yunlin University of Science and Technology and National Chung Cheng University and now teaches at National Sun Yat-sen University, where he has incorporated his experiences into course materials and designed a unique curriculum for his students.
Letting Students Embrace the English Language, Building the Hard Power of the Future
Professor Tsung-Lin Tsai believes that English is a necessary skill for management students. He says, “Currently, Taiwan’s industrial development is dominated by high-tech industries, and the trend of globalization has led many companies to extend their operations overseas. Therefore, with solid professional skills and good English skills, students can develop their unique competitiveness and provide the most support to companies. This will be the basis for their career development.”
In addition, Professor Tsai also expects students to learn through English language courses at National Sun Yat-sen University, because learning a language is a gradual process. He understands that it is difficult to learn management courses through English at first, so he uses simple examples to get the students started, and then gradually adjusts the difficulty of the class so that students can get used to the course, learn more about the profession, and improve their English skills at the same time. Professor Tsai also mentioned that since all-English classes at NSYSU have just been introduced, it will take some time for professors and students to adapt to the process. With the gradual increase in the percentage of classes taught in English, it is believed that the all-English orientation can be gradually adjusted to be more comprehensive.
Integrating career aspirations with research interests and encouraging students to apply their learning through internships
Professor Tsai shared that his research interests from his studies to his career were all in strategic management. His clients in the workplace were technology-oriented, and he still loves the field of technology and strategic management and has continued to develop his interest in the field since then.
Professor Tsai believes that the future career development of strategic management will focus on industry analysis or company operation analysis, using a wide range of perspectives to see how companies formulate strategies. He also applies his past practical experience to his courses to let students understand the real extent of strategic management in the real industry. On the other hand, Professor Tsai also mentioned that he chose to return to school after two years in the workplace so that he could understand the true suitability of knowledge in books and practice. He encourages students to practice and apply what they have learned in books to their work. When they actually apply what they have learned, they will have a new understanding of the field.
Returning to school and cherishing being a student, going abroad for exchange to enhance his international perspective
Professor Tsai recalls how he was surprised by the courageous and positive attitude of his classmates when he was studying in England. Even if a question was already answered in the textbook, when a student asked again because they wanted to know more about it, no one would question the student’s thinking. This was an eye-opener for Professor Tsai, who had already worked in the workplace, and it made him appreciate the opportunity to return to school even more.
Professor Tsai encourages students to go abroad for exchange during the school year, not only to get to know the learning styles of students from different countries and improve their language skills, but also to expand their international perspective. During the exchange, students can bring what they have learned in Taiwan to the international arena and then also bring what they have learned abroad back to Taiwan.
(Written by special correspondent Chuan-yun Wang, Institute of Management and Communication / Edited by the College of Management)