Each year, NUS Business School postgraduate and undergraduate students work closely with a range of industries on consulting projects, as well as take part in programmes outside the classroom. These projects give students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and sharpen their skills. Beyond classroom teaching, such real-world experiences groom and nurture our students to be future global leaders.
The Management Practicum
The Management Practicum is an essential element of the MBA programme that allows students to put academic theories and concepts into practice through extensive consulting projects.
“We want to create a realistic landscape for them to learn hands-on from industry practitioners,” says Associate Professor Susanna Leong, Vice Dean, Graduate Studies.
“In the past year, our MBA students have worked with some two dozen corporate partners, in conjunction with our faculty, on 37 projects across 19 industries to provide proposals solving real business challenges. This is a win-win for all involved – students, faculty and the companies themselves.”
For example, MBA students have been working on a project with insurance corporation MetLife to find new business opportunities in Japan and Korea. “This NUS project is very significant,” says Zia Zaman, Chief Innovation Officer at MetLife Asia. “Japan and Korea are two of our largest markets in Asia, and with some customer insights from NUS Business School students, we can actually incorporate these and add a lot of value.”
“NUS Business School is one of the world’s best business schools and its students are hungry and eager to contribute in a real-world situation like the Management Practicum programme,” he added.
Management Communication Camp
Beyond consulting projects, the School has also initiated a Management Communication (MC) Camp, another integral part of the MBA programme, that focuses on the latest business leadership principles and helps students turn difficult conversations into conversations about possibilities.
Students first go through an intensive one-week MC Camp and then review what they have learnt through a continuous learning programme.
Field Service Project
For undergraduate students, the Field Service Project gives honours students the opportunity to learn directly from businesses about real-world business issues through consulting practicums. They work closely with multinational companies like L’Oreal, government-related bodies such as Singapore Tourism Board, as well as small- and medium-sized companies. Many of the latter projects are highlighted each year in the Enterprise 50 awards and are featured in The Business Times.
Sam Chee Wah, the general manager of an SME – Feinmetall Singapore, a probe card manufacturer and Enterprise 50 winner – says three groups of NUS students had helped with research into such markets as India, Indonesia and the Philippines. “They have done a fantastic job. I believe the market research is done very thoroughly. In a nutshell, in an SME, we are not able to do all this by ourselves. Secondly, as students, they look at things from a different perspective.”
Bizad Leadership Development Programme
The Bizad Leadership Development Programme (BLDP) offers BBA students rich, in-depth experiences through attachments to captains of industry over the course of a few weeks, during which time they engage in multiple one-on-one discussions with the CEOs. For some, they also benefit from shadowing the CEOs to meetings and observe how they work. As part of the programme, students also undergo an intensive two-week module on business leadership case analysis.
Gobi Desert Challenge
NUS Business School also provides an experiential ‘classroom’ for EMBA (Chinese) students to learn through nature and strengthen their resolution, health and stamina for any challenges they may face.
Held in Mo-Kia-Yen Gobi Desert on the border of Gansu Province and Xinjiang, the Gobi Desert Challenge is an annual competition, with EMBA students participating from more than 30 top global Chinese business schools.
The 112-kilometre endurance test is inspired by the journey of Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang, a central character in the novel Journey to the West.
Through the challenge, our EMBA students experience firsthand the journey Xuanzang made in pursuit of truth, and as a result better understand the keys to success: vision, action and perseverance – qualities also important for leadership.