MBA Newsletter - Issue 2 (April 2015)

Issue 2 - April 2015

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We are extremely delighted to introduce this 2nd MBA newsletter to all our current MBA students, alumni and friends. Following the success of the introductory issue, this issue presents latest programme developments, highlights important events such as the MBA Charity Auction Night, and the Operation Santa Claus Fundraising Challenge, and most importantly, introduces our new Alumni Corner. Here we feature success stories from our alumni living in various parts of the world, contributions they have made to their fields of expertise, and news of their latest achievements. The MBA Office and your fellow alumni would love to hear more about your success stories and the special moments in your life. Stay connected with us and send us your news, including your achievements. We hope you will enjoy reading this newsletter! Don’t forget, do stay tuned. The next issue will feature more exciting developments from CityU’s MBA programme as well as updates on our MBAs and Alumni.

In this Issue

1. New MBA Programme Curriculum

2. Supporting the Community- MBA Charity Auction Night

- The Operation Santa Claus Fundraising Challenge

3. Career Development & Management- Welcome to our new MBA Business Manager (Career Management)- Business Mentoring - Inspiration Unlimited!- Executive Discovery & Networking

4. The Alumni Corner- “Why I chose CityU MBA” by Summer Zhang 2014 MBA

Welcome to the CityU MBA Newsletter Issue 2


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New MBA Programme CurriculumIn response to changing demand from the business world, CityU MBA is introducing a new curriculum. Starting this fall, our MBAs will be able to choose from three options: General MBA (40 credits); One Concentration MBA (49 credits); or the newly introduced Double Concentration MBA (58 credits). In all options compulsory core courses make up 19 credits, plus a minimum of 9 credits for the Experiential Learning component. In the One Concentration MBA students then take a minimum of 6 credits of elective courses followed by an additional 15 credits of concentration. In the Double Concentration MBA students take 30 credits of two concentrations.

Compulsory Courses (19 credits)

Experiential Learning (at least 9 credits)

Courses for Double Concentrations (30 credits)

General MBA (40 credits)

One Concentration (49 credits)

Courses for One Concentration (15 credits)

Programme Electives (at least 6 credits)

Programme Electives (at least 9 credits)

Double Concentrations (58 credits)

The new Experiential Learning component carries a strong focus on leadership skills and “learning by experiencing”, aiming to create more opportunities for students to gain practical experience through action learning and with a global emphasis. Courses fall into three major areas: Activity-Based Learning; Management Practice; and Global Experiential Learning. The Experiential Learning component consists of 8 brand new courses alongside a number of existing courses which have been carefully redesigned.

One Concentration Double ConcentrationsGeneral MBADuration

Concentration

Normal Duration

Maximun Study Duration

Full Time

Part Time / Combined Mode

Part Time / Combined Mode

Full Time

1 year

2 years

2.5 years

5 years

1.5 years

3 years

3 years

6 years

2 years

3 years

3 years

6 years

The restructured One Concentration MBA and Double Concentration MBA are designed to provide flexible learning approaches for students with specific career goals and needs. CityU MBA offers five concentrations in Accounting, Finance, Information Management, Marketing and Supply Chain Management. By studying one or two concentrations, our MBA students will build substantial and specialized expertise to complement the general management capabilities gained from their core courses. Each concentration comprises two compulsory core

courses and a wide selection of elective courses, allowing students to acquire knowledge that is both industry-relevant and incorporates the latest thinking in different fields.

The study duration for General MBA and One Concentration MBA remains unchanged. For full time students who undertake Double Concentration MBA, the duration of study will be extended to two years.


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Supporting the Community

MBA Charity Auction Night Shanghai Commercial Pok Oi Cycle for Millions 2015

Organized by Pok Oi Hospital with Shanghai Commercial Bank as the title sponsor for the first time, Shanghai Commercial Pok Oi Cycle for Millions 2015 will be held on 12th April to raise funds for the underprivileged and contribute to the development of Pok Oi Hospital. The cycling route is approximately 13km in length with Tsing Sha Highway as the starting point. Participants have to go through Nam Wan Tunnel and cross Stonecutters Bridge, pass the turning point on Ngong Shung Road, before returning to the finishing point on Tsing Sha Highway.

Ten MBA students have formed a team to participate in this charity event. The team has already organized a charity auction party night with the theme of Food and Wine which took place on 7th March. Led by current MBAs, Derek Lai, Stanley Zheng and Natalie Yuen, over 100 auction items were put on auction that evening. The auction items included two pieces of artwork donated by the Chairman of Origin Arts Development Society and Secretary of Hong Kong Artists Society, Miss Poon Suk Chun, and a wide range of merchandises such as wine, skincare products, toys and more. Many positive responses were received throughout the evening for the musical performance sponsored by three live bands - Neonates, Stella and 12.8, and the non-stop cocktail corner supported by our MBA student Dmitry Nogovitsyn. The truly overwhelming support for the evening brought together approximately forty MBAs, alumni and friends and raised more than HK$27,000. Both participants and volunteers of the organizing committees enjoyed the event.

To find out more and donate to MBA's cause towards Shanghai Commercial Pok Oi Cycle for Millions 2015, please contact our MBAs Derek Lai ([email protected]) or Stanley Zheng ([email protected]).

Stanley Zheng“Undoubtedly, many must have been amazed by how such a successful event could be organized in less than 10 days. Raising the impressive amount was the concerted effort of all and essentially, teamwork.”

“The outcome is truly outstanding, and it simply would not have been possible without our sponsors’ and donors’ generosity.” said Stanley Zheng. “Undoubtedly, many must have been amazed by how such a successful event could be organized in less than 10 days. Raising the impressive amount was the concerted effort of all and essentially, teamwork. A special thanks to Derek Lai who initiated our participation in the Cycling for Millions, Natalie Yuen, who acted as the chief organizer for the charity auction night, Eddie Cheung, donor of 50 boxes of toys, Ronald So as the food sponsor, Dmitry Nogovitsyn for the cocktail corner and other volunteers for their effort in working towards a common goal.”


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The Operation Santa Claus (OSC) Fundraising Challenge

The OSC MBA Challenge was held from mid-October 2014 to early January 2015 with a total of 15 MBA participating teams. A group of five MBAs, Cathy Fang, Samuel Li, Ken Lin, Christine Seto, and Tanya Tang volunteered to team up as The CityU MBA Hitchcock team to represent CityU MBA in the challenge. The Hitchcock team commenced the challenge by developing a marketing plan with the primary objective of achieving a targeted fundraising amount while leveraging the CityU MBAs and alumni network. Funds raised will be donated to nominated charities, thus providing much needed assistance for less fortunate people in different parts of the community. The results, including the list of events

organized and fundraised amount achieved, were presented to a panel of judges on 6th January 2015. During the announcement of the winning teams, the panel of judges emphasized Hitchcock team’s creativity as evident in its marketing plan, as well as the effort made in promoting the mission of Art in Hospital in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

The CityU MBA management team applauds the outstanding result and will continue to encourage and support the participation of MBA students and alumni in future challenges. The CityU MBA Hitchcock team took home the Most Successful Marketing Plan Award and fundraised over HK$150,000 for Operation Santa Claus in 2014 by staging a series of events across Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Operation Santa Claus is an annual charity campaign jointly organized by South China Morning Post and Radio Television Hong Kong. OSC invites MBA students from various universities to form teams for the OSC MBA Challenge and apply their innovative skills, ingenuity and marketing nous to sell OSC merchandise and fundraise for charity. The challenge aims to encourage future business leaders to utilize their skills and contribute to society through creative fundraising activities, as well as to increase awareness and apply theory in practice. A start-up fund of HK$3,000 for the purchase of OSC merchandise, together with 200 Santa hats, were provided to the team. The team worked with the organization Art in Hospital to promote its concept of serving the needy through therapeutic art creation, and development of hospital art in Hong Kong. Merchandise handmade by a registered charitable organization, the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children, was chosen and sold at the booth of the Swire Properties White Christmas Fair.

Cathy Fang“Working as a small team of five, we undertook all aspects of project management, from planning to organizing venues, sponsorships and marketing. The experience of making possibilities happen was amazing.”

Ken Lin"The challenge was very hands-on and I found the practical component very fulfilling. It was very competitive, yet rewarding because we were able to apply knowledge acquired in class to practical situations, as well as making contribution to the community.”

Apart from calling upon the support from faculty members, MBA students and alumni, the team also approached their personal contacts to set up a variety of events and promotions through social media channels in order to reach out to a wider community of donors. The successful organisation of Pun Choi Dinner and CityU MBA Christmas Party in Hong Kong, 2014 Haigui’s New Year Eve Ball in Shenzhen (co-organized with The Study Abroad Returnees Association in China), CityU MBA OSC Sharing in Beijing and the booth at Swire Properties White Christmas Fair demonstrated the effectiveness of Hitchcock’s teamwork and the significance of its team spirit.


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Career Development & Management

Mrs Chiamin Fung joined the MBA programme in January 2015 as Business Manager specializing in career management. Prior to joining CityU, Chiamin worked as a senior manager with multinational firms in the USA and Hong Kong, and has over 15 years’ of experience in business and technology consulting, business operations and management. Chiamin has also served as a career consultant, teaching staff and career advisor to both undergraduate and postgraduate students at CityU for over 10 years. She is designated to assist our MBAs in planning and achieving their career goals throughout the MBA study programme.

Welcome to our New MBA Business Manager (Career Management)

Business Mentoring - Inspiration Unlimited!

Our students’ career journey in the context of the MBA starts right from the word go. In an increasingly competitive job market, focusing on career development and management is of the first importance. So at CityU MBA, we offer students the opportunity to experience real life business practice under the guidance of business professionals and executives.

Through participation in The Business Mentoring course our current MBAs explore career interests, obtain insiders’ views of different industries, learn how executives meet challenges, as well as how they give top performance as leaders and make a difference in the world!

The Business Mentoring course was launched with the new December 2014 cohort. Selected mentors were assigned to our current MBAs based on the basis of their mutual career interests. Mentors and MBAs have met each other at the kick off evening organized in December 2014.

Executive Discovery & NetworkingA group of top executives and business professionals have been invited to speak to our current MBAs at the Executive Discovery & Networking sessions. Speakers invited for the current cohort are Dr Tao Charm (Chairman and Founder of BI and Big Data SIG of Hong Kong Computer Society), Mr George Hongchoy (CEO of The Link REIT), Dr Charles Lee (Executive Director in Supply Chain and Retail Management), Mr Man Cheuk Fei (Chief Editor Emeritus of the Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly) and Dr David Ho (Group General Manager of Hong Kong Ferry Holdings). The course is designed to enable students to develop their own leadership philosophy through the insights and tips shared by those top executives. For more details for each session, please visit the MBA website.

Mrs Chiamin FungBusiness Manager (Career Management)

Dr Tao Charm Mr George Hongchoy Dr Charles Lee Mr Man Cheuk Fei Dr David Ho


The Alumni Corner“Why I chose CityU MBA” Summer Zhang 2014 MBA

After graduating from the CityU MBA programme, I joined Pentland Group as a Sourcing Analyst in the Supply Chain Department. The Pentland Group, is a UK fashion company, owns quite a number of famous European brands such as Speedo, Berghaus, Canterbury of New Zealand, and Boxfresh, with an annual sales of USD $3 billion and 20,000 employees across 200 countries. Working as a Sourcing Analyst, my primary responsibilities include execution of new supplier development, supplier performance management and continuous supply chain process improvement. Having the opportunity of being heavily involved in sourcing and supply chain analytics, I perform data analysis to support the Sourcing Director to enhance category sourcing and margin improvement.

14/F, Academic 3,City University of Hong Kong

Tel: 3442-5909Fax:3442-0151E-mail: [email protected]

MBA OfficeCollege of Business

Current Location: Hong Kong

Undergraduate: Bachelor of Management in Business Administration (International Shipping Management) Shanghai Maritime University

Postgraduate: CityU MBA Programme (General Curriculum)

Awards and Recognition:

- MBA Elite Scholarship - MBA GMAT Scholarship - MBA Academic Excellence Award

What I like the most about my current job is the opportunity to create and meet new challenges almost every single day. I have the opportunity to look at the company’s sourcing & procurement operations from a global perspective and provide analytical support to senior management in making strategic decisions.

After completing my MBA study I have successfully transformed my career from logistics management to sourcing and supply chain management. The CityU MBA has equipped me not just with the skills and knowledge required as an analyst, but also the tools to solve big problems through creative insights that inspire, engage and empower others to make a difference in their career.

Summer Zhang“The CityU MBA has equipped me not just with the skills and knowledge required as an analyst, but also the tools to solve big problems through creative insights that inspire, engage and empower others to make a difference in their career.”

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MBA Newsletter - Issue 2 (April 2015)