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VISITING the Middle East on a schooltrip might sound like a luxury consid-ering the gloomy economic outlook.However, this fantasy is actually a re-ality for students at the Singapore
Management University (SMU).Last Friday, the university launched its
fifth and sixth Business Study Missions(BSMs) to the Middle East, a 13-week modulewhich gives students the opportunity to take afirst hand look at the internationalisationstrategies of Singapore companies in the Mid-dle East.
This will be achieved through site visits,where participants will be able to get anin-depth look at the planning and operation ofreal estate developments.
Besides that, networking dinners with lo-cal and foreign businessmen, academics andgovernment officials are also on the itinerary.
Two batches of undergraduates will be get-ting this opportunity of a lifetime later thisyear.
Their destinations include Bahrain, Ku-wait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the Unit-ed Arab Emirates (UAE).
Since the programme’s inception in 2006,the university has sent 150 students to theGulf region and 30 students have had the op-portunity to intern with Middle Eastern corpo-rate heavyweights such as Emirates NationalOil Company and Gulf Research Centre, just toname a couple.
The decision to visit the Middle East wasbased on the prominence of the region.
“It is widely acknowledged that the MiddleEast is a region of growing global importancenot just economically, but also politically andsocially. As the world’s largest producer of oil,of which more than 60 per cent is exported tothe Asia-Pacific region, it is undeniably thecentre of gravity in the global oil market,”said Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister of Statefor Foreign Affairs.
“Asia’s meteoric rise, catapulted by theemergence of China and India, will result inthe two regions becoming indispensable part-ners.”
In particular, Dr Balaji emphasised the im-portance of Singapore’s relationship with theMiddle East and applauded SMU for its effortsto promote ties.
“As the region continues to surge ahead,the possibilities are boundless; sectors suchas tourism, real estate and education are ex-panding rapidly. In a place where every
project strives to be the biggest, the tallest orthe largest, it comes as no surprise then, thatlocal property developers such as CapitaLand,Surbana, Jurong International, Keppel O&Mand Far East Organization have latched ontoits booming real estate market to offer theirexpertise,” said Dr Balaji.
“As relations between Singapore and theMiddle East continue to develop, we shoulddo our best to ensure that the younger genera-
tion continues to build upon the strong tiesthat have been forged so far.”
The students were all unanimous in theirexcitement regarding the upcoming BSMs.
One of them is 25-year-old Daniel Ng, abusiness management and finance student.
Daniel was diagnosed with muscular dys-trophy when he was just 12 years old. As it isa degenerative disease, doctors expect him tobe wheelchair-bound by the end of this year.
However, that has not held him back andhe will be participating in the Middle EastBSM this year despite his condition. “I hope tolearn about the business environment andbusiness climate in the Middle East. But I amalso looking forward to experiencing their cul-ture and having a look at their beautiful archi-tecture,” he said.
“I’m sure that I will learn a lot of thingsfrom the people we are going to meet.”
His friends have been nothing but support-ive of his decision.
“Despite all the odds that he is facing, Dan-iel still wants to go for this trip and learnabout international business. He wants to gosee for himself what it’s like in the MiddleEast and I think that is something very admi-rable,” said Clarence Chan, a third year stu-dent at SMU who is in Daniel’s project group.
Mr Chan also shares Mr Ng’s enthusiasmabout their upcoming trip.
“The Middle East is a land that is brim-ming with many business opportunities. Itwill be exciting to be able to go there and wit-ness first-hand what is happening and howcompanies there are running.”
However, these trips would not have beenpossible without some help from various or-ganisations.
Considering the bearish economy, onewould not expect sponsors to come forwardand contribute money to such programmes.However, this has not been the case – surpris-ingly, the generosity of private and corporatesponsors has not been stifled by the ailingeconomy.
Some of the corporate sponsors acknowl-edged during the launch included SA Tours,Shanghai Spottieswood Realty, ThaiExpress,Woon Brother’s Foundation, Surbana, andCapitala, an associated company of Capita-Land.
Etihad Airways, the national carrier forUAE, is another sponsor that has contributedto the BSMs. They are offering affordable pric-es for students’ air tickets. In particular, Eti-had Airways will be sponsoring Mr Ng’s airtickets.
Furthermore, it seems that many of thesesponsors will continue to support future BSMsand aid in the implementation of such trips.
David Lim, sales manager of Etihad Air-ways, said: “This is not a one-time sponsor-ship. Rather, it is a long term partnership.And as the Middle East continues to grow andlinks to the Middle East increase, we’ll contin-ue to be there.”
FOR the average traveller, wad-ing across muddy waters inThailand or picking mussels tocook for dinner may hardlysound like an ideal itinerary.
But for 19-year-old CindyChng, these activities are part ofa bigger – and green – cause.
The founder and managing director of ECOTravel organises environmentally friendlytours to countries in Asean. The no-frillstours allow her clients – mostly schoolchil-dren and community centres – to be cultural-ly immersed, while benefiting locals in thecountries.
“The travels build a sustainable communi-ty for the nations because we create a sourceof income for them and educate the commu-nity to have a different view on travel,” shesaid, adding that she works closely with touragents in the countries to help “make themmore eco-friendly”.
Ms Chng is part of a growing number ofsocial entrepreneurs who choose to marrybusiness with causes.
While many definitions abound, social en-trepreneurs are generally viewed as peoplewho seek to address social problemsthrough a sustainable business model. Theirbusiness activities can range from creatingjobs for the underprivileged to empoweringpoor communities through education andtraining.
“Social entrepreneurs identify resourceswhere people only see problems,” writesDavid Bornstein, the author of How toChange the World: Social Entrepreneursand the Power of New Ideas, who has writ-ten extensively on social innovation. “Theyview the villagers as the solution, not the pas-sive beneficiary. They begin with the as-sumption of competence and unleash re-sources in the communities they’re serving.”
Notable names in the social entrepreneur-ship roll of honour include Muhammad Yu-nus, founder of the Grameen Bank which pio-neered microcredit to help alleviate povertyin Bangladesh; and Singapore’s Jack Sim,founder of the World Toilet Organisation, anon-profit organisation which aims to im-prove toilet and sanitation conditions world-wide. Mr Yunus was awarded the 2006 No-bel Peace Prize, while Mr Sim was the firstrecipient of the Social Entrepreneurship ofthe Year award in Singapore.
There are also several global institutionsthat promote social entrepreneurship, in-cluding Ashoka: Innovations for the Public,the Skoll Foundation, and the Schwab Foun-
dation, a sister organisation of the WorldEconomic Forum.
Both social and business entrepreneursshare similar characteristics: they are driv-en, determined, innovative, able to embracechanges and passionate about what theydo. However, one crucial difference – money– separates the two, according to WillieCheng, chairman of the Lien Centre for So-cial Innovation and a former chairman ofthe National Volunteer and PhilanthropyCentre in Singapore.
“Successful business entrepreneurs rollin it. Social entrepreneurs often have tomake do without it,” he writes in his recentbook, Doing Good Well, explaining that mostsocial entrepreneurs deal with issues“where getting an adequate economic returnis a real challenge”.
Still, dollars and sense make up an impor-tant part of the equation. Unlike business-men, social entrepreneurs plough back mostof their profits into the cause rather thanshareholders’ or their own pockets. This, inturn, helps their enterprises stay sustaina-ble.
“The success of a social enterprise ismeasured by at least two bottom lines: finan-cial and social,” said Penny Low, founder ofthe Social Innovation Park, a not-for-profitorganisation that promotes social entrepre-neurship in Singapore. “The social enter-prise must have some earned income streamso that it can go on with its business, and itmust have a social bottom line, which meas-ures the impact on the ground.”
But is there really space for social causes
in a corporate landscape that has traditional-ly focused on churning out profits? Can altru-ism and business mix, or must there be acatch somewhere?
Mr Cheng suggested that social and busi-ness entrepreneurs can coexist symbiotical-ly. He cited an example of multibillionaireWarren Buffet who donated a part of hiswealth to the Bill and Melinda Gates Founda-tion rather than his own foundation, be-cause Mr Buffet did not think that he is “aswell cut out to be a philanthropist as Bill andMelinda are”.
“There’s no need for successful business-men to cross the line to become social entre-preneurs,” Mr Cheng writes. “They can dogood, perhaps more good, simply by beingphilanthropic.”
Ms Low, also a Member of Parliament for
Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, believed that an actof giving and receiving based solely on altru-ism is “not a sustainable relationship”. Therecipient, she explained, may in the long rungrow dependent on or feel like a burden tothe giver.
“Social entrepreneurship isn’t just aboutdoing good; it’s about doing good and doingwell at the same time,” she said. “Wellnesscould be defined in many ways: physical well-ness, mental wellness, spiritual wellnessand of course, financial wellness.”
Indeed, Ms Chng of ECO Travel countedthe “intangibles” from her green cause asher returns on investment. “I think the busi-ness and social aspects can mix, althoughsomehow one of them has priority,” shesaid. “For us, the priority is the socialcause.”
SMU students head there for a 13-week module to study internationalisation, reports LIEW AIQING
Social entrepreneurs is a seemingly fancy term for those who combine bottom lines with noble causes. Who are theyand what do they do? And can business and altruism really mix? QUAH CHIN CHIN finds out
CAMPUS LIFE
A close-up look at the Mid-East
CHOO CHWEE HUA/THE NEW PAPER
Raring to go: Mr Ng is expected to be wheelchair-bound with muscular dystrophy by theend of the year but it has not held him back from participating in the study trip
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