Go Global with the One-Week Overseas Business Study Mission

When you choose the Nanyang Fellows MBA programme, you are in for a memorable journey that will take you to new places metaphorically and literally. While your professors and classmates teach you things that will help you succeed in the business world, the curriculum goes a step further with its one week long overseas business study mission component. This carefully planned programme aims to enrich your knowledge of global developments while you work on your dissertation. Instead of sitting in your classroom in Singapore and just reading or hearing about how things run abroad, you get to experience it yourself.

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Locations

In the past, candidates have attended business study missions in the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, New York City, London, Toronto, Shenzhen, Tokyo, Athens, Brussels, Cambridge, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Sydney, Berlin, Bangalore, Dublin, Munich and Copenhagen. Every location has unique characteristics that can contribute to your research and lead to an in-depth dissertation based on life changing experiences. You’ll end up choosing the location that matches your selected topic best.

The Project

The business study mission gives you the opportunity to conduct a detailed case study in a country that will probably be completely new to you. Once you reach your destination, you will be studying a specific geographical area to recognise the nature of its business environment. You will also be studying a particular industry and organisation. Although independent research will be your primary activity, you will not have to worry about finding the right connections thanks to NBS’s extensive network with B-schools and companies across the globe. Combined with your own effort and the network’s resources, you’ll find yourself talking a lot with consumers/suppliers and managers. At the end of your one week, you present a final report to the company that gave you so much time and attention so that you could know so much more.

The Benefits

One week could seem too short to some of you, but the length of the programme has usually encouraged students to cram in as much as possible into those precious days. So be prepared to learn about the business and industry of whichever segment you are researching, in another country. You’ll develop better critical thinking skills as you’re thrown into a new space outside the safety of a classroom. You will also be exposed to a new culture and learn about how people behave, talk and work in it. For instance, a student in the past learned that even though Aussies were laidback people who enjoyed their lunch break and rugby games, they didn’t waste a minute during office hours and therefore never had to whine about working overtime. Insights like this supplement your business knowledge, adding to your overall growth as a future leader.

So the overseas business study mission is not just about spending time in an office. It is about immersing yourself in cultural, social, political and business dynamics that are a part of the larger regional or international stage for different players in the marketplace.

Gear Up for a Role in International Business

In today’s world economy, almost every business career is an international business career. And you are an ambitious, tech savvy person who is ready to be a part of this diverse scenario. There’s a lot of cultural exchange and business knowhow involved in every business interaction these days. Do you have the drive to succeed in this challenging environment? If you answered in the affirmative: Does your skill set include what it takes? Here’s your checklist.

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  • Be culturally sensitive

If you want to succeed in international business, staying stuck in your local cohort will not get you very far. You don’t have to travel to Spain to know that a business dinner could go well into the wee hours of the morning because the mealtime commences so late. You also don’t have to spend time in Japan to find out that the Japanese don’t think twice about asking people what they earn. Taking out the time and interest to talk to international students on your campus is good enough to teach you a long list of things like this. Extensive reading helps too. Or you could end up offending an elderly Japanese individual by offering to shake his hand. Some cultural customs may even irk you, but the more you know, the better for your growth.

  • Work on your language skills

Simply reading books often is one way to improve your language skills. Getting As in English classes throughout school and college doesn’t say anything about your conversational skills. Work on your communication. Push yourself to talk to more people and to develop good conversational skills so that you can build lasting relationships. Plus, knowing multiple languages is essential. Chinese languages have become popular for B-school students since the country has a booming international business environment. The truth is that people are comfortable talking in their local language, so remove that barrier.

  • Stay abreast of world affairs

There is a reason that there are so many newspapers and magazines in the market; you need to stay in touch with what is happening around you and elsewhere. When you are working in an industry, staying in a vacuum is just not and option. You need to read the news, watch the news, sign up for online alerts and know what is happening across the globe. Daily events affect stock prices and the prices of raw materials. Rapid changes like a terrorist attack in a safe city result in changed business processes and demand and supply. For example, somebody working in the hotel/tourism industry would need to know about the 2015 Bangkok temple blast because it obviously affected business. Knowing what is happening enables you to change and adapt your strategy accordingly.

  • Learn about governments/political relations

In the current business space, organisations work with colleagues and clients in various countries. Develop your knowledge of international politics and economics of the nations and cities that you work with. Find out about the chief minister/president and the ruling party. Then do your research and understand where things stand between the government of your country and that of those places. Also understand the relationship between the ruling party and its opposition. That could help you avert trouble if you are offering goods or a service in their location. For instance, a multinational company that runs cab services globally will study each location, learn about its trade unions and understand how supportive or unsupportive political parties are when it comes to welcoming foreign business.

The Nanyang Fellows MBA programme

The Nanyang Fellows MBA programme nurtures candidates who go on to succeed in the international business world. From top experts teaching you to time carved out for a visit to a top US B-school, there are multiple elements to bring you closer to your career goals. Whether you want to start your own entrepreneurial venture after years in the workforce or join the coveted C-suite, the entire experience will help you build the skills and mind-set needed.

As a representative for your company in the global arena, you’ll enjoy new experiences each day. Even if you aren’t always on a plane, you’ll be going places as you continue to excel as an international communicator.