Category Archives: Blog

The Cambodian Trust Pops By

Felix S., Britain

The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Club had a guest last month. Mike Scott, Country Director of The Cambodia Trust, an international NGO started in the UK for Cambodia, visited us. The Cambodia Trust was set up in 1989 by three British, in response to the Cambodian Prime Minister, Mr Hun Sen’s plea for assistance to the country’s thousands of landmine survivors.

After three decades of war, Cambodia is left with one of the highest rates of physical disability of any country in the world. More than 40,000 Cambodians have suffered amputations as a result to mine injuries since 1979.

The Cambodia Trust primarily helps these amputees with prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation, with donations they receive from around the world. To date, they have already helped some 5000 patients, with at least 50 to 60 patients coming in for treatment everyday for this free service.

Apart from this prosthetics service, The Cambodia Trust started the Cambodia School of Prosthetics and Orthotics in 1994, building the foundation for sustainable and locally-run rehabilitation services for people with disabilities. This fulfills the severe shortage of such services in developing countries, which is mostly provided for, by foreigners with the expertise. Over the last decade, 3 more schools were set up in Sri Lanka, Timor Leste and Jakarta.

As mobility is the first step towards self-sufficiency, an artificial limb, brace or wheelchair can make the difference between employment and begging on the streets. The rehabilitation scheme ensures a view of the larger picture by means of giving patients an improved way of life, over and above the physiotherapy services given to patients who have received new prosthetics. Some of these initiatives are: easy access for children with disabilities in schools, giving access to disabled young adults for skills training and giving out grants to disabled adults to establish small businesses.

In a country where the government’s support is limited and sometimes inconsistent, The Cambodia trust can only look to private organizations or willing individuals for help. Its funds were heavily depleted during the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, making its day-to-day operations a big problem.

The CSR Club of The NANYANG MBA has taken up this challenge and will work with The Cambodia Trust to introduce strategic ways forward to raise funds and create sustainable plans for it.

Mike Scott (3rd from left, front row) with The NANYANG MBA CSR Club members

An Interview with Mr. Zafar Momin on “Strategy Implementation”

Author: Balaji Rajhavan, India

Recently, I had the opportunity to interview one of the stalwarts of business and consulting in Singapore, Mr. Zafar Momin, about strategy implementation from a CEO’s perspective. I was also fortunate to attend his course on the same subject and felt that an interview highlighting some of the more practical issues related to implementation would be both useful and interesting for all MBA participants.

Mr. Zafar has over 24 years of experience in business and consulting in Asia, Middle East and the USA. Mr. Zafar has held a variety of positions in prestigious companies: Executive Vice-President of Alghanim Industries in the Gulf, Partner and Managing Director of Boston Consulting Group in Singapore and Dubai, and Partner and Asia practice head with A.T Kearney to name a few. Here is part I of our discussion:

“Why should a CEO or the senior management of a company bother about strategy implementation? Especially when they have many other things like PR, stakeholder management, strategy formulation, etc. on their agenda.”

No matter what other items the CEO has on her/his agenda, the primary mandate for the CEO is usually ‘enhancing shareholder value’ and ‘creating a successful enterprise’. You can define success in terms of financial measures, operational excellence, people development, community enrichment, or whatever measure makes sense for the company. Every firm has a reason for “being” and this reason is usually articulated in their vision, mission & strategy. If the CEO can’t get these executed or put into action, can he/she be successful? So strategy execution cannot be something that he/she can delegate off to somebody to concentrate on something else, because what else could be more important than putting the company’s strategy into action.

“How much of a CEO’s time would typically be taken up by implementation issues?”

It’s hard to define how much of her/his time would be taken up exactly as it would depend on the specificity of the situation. However, implementation will surely be a priority on her/his “things to do” list. Most successful implementations have the CEO playing a key role in them. It doesn’t mean that he/she is necessarily leading
everything but that he/she is playing a significant leadership role; which may range from a hands-on driver to a facilitator to a decision shaper role. It is a very key that the CEO ensures that the strategic initiatives are moving forward, all the bases have been covered, budgets & resources have been allocated, and that there is a
detailed translation of the strategy into an actionable list of initiatives for the organization to act upon.

“Does the time spent by the CEO also depend on the size of the company? Say large companies like GE as opposed to a SME?”

Yes it might. A CEO at a large global company e.g. GE is leading a very complex & diverse organization, but probably has a lot more bench-strength and resources available to him. So the role he might play and the time he might spend might be different than the time spent by the CEO of a SME. The CEO of the SME might not have the
luxury of bench-strength and he may have to do a lot more of “rolling up the sleeves” stuff himself. But the importance of strategy implementation to both CEOs would be pretty much the same.

“What are the most common challenges faced by the CEO in executing strategy?”

There are several actually, but the typical ones are: getting the various layers of the organization to buy-in and align with the strategic direction of the company, identifying and mobilizing the correct resources for execution, planning the execution steps in detail and putting them into action with milestones, KPIs, control mechanisms and proper risk management. Implementation can be a very long and difficult journey, especially if it involves getting people to change. Often people resist change because they are comfortable with the status quo or feel they are not motivated or incentivized sufficiently to change.

In order to execute strategy effectively, CEOs have to make sure that they are exploiting all the levers that they have at their disposal such as organizational structure, processes, rewards, etc. One big problem in organizations is that people are asked to execute a strategy but are not given guidelines, processes, structures or systems to enable them to do that. The other issue is related to coordination and control mechanisms. People need lots of
information sharing, learning, empowerment, and also need measurement devices to know how they are progressing. Strategy formulation takes a lot less time than strategy execution. Yet, people underestimate how difficult it is to execute strategy, even though many start off very well they tend to get lost or wander off-course over time.”

Part II of the discussion continues in the next post with details about what tools or techniques a CEO can use, how to distinguish between a flawed strategy and flawed implementation, etc. Hope you all found this interesting. Over and out!

The Lovely Bintan

Author: Yosuke S., Japan

Singapore is just a stone’s throw away from everywhere else. Which is why, most of us would travel together regularly to surrounding cities or islands for a relaxing weekend vacation.

Recently, a group of us decided to hit the shores of Bintan, Indonesia. Bintan is an island which is just an hour away from Singapore by ferry. Most of the shops, restaurants and hotels accept the Singapore currency too, so we don’t even need to bother about exchanging currencies.
It is a perfect getaway if you had a hectic week at school, and like me, only the sound of beach waves and the sight of bikini babes can relax me. We were kept busy with sea sports like banana boating, jet skiing, para gliding and just chilling on the upper deck of a small rented yatch.

In Japanese culture, we believe in a good life balance between work and relax. So, I am glad here in Singapore, I am able to have the same balance. Although the program is rigourous, whenever I think about these affordable short getaways to relax by the beautiful beaches, I have enough motivation to work hard during the week.

Some recommendations I have in Bintan, are the spa and seafood. Go to a reputable spa and spend a few hours enjoying a massage. I am beginning to like the Balinese style of massage a lot. Since Bintan is an island, there is plenty of seafood. I suggest going out of the hotel (as they can charge more) and heading downtown for a good seafood restaurant. If only they serve sashimi.

Let me share some pictures with you.

Our ferry is called Penguin 5. The upper deck feels less shaky in the waves.


My heart jumped for joy when I saw the peaceful water and simple way of life


The sight of a quiet sandy beach is so welcoming


You will see me if you look closely. I was trying not to fall off the boat!


The view from our rented yatch. All you need is a pair of shades and suntan lotion.


You can have your massage outdoors if you wish to

Some also like to snorkel but I’m not a fan of jellyfish


I wish this is the view from my room, but it is not. One day it will be.


This is the view from our hotel. Not bad too.


There were some couples enjoying their romantic dinners on the beach. Unfortunately my dinner partners were a bunch of MBA guys.


The sunset is absolutely beautiful. I have not seen anything like this before.


If you wish to go downtown for shopping in the night, these trishaws will bring you there very quickly.

Our Movie Club

Author: Sunil Tulsiani, India

An MBA, they say is an opportunity to further your career, have the flexibility to take courses you want and not about the ones you have to, it is about networking, and all those good things you need to take you to the next level in the corporate world. At NTU you get all that and more, you have the flexibility to pursue any and all your
interests. Hence, it is no wonder that we have multiple student run clubs for sports (Futsal, Badminton, tennis, etc), CSR, Industry specific clubs etc …

I started the Movie Club the same way with a group of movie enthusiasts who got together to organise movie nights on campus. The objective of the club was to leverage on the different nationalities we have here at The NANYANG MBA and watch movies from all over the world, helping at times to understand where our fellow class mates came from. Many a movie nights led to discussions post the movie about certain culturally specific nuances and in some cases the stereotypical biases about different nations.

We also indulged ourselves at times with documentaries that helped raise awareness about the current global scenarios. All in all, the Movie Club is a fun way to spend an evening and take a break from our rigorous schedules, and at the same time learn a little. The MBA office has been gracious enough to provide us with rooms with large
projectors to enhance our movie watching experience and at times has been generous enough to get us Pizza’s!

The Movie Club is just one example of the freedom we have at here to pursue our interests and how supportive the MBA office is in helping us organise events. An MBA has to be an all rounded experience and here at Nanyang, I’m glad I get just that opportunity.

Mrs. White: ‘Husbands should be like Kleenex: soft, strong, and disposable.’
Clue

Why the NTU-ESSEC Double Masters Programme?

Author: Arjaree Lordamrongkiat, Thailand

I chose the NTU-ESSEC Double Masters programme because it equipped me with knowledge of both the Asian and European business environments.

I spent my first year offering courses from The Nanyang MBA at Nanyang Business School. The programme’s emphasis on student diversity resulted in participants from more than 20 nationalities in my batch, which enabled me to see things differently and with global perspectives. The extensive network and close relationship of alumni and
faculty further provided me with opportunities to network with and establish lasting friendships which I will always treasure.

Another great aspect about The Nanyang MBA is its flexibility. As a full-time participant, I was able to offer courses conducted in the evenings together with part-time participants, who were from various industries. I also had the opportunity to participate in the John Molson competition in Canada with three of my classmates.

My second year was at ESSEC Business School in Paris where I had the opportunity to understand how European businesses were built, grown and flourished. I offered courses in luxury marketing amongst others. Lectures were conducted by professionals from leading global companies. The practical knowledge and insights learnt were invaluable and useful for my future career. I was also fortunate enough to be offered an internship at the head office of one of the leading French hospitality companies just three months into the programme.

Joining The Nanyang MBA has been one of the best decisions I have made in my professional career. The knowledge and experience gained is invaluable and will certainly give a big boost to my career at the global level.

Organised Running – a popular past-time in Singapore

Author: Associate Professor Chung Lai Hong (Associate Dean of The NANYANG MBA)

Hardly a weekend passes by in Singapore without an organized Run of some sort or another, for one cause or another – there’s the Yellow Ribbon Prison Run, The Adidas Sundown Marathon, The Anlene Orchard Mile, Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, The Bull Charge, Urban run, Cold Storage Kids run…the list goes on.

And then there’s NTU’s Run Round Singapore (27 March 2010), to celebrate our 55th anniversary and raise funds for educational advancement. Some of us from the MBA community took the opportunity to get together for some fresh air and exercise on a Saturday morning (although way too early in my books). Well, before you get too impressed, we did not actually run round Singapore (though 9 runners did – all 218 km over 2 days!). Participants could decide which sector of the route around Singapore they wish to participate in. We chose the first segment starting at NTU. So I dragged myself out of bed on Saturday morning at 615 am, as the opening activities for the Run started at 730 am. When I got to NTU, there was already a large crowd gathered outside the Chinese Heritage Centre (which has historical significance– but that’s another story).

The President of NTU, Professor Su Guaning, was there to open the event. The 9 core runners who were going to run all the way round Singapore were introduced. Then there was a mass warm-up exercise led by NTU alumna Sophia Pang, who was the only woman in the The Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition 2009. We exhausted ourselves sufficiently with the kicking and punching. Promptly at 8.30am, the horn sounded and off we went running from Station 1 to Station 2, a manageable 3 km away. I must admit that though I ran all the way, I struggled when going up the slopes ( NTU has many slopes).

We ended up at Station 2, which incidentally is where our Graduate Hall is. Yes, as the name would suggest, this is for graduate students, and is where many of our international MBA participants live. This is separate from the dormitories housing thousands of our undergraduates.

Graduate Hall Apartments

Overall, it was a good experience and also heartening to see involvement of different segments of the MBA community – staff, faculty, alumni, students – getting together to celebrate for NTU.

But, the highlight for me was the breakfast we enjoyed afterwards at a “kopitiam” (local coffee shop literally translated). We ordered “kopi c”, “kopi o” (various concoctions of our local coffee – similar to having cappuccino, latte, etc) and dug into wanton noodles. I think we replaced more calories than we burned up in the run, but hey who’s counting? More than the food (really!), it was the chance to just catch up in a relaxed atmosphere with colleagues and alumni after participating in a meaningful event. All in all a great way to spend a Saturday morning!

Modernised Kopitiams like this one has numerous food and drink stalls and large seating areas

A Kopitiam drink stall seller making kopi (coffee)

p.s. I’m gearing up for the Adidas Sundown Run in May – no prize for guessing the differentiating feature of this run. Join me?

p.p.s. I constructed this entry in my head while running one night along one of the park connectors in Singapore, while listening to cantopop songs on my mp3 player, and gazing at the bright full moon in the horizon, which probably explains why I almost stepped on a frog/toad (too dark to see) 3 times that night…and which also set me thinking : “Why did the toad cross the path?”…

One Half of My Double Masters Programme at University of St. Gallen, Switzerland

Author: Aung L.M, Myanmar

I arrived at St.Gallen on a snowy night in February. The University of St.Gallen (UniSG) is one of the best European management schools. Memories of group works, student parties and travelling were some highlights of my stay there. I met and worked with many high caliber students from Europe as well as all over the world. The professors were well-known academics and practitioners in their various fields and could therefore, share from both academic and industry perspectives. There were also many industry-linked workshops and events where top executives from well-known private and public organizations were invited to share their knowledge and experiences.

One trademark of UniSG (HSG) and especially the SIM programme was the intensive interaction among student peers. At any one given semester, a SIM student could be doing seven to eight group projects with different course mates. While managing meetings for all the groups was a challenge, the opportunity to meet and work with them outweighed the
hassle of scheduling. I also had opportunities to mingle with students from other programmes. The traditional SIM Regulars’ Table (RT), wine tasting events and house parties were activities that enhanced my student life in St.Gallen.

I also gained cultural knowledge while travelling across Europe and visiting countries such as Hungary, Spain, Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg), and Italy. I am amazed by the rich historical and cultural background. Overall, my decision to pursue this double master programme is one of the best decisions I have made in my life as I have been tremendously enriched by the programme and the time spent in St.Gallen, Switzerland.

A 3-day Getaway to Phuket!

Author: Adeline T., Singapore

Just a short 1 hour and 45 minutes’ flight away from Singapore, is Phuket, and island south of Thailand which is favoured by many beach bums like myself.

Cotton candy clouds en-route to Phuket

If you have 3 days to spare, do what I did!

I bought an air ticket from Jetstar Asia, 1 of the 3 budget carriers we have in Singapore (The other two are Tiger Airways and Air Asia). All 3 of them have regular promotions, so check often to get yourself a good deal!) And simply with a passport in a hand, and a small bag of clothes and necessities in another, I was off to a weekend of sun, sand and the sea!

Phuket is not like its metropolitan sister cities, neither is it steeped in rich history. But it has one of the nicest beaches I’ve ever seen, and unfortunately, even more beautiful, after the killer 2004 Tsunami that killed over 230,000 people in the region (recorded as one of history’s worst natural catastrophes) ravaged the great mass of low lands on the island. For a whole year, Phuket was hard at work, grieving and rebuilding everything that it lost, back to its former glory.

I checked myself into the Dusit Thani, Thailand’s premier hotel chain. I was showed to my cozy deluxe room with a balcony that overlooks the Indian Ocean, by the Bangtao Beach (a less rowdy part of Phuket as compared to the Patong Beach which is peppered with many pubs and bars and other joints not suitable for mention in this blog).

The calm, blue and alluring sea just steps away from my room


The river that links the Dusit Thani to the other hotels in the same Bangtao stretch

I hired a guide cum driver, who brought me to some really good spas in Phuket. Getting a simple massage in Phuket doesn’t come cheap, but because of how hospitable and skillful the Thai masseuses are, it is well worth the money.

This spa sits on the river bank.

Check out the amazing mountainous view!

In between spa-ing and vegetating under the sun all 3 days, I managed to squeeze in an hour of ATV Quad Biking near a swamp on an uneven terrain which proved to be the most daring activity I have ever attempted at. Steep inclines, sudden drops, into a mud pool, getting a wheel stuck in sand, both legs encrusted in mud stains…beats shopping any day if you asked me.

On the final night of my stay in Phuket, I did what every tourist in Phuket would do – I went to the Simon Cabaret! Performed by only ladyboys (transvestites), the show consisted of only lip-syncs to the latest pop songs in a few regional languages amidst elaborate and grandeur setting. The ladyboys were modelesque and had beautiful features (not without the help of a good plastic surgeon actually) but they did charm the pants off the male audiences (no pun intended). They all gather at the exit after the show, so that the audiences can take photos with them for a fee.

She looks gorgeous! I was truly mesmerised…


Check out her elaborate headgear with intricate details. Wow!

Three days was all I needed for a quick rejuvenation and it was a very well-deserving holiday for all the hard work I have put in for the past 2 trimesters!

Back to my studies for now!

Bala’s Day Out

Author: Balaji R., India

It has been 8 months since I packed my bags and set sail from the land of the vikings and landed in the ‘Lion-city’ Singapore. And phew… what eventful months have they been!

So let me introduce myself: I am Balaji Raghavan (bala, henceforth) an engineer in my previous life and now, as you might have already guessed a participant of The Nanyang MBA. I have traveled widely and lived in different countries over the last 10 years… I have seen the sakura blossom in Japan in Spring, auroras snake their way across the sky in the depths of snow-covered winter and the sun set over the British empire along the coasts of England, to mention a few. Ok enough said… There will be time for an autobiography later—when I am more closer to senility, that is.

I will attempt, over a series of posts, to introduce life as part of the MBA program and at times even beyond it! Yes, even poor sods laboring their way through intensive B-school courses do have time to party and bring the roof down once in a while! I will endeavor to capture in the blog the highs and the lows of the program, the events
that occurred, the classes that we enjoyed, the wonderful memories of the times we spent together, the many laughs we shared and the unforgettable friendships and relationships forged with fellow students, faculty, and the people of Singapore. So buckle up, sit tight and enjoy the ride!

Let me begin, with the story of a trip we made to Pulau Ubin– a small island located north-east of Singapore– during the beginning of the program. This trip packaged under the guise of team-building and orientation, seemed pretty innocuous at first; It even began well with a scenic boat ride to the islet and relatively simple and fun
activities involving hula hoops and an alphabet counting game. As we were just beginning to have fun, we were thrown a seemingly insurmountable organizational challenge. We had to coordinate a class of close to 150 members in concurrent tasks of varying difficulty to earn $$ for building a real boat, more of a raft actually. One of the tasks even involved scaling a wicked climb. Now as we got down to business we realized that it was a difficult challenge that required coordination, courage, motivation and above all dealing with a whole ambiguity under time pressure. In the end, some astonishing acts of team work and individual brilliance got us to the target and we were able to buy enough raw materials to build the raft in time!

However, hold on! there was yet another twist in the tale, as we had to use the raft to navigate the seas around Pulau Ubin to plant a flag on a nearby islet. We had a raft ready but no way of knowing whether it was seaworthy. Some brave souls volunteered to take the raft out for a spin and their courage got us to the target on time! In retrospect, the orientation was a resounding success: it got us together working as a team, introduced us to the challenges faced in management, and gave us a whole day of fun and a heapload of memories that we will cherish! And if you are one to believe in good beginnings, the raft that did not sink might bode well for the class of 2009!

Sun Beams Aplenty!

Author: Cynthea Lam (Marketing Manager, The NANYANG MBA)

Last Saturday (6 March 2010) was a very special day for me, my friends and
colleagues, as we trooped down to Sunbeam Place armed with bags and bags of
groceries for the kids.

Sunbeam Place is a home set up by the Children’s Society of Singapore,
to shelter and protect children between the ages of 2 to 18, who have
abusive parents or parents who can no longer look after them because they’re both
incarcerated or have no financial means to.

The wonderful Director of the home, Dr. Siew, brought us around the home, and
introduced us to her staff, who take care of the children, each with a different role to
ensure they are eating right, studying well in school, and that they have good sports,
arts and music activities to partake in, caring for their every need.

It is a very difficult journey for some children, having been brought up in environments
that have scarred them mentally. They are sensitive souls who yearn security and
love, just like any other ordinary child.

I have earlier on gathered some donations from friends and family, and my friends and
their families have also come forth to donate. The spirit of giving is a very touching
one, and brings together strangers who have no connections to each other. That
day’s visit, was a reflection of how we can all join forces to make bigger things
happen, as long as our hearts’ intentions are aligned!