NANYANG PROFESSIONAL MBA

Reflections of SPAN: one of the most memorable experiences of the PMBA

In September 2020, the Nanyang Professional MBA (PMBA) class of 2021 completed the Strategy Projects at Nanyang (SPAN), a live consulting project with a sponsor company. Working in groups of four or five, our Nanyang PMBA participants embarked a six-month journey, developing solutions and proposals to a specific business issue which culminated in a final presentation to sponsor company. How was the experience, especially with almost everything moving online due to COVID-19 restrictions? We asked a few of the groups to share highlights of their experience, from key learnings to challenges overcome.

A great learning curve


Jacky Bo Yifeng (left), Natasha Koo (centre), Raunak Bhatia (right), Hassan Abdul Cader (not in the picture)

“The most important realisation we had was that when you push yourself, you will always come out stronger,” shared Raunak Bhatia, whose group project was for Luxottica SEA, the market leader in luxury eyewear. Given the task of recommending an operational strategy for the company for the Vietnam market, the team of four leveraged their diverse expertise in supply chain, IT, customer support, consulting, and market research. Among the challenges they faced, they struggled to get responses from an online survey of consumers in Vietnam. They successfully overcame this by launching the survey in the local language and hiring freelancers in Vietnam to broaden the survey’s reach.

The challenge of managing SPAN alongside their full-time jobs, ongoing PMBA classes and assignments, and family commitments, also meant that most of their SPAN group calls took place late at night. It was a real test of time management. Despite these, Raunak said, “SPAN was a steep learning curve but at the same time, a great learning experience for all of us. We now have first-hand experience of a very important aspect of business in Asia – entry into new emerging markets or market expansion. It was the most fulfilling experience of the PMBA journey.”

Gaining exposure to different industries

Ang Chin Ping (far left), Matthew Shields (left), Norman Chong Wee Lin (centre), Yin Liying (right), Kenny Soh (far right)

SPAN projects often immerse participants in an industry that is unfamiliar to them. Kenny Soh and his teammates had to explore and evaluate go-to-market strategies for Asia Pacific Breweries to introduce a new zero-alcohol beverage in Singapore. Most of the project revolved around making sense of a vast amount of research provided by the sponsor company. They approached this by seeing how the research corresponded to the business frameworks they had learnt on the PMBA to formulate their marketing strategy.

“This SPAN project gave me exposure to the world of FCMG, which is vastly different from my current industry,” said Kenny, who works in the field of education. The same could be said for the other members of his group, who work in the areas of telecommunications, government and policy regulations, raw materials trading, and industrial engineering solutions. “It gave those of us who are not in a marketing role a taste of a different role and industry. It even prompted me to consider how I can bring best practices from this industry across to my own.”

Learning from each other

Cheong Jhun Yew (front right), Lee Kwang Hong (front left), Shobit Garg (upper left), Jared Zeng Qiyang (centre), Liu Simeng (far right)

“SPAN allowed us to apply various tools and methods we learned on the PMBA, such as in Marketing, Accounting, and Strategy, to a practical situation – a live company and a live problem,” shared Jared Zeng Qiyang. His group was tasked with developing a Ready to Drink canned cocktail for Zouk Group. “This involved doing competitor analysis, looking at various marketing channels, deciding on pricing – basically the entire marketing strategy,” Jared added. After the project, the product went on to be successfully launched.

The group’s diverse backgrounds in banking, engineering, and IT led to many hours of discussion but not always a consensus. This is where their faculty mentor, AJ Boelens, proved helpful. “AJ was able to help us see the big picture. He was always available if we had questions, to provide guidance on the direction or give a third-party view.” Despite any differences, Jared enjoyed the benefit of networking with classmates from different industries. To gain the most from this experience, he believes, “It’s important to contribute, share your experiences, and learn from each other.”

Approaching the unknown with an open mind

Michelle Ng (right), Victor Yeung (centre), Kritarth Mishra (left), Ravi Senthil (not in the picture)

Michelle Ng and Victor Yeung’s group had to develop a marketing strategy for a formula brand under Wyeth Nutrition, a subsidiary of Nestle. As none of the group members was a parent, understanding the customer point of view could have been a stumbling block. Instead, they discovered that their lack of first-hand experience gave them a fresh perspective. “Sometimes when you know too much about something, you tend to have your own thoughts and opinions. With this being a new product for all of us, we were more open to different ideas,” shared Michelle. This led the group to also think beyond the brief, interviewing not only mums but also dads, who provided useful insights.
 
“I would say be really open-minded regardless of what kind of project you get, as you will learn many things along the way that may expand your horizons,” said Michelle. Victor agreed. “The experience of applying what we learnt on the PMBA programme to the project has definitely given me the confidence to work on or try different things in the future.”

Collaboration and teamwork are key

Dylan Jung Dong Young (far left), Chong Liang Uei (left), Ampara Aramcharoen (right), Mei Yucheng (far right), Wang Yiwei (not in the picture)

Mei Yucheng’s group worked with Takasago, a multinational fragrance house, to identify opportunities for a shower gel fragrance product for Indonesian consumers. While they each took on project roles based on their individual strengths, they learned that team collaboration is the key to successful project execution. “We defined our roles and responsibilities clearly at the beginning and it was always a joint discussion when it came to decision-making. This ensured higher efficiency and a better result for our project,” explained Yucheng.

Unable to travel to Indonesia, the group collaborated closely with the company’s colleagues based in Indonesia, who helped them garner a huge number of consumer survey responses. They also tapped on the neuromarketing expertise of their faculty mentor, Prof Gemma Calvert, to design high-quality surveys from which meaningful inferences could be drawn.

Summing up the group’s experience, Yucheng said, “SPAN is like a box of chocolates; you may face stressful or joyful moments. Along the way, trust your teammates. We enjoyed overcoming challenges together and building camaraderie that will last a lifetime.”

“Photoshoot was carried out in accordance with prevailing safe management measures”