《111-2 SA》Celebrating the Class of 2023: A Look Back at a Unique Graduation Party

On 19th May 2023, the Student Association organized a graduation party to congratulate GHRM MBA and IBMBA seniors who are going to graduate this semester. It was just like yesterday when the Class of 2023 started their first online lesson during the Covid-19 pandemic. Two years have passed with various memories and now it is about time for them to wrap up their study and write a new chapter in their journey. The Graduation Party is a farewell to all our graduates who have worked hard and a celebration to wish them health, luck, and happiness in the future.

The night started with a touching look back down memory lane. It was such an emotional moment for students as their two-year journey is memorized in a five-minute video. The Class of 2023 started their master’s journey with a lot of difficulties due to Covid-19. International students could not make it to the campus on time, which was a pity for everybody. From strangers, they become classmates, friends, and families. Together, everyone had a wonderful time, traveling, talking, and exploring the beautiful country of Taiwan together. The whole party was quiet for a while with memories going down the lane.

Following this, the floor was handed to two students, Michael from the GHRM MBA, and Edward from the IBMBA, who had been selected to speak on behalf of their friends. Michael's speech was filled with humor, breaking the somber mood and filling the room with laughter. In contrast, Edward's speech was short but inspiring, sparking a wave of emotion. Professor Ryan Brading also shares his feelings and wishes graduates all the best for their future journey. There is nothing to fear, keep going ahead and moving toward your dream!

The evening was concluded with a series of exciting activities that had the students thoroughly entertained. The games that ensued saw active participation from students and faculty alike, creating a vibrant atmosphere. The high point was when Professor Ryan Brading and Wil Martens joined the students in a spirited game of Beer Pong. The room buzzed with laughter and friendship, making it a night to remember.

The graduation party served as a memorable capstone to the students' journey, blending joy, nostalgia, and excitement for the future into one unforgettable evening. To the Class of 2023, we extend our heartfelt congratulations!

《111-2 SA》“ No Limits, Just Trashion” competition

On April 28, 2023, the Student Association (SA) hosted the “No Limits, Just Trashion” competition at the NSYSU campus. This inventive competition encouraged students to transform discarded materials into fashionable items, including clothing, accessories, and footwear. The goal was to reuse and recycle materials in a creative and meaningful manner. The competition embraced the TRASHION concept and took the form of a fashion show, allowing participants to showcase their talents and commitment to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular emphasis on Goals 8, 12, and 13.

We are so happy to receive registration from students all over the campus, reflecting a collective consciousness towards global development. Below are the artworks of each team and their catwalk performance, and the competition was judged by Professor Ryan Brading from the College of Management at NSYSU. With his extensive experience in teaching and mentoring social entrepreneurship, Professor Ryan was the ideal choice to evaluate the entries.

Team 1- Press to Impress - Made out of recycled magazine covers, this one-of-a-kind artwork is a visual delight, fusing imaginative design with fashionable flair. This stunning piece not only accentuates your body shape but also promotes eco-friendly fashion.

Team 2- Strawfairy - Inspired by Disney's Tinker Bell, the white dress made of biodegradable trash bags is soft like Tinker Bell's dandelion dress. As Tinker Bell was brought to Neverland by a baby's happiness, through our design, we would like to encourage people to take sustainable actions for our next generations' happiness. When we change our habits, we are sending a fairy to the future to make a baby happy.

Team 3 - Eco-dress - When “fast” fashion is not “fast fashion”! The dress consisted entirely of plastic bags collected during grocery shopping. They are now transformed into an incredibly beautiful dress that is perfect for the summer in Kaohsiung: hot but memorable and adorable.

Team 4- Hajime Shimizu - The clothes are inspired by plastic and paper bags piled up everyday due to shopping in Taiwan. Instead of being thrown away, these bags were changed into beautiful artwork. It is to emphasize how disturbing the bags are and the hiding face expresses that many people are innocent and turning away from environmental problems.

Team 5 - Happy Penguin - These parachute pants are made with shopping bags. Because of the specifics of the material, these pants are rather an art piece, rather than an everyday fashion item, but our photoshoot proved that they definitely look good on a person. Happy Penguin is on its way to improving with more suitable materials to wear everyday!

Team 6 - GIKI - Starbucks paper bags are used as the main material. Wearing accessories related to ESG companies like Starbucks can remind wearers to practice responsible and sustainable consumption and contribute to the environment. By doing our best, we hope that as citizens of the global village, we can create a future with a shared prosperity vision.

Team 7 - From trash to treasure - This special T-shirt is specially made entirely from recycled materials, such as plastic bags and magazines. It's an innovative design that supports sustainability and environmental awareness, while also promoting the values of the SDGs. By reusing waste and turning it into something beautiful, this T-shirt shows how small actions can make a big difference.

Following the catwalk, each team participated in an eloquence segment titled “Why Should You Choose Me?”, accompanied by comments from the judge.

After carefully considering and evaluating, we finally found three winners including Press to Impress - First Prize, Hajime Shimizu - Second Prize, and Straw Fairy - Third Prize! Also, the winner for People's Choice Award is Eco-Dress!

At the end of the event, the Student Association expressed their gratitude to the honored judge and all students for the enthusiastic participation. The event was not only entertaining but also educational, fostering a deeper understanding of the SDGs and the importance of recycling. It was a meaningful experience for students’ journey in the school.

《111-2 SA》Meeting with Professional Workshop

Date: April 22, 2023

Time: 13:00 - 16:00

Participants: IBMBA and GHRM MBA students

Guest speakers and their background:

1. Mrs. Claire: a NSYSU Alumni with abundant experience in the field of human resource. She has been in this industry for 10+ years since 2010, and worked for both local and international companies. Claire is now a HRBP in Leading Recruitment Service, one of the biggest headhunting companies in Taiwan.

2. Mr. Justin: A graduate of IBMBA, and is currently a Sale Product Manager in Asus. He has 2 years+ project manager experience comprising multinational cross-functional cooperation, product development and planning, Windows implementation in the IT industry.

3. Mr. Dennie: A graduate of IBMBA, and has been working in Taishin International Bank as a Management Associate in the Department of Data Collection and Implement since July, 2020. 

4. Mr. Yao: He has 16 years of experience working in SIEMENS Medical Engineering Department and is now owning one of the biggest Co-Working Space - Sync in Kaohsiung with more than 100 companies across 40 industries as their clients.

On April 22, 2023, the Student Association (SA) organized a “Meeting with Professional” workshop at NSYSU campus with the attendance of four guest speakers from various industries and 20 IBMBA  & GHRM students. The workshop consisted of two main sections: General and Private sections. In the first section, guest speakers introduced themselves, their career and experiences. Then, they answered two common questions raised during the workshop “ What is your current job like?” and “Why did you choose this career?” After that, Mrs Claire - HRBP at Leading Recruitment Services (LRS) Consulting Firm gave a brief introduction about the headhunting industry.

Before moving to the second part, MC asked everyone to take group photos to celebrate the event and give certificates to guest speakers for their contribution to the workshop.

The second part was the Private consulting sector, which lasted around two hours. In this part, participants were divided into different rooms with consultants of their choice, Mrs. Claire - Human Resources industry, Mr. Justin - Technology industry, Mr. Dennie- Finance, and Mr. Yao - Foreign and Domestic Companies respectively. The private section was conducted one by one in a private room with an aim to bring opportunities for participants to ask private questions and personal career plans. Besides, the guest speakers also provided further explanation and delivered knowledge by drawing on the whiteboard, which helped participants understand easily.

At the end of the workshop, participants and guest speakers came back to the main room and answered questions if any. After having a quick survey at the workshop, most of the participants were satisfied with the private consulting sectors. However, they wished the first part, the general opening, could last longer so that they can know more about other guest speakers and their companies. Besides, SA also sent an online feedback survey to all guest speakers and participants to improve our future event. In short, the “ Meeting with Professionals” is a helpful and practical event for graduated students’ careers.

《111-2 GHRM608》 What is the current talent pool like in Taiwan?

Human Resources Competency Development class (GHRM MBA), instructed by Professor Shyh-Jer Chen and Professor Heidi Chang, welcomed Mr. Alexis Lin from Development Dimensions International (DDI), an international human resources and leadership development consultancy. DDI collaborates with businesses to implement improvements in leadership development, leadership selection, succession management, and execution and performance. Although Mr. Lin is currently on his career break, Mr. Lin was the Solution Account Manager at DDI Taiwan. Mr. Lin has obtained vast HR skills in various organizations throughout his career. Before joining DDI Taiwan, he was Overseas Business Manager at TPI software and Deputy Manager at Cathay Life Insurance for many years. He holds a Master's in Human Resource Management from National Sun Yat-sen University and a Master's of Business Administration in International Business from ESSCA, France.

Mr. Lin began his session with a brief introduction to his professional experience. He introduced the three-pillar model adapted by Cathay Life Insurance. The pillar comprises three segments: Center of Expertise (COE), Business Partners (BP), and Shared Services. The COE would provide the overarching structure, such as creating policies or developing the framework, functioning as the organization's brain. The BP would deal with internal clients, often personnel from a specific department/function, and be in charge of the whole HR-related issues. Finally, Shared Services, such as labor insurance and payroll, serve as the administrative branch of HR. Together the model aims to enhance efficiency.

Mr. Lin highlighted that although the BPs are given the authority to address issues independently if they encounter problems with policies or frameworks, they usually escalate to the COE and explore potential solutions. Mr. Lin mentioned that this model is better suited for medium-to-large-sized businesses or major Multinational Enterprise (MNEs) with a considerable company size. Considering the employee number of a small-medium firm (SME) is relatively small, the structure of this model may not be optimal because there would not be enough employees to split the job scope that specifically.

Mr. Lin then linked VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) to explain the talent shortage situation in Taiwan. He mentioned that there is now a skill gap that may have contributed to this talent shortage situation. Through utilizing the recruiting tools like DDI's Success Profile Model, one might find and access people with the necessary talents to perform the job more systematically and organizationally. Moreover, it would help "B players'' identify what kind of skills they are missing. Mr. Lin mentioned that some good qualities might become future barriers with statistics numbers supported. While dependable and well-organized, someone may lack the agility to deal with the uncertainty of today's fast-changing culture and workplace. Apart from agility, he also highlighted that nowadays, companies use the term "Human Resource'' less. Instead of considering humans as merely a resource, they focus on the well-being of people and organizations, as well as empowering each talents to their fullest potential.

Lastly, Mr. Lin shared and compared his experiences in in-house HR and consulting firms. An in-house HR department works closely with different departments and managerial levels and begins with a specific function. He emphasizes that resources and business priorities may be various based on industries, developing stages, and company size. It is vital to keep the "business thinking," such as what role does HR play in your company? What influences can you make to add more value? As for in consulting firms, you’ll receive various mechanisms and tools to deal with specific business issues. They often have to work in a fast-paced, high pressured, and multitasking environment, which might be hampered by a lack of practical experience. Students are suggested that it is crucial to be prepared for being presentable and professional if you’re considering joining a consulting firm.

The class enjoyed Mr. Lin's lecture and learned much from his sharing toward career path and professional HR experience. Participants gave positive feedback and highly recommended this course. They considered this sharing beneficial in HR functions in different companies and talent situations in Taiwan.

《GHRM MBA_Alumni interview》Embarking on a Transformative Journey: Jason's MBA Experience at NSYSU

Choosing the right university and program for your MBA studies is a pivotal decision that can shape and determine your future career path. We were privileged to have a talk with Jason Yang, a former student of GHRM MBA program who now thrives in the tech industry as a Product Manager (PM) at Advantech Co.,Ltd. Jason shares his insightful experiences, shedding light on the benefits of studying at NSYSU and offering valuable advice to current and prospective students. Jason's journey is not your typical student-to-graduate story; he is an American-born Taiwanese and had already been in Taiwan for several years before deciding to pursue his MBA. His experience provides a unique perspective on studying abroad and its advantages. 

Jason's decision to pursue his MBA in Taiwan was not a straightforward choice. Having been in Taiwan since 2010, he initially came to teach English and later worked in a trading company. However, he aspired for more than just teaching English, as he saw the limitations of relying solely on it as a long-term career. Jason explains how he was convinced by the reputation of NSYSU, considered one of the top 10 schools in Taiwan.  Although his journey had a few hurdles, including missing paperwork during his initial application, Jason's determination led him to NSYSU's GHRM MBA program. One of the first things that struck Jason about NSYSU was the breathtaking scenic view of the campus. Reflecting on his time at NSYSU, Jason expressed admiration for the campus's natural beauty, which he found unparalleled. Nestled near the beach, NSYSU offers a serene and idyllic setting that invigorates students. He emphasized that NSYSU's campus made up for this by providing a magnificent environment conducive to study and personal growth.

What’s more, NSYSU GHRM MBA offers students a wide selection of opprtunities to study overseas such as dual degree in many renowned universities. Jason made perfect use of school resources and got a chance to study at UC (University of California) Riverside in the United States. Having previously studied at UC Riverside, Jason drew comparisons between the teaching methods employed at both institutions. He noted that UC Riverside heavily relied on the case study method, wherein students worked together to solve real-world business cases. In contrast, NSYSU embraced a more diverse teaching approach, combining various methods to deliver a comprehensive educational experience, which gave  him chances to work collaboratively with classmates from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. This collaborative and cross-culture environment fostered lively discussions and encouraged students to explore various solutions to business challenges. The emphasis on teamwork and the exchange of ideas enriched Jason's learning experience, allowing him to gain a broader perspective on global business practices.

The GHRM MBA program equipped Jason with valuable and practical skillsets that have proven instrumental in his career progression. After taking a variety of business classes,     he found that his Excel proficiency, honed through data analysis coursework, has been particularly beneficial in his business roles. Jason emphasizes the importance of being comfortable with Excel, as it is a widely used tool in various business positions. It provides the perfect way to generate informed decisions, which is applicable to various roles in the business world Furthermore, he illustrates the multifaceted paths available for MBA graduates in the tech industry, whether it be marketing, engineering, or product management. As a product manager in the tech industry, Jason shares insights into the necessary characteristics for success in this role. He highlights the importance of being hardworking, organized, and adept at collaborating with different departments. Effective teamwork, communication, and presentation skills are essential in managing cross-functional teams. Jason emphasizes that the path to becoming a product manager is not limited to a specific educational background or certificate, showcasing the diverse routes individuals can take to enter the field. Moreover, recognizing the challenges faced by students without prior work experience, Jason points out the significance of internships in gaining a competitive edge in the job market. With experience working as a people & organization consulting intern at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He shares his own internship experience, acquired through the recommendation of his thesis advisor, and the benefits it brought to his career. Jason acknowledges that internships provide valuable practical knowledge, serve as a stepping stone to higher-level positions, and enhance the chances of securing full-time employment.

Drawing from his own experiences, Jason offers practical advice and suggestions to current MBA students. He advises them to embrace their time at NSYSU, make the most of their free time, create lasting memories with friends, and maintain a work-life balance. Furthermore, he explains the importance of continuous learning through reading books, particularly recommending titles related to product management and behavioral psychology. Jason also encourages students to seek internships to leverage real-world business experience and gain practical insights. Lastly but not least, proficiency in Excel is certainly an addition and useful ability. Students, thus, are suggested equipping themselves with such software skill before stepping into the workplace since it is highly demanded in all business sectors. All in all, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to have an insightful talk with Jason, learning about what he is doing, how has the skills acquired from GHRM MBA benefited his career and what advice can be given to our current students. 

《111-2_GHRM507》Lung Soon Fishing Company Field Trip Explores Industry Challenges and Opportunities

Date: March 28th, 2023

Students from the Consulting Methods and Practice class recently took a field trip to Lung Soon Ocean Group headquarters to gain insights into the company they will be collaborating with for their semester project. On this trip to the Qianzhen fishing harbor, the class had the opportunity to tour the storage facilities and flagship restaurant at the company offices under the guidance of Professors Chien-Yuan Sher and Heng-Yen Chang, and Lung Soon representatives Mr. Kent Lin, the managing director, and Mr. Spencer Hsu, the overseas manager.

In the processing and storage facilities, the class got to see factory workers handling freshly caught fish. They also got to learn about different fish species and where to catch them, as well as visit one of the super frozen storage rooms which is operating at minus 60 degrees Celsius. Afterward, the tour continued at the SoonYi tuna restaurant, where the group attended a company presentation to dive deeper into their consulting project. 

The managers gave the students a brief introduction to the different brands under Lung Soon, including their restaurant chains, supermarkets and loyalty app. Emphasizing the significance of sustainable practices within the fishing industry, they also outlined their mission to promote tuna-eating culture. Furthermore, the class learned about the company’s operation strategy, its boats and fishing capacities, and various seafood products. The managers also explained the company’s goal of waste reduction, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sales trends.

Lung Soon’s CEO, Mr. Chih-Yuan Wang, was fortunately available to share a few words with the class. He illustrated that the company has valued solving problems within the industry since its foundation in 2008. He also shared some career advice and insights into the company’s growth journey. The field trip ended with a Q&A session, where the consulting class teams discussed the company’s overseas expansion priorities. The students expressed their ideas and the company managers provided additional directions for the consulting project, which the class will work on over the coming months. 

《111-2 GHRM608》How do you tell a remarkable story - the introduction of Tell-Show-Tell Framework

On week 8, Human Resources Competency Development class (GHRM MBA) instructed by Professor Shyh-Jer Chen and Professor Heidi Chang welcomed Danny Huang from Workday Taiwan and Ivy Hsu from SAP Taiwan. Workday is a major provider of business cloud software for finance and human resources, assisting customers in adapting to and thriving in an ever-changing environment. SAP Taiwan is one of the directory of SAP SE. The company also focuses on software for managing business processes, creating solutions to improve data processing and information flow across businesses. 

Mr. Lin is currently the Presales Solution Consultant at Workday Taiwan. He had 5 years of experience in HR tech solutions in the Greater China market and 3 years as in-house HR practitioner. Ms. Hsu, the other guest speaker, is presently the HXM Solution Advisor at SAP Taiwan. She worked as the Assistant Manager at Nan Shan Life Insurance and KPMG Taiwan before joining SAP Taiwan. Over their careers, they have both gained considerable experience in a variety of enterprises. Furthermore, they are both notable alumni from the Institute of Human Resource Management at National Sun Yat-sen University.  

Mr. Lin and Ms. Hsu started their sharing with the brief introduction of themselves and their companies backgrounds. Unlike the previous sharing from the HR specialties, they offered students more hands-on activities to supplement the Tell-Show-Tell framework. Tell-Show-Tell framework was introduced as an organized method that includes the provision of context, product demonstration, and a summary to persuade stakeholders during a pitch or presentation. This framework firstly aims to discover more about the target audience, their pain points, what they require, and what they want to achieve from the pitch. The second step shows how the solutions would help address the issues by conducting a live demonstration. Finally, telling the audience a summary that outlines the main key points would help resonate with them. 

Focusing on the hands-on activities, this class was grouped into five groups to promote different target applications, e.g. Shopee, Canva, MeituPic, Linkedin, Taiwan Railway, and their target audiences. Mr. Lin and Ms. Hsu highlighted that the Tell-Show-Tell structure could also be used for interview preparation, as it provides a structured approach to answering commonly asked interview questions, as well as a holistic view of the strengths and weaknesses that one can use as selling points to persuade interviewers that there is a good fit for certain role. Some questions were raised during the session, like “Is there any training given to new employees to help improve their presentation skills or how to conduct a proper sales pitch to the client?” and “ How could we  deal with nervousness when presenting in front of your bosses or important clients?”. Toward the end of the sharing, students liked how both the presenters shared with us some tips on how they could prepare for our pitch. 

The class enjoyed their lively and enthusiastic lecture and learned a lot from their practical advice. Overall, participants were fully engaged in the case study session and had very interactive discussions. The class highly appreciated Mr. Lin and Ms. Hsu’s efforts to come to NSYSU and share their valuable experience.

《111-2 GHRM608》How does HR shape corporate culture - Porsche Taiwan

Human Resources Competency Development class (GHRM MBA), instructed by Professor Shyh-Jer Chen and Professor Heidi Chang, welcomed Carly Ma and her HR team from Porsche Taiwan, a devoted subsidiary of Porsche AG. Porsche Taiwan has imported and distributed Porsche automobiles in Taiwan since 2018. Ms. Ma is currently the Human Resource Manager at Porsche Taiwan. Along with her team, Charlie, Sean, Vivian, and Tiffany, they shared how HR shapes company culture at Porsche Taiwan. Ms. Ma has gained extensive HR knowledge in various organizations throughout her career. Before joining Porsche Taiwan, she was HR Business Partner at Amazon Canada. Her expertise includes planning and deploying programs to empower employees and enhancing employee engagement and talent management. 

Ms. Ma started the session with a brief introduction to the company and her professional experience. Ms. Ma highlights that the HR department at Porsche Taiwan reports directly to the CEO, which allows them to be involved in strategic planning, thus increasing efficiency. In addition to posting job openings, managing payroll, providing training, and planning engagement events, the Porsche HR teams’ responsibilities include ensuring fair and consistent practices among employees, designing work models, including work-from-home options, managing employee relations, developing people strategy, e.g., hiring candidates with aligned goals, implementing change management in shaping organizational culture.

Ms. Ma also mentioned the CSR program - Dream Together at Porsche Taiwan with the collaboration partners BoYo Social Welfare and The Society of Wilderness. The program started in 2019 with five pillars of engagement: Society, Environment, Education & Science, Culture, and Sports. Some of the initiatives under the program include the Porsche virtual run, BOYO summer class tour, and beach cleaning family day events. It showcases how Porsche Taiwan is doing what suits profitability, the environment, and society rather than just focusing on the company's growth. With ‘Dream Together’, Porsche Taiwan hopes to make people reach closer to their dreams. 

Mr. Charlie Chang, HR Generalist at Porsche Taiwan, then emphasized that organizational culture is crucial for the success of Porsche Taiwan because it increases employee engagement, helps retain top talent, builds the employer's brand, and ultimately increases overall productivity. Therefore, investing in creating a positive organizational culture that aligns with the company's values and goals is vital. Mr. Chang first asked students “what is your ideal work culture”, and “is your ideal work culture realistic”? He explained what corporate culture is like at Porsche Taiwan by introducing the Competing Values Framework (CVF) published in 1983 by R.E. Quinn and J. Rohrbaugh. 

The CVF two-dimensional framework refers to assisting an organization in understanding its culture and determining what makes it genuinely effective with its vertical axis, illustrating where the organization's culture lies between being flexible or stable and the horizontal axis, indicating whether the organization is more internally or externally focused. Porsche Taiwan falls into the Clan (collaborate) quadrant representing teamwork, effective relationships, personal empowerment, and talent management. They believe a people-oriented culture results in a less hierarchical structure, enhancing employee engagement. 

The class enjoyed Ms. Ma's and her team's lively and enthusiastic lecture and learned much from her practical sharing. Participants gave positive feedback and highly recommended this course. They considered this sharing beneficial in understanding how important creating a positive work culture is. The class was fully engaged in the case study session and had very interactive discussions. As part of the feedback toward students’ presentations, Porsche Taiwan HR team shared their experiences on building a culture of integrity, having ownership in a growth mindset, office cleanliness, and work-life balance. The class highly appreciated the team’s effort to come to Kaohsiung and share their valuable experience.

《111-2 GHRM608》Human Resources Competency Development- Field trip to ASML Tainan

On May 5th, 2023, students from the class of Human Resources Competency Development class (GHRM MBA), with the lead of Professor Heidi Chang, had the opportunity to visit the ASML office in Tainan. ASML is a Dutch multinational corporation founded in 1984. It is one of the world's leading manufacturers of EUV and DUV boards known for their 2-3 nanometer chip, with clients including TSMC and Unimicron.

The class was welcomed by the current Talent Acquisition Team Leader Mr. Kevin Wu, who is one of notable alumni from the Institute of Human Resource Management at National Sun Yat-sen University, and his team, Dean, Julie, Victoria and Hugo and Tiffany from People Development team. Before joining ASML Taiwan, Mr. Wu served several HR roles, such as

Recruitment Consultant and HRBP in Display Technology and Financial function, with TSMC, Corning Incorporated and IBM.

The session began with an introduction to the semiconductor industry and the various products and services that it provides to clients. According to the explanation, the majority of customers were in-demand business executives. The team then described their position and employment responsibilities. Despite the fact that everyone has a separate role, their bonding in HR may be viewed and related as one huge team. Following that, students were separated into four groups and assigned three job duties, customer service, supply chain and manufacturer, to complete the tasks and challenges. Customer service (CS) communicates with customers, learning about their requirements and resuming both roles. The supply chain (SC) is responsible for gathering materials and delivering them to the manufacturer so that they can solve the challenges. Manufacturing inquires with SC to search for new resources while listening to CS and supporting another manufacturing function in finishing their tasks.

This activity shows a real-life scenario of how ASML operates. They are primarily concerned with the 3C culture, which stands for collaboration, caring, and challenging. Collaboration across all departments in the firm, whether internal or external, to constantly be mindful of the surroundings and to push employees to evolve and progress. Following that, students should think up another game or activity linked to ASML 3C and prepare a presentation on it. This session required students conduct the activities for a newcomer to get familiarized with and adapt to the 3Cs of ASML. The idea might be presented as follows: when moving beyond self-transcendence, one should collaborate with internal and external parties to contribute diverse abilities in addition to broadening personal perspectives. Nonetheless, in today's highly competitive marketplace, it would be ideal if everyone could show some concern or maintenance for what transpires on around them. As a result, everyone is not only surrounded by enthusiasm, but they also drive a well-collaborated team.

In conclusion, the visit of the Human Resources Competency Development class to ASML's Tainan office provided students with an unique opportunity to learn about the semiconductor industry and the various products and services that ASML provides to its clients. Overall, participants gave positive feedback after the visit. They considered this visit beneficial. It provides students an opportunity to observe a well-known company, its environment and working space to see what to consider in the future in considering joining an organization.

《111-2 SA》 Thesis Workshop

Writing a thesis is never an easy task, especially for those who have no experience at all. Since writing a thesis is considered a must in order for a master’s degree student to obtain their diploma, the Student Association of the International Program organized a workshop, tailor-made for those who need some guidance on how to write a quality thesis. We were honored to have Kang Nguyen and Michal Polacek as our guest speakers, who have both written a thesis with a score of A+ during their Master’s Degrees in IBMBA and GHRM MBA. 

After a warm welcome and introduction to both speakers, Michal Polacek started with two important parts about writing a thesis, deciding your topic, and deciding who might be your most suitable thesis advisor. Some participants had no idea what their topic should be, and some had a rough idea about it but were still confused about who they should invite as their thesis advisor.  Michal Polacek answered all of the questions with interesting ideas, such as identifying ourselves as either being underachieving or overachieving. This is an interesting and important mindset for students to consider before starting a thesis as choosing the wrong topic and advisor with the wrong mindset might result in a miserable thesis life.

For the second session, Kang Nguyen went with a more practical approach. He provided lots of helpful information for our participants by going deeper into the details of writing a thesis. The library of NSYSU has collected a considerable amount of resources for students over the years. Whenever students need ideas or references, the school library is a good place to go. A well-organized schedule is also an essential part when it comes to writing a thesis. Kang Nguyen ended the session by providing some criteria for a good thesis which are extremely important for scoring well.

The most interesting part of the event was when two guest speakers collaborated with each other while explaining the oral defense. Michal Polacek and Kang Nguyen presented it by asking each other questions like in a real defense session. Since both speakers knew each other already, the session was informal with lots of valuable tips about oral defense. The students’ queries were answered by the speakers and they left the session with much more confidence in writing their thesis.

《111-2 GHRM608》What is Human Resource Operation? How do you as an employee get evaluated? The performance appraisals introduction

On Friday, March 3rd, 2023, students of Human Resources Competency Development class (GHRM MBA), instructed by Professor Chen, Shyh-Jer and Professor Chang, Heidi, welcomed Anco Tsao from HTC, a Taiwanese consumer electronics manufacturer. Anco's talk focused on how performance appraisal is used in the current HR function. Mr. Tsao is an Assistant Manager of Human Resources Operations at HTC Taiwan. He holds a Bachelor'sBachelor's degree from National Taiwan University and a Master'sMaster's degree in Human Resource Management from National Sun Yat-sen University. 

Mr. Tsao hails from a diplomatic family. He had spent his childhood in many countries in North, Central, and South America. He returned to his roots after graduating from high school, believing there would be more opportunities to study in Taiwan and make good use of his diverse background rather than staying aboard with the narrative market. His expertise includes planning and deploying global HR policies, global talent acquisition, bettering the onboarding experience, and overseeing end-to-end HR processes. Mr. Tsao has gained extensive HR knowledge in various organizations throughout his career.

Mr. Tsao began his session with a brief introduction to his professional experience before diving right into the main topic. He mentioned that the key objectives of HR operation are encouraging effective and efficient HR service delivery and ensuring that HR initiatives are cost-effective and run smoothly. Some questions were raised during the session: (1) Is PM operationalized under HR Ops in HTC? (2) Do the HR Operation team (HRIS) work closely with IT to roll out the system?  (3) How does the HR Ops team get the buy-in from employees when rolling out the system? During the sharing, the students also commented that they were a bit surprised to hear a standalone HR operations function as HR operations are often fused under each subset of HR, such as the operation of the Recruiting team, Compensation & Benefits team, Payroll team, etc.

Mr. Tsao then highlighted a few rating methods and introduced the challenges of using either. Mr. Taso emphasized that employees should be evaluated critically based on their overall performance, but tenure may also be a factor. This is because new hires sometimes require more time to assimilate into their new roles, making evaluating their performance more challenging. Giving them a good rating might also affect the team's morale, especially among the more senior workers who have done just as well, if not better. Some students were also curious about if there are occasions where employees refused to complete the performance appraisal form and how you deal with them. 

The class enjoyed Mr. Tsao's lively and enthusiastic lecture and learned much from his practical knowledge. Participants gave positive feedback and highly recommended this course. They considered this sharing beneficial in understanding how performance appraisals are utilized in the workplace. Some were inspired by Mr. Taso's advice at the end of the lecture. He firstly encouraged students to build and cherish connections during their academic pursuits. Second suggestion is to fail quickly but learn quicker. He highlighted that it is a critical notion in today's fast paced and dynamic business environment. It encourages students to take chances, learn from their errors, and swiftly adjust their strategies. Lastly, he mentioned to always stay curious. By visiting curiosity, students can expand their minds and gain new perspectives. It is essential to remain curious and continue to learn and grow in knowledge.

《111-2 GHRM608》What Kind of Employees You Are? Does only one personality trait lead to a successful career path?

On Friday, February 24th, 2023, students of Human Resources Competency Development class (GHRM MBA), instructed by Professor Chen, Shyh-Jer and Professor Chang, Heidi, welcomed Pei Chun Liao from Fox Factory with a guest lecture on the topic of how DISC model, (D) dominance, (I) influence, (S) steadiness and (C) conscientiousness, helps in discovering work personalities. Ms. Liao is currently a Human Resource Business Partner at Fox Factory with her Bachelor's degree from National Taiwan University and Master's degree in Human Resource Management from National Sun Yat-sen University. Her expertise includes talent development and senior training development, and she has abundant HR experience in many companies throughout her career path.

Ms. Laio began her lecture with a warm-up activity in which participants told stories based on a piece of painting. The personalities of the individuals began to emerge during the warm-up game, which led to a question at the end of the game raised by Ms. Liao "Were you the one that asked others actively, or are you the one waiting to be asked? ". The question started the lecture off right. Ms. Liao grouped students based on the worksheet results and asked each group two questions, 1. What motivates you? 2. What puts you under pressure? Ms. Liao then gave feedback on answers from each group and explained why given the same questions, there were multiple answers in a group, whereas there was only one answer within a group.

The DISC model is categorized based on the level of cognition, perception, action, and observation. Ms. Liao highlighted that people with Steadiness thinking who prioritize supporting and collaborating in a team are more receptive to differing perspectives out of care for the workplace's well-being and often serve as an integrator. Individuals that have Dominance thinking, on the other hand, aim to be goal-oriented and serve a producer in a team. They are motivated by competitiveness, authority, and power, and they value challenging themselves and others as well as acting quickly. People with Conscientiousness thinking operate as administrators in the workplace. Their focus is to ensure correctness, driven by possibilities to grow skill and knowledge. Finally, the Influence thinking kind of person prefers expressing passion, taking action, and receiving encouragement through social recognition. They are often an Entrepreneur in the business role.

Ms. Liao pointed out from her experience that a person's DISC category can shift over time. There is no right or wrong to each kind of thinking and behavioral habits. She mentioned, as you advance in your career, you develop your area of expertise, which shapes or influences your behavior. Some questions were raised by participants during the session, such as, how did Fox Factory employ the psychometric assessment? When and how was the psychometric testing used throughout the hiring process? Was the DISC category mapped to the job function by Fox Factory, and if so, how? What is the format of the psychometric assessment report and how should it be interpreted? To answer the questions, Ms. Liao emphasised that DISC is not used in the hiring process in Fox Factory. It is more of a development tool. No certain forms of habits will be unfavored to today's business. Each sort of habit has its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses can allow you to create a better career development strategy for yourself.

The class enjoyed Ms. Liao's lively and enthusiastic lecture and learned a lot from her practical knowledge. Overall, participants gave positive feedback and highly recommended this course after Ms. Liao’s lecture. They considered this sharing to be beneficial in understanding more about their own talents and flaws, which may be used for their personal improvement. Some love how interactive the lecture was, and the way Ms. Liao delivered her lecture was inspiring.

ALUMNI SHARING: Lukasz Piotr Lanski from Poland shares his experience

GHRM MBA is a truly global program with students from countries around the world coming together to create a diverse learning experience for all students. Lukasz Piotr Lanski our exceptional GHRM alumnus from Poland has been living in Taiwan for a decade now and has some useful insights for our current students. He shares his experience of studying at NSYSU and advises students to follow their passion and take risks to move forward in their careers.

With a background in Mandarin language studies, Lukasz chose to study in Taiwan to further enhance his linguistic abilities as well as cultural knowledge. GHRM MBA provided him with professional skills to work in the field of management and offered new opportunities to learn. While talking about his experience at GHRM MBA he says, “the whole experience was great and the program was very well integrated. I got the opportunity to work as a Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant during my study, which further helped me develop key skills”.  He further shares that he enjoyed his student life at the beautiful campus of NSYSU with the scenic ocean and mountains.

During his study, Lukasz took up an internship to gain professional experience, wherein he promoted products from Hongkong and even got the opportunity to visit Hongkong. He advises current students to take up new opportunities and internships to gain experience and identify their interests. He shares that sticking to what one feels like the right path is important even if there’s no clear goal in sight at the moment, as the experience will still teach you important skills needed for your future career. Lukasz is currently working in the field of economic diplomacy at the Polish Investment and Trade Agency and is the head of the Taipei office. He provides support for polish exports to Taiwan and investments to Taiwan and Poland.

With over a decade in Taiwan, Lukasz shares Taiwan feels like home and he is still fascinated by the culture, people, music, and food of Taiwan, which is very different from his home country. He expresses his gratitude to NSYSU for giving him such a memorable experience and to the office of GHRM for always being supportive of its alumni.

« Christmas Masquerade | SA 111-1 | 17 Dec 2022 »

Every fall semester, an event connected with Christmas is the highlight and the most important event of the whole period. Each year, different groups of students organize it and the variety of options and ideas is very wide. Team AGH decided to add a classy element to the traditional party and introduced “masquerade” as a new approach to the NSYSU event.

Since the time schedule was very tight this semester, the event took place on Saturday before the final week before the winter break. Since we wanted to choose an appropriate venue for such an important event, we decided to go for Hansin Arena Shopping Plaza (Kaohsiung Arena). Around 80 students from the College of Management could register for the last event of SA 111-1. Since we organized a masquerade, participants were asked to bring an eye mask covering some part of their face, adding a fancier feeling to the atmosphere.

The event lasted the whole evening, starting at 6 pm. After the introduction speech, we played 2 games, where all seven tables competed against each other for a nice reward. During the first part, we showed five Christmas songs on the screen using only emojis. Participants then had to guess which song we were showing, the point got to whoever was the fastest. The second part also regarded songs (not only Christmas-themed this time), which we played backward. This is quite hard and sometimes it took a moment for people to realize which song we were playing. For every correct guess, the table as a group could get a point, if they sang a part of that song, they could get two points.

Since the SA term is coming to the end by the end of the year, the current SA team (111-1) prepared a short report with all the events we organized throughout the semester and their contribution to students. Naturally, there was also room for 111-2 (2023 Spring) SA candidates and their presentations. This time, we have 2 teams who introduced themselves and their program so the students and potential voters can get a better picture of who is running and who they want to vote for.

Within the event, we also included the final part of another, environment-oriented event, the “Upcycle Competition”. Six teams presented their projects made of recycled materials on Facebook over a few days before the masquerade. The final presentations and voting happened on the spot. The winner of this competition was Edward with his “ChristMask Tree” made of wasted disposable masks still heavily used as a main COVID prevention tool in Taiwan. Edward used them as a symbol of the short-term usage problem they carry and the fact that after a single use, they end up in the general trash can. Three winning teams won a cash prize, congratulations!

After the dinner, some minor games, and free time for participants to dance, take pictures, and have fun, we concluded the event with a ball king and queen announcement. We let all participants nominate five boys and five girls who could become king and queen. Then we paired them up, they introduced themselves, did a catwalk around the venue, and were hoping for being elected. The winners became Jia-Jun as king and Kimberly as queen.

For the evening’s finale, we prepared a surprise in form of a lucky draw, where we (with the help of the computer) randomly selected three participants who got a reward.

We would like to thank everyone who came to our event, it was a very nice way to spend a night, not only for those who came from abroad and could not spend the Christmas holidays with their families. We also thank our hosts who led us through the night, Ishali Dawoodani and Kylie Nguyen, both 111-2 SA team candidates who volunteered during the event (Howie, Kylie, Minh, Edward, Geoffrey, and Kimberly), current SA (Alejandra, Honza, and Geoffrey), our photographer, and other volunteers who helped us with whatever was needed (Angela, Daisy, and Mirage). Also big thank you to NSYSU and the College of Management who made this event possible.

《111-1_SA》Unwinding at the scenic NSYSU beach

Have you been to the gorgeous beach 🏖️ on our National Sun Yat-sen University campus yet? If yes, then I bet you for sure wouldn't have experienced doing water sports 🏊‍♂️ in this wonderland. Student Association of International Programs arranged a water sports activity, bringing students fun and excitement to take part in activities like SUP (standup paddleboarding) and Kayaking. It was a perfect way to relieve students’ academic stress and promote the importance of exercise, which also complies with SDGs #3 Good Health and Well-being. Students from IBMBA, GHRM MBA, IBBA, and other departments attended the event with more than 20 participants. There were both international, local, and exchange students, which gave students a chance to interact with culturally diverse people and facilitate cross-culture communication. To take advantage of the splendid school environment and resources, the event was held at the NSYSU Sizihwan Marine Sports Center, lasting 2 hours from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM. To kickstart the event, the SA members gathered students at the College of Management and traveled to the venue together. Later on, participants put on their life vests 🦺 and took a group photo before listening to the rules and instructions.

A coach and two lifeguards were always on constant standby to offer assistance if students needed help. The coach gave instructions on how to use all facilities correctly, explained what the rules are, and, most importantly, emphasized the importance of safety. After the instructions, students were divided into two groups, one was for SUP, and the other was for Kayaking (individual and twin Kayak). Participants could choose whichever based on their preferences and could start enjoying the activities and burn their calories 🔥 at this moment. During the entire event, lifeguards patiently accompanied and kept eyes on all participants carefully to make sure everyone was being safe. The lifeguards also introduced marine ecology to make them more aware of the sea creatures that appeared, which corresponds with SDGs #14 Life Below Water 🐟. 

After a long time of working out, snacks 🥪 were then prepared for every attending student at the end of the event, including a set of sandwiches and a drink. The event ended perfectly with memorable experiences, and students were satisfied with the arrangement of the event. All participants felt delighted and had fun exploring the beautiful school marine environment and networking with friends at the event. This was indeed a valuable opportunity for students to experience water sports. Thanks to help from the school and the office of international programs, the SA team organized such a wonderful event for students. We are looking forward to holding more exciting and fun events in the future. See you all soon!

《111-1 Course Speech》: International Business Negotiation Strategies: Guest lecture by Professor Thiombiano Dramane Germain

On Wednesday, December 14th, 2022, Professor David Andersson, the instructor of the GHRM course entitled Cross Cultural Management, hosted Professor Thiombiano Dramane Germain from International Master Program in Asia-Pacific Affairs (IMAPA) to talk about International Business Negotiation Strategies. Professor Germain from Burkina Faso in West Africa received his master’s degree in International Business MBA Program (IBMBA) in 2010 and his Ph.D. degree in the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies in 2019 from the National Sun Yat-sen University.

The lecture started with the topic “Intercultural communication”, Professor Germain mentioned that based on different cultures, people happen to have different languages, gestures, habits, and negotiation styles. When it comes to communication between different cultures, being sensitive to the local “culture” is a critical factor for any organization to succeed, particularly international businesses. What works in your country might not work well in another, and could even be interpreted as an insult. For example, The OK sign is not OK, in Brazil, it is equivalent to the middle finger.

Professor Germain then continued to mention that when communicating across cultures, there are some criteria:

1. The difficulties of language: When speaking, try to ensure that you use plain, straightforward language that communicates your point directly.

2. Physical cues: In the US, UK, and much of Europe, eye contact is a sign of strength and confidence. In places like South America, it’s a sign of trustworthiness. In Japan, however, prolonged eye contact can be deemed impolite.

3. Punctuality: Westerners tend to hold time in high regard. “Time is money” is a famous phrase that sums up the level of priority time received in US or German culture. As a result, punctuality is important. However, time in Latin countries, such as Portugal, is viewed as more relaxed.

4. Different negotiating methods: Every culture has a different way of viewing the world and therefore a different way of negotiating. There are some cultures that like to have a team of negotiators rather than just a single negotiator. Other cultures want to create friendly relationships. That is to say, they may want to know the person with whom they’re doing business. Others care little about the people and just want the contract signed or the price agreed upon. There are cultures that like to stay silent and others that have a penchant for storming out of negotiations. Some cultures see the negotiation as a battle that must be won; others want a win-win outcome.

In the end, professor Germain demonstrated the role of culture in doing business in Africa. He mentioned that social and business cultures are influenced by past colonial history, with the African identity playing in the background. As a result, doing business among the same ethnic African groups is prevalent with the propensity to ‘network,’ much before the word came to be used as a verb.

In the social culture part, professor Germain mentioned that there are three distinct components of the people inhabiting present-day Africa: (1) traditional Africans who are yet little affected by modernization (thereby socializing among the same ethnic people), (2) transitional Africans, (3) modern Africans (foreign-educated, well-traveled and socializing using modern tools). Hence, the social and cultural set up in Africa is quite diverse and varied and not static and has been impacted by both internal and external forces.

Talking about the business culture, professor Germain mentioned that conducting business in Africa requires social and cultural awareness and effective cross-cultural communication skills. While in some cultures people focus on producing quick and tangible results in their work; the experience in Africa, on the other hand, differs. The pace of doing things is slower and the outlook is often long-term.

Last but not least, building relationships in Africa most of the time is difficult to see the dividing line that determines where socializing ends and where business begins. Sometimes it takes a backyard barbeque or a couple of visits to the village for a meal or getting acquainted before you are offered any water or tea or even start discussing business.

The guest lecture demonstrated that quality trumps quantity. A smaller class size allows for more discussion time for each student. It also allows for the Q&A section to be integrated into the lecture. The students seemed eager to discuss their ideas with Professor Germain. Afterward, we all took a group picture so as to remember this unique occasion. We hope that there will be many similar occasions in the future.

《111-1 GHRM508 Course Speech》 Inside the mind of a Project manager: Guest lecture by Johnny Chen, Marketing Project Manager, HP

Knowledge and experience delivered by someone with similar background, skills, and goals are always beneficial and inspiring for us because they come from someone who was once in the same situation as we are now. One of these people is Johnny Chen, marketing product manager at HP (Hewlett-Packard), who visited Dr. Ryan Brading’s “Business Ethics and Social Responsibility” class at NSYSU to share his journey with the students.

When it comes to the amount and quality of the information provided, it is very hard to beat Johnny, since he has worked for very big and strong companies (such as ASUS and now HP) in 3 countries (Taiwan, China, and Thailand). Johnny provided an in-depth honest summary of what life in each country and working for each company looks like, he compared the working environment and conditions in HP and ASUS, and he was not afraid of any questions coming towards him from the students.

Everyone was genuinely interested in the presentation and asked Johnny additional questions regarding culture shocks, working culture, but also free time, food, and so on. Johnny answered every question very passionately and positively, so the benefit of this sharing was above all standards. He also mentioned some useful tips about customizing the CV and the job interview.

Toward the end, Johnny added more value to the lecture by designing an activity, which focused on hiring new people in the company, which is the ultimate goal for the Global Human Resources Management MBA program at NSYSU. The activity was based on a real-life situation in HP where Johnny works, which made it even more professional and helpful. When HP was hiring a marketing intern, they had three candidates to decide between. Johnny provided all three resumés to the students so they could decide whom they would have hired if they were in the hiring manager’s shoes. After a brief group discussion, we had a vote, and the majority of the students would select the same candidate as who was hired in reality.

Everyone enjoyed the guest lecture, namely because of its big connection to other students’ situations since Johnny is an NSYSU graduate, setting a great role model for others who now know that they can achieve similarly amazing things as he has, and the interactivity during the last part which was the resume study practice.

Last week Johnny spent some time sharing his personal internship and working experiences in different countries. It was fruitful. Aside from that information, we had a small exercise at the end of the speech: pick one resume from three candidates as if we are recruiting someone to Johnny's company. It was a lot of fun, and we stimulated the decisions we may make in the future. So that was quite useful, too.

– Stephanie Liu, 1st-year GHRM MBA student

The lecture is very important and exciting, Johnny taught us many things about real-life work in various countries. Johnny also mentioned some important things about recruitment, creating a solid CV, and talent from a business perspective. Overall it is a good lecture and he brought the materials in an exciting way.

– Daryl Andrian, 1st-year GHRM student

It was a very great honor to join in a lecture provided by a full-of-experience guest. Johny has distributed practical experiences working overseas, not only in the professional aspect but also in the cultural aspect, the actual states of living in that certain countries as an ex-pat. In addition, the resume evaluation practice encourages HR skills in assessment.

– Pyo Lin, 1st-year GHRM student

《111-1_SA》 Career Networking: Building careers one step at a time

To assist local students in creating their long-term career goals and encourage international students to learn more about Taiwanese working culture, the Student Association organized the Career Networking event on Friday evening, November 18th, 2022, at the 73 Step Cafe on the NSYSU campus. At least 20 participants participated in this event, including local and international students, three IBMBA and GHRM MBA graduates who joined as guest speakers, and Kang Nguyen served as the event host. 

The event started at 17:30 with Kang's welcoming speech and the organizers' introduction. He also welcomed the three alumni who would lead the round tables for the rest of the event. Additionally, during the introductory session, all speakers were granted a Certificate of Appreciation delivered by our Canadian professor, Wil Martens. The alumni then introduced themselves, their background, and their present employers so that the students were well aware of their current careers. Right after, everyone was welcomed to the buffet table to partake in a delicious vegetarian spread. After the meal, the attendees split up into three tables. There were three rounds of 20 minutes, where the students talked to each speaker one by one in a group of 5 people, and thus, the conversation was more private and entirely based on student inquiries. 

The first table was led by IBMBA alumni Trent Prestegar from Australia, who is currently a Product Marketing Manager at Supermicro. He mainly discussed the Taiwan Employment Gold Card, a way for foreign talents to get a work permit and ARC in Taiwan based on their field of interest. He also described the Taiwanese working environment and provided career tips, such as getting started in Taiwan, growing your career, and overcoming challenges in the workplace.

The second table was led by GHRM MBA alumni Mayya Achyldurdyyeva from Turkmenistan, who is currently pursuing Ph.D. studies in Human Resources at NSYSU. She addressed questions regarding graduation requirements, ranging from the years to pursue Ph.D. studies to the number of publications required to graduate. She also spoke about the advantages and benefits of being a Ph.D. graduate and described the reach of this degree in terms of working in academia. However, she also discussed the drawbacks and negative connotations, like how employers see Ph.D. holders deemed overqualified for many jobs due to their high level of education.

Last but not least, the third table was led by GHRM MBA alumni, Hkawn San from Myanmar, who is an International Marketing Specialist at Synbio Tech Inc. She outlined the importance of studying Chinese for employment in Taiwan and how it helped her set professional objectives. In addition, besides describing her workplace's environment and relationship with coworkers, she also provided advice on how to start one's career as a new graduate as well as how to smoothly address the Taiwanese culture while being a foreigner.

In conclusion, on all three tables, the speakers performed admirably. The students genuinely enjoyed the exercise, and they made good use of the guest speakers' time. Finally, this session was effective since all of the students were able to assess their present situation and rethink and develop their long-term career goals.

《111-1_SA》Learning beyond borders: Fu-Cheng High School Culture Sharing

In this modern world, intercultural knowledge and sharing are more important than ever. As international students, we are always happy to share what we know and what we can give to younger generations. In October 2022, three NSYSU international students from GHRM MBA and IBMBA accepted the invitation from Fu-Cheng High School to come over for two sessions, meet with some of the students, introduce their cultures, and talk to them about sustainable development goals. 

At the first session, international students, Alejandra from Honduras, Honza from the Czech Republic, and Rebeka from Slovakia, met with the students of Fu-Cheng High School and introduced their customs, food, and places to visit in their home countries. Ice-breaking games were also part of the introduction – it not only helped them to get to know the students better but also students got to know more about each other since they all came from different classes.

After the introduction session, students were divided into three groups and each international student was in charge of one group. The international students chose different topics to talk about – teaching the students songs from their country, saying some common phrases in their mother language, and the most important part and the crucial subject of these two sessions, sustainable development goals introduced by the United Nations. In 20 minutes, they briefly introduced their topics, encouraged students to speak and actively participate in the conversation, and asked them to fill out the worksheet at the end of the session. As merit points for participation and appreciation for communicating, the students were given stamps to collect, and in the end, the team who won the most stamps won a prize.

Even though the first session was an introduction to sustainable development goals, the second session was purely about water consumption, water pollution, and talking about our potential to preserve and improve water quality across the world. This session had a practical part this time as well – after the introductory presentation about the environment and water consumption (SDG number 6), the international students, with the help of the teachers who were overseeing the smooth flow of the event, prepared the materials for the students so they could try to build their own water filter.

Thanks to its simple construction process and availability of the materials, it was very easy and educational at the same time to show the students the effect of water filters and the fact that they can actively contribute to environmental preservation. The students were very keen to learn how to make the filter, everyone tried their best to achieve a good result, and everyone (more or less) achieved the goal to filter out the dirt of the water.

The event was very successful – students were very handy and tried hard to achieve good results as well as to cooperate with the international students. The students left the classroom with new knowledge that they would use very responsibly and very effectively in the future. The NSYSU International students would like to thank Fu-Cheng High School who organized this event and asked NSYSU to help, as well as the members who guided them through the event and lent a helping hand whenever needed – 林玟伶、林育妃、張瓊云、吳碧華、周梅如. Thank you for making this great event happen and NSYSU hopes to collaborate on more meaningful events like this in the future.

《111-1 GHRM MBA Student Sharing》Making your way to success: HR Internship at MediaTek Taiwan

Internships can be valuable for students to gain first-hand experience and develop practical skills for their future careers. During the summer break, GHRM MBA 2nd year student, Gordon Lum, got the opportunity to work as an HR intern at MediaTek, a giant in the semiconductor industry in Taiwan. Gordon shares his experience to encourage students to gain work experience and talks about the challenges and opportunities of working as a student.

When asked about why he decided to pursue an internship during the summer break when most students would go back home, he answers, “I am a person who loves challenges and likes to try new things. The reason why I wanted to pursue an internship was not only to see the reality outside the school but also to have a stepping stone that can pave the way for the future. My current goal for the future is to continue in the field of human resources. Still, I cannot efficiently deal with difficult situations at the workplace in the future, just by using theoretical knowledge. No matter how rich the knowledge is, it might not be as concrete as acquiring it on the ground. Therefore, I wanted to do an internship during my studies, first to discover my shortcomings, and then have time to work on myself before entering the workplace.”

Gordon worked as part of the Training & Development team at the Global Human Resources Headquarters which takes care of integrating employees into the company environment while encouraging them to develop knowledge of world-class IC design teams, and effectively utilize the interests, expertise, and abilities of colleagues to implement the value of continuous learning. MediaTek uses functional development plans, to stimulate learning, and further develops a personal development plan for employees as the basis for training, assessment and development. In addition to his daily work and projects, Gordon assisted other colleagues in the department to carry out various projects.

Talking about the work culture, Gordon shares, “The company's working atmosphere is also very good, and everyone in the entire HR department is willing to help each other across departments. Although everyone is generally very busy with work, they were always willing to take the time to teach me, a newcomer to get familiar with everything. At the same time, MediaTek is also a company that encourages its employees to learn and challenge independently, so this allowed me to jump out of my work scope and get in touch with many new things, such as assisting in organizing the three-day, two-night external training program for supervisor-level colleagues; and work with the recruiting department for organizing the orientation for interns in the Everyday Genius program.”

As MediaTek is one of the most cutting-edge technology companies in the world and one of the top companies in Taiwan, Gordon was excited to be selected for the internship. He shares, “I was really happy when I received the acceptance call. I couldn’t imagine that I gained an opportunity to work with elites in this industry from all over the world. I would therefore like to thank the international program of the School of Management of Sun Yat-Sen University for giving me the knowledge and skills I needed to set foot on this starting line, and I am very grateful to the seniors in the company for their care during the internship.”