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- Interview - Prof. Xing Zhang NEW
- Professor Xing Zhang, a marketing professor at Sungkyunkwan University, discusses his background, life before becoming a professor, and his experience at SKKU this year. ■ Where are you from? I grew up in Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region in northern China. It is a region where most Mongolian-speaking people – Mongols in China live. I admit that the name of the place may confuse people if they are not from China. When I say "I am from Inner Mongolia in China," probably they hear "Inner Mongolia" as "in…eh…Mongolia". From time to time, the response was:" So you are from Mongolia? Not China?" I have to give a five-minute lecture on China's history and the difference between Inner Mongolia, which is a region in China, and Mongolia, which is a state. By then, the conversion would often come to a dead-end. ■ Where did you study? I did my undergraduate in China and a PhD in Singapore. ■ What made you choose a business? Admittedly, studying business was not my first choice and not based on my parents' expectation, either. Like many Asian families, my parents took excellent care of my extracurricular activities when I was a kid. I spent a great deal of time practicing accordion after school. At the point I had to decide which major to choose in college seriously, they figured out that studying accordion may not lead to a promising career, and we all happened to agree that studying business may be a better choice in terms of job prospects. ■ What made you decide to go into teaching? Being a student for long enough, I have encountered a lot of great teachers who make significant impacts on me. They were the role-models whom I would like to follow. Several years ago, I served as a teaching assistant to a senior professor who was diagnosed with late cancer and passed away two months later. At the time, he could no longer walk on his own because of the severe side effect from the chemotherapy, so another teaching assistant and I fetched him from the car to the classroom using a wheelchair. What struck me was that he could not speak for very long when we were on the way to the classroom. His voice was so powerless, and I was always worried that he would not be able to teach. But once the classes began, it seems that he was fed with some magical energy from the crowd. He would suddenly turn into a lively lecturer and a powerhouse in leading the class discussion. Everyone in the classroom was so engaged that I even forgot he was ill, and I think so did he. What I saw was that teaching might not be easy, but it is exhilarating if one is entirely devoted to it. ■ What do you enjoy most about teaching? The most enjoyable moments are the ones during the class discussion. Since our MBA students' background are very diverse, they often offered fascinating insights which are completely beyond my expectation. I still remember in one class when we were discussing a case about the fashion retailer "Forever 21". One student from the U.S said the number "21" is very special to American youth because it is the age when drinking alcohol becomes legal. I am still not sure whether that is the reason why the company was named "Forever 21", but now I can remember the legal age for drinking in the U.S forever. ■ What type of research did you conduct in the past? I use lab and field experiments to study consumer psychological biases and their implications in marketing. ■ What are you currently researching? I am working on a project with my co-authors on the chatbot. We look at how chatbot's ability to conduct chitchat influences people's trust towards the chatbot's financial advice. Research in psychology has shown that we tend to use superficial, and sometimes irrelevant characteristics to make inferences about the others' competence. If you like the politician's appearance and voice, you are more likely to consider him/her as trustworthy. This tendency, or bias in decision-making, is coined as the "halo effect" in psychology. We found that this tendency is manifested during human and chatbot interaction. When human decision-maker is randomly assigned to a chattier chatbot who knows the meaning of life (it is 42, of course) and can tell a joke, the decision-maker is more likely to take the chatbot's advice about whether to take financial risk, although the chitchatting and advice-giving are two unrelated features of the chatbot. ■ What has been your best experience so far at SKK GSB? The best experience is interacting with colleagues when I first joined SKK GSB last year. I was impressed by the collegiality here. Everyone is so generous in helping and supporting each other. I felt welcomed when I was settling down in Seoul. There were countless times that I received advice and guidance from my colleagues, which helped me adjust to the new environment. Whitley Pannell, SKK GSB PR Committee, Class of 2021
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- 작성일 2020-01-15
- 조회수 83
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- 2019 Full-Time MBA Year-end party NEW
- The first semester for the Full-Time MBA class of 2021 and the last semester for the Full-Time MBA class of 2020 came to an end. SKK GSB organized the annual Study Break—a formal gathering of students and faculty before Christmas— to wish the class of 2020 a prosperous future and to encourage the class of 2021 to move forward. The annual party started at 6 pm at the Grand Ambassador Hotel, Seoul. The main purpose of this event was to encourage students and instructors to cooperate, socialize and build good relationships outside the classroom. Since the get-together party was held at a time when we were all free, it was a way for us to share information on study and job opportunities as well as to find out how we spent our time and to update everyone else on what was going on in our lives. A delicious buffet style dinner and wine was laid out for all the participants and a lucky draw followed. After the dinner party, some of the students and faculty went to Itaewon to continue their second-round of parties. Everyone enjoyed the time after their final exams, before students and faculty started to plan their own Christmas and new year winter holiday events. Some students planned to visit their home town, some planned to travel abroad with their friends and family members, some decided to stay, review their studies and seek new internship and job opportunities, and some were preparing for their Dual degree and Study abroad program. The class of 2021 will all return and resume classes the first week of Jan, 2020. Yin Lin, SKK GSB PR Committee, Class of 2021
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- 작성일 2020-01-13
- 조회수 102
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- Donation to ‘Dong-Haeng’ with proceeds raised from the PMBA graduation party
- MBA students at Sungkyunkwan University at their graduation party. Students of Sungkyunkwan University have become the talk of the town by their good deeds. The students donated the proceeds raised from the sale of fashion items that fit the dress code at the graduation party on behalf of "Action for Animals” (Dong-Haeng). The animal rights group Dong-Haeng, to which students donated the proceeds, is a professional organization founded for the welfare of captive animals, being the first of its kind in Korea. Since last July, the organization has held a total of 10 monthly-seminars for the welfare of animals used for experiments to provide more information to non-professional outsiders of the Animal Experiment Ethics Committee. Avril Han, an MBA student at Sungkyunkwan University, attended these seminars and was deeply moved by what she saw there. This experience prompted her to devise the donation scheme at the graduation party. Fancy items that fit the dress code of the graduation party were sold, and all proceeds raised at the party were donated to ‘Dong-Haeng’. Avril Han said, "My initial plan was to raise money for the Organic Animal Protection Center. However, I learned from the seminar about the work of Dong-Haeng, and through discussions with my colleagues, I made up my mind to contribute to that." As she explains it, Han was motivated to attend the seminar of Dong-Haeng, "Because I work for a cosmetics company, I had opportunities to visit laboratories and watch laboratory animals. The more knowledge I gained of the harsh reality that animals in experiments face, the more I wanted to do something worthwhile for them. This compelled me to attend the seminars of Dong-Haeng and donate the proceeds from this graduation party." Avril Han said that she was heartbroken whenever she saw the suffering of animals. In order to offer more practical help to the animals, she has been keen on attending seminars to learn more about what animals used in experiments face. Han said she was not aware of Korean organizations like Dong-Haeng, since she spent her early days abroad. She is thankful that there are organizations and groups that offer ideas for her to sympathize with and get inspired by. Avril Han, who spoke with much confidence about her thoughts and beliefs, is a very amiable person. Her amicable nature is exemplified in the picture above. The total sum of proceeds raised at the graduation party was 500,000 KRW; Avril Han herself organized the buying and selling of items that matched the dress code to her classmates. The hard work of Han and her fellow MBA students at Sungkyunkwan University seems to be well portrayed in the picture above. The photo above captures the joy of the graduation party, the thoughts of students on the welfare of the animals experimented upon, and the conviction of Avril Han, who led the party atmosphere. Although the amount of donation was not as huge as contributions sponsored by big companies, the meaning and significance of a 'donation' by the MBA students at Sungkyunkwan University shone brightly. This sponsorship of the MBA students at Sungkyunkwan University definitely inspired the future works of Dong-Haeng and encouraged its incessant focus on the welfare of animals used in experiments. Dong-Haeng is the nation's first professional organization founded for the welfare of captive animals. However, the field where the organization focuses on is yet to be known to many. Prompted by seminars for the Welfare of Animals used in experiments, the donation of MBA students from Sungkyunkwan University would further encourage welfare work in this field and draw the attention of intellectuals around the globe to the field of animals used in experiments. Like the famous saying ‘Rome was not built within a day’, this small deed of students may, one day, be considered as the first step toward greater achievement. Link to the original article(Korean): http://www.yahopet.co.kr/news/51793
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- 작성일 2020-01-09
- 조회수 125
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- Tips for Foreign students to get a decent job
- According to the Korea National Statistical Office, foreigners who earn over 3 million won in monthly salary increased 25.5% in 2019 compared to the previous year. Eamon Byrne, the president of SKK GSB FMBA class of 2019 shared his experience on how to get a decent job. Firstly, your resume and even more importantly, a persuasive cover letter needs to be polished to perfection. I suggest drafting a one-page resume without a photo and with an international email address, such as Gmail. Put your Korea degree at the top and omit mention of Microsoft Word skill. Try to apply fast, because timing is the most important element in the recruitment process. Highlight the internship in Korea, if you have one. Check with your company for visa compliance. Using some professional legal advice and consulting will help you to get a higher salary and to reduce your tax and insurance payment. Secondly, do not be afraid to try. I had applied for more than 100 jobs. And finally, I choose a startup company called DC Medical as my first job in Korea. We acquire technologies that have been invented by doctors in the National Health Service (NHS) of the UK. We then transfer these technologies to Korea where we work to complete value-creating milestones including manufacturing, clinical trials, and regulatory approval. We finally sell our products back to the global medical market. I work alongside our leadership team to develop the firm’s strategic vision and also take part in investor relations while seeking venture capital funding. The experience that I gained at SKK GSB has been of great help in advancing my career and has greatly impacted my daily work. To share my personal experience, I am currently in charge of the due diligence on a company that we are in the process of acquiring. As a part of this process, I am constantly reminding myself of the principles that we learned during SKK GSB’s Corporate Finance class where we learned how to effectively progress through due diligence. As another example, as a part of DC Medical’s strategy team, I am frequently tasked with selecting the countries in which we aim to carry out manufacturing, R&D, and the markets where we plan to launch our products. Thanks to the lessons I learned in our Global Marketing Strategy class, I have been able to plan, align and logically back up the strategies that I could recommend to our company’s executives. Reach the dream job: Simon-Kucher’s pricing strategy specialization and my previous work experience aided me greatly in successfully obtaining my dream strategy consultancy job offer at Simon-Kucher & Partners based in London, starting in the year 2020. Simon-Kucher & Partners is a global strategy consulting firm that specializes in revenue growth by optimizing a firm’s strategy, pricing, marketing and sales. As mentioned above, I advise all students to put your best efforts to learn well from the classes and seek your dream job step by step. Last but not least, reach out to your network and ask for help. When a job interview opportunity does arise, prepare day and night to ensure you have given yourself the best odds to receive that golden offer. To all the fantastic GSB students, work hard, try your best and good luck in finding a decent job and starting your golden journey. Yin Lin, SKK GSB PR Committee, Class of 2021
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- 작성일 2020-01-02
- 조회수 189
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- Dean of The Year: Idalene Kesner of Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business
- The prestigious U.S. MBA journal Poets & Quants named Dean Idie Kesner, Dean of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, "2019 Dean of the Year". The Kelly School is a long-time partner school of SKK GSB. Both schools have been cooperating on a dual-degree track since 2007. More than 500 SKK GSB graduates are also alumni of the Kelly School. SKK GSB congratulates Dean Kesner on her tremendous achievement! Poets & Quants, a leading news site about business education, today announced Indiana University Kelley School of Business Dean Idalene “Idie” Kesner as its Dean of the Year. Kesner, an alumna who earned her MBA and doctorate at Kelley, became dean in May 2013 after holding several leadership roles at the school. The first woman to lead Kelley, she has directed the school through a prodigious period in its history that has included growth in undergraduate and online MBA enrollments without diluting admissions standards, greater student diversity and international expansion. Today, Kelley has a total enrollment of more than 12,250 students at IU Bloomington and IUPUI. “Through more than seven years as dean, she had made smart bets on the future of business education by leveraging the school's early leadership in online learning. For an academic, she has made bold and innovative investments to serve the needs of her students,” said Poets & Quants editor John Byrne in an article announcing Kesner’s selection. The article highlighted many points of pride for the Kelley School, including the doubling of its undergraduate population to about 8,000 students and enrollment in the Kelley Direct online MBA and MS programs to almost 1,000 students, and its expanded portfolio of other master’s degree programs. Kesner is the ninth person to receive this honor. Deans previously honored include those at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, the Harvard Business School, the Yale School of Management, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Read the full story: https://poetsandquants.com/2019/12/19/dean-of-the-year-idie-kesner-of-indiana-universitys-kelley-school-of-business
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- 작성일 2019-12-26
- 조회수 145
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- PMBA, Class of 2020 – ABP Final Presentation
- SKK GSB PMBA Class of 2020 Spring cohort – Applied Business Project (ABP) Final Presentation SKK GSB PMBA 5th cohort, (Class of 2020, Spring) had their ABP Presentation on December 14, 2019. PMBA students came up with brilliant business models and ideas. They had put in lots of hard work during this three-month project course. ABP is a unique project course that SKK GSB offers to its MBA students. The ABP course allows students to apply business knowledge they gained through a two-year MBA program. During the course, they attended special lectures from guest speakers who are industry experts. Mr. Charles Kim, CSO of Cha Bio Group, gave a lecture on how to think strategically and critically like a consultant and Mr. Rod Rothwell spoke on effective presentation. Out of four teams who presented, the team of Minkyung Paik, Richard Hong, Weldon Rice, Aaron Moon and Mark Cho’s project on WECARE was declared the winner. Students were thankful to the ABP faculty committee of Professor Tai-Young Kim and Professor Youngju Nielsen for their insightful guidance. - Written by Lina Minhyung Kim (Vice-President of Class of 2020 Spring Student Council)
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- 작성일 2019-12-20
- 조회수 419
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- Excellent Teaching Award sharing by Prof. Chengwei Wang
- Prof. Chengwei Wang comes from Shanghai, China, holding a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Tsinghua University and a doctoral degree in Finance from INSEAD. She joined SKK Graduate School of Business in August 2016. She received the SKK GSB Full-Time MBA Program Teaching Excellence Award in 2017 and also in 2018. She shared her teaching experience at SKK GSB as following: • Professors can be serious and, at the same time, fun. Teaching topics clearly with their storytelling or some short case exercises can make academic courses really interesting and sometimes unexpectedly so. It will make the students more like friends rather than just treating them as students. • Trying to reduce our teaching information by using keywords and simple words can be more productive. Focus on one topic each time. In general, MBA students have diverse background and different understandings of various classes. Teaching here is not about showing what we know, but making sure everyone clearly understands what we are trying to deliver to them, which may be beneficial to them in future applications. • Treat every student equally and always expect the best from each student. At the same time, do not expect too much from everyone. We should realize that no one is perfect in the world. Never leave any student feeling like their efforts have been wasted. • Make the homework assignments and exams closely related to the in-class topics to check that everyone is on the same page. Also, try to review the knowledge and some tasks in class so that the students have more work-life balance in their spare time. • Give some group research assignments related to the class for the students to learn creative ideas and make them learn from each other. Good students often cause a good professor. Pranitha Divya Sri Gajula, a student from India of the class of 2021, said, "I love the way Professor Wang taught us, I learned the new knowledge of Managerial Economics with a lot of fun. There are so many interactive activities and world-wide cases in class, which increased my motivation and knowledge retention. Michael G. Osborn, a student from the U.S., FMBA class of 2021, said, "One of the difficult parts of an MBA program, in general, is that the students come from a variety of disciplines and might lack a business foundation. Prof. Wang's class was incredibly effective because she did an exceptional job of using examples from a wide variety of areas to explain complex economic concepts, thus bridging the divide and including students who struggled conceptually."
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- 작성일 2019-12-06
- 조회수 363
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- The Importance of Effective Business Writing
- Nov 7, 2019—The Full-Time MBA Class of 2021 started their first day of Effective Business Writing taught by Mr. Colin Gennoe. This class is the preparatory course for Applied Business Project. The mission of SKK GSB is to advance business knowledge in a multicultural learning environment to develop socially responsible managers who will lead a global organization. As a future global leader, it is essential to demonstrate your logical and critical ideas and integrate them into multivariate business situations. Excellent and persuasive writing skills can affect how people are perceived. Thus, practical business writing skills to improve communication in the workplace is essential for every student, even for native English speakers. Mr. Colin Gennoe encouraged students to think critically and employ strategies to overcome some common fears of writing. He emphasized the need to understand the use of formal and informal language to achieve practical professional communication skills and get ready for the Applied Business Project. Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery, and technology is the pen and paper of our time. It isn't where you come from, it's where you're going that counts. The more you write, the better you are. Yin Lin, SKK GSB PR Committee, FMBA Class of 2021
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- 작성일 2019-12-06
- 조회수 289
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- Graduates from MBA schools in Korea shared their experiences.
- Choi Eun-pil(Professional MBA, Class of 2019, right in the picture) attended an MBA conference that was hosted by the Korea Economic Daily on Sep 26. "I got rid of the thirst for professional knowledge through the MBA...I have a lot of connections after graduation." Q) What made you to opt for an MBA? A) Choi Eun-pil, Head of Kakao's Foreign Policy Department: I received a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. However, the charge thrust upon me at work was predominantly related to business planning. For the last 11 years at work, I always yearned for an opportunity to learn more about management and strategy. Self-studying is, you know, not sufficient enough. This is why I chose the Professional MBA course at Sungkyunkwan University, where I can continue to work during the day and take classes at night. Q) Do you think pursuing an MBA degree in Korea has put you at any disadvantage? A) Choi Eun-pil: I did look into MBA courses overseas when I first thought about doing an MBA. However, it was not an easy decision to make, since it meant that I would have had to leave the company and go abroad to study for two years. Other issues, such as a career break and tuition, also played a significant role in my decision. I chose to do an MBA in Korea because it allowed me to study and work without having to worry about giving up either one. Until the early 2000s, I believe there was an unfounded admiration for overseas MBAs to a certain extent. However, the situation has now changed – Korean MBA programs have become a lot more competitive. I think that there is no reason to insist on pursuing an MBA degree overseas. The full article(Korean): https://www.hankyung.com/society/article/2019093023001
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- 작성일 2019-11-27
- 조회수 349
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- Interview - Prof. Ercos Valdivieso
- Recently, Sungkyunkwan University PR team interviewed with Professor Ercos Valdivieso. The following is the full interview. Hello! My name is Ercos Valdivieso. My hometown is Santiago, the capital and largest city of Chile. I received a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Engineering from the University of Chile and a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of British Columbia. 'Excellent' Life in Korea Professor Valdivieso came to Korea in 2017 as an assistant professor at SKK GSB, Sungkyunkwan University. "Briefly speaking, my decision to come to Korea was determined by my professional and personal interests. And now I see that I was not wrong. From the very beginning, having the experience to be an assistant professor at SKK GSB, Sungkyunkwan University, has allowed me to grow in several aspects of my life. For instance, it has been a perfect opportunity to become a member of the best business school in Asia and at the same time, learn more about this great nation! After two years living in Korea, I can say with much confidence that I made the right choice. Korea is a very special country. From its traditional culture to its modern developments across cities, I feel Korea can provide the perfect combination to anyone who is looking for a great place to live, work and grow professionally." Professor Valdivieso emphasized that Korea is full of surprises. "Whenever I think that I have become familiar with Korea, I encounter something new – especially when I get a chance to travel. I believe this is the most fascinating aspect of Korea. In particular, I cannot help marveling at its traditions, historical venues, unique tourism and hospitality. To be honest, I am certain that Korea will keep surprising me no matter how much time I spend here." Growth at SKKU "As an instructor, I always try to make sure my students focus on the forest instead of the trees. I believe that once the big picture becomes intuitive, the understanding of the details becomes not only straightforward but also more permanent. I feel very satisfied when I observe my students conveying their ideas in a coherent and intuitive way." Professor Valdivieso, who has an educational philosophy of "Focus on Forest”, said to us that he is honored that he had an opportunity to further advance as a scholar by working as an assistant professor of SKK GSB at Sungkyunkwan University. He lavished much praise on SKK GSB, emphasizing that it is indeed Asia's top Business school. We also inquired about his most memorable moment at SKKU. "The graduation ceremony at SKK GSB, Sungkyunkwan University, is certainly an unforgettable moment in my life. As a professor, I have the chance to see the academic growth of my students over their two years at the program. Then, seeing them at their graduation makes me overwhelmed by pride for their accomplishments. No doubt, graduation ceremonies at SKK GSB are genuinely heart-warming experiences." Then, Professor Valdivieso explained in detail his view about the Finance courses at SKK GSB. "As an assistant professor of Finance, I see the financial knowledge and the state-of-the-art financial methodology taught to our students at SKK GSB as key factors which will facilitate their future career development. Indeed, our courses will help our students to make accurate data-orientated decisions and increase their leadership in real-world situations." He also cited "Mergers and Acquisitions" as his most memorable module. "Last winter, I taught a subject called ‘Mergers and Acquisitions’ at SKK GSB. The course was very well-received by students. I believe that this module neatly captured the harmonious combination of conceptual knowledge and practical methods. According to the assessments of the students, the module helped them immensely in their job interviews. I personally think that it was a meaningful experience for me as well." PIPELINE for the Future "I currently have an important research pipeline that I aspire to execute over the following two to three years. This will be done in collaboration with numerous co-authors around the world. Undoubtedly, the future looks quite exciting on the research side. Currently, I find myself fascinated with the fast-growing and exciting intersection between finance and technology as well as social networks. Consequently, I believe a legit plan for the future would be to become a leading expert on these fields of study”. “Teaching-wise, I expect to continue improving as an effective educator. To me, teaching is like working-out. When I see results, I want to continue improving them”. “Any plans outside my profession? Of course, I hope I manage to spare more time travelling around Korea and Asia!" To Students of SKKU... "Always try to take a proactive role in your learning. At SKKU, you will have the opportunity to interact with experts in diverse fields who are willing to help you to explore your passions and skills. Embrace this opportunity and use every single course in your program to tailor your future career path."
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- 작성일 2019-11-22
- 조회수 364
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