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- [Maeil Business News] SKK GSB leads the Korean MBA market
- Sungkyunkwan University’s SKK GSB leads the Korean MBA market with customized career development services and lectures 100% in English Sungkyunkwan University’s SKK Graduate School of Business (SKK GSB) was ranked 35th in the world (1st in Korea, 7th in Asia) in this year’s Financial Times (FT) Global MBA Ranking, which is the world’s most widely recognized and authoritative one. SKK GSB is the leading successful example of the “Korean MBA Program“ project, which Korea’s Ministry of Education ran from 2006 to 2015 . This project aimed to develop Global MBA programs in Korea in which lectures would be delivered entirely in English by international faculty so that students would not have to travel abroad for world-class business education. Such programs were established in 14 Korean universities, but only SKK GSB’s has consistently been listed in the FT Global MBA Ranking. Other Korean business schools such as KAIST (99th in 2011) and Korea University (86th in 2013) were listed in the rankings only once before they dropped out. In the 2021 rankings, SKK GSB was ranked 35th in the world, 7th in Asia, and 1st in Korea. INSEAD (France/Singapore) topped the list, followed by London Business School and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. This year, Asian business schools featured strongly: 17 of the top 100 MBA schools in the world were Asian, with 12 in the top 50. These included China's CEIBS (6th), the National University of Singapore (15th), Hong Kong National University of Science and Technology (19th), and Hong Kong University (29th). SKK GSB has been the springboard for many students to change their career paths. For example, SKK GSB graduate Seong Chul Shin (FMBA 2017) is currently a member of Amazon headquarters’ finance team. Before entering SKK GSB, he worked for a Korean auto parts company. Mr. Shin explains, “I majored in industrial engineering as an undergraduate, and I was then employed in the auto parts business. I was unsatisfied in my job, so I wanted a change of career. After enrolling at SKK GSB, I acquired a range of useful knowledge. This alongside indirect experience gained through case studies helped me start my new career. I focused on finance at SKK GSB, where I learned a lot about the field and developed my capabilities. This put me in an ideal position to fulfill my role on my projects at Amazon, where I work on financial performance management and forecasting, business feasibility assessment, and financial analysis.” The SKK GSB success recipe: Global perspective & customized career development services SKK GSB is the only Korean business school to have been listed in the FT Global MBA Ranking every year since 2012, and the MBA is now ranked 35th in the world. The cornerstone of this success has been the steadfast work behind the scenes to internationalize thoroughly, and to lead the field in career development services. SKK GSB is a highly globalized school: 68 percent of SKK GSB faculty and 58 percent of the full-time MBA students are from outside Korea. Examples of international faculty include Dean Eric Shih (USA), Vice Dean Raunaq Pungaliya (India), and Full-Time MBA Program Director Aleksios Gotsopoulos (Greece). All SKK GSB courses are taught fully in English. SKK GSB’s career development services tailor their advice to individual students’ needs. Dedicated staff – including the new Director of the Career Development Center, who is an HR expert with over 20 years’ experience in multinational companies – partner with recruitment agencies to conduct a range of systematic and professional career development programs. The placement rate of SKK GSB full-time MBA graduates (within three months of graduation) has risen steadily from 88 percent in 2019 to 91 percent in 2021. SKK GSB’s strengths in globalization and career services were evident in the FT 2021 Global MBA Ranking, in which the school was ranked 17th in the world for international faculty, 5th for career services, 13th for career progress, and 16th for value for money. SKK GSB alumnus Eamon Byrne (FMBA 2019), management consultant at Simon-Kucher & Partners in the UK, notes: “I place great value on the exceedingly global nature of SKK GSB. While it is of course great to learn from the Korean perspective of business, it was critically important for me to become internationally competitive upon graduation. This was possible due to the school’s globally focused culture, which stems from having such a diverse range of nationalities of both students and faculty alike.” A customized curriculum for the AI era SKK GSB has transformed in recent years to foster the kind of management talent needed in the AI era. Novel courses focus on AI and machine learning, digital age corporate strategy, digital and social media analytics, business intelligence, data visualization, digital marketing, financial analytics, and business analytics. It is the school’s philosophy that students should be well-rounded and prepared for modern-day business realities. In the words of Dean Eric Shih, ”We see the future of the MBA as fostering graduates who are well-versed in both the art and the science of management – professionals who are comfortable in a creative advertising brainstorming session, and who the next minute become number geeks who can uncover new consumer trends by analyzing mountains of sales data – perfect SKK GSB graduates.” Original full article in Korean: https://www.mk.co.kr/news/special-edition/view/2021/03/226913/
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- 작성일 2021-03-10
- 조회수 7027
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- [Maeil Business News] “Green Bonds” remain popular despite low interest rates
- Professor Youngju Nielsen (SKK GSB) has written a column about green bonds on MK News (Maeil Business News). The latest change in Korea to attract my attention is the issuance of ”green bonds” . SK Rent-a-Car announced in early January that they would issue green bonds worth up to 90 billion won. The Ministry of Environment also published a guidebook in December 2020 to encourage revitalization of the green bond market. As we can assume from their name, green bonds are bonds that are related to the environment. Then what exactly is a green bond? A green bond is a type of bond. Bond investors are paid interest by the issuing entity at regular intervals. When a bond matures, its face value is returned, just as the principal is returned [JPB2] . Companies can use the money received from bond investors for corporate activities. However, funds accrued by issuing green bonds should only be invested in assets or business related to environmental protection. Prime examples of such green projects are development of renewable energy, clean transportation, and sustainable water resources. Green bonds cannot simply be issued under the name ‘green bond’. Rather, they are certified by the Climate Bonds Standard Board. There is no problem if regular bonds are used for green projects, so why is there a need for green bonds? An expense is incurred when companies issue bonds, and green bonds must satisfy more conditions, so these inevitably cost more to issue. However, companies can reap more benefits, outweighing the greater issuance cost. Original article in Korean: https://news.mk.co.kr/v2/economy/view.php?year=2021&no=79978
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- 작성일 2021-03-05
- 조회수 6643
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- SKK GSB Alumni Online Meeting
- The Alumni Association is organizing the 1st online meeting on 6 March, 2021. *Access Info* SKKGSB ALUMNI is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: SKK GSB Alumni 2021 Time: Mar 6, 2021 04:30 PM Seoul (The meeting will be started at 5 PM) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88467755322?pwd=RXdVaUI3Sndjak1wN0JUWmw1OUFuUT09 Meeting ID: 884 6775 5322 Passcode: 412076 One tap mobile +12532158782,,88467755322#,,,,*412076# US (Tacoma) +13017158592,,88467755322#,,,,*412076# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 884 6775 5322 Passcode: 412076 Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcHeA8lbIp Hope to see you all there!
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- 작성일 2021-03-03
- 조회수 6096
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- PMBA Students (Jung Hwan Cha, Seung Moo Lee, Jae Oh Seo, and Minseok Kim) awarded in 2020 MBA Case Competition
- Last December, four of SKK GSB’s Professional MBA students (Jung Hwan Cha, Seung Moo Lee, Jae Oh Seo, and Minseok Kim) participated in the 2020 MBA Case Competition sponsored by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Their topics were “CJ Group’s Post-COVID-19 Global Strategy” and “Response Strategy to the Eco-friendly Trend.” Twenty teams competed, and our students’ plan to expand air cargo business was ranked highly, being given an Excellence Award. Group leader Jung Hwan Cha reports on the competition. This competition was only open to MBA students, and I wanted to make the most out of my two years as an MBA student, so I was keen to participate . I also saw this as a unique opportunity to engage in activities outside school, and to apply what I had learned so far in the classroom to solve challenges that companies face in the real world. We chose CJ Group’s Post-COVID-19 Global Strategy as our topic, and we decided to focus on CJ Logistics’ becoming a global powerhouse in the logistics industry, specifically by expanding its air cargo business. The impact of the COVID-19 crisis is being felt by businesses all around the world, but one sector that has seen major growth is the logistics/cargo industry. CJ Logistics, which currently has the largest market share in Korea, has been expanding globally in recent years. We believe that this sector will grow significantly in the future, partly due to COVID-19, and by quickly expanding its air cargo business, CJ Logistics can catch up with current global market leaders such as FedEx and DHL. It was difficult to find time to work on this project between school and work. We initially met after Tuesday’s class to choose our topic and to set a project timeline, so we chose the team name Tuesday Night Strategy (TNS) to recall our first meeting. When we each completed our allocated tasks, we met on Zoom then in person to discuss and compile our presentation. This project required a lot of research since it was a field with which none of us was familiar. It was therefore important to work together and to respect each other’s opinions. Even though the four of us had not worked together before, we were quickly able to agree on the direction of the project. We were also able to learn about the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy, and how different industries and companies are coping and innovating during this crisis. Building on what we [have learned from this experience, we hope to compete again next year. We also hope that other students from SKK GSB take more interest in future competitions such as this.
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- 작성일 2021-02-16
- 조회수 6300
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- SKK GSB ranked 35th in the world-2021 Financial Times Global MBA Ranking
- Sungkyunkwan University Graduate School of Business (SKK GSB) has been ranked 35th in the world, 7th in Asia, and 1st in Korea in the 2021 Financial Times (FT) Global MBA Ranking. The FT Global MBA Ranking is an annual indicator of business schools’ overall status and quality. Unlike other rankings centered on US MBA programs, the FT ranking is global and assesses business schools all around the world. SKK GSB is the only Korean business school in the world’s top 100. SKK GSB’s MBA has been crowned #1 in Korea for ten consecutive years, while it has been among the top 50 worldwide since 2017. Asian business schools fareprominently in these rankings: 12 were included in the top 50, including HKU, CEIBS, NUS, HKUST, and SKK GSB. SKK GSB recieved a particularly high score in the following categories: career services (5th), career progress (13th), and international faculty percentage(17th). Professor Eric Shih, Dean of SKK GSB, notes: "We are proud of this accomplishment. It is a strong signal that SKK GSB is being recognized globally for the value we deliver and the impact we have on our students and alumni’s careers.” SKK GSB launched two new programs last year, the AI MBA and the MS in Business Analytics. These programs bring together advanced topics in AI and big data with business education to help students acquire the knowledge and skills that are essential in Industry 4.0. These courses have attracted tremendous interest, not only from individual applicants, but also from companies. SKK GSB's MBA has also been gaining rapidly in popularity. In particular, the number of applicants for the 100%-English program increased significantly year-on-year. In a world ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, Korea has proven to be a relatively safe place to live and study. Many students who were planning to pursue an MBA abroad decided to remain in Korea instead, while the number of foreign students at SKK GSB continued its steady rise.
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- 작성일 2021-02-08
- 조회수 7782
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- Meet the President and Vice President of the SKK GSB Alumni Association: Mr.Hee Bai Kim and Mr.Chong Man Suk
- Mr. Hee Bai Kim (EMBA 2016) and Mr. Chong Man Suk (EMBA 2015) graduated from the Executive MBA program and have taken the roles of President and Vice President of the Alumni Association since early 2020. They have done well in maintaining their connections with the SKK Graduate School of Business. Q. When and why did you decide to pursue the EMBA program? A. Mr. Kim: Pursuing an MBA had been part of my career plan ever since I was in my 20s. The career I had envisioned for myself was clear from a young age, and I gave myself a goal of working in senior management for a company and pursuing an EMBA degree in my 40s so that I could excel in a leadership and executive role. I have always maintained that constant learning is critical. Therefore, I believed that going back to school to obtain an EMBA degree after years of accumulating professional work experience would allow me to better understand the theories taught in class. Mr. Suk: Unlike Mr. Kim, I never had a plan to pursue an EMBA degree until SKK GSB came to our company to host a workshop. After that seminar by SKKU, I realized that it would be a good opportunity for me to continue my learning and keep my competitiveness in the company by pursuing an EMBA degree. Q. Why did you choose SKK GSB to pursue an EMBA degree? A. SKK GSB is the only MBA school in Korea that boasts a truly international pedigree that is consistent with today’s globalized economy and with courses that are taught 100% in English. Over 60% of the faculty come from international backgrounds. The student body was also very international, adding to the diverse cultural flavor. Also, the case studies we had discussed in class were all discussed in a global context. Finally, the global field trips offered us real, hands-on international business experiences. Attending SKK GSB helped us broaden our global vision and gave us an opportunity to master our business communication skills, especially in English. Both of us are currently working in multinational corporations and our experience at SKK GSB has helped tremendously in this aspect. Q. What has been most memorable from your EMBA journey? A. The entire EMBA journey was fruitful and we had lots of great experiences. One of the most unforgettable experiences was the Global Field Trip to the U.S. For two weeks, we visited many of the iconic places in America and exchanged ideas with a diverse group of academic scholars. However, more than just the academic experiences, the social gatherings allowed the entire class to truly get to know one another in a fun, casual environment. It was a valuable opportunity for all of us to get closer to each other, something that had been challenging to do in Korea due to the busy work schedules of our classmates, who were executives or senior managers in their respective firms. The two-week Global Field Trip gave us a temporary respite from our everyday norm, and allowed us to enjoy our time with each other. Q. How did the EMBA program help with your career success? A. At work, we are not given the leeway to make mistakes, and any mistake could potentially be detrimental to the company. As a senior manager, we are also expected to know everything. However, at SKK GSB, we were encouraged to try out new ideas and we were allowed the leeway to make mistakes, as mistakes could provide a good opportunity to learn from. It wasn’t wrong to say “I don’t know” whenever we encountered something we were not aware of and we were able to learn new theories from our professors and our peers. It was great that we could indeed be “ourselves” and continuously acquire new knowledge in a pressure-free environment. Teamwork was also highly emphasized at SKK GSB. It was difficult for us to work as a team initially, as many of us came from leadership positions and we were used to making the decisions at work. After multiple team projects, however, we were able to get a firm grasp on the importance of teamwork and how to deal with diverse set of opinions. The MBA program was also driven by learning through case studies, which helped us enhance our problem-solving skills. During the program, we studied over 100 real-life cases and learned how to solve different practical problems. The case studies prepared us thoroughly on how to tackle real-world business issues and handle complex problems in a more efficient way, and has proved beneficial to our work life. Taking courses in English also gave us opportunities to practice business English outside of work. Our English communication skills have since improved a lot, thanks in part to the program. Q. Why did you want to come back to the campus and join the Alumni Association? A. We both had an amazing EMBA experience at SKK GSB. Yet, we felt it was a pity that the opportunities to reunite with our classmates after graduation were few and far between, as everyone had to go back to their busy work life. We thought that it would be great if we could reconnect with the school and get to meet everyone again. We also wanted to help other graduates and alumni rebuild their connections with the school as well. Therefore, we decided to join the Alumni Association. Every time we come back to the school, we feel younger and rejuvenated. Q. What is the plan and mission of the Alumni Association? A. We had grand ambitions and planned to bring the alumni together at the beginning of the year. Unfortunately, most of the plans have been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been monitoring the situation closely and we are planning to move some events (e.g., alumni gathering) online in early 2021. Hopefully, we will be able to gather and meet each other in person soon after the pandemic is contained. Irene So and Bomi Kim, SKK GSB PR Committee, Class of 2022
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- 작성일 2021-02-03
- 조회수 6909
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- SKK GSB Professor Gokce Basbug publishes study on Economic Policy Responses to the COVID-19
- Professor Gokce Basbug (SKK GSB), in collaboration with Ceyhun Elgin (Columbia University) and Abdullah Yalaman (Eskisehir Osmangazi University) has published cutting-edge research on the economic policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. His article, “Economic Policy Responses to a Pandemic: Developing the Covid-19 Economic Stimulus Index” appeared in CEPR’s Covid Economics: Vetted and Real-Time Papers and has already gained wide media coverage from TIME, Washington Post, BBC, Forbes, VoxEU, and BBC Mundo. The authors collected extensive data on the economic policy responses of 168 countries over the course of the pandemic since March 2020, including data on fiscal and monetary policy, and balance of payments/exchange rate measures. Typical fiscal policies included transfers to households and businesses, extension of the labor market and social safety benefits, and funds for the healthcare system. South Korea, for example, introduced cash transfers for quarantined individuals, consumption coupons for low-income households, and wage and rent support for small businesses; Germany expanded access to short-term work subsidies, increased childcare benefits for low-income parents, and provided grants to small business owners and self-employed persons affected by the outbreak etc. In addition, the study conducted a comparative analysis of measures across countries. The analysis showed that countries expected to experience a sharper decline in GDP in 2020 (according to the International Monetary Fund forecasts) adopted larger fiscal and macro-financial packages. In a similar vein, wealthier countries adopted larger policy packages. In comparison, countries with higher inflation rates in 2019 introduced lower policy rates and reserve requirement cuts, and adopted smaller macro-financial packages. The data, which have been regularly updated, can be found here: http://web.boun.edu.tr/elgin/COVID.htm Reference: Study Info Economic Policy Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic by GOKCE BASBUG (SKK Graduate School of Business, Sungkyunkwan University), CEYHUN ELGIN (Columbia University), ABDULLAH YALAMAN (Eskisehir Osmangazi University) The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has resulted in more than 65 million confirmed cases and caused 1.5 million deaths related to COVID-19 as of early December 2020. In addition to human suffering and loss of lives, the outbreak generated a major global economic downturn. To mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic on the economy, governments have adopted expansionary economic packages. In our study, we created an extensive database of 168 countries’ economic policy responses over the course of the pandemic, including fiscal, monetary, and balance of payments/exchange rate measures. Typical fiscal policies include transfers to households and businesses, extension of the labor market and social safety benefits, and funds for the healthcare system. For example, South Korea introduced cash transfers for quarantined individuals, consumption coupons for low-income households, and wage and rent support for small businesses. Germany expanded access to short-term work subsidies, increased childcare benefits for low-income parents, and provided grants to small business owners and self-employed persons affected by the outbreak. The major conventional monetary policy tool used by central banks is the cuts in different types of policy rates. Central banks have also used several macro-prudential measures, such as cuts in reserve requirement ratios on different types of deposits. In our study, in addition to creating a dataset by coding economic policy responses, we provide a cross-country comparison of these measures. Our analysis with the data show that countries that are expected to experience a sharper decline in GDP in the year of 2020 according to the International Monetary Fund forecasts have adopted larger fiscal and macro-financial packages. Moreover, richer countries have adopted larger policy packages. In addition, countries with a higher inflation rate in 2019 have implemented lower policy rates and reserve requirement cuts as well as adopted smaller macro-financial packages. For our project, we had started programming economic policy responses in March of 2020 and have been regularly updating the database since then. Our up-to-date data and academic paper as well as media coverage by major outlets can be found at our web page.
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- 작성일 2021-01-19
- 조회수 15147
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- SKK GSB Alumni News: Promotions at Samsung Group
- Sechul Oh (EMBA 2017) has been promoted to President and CEO of Samsung C&T . Also from the same class, Kyungjun Lee (EMBA 2017) has been promoted to Vice President of Samsung Electronics, while Hochang Yu (EMBA 2017) has become Vice President of Samsung Display. SKK GSB is delighted and honored that so many alumni from the same class have been promoted at once. Congratulations to everyone who has advanced their career . SKK GSB wishes you all well in your new roles, and looks forward to hearing updates from alumni in the promising new year.
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- 작성일 2021-01-14
- 조회수 6449
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- [Student Interview] Jisuk Shin, PMBA Class of 2022: On work-life balance as a business professional and an MBA student
- Jisuk Shin (PMBA Class of 2022) is a business consultant at Fuji Xerox Korea, an IT solution and service provider company that supports its client companies in improving their business processes and solving related problems. In this interview, Mr. Shin talks about his experience as a Professional MBA student, his current profession, and future career aspirations after the MBA program. Q. Please introduce yourself and tell us about the company you are currently working for A. I am working for Fuji Xerox Korea as a business consultant. I have been working for this company for 13 years, including two years working overseas in Hong Kong. As a business consultant, my primary role is to make the customer’s work that is related to documents more efficient. If a customer is using an excessive number of printers unnecessarily, I design optimized solutions in order to reduce costs. Besides, if a customer’s task is simple and repetitive, then an RPA* software robot can be used to automate the task. * RPA solution (“Robotic Process Automation”) is a form of business process automation based on algorithms and patterns. There is a convenience factor with robots doing the work of humans in detecting business bottlenecks; companies can thus get highly efficient solutions with greater accuracy and without worrying about possible human errors. Q. What made you pursue an MBA at SKK GSB? Please tell us about your experience as a PMBA student. A. The industry is experiencing rapid market-trend changes. The printer-related hardware industry will not be profitable anymore due to the digital work environment in line with paperless and electronic documentation. Therefore, I wanted to increase my competitiveness and become a valuable employee for my company. I came to the conclusion that pursuing an MBA would bring me closer to the goal I wanted to achieve. I chose SKK GSB for both its prestige and uniqueness – SKK GSB offers English-only MBA classes in a multicultural environment. I have always wanted to expose myself to an English-speaking culture in order to overcome language barriers and learn more about global business trends. As I hope to expand my network during the MBA program, I am also working as a board member for the PMBA class. Q. What activities do you engage in as a PMBA board member? A. I believe networking is a vital aspect when it comes to an MBA experience and business in general. All of our cohort board members have wanted more active networking events, and we had planned a number of exciting activities at the beginning of the school year, such as hiking, golfing, and surfing. However, the ongoing pandemic has prevented us from turning our ideas into reality so far. Nevertheless, as business professionals who highly value networking, our class is very motivated and determined to initiate activities when the right time arrives. We hope to expand our networking soon with the other MBA programs within SKK GSB as well as with the MBA students from other schools in the country. My ultimate goal is to create a formal networking platform within two years, integrate all the students from PMBA classes, and then expand it to other MBA schools. Q. How has your MBA experience been so far, and how has the experience helped you in your current career? A. So far, my MBA experience has been great, and I am happy to have met and worked with my strong-willed classmates based on our shared goals despite COVID-19. SKK GSB has done well in providing a contact-free remote working environment, which I believe will persist even after the pandemic, and this experience has truly been worthwhile since we can prepare ourselves better for the near-future working environment. Some of my favorite classes so far include “Operations Management” taught by Frank Huettner, “Management of Organizations” by Jaepil Choi, and “Managerial Economics” by Chengwei Wang. I found “Operations Management” to be very practical, especially in my field of work. In “Management of Organizations”, I learned the importance of networking and how to expand my network. Finally, in “Managerial Economics”, I learned the importance of balancing between quantitative and qualitative analysis. The MBA classes have positively impacted my attitude and mindset, and I am thankful for this experience. Q. What are your career aspirations after the MBA program? A. I have two aspirations regarding my future career. First I hope to become more competitive and advance within my company. I have the ambition to become an executive at Fuji Xerox. Second, based on my global MBA experience, I hope to relocate to an overseas Fuji Xerox office and work in a multicultural setting. Irene So and Bomi Kim, SKK GSB PR Committee, Class of 2022
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- 작성일 2021-01-06
- 조회수 6531
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- [Professor Interview] Professor Kim Claes Talks about the Future of Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies
- Kim Claes, Professor of Management at SKK GSB, teaches the “Cryptoeconomics and Blockchain Technologies” course in both the Full-time MBA and the Professional MBA Programs. Here Professor Claes provides his analytical insights on the potential implications of this novel technology and its further development. Q. First, could you share with us how you developed an interest in blockchain and cryptocurrency, given that your academic specialization is in Management? A. I studied physics for my bachelor’s and actuarial science for my master’s at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB, Belgium). After that I obtained my Ph.D. in Management from INSEAD. Before joining SKK GSB as a Management professor, I worked in global capital markets at BNP Paribas where I was pricing derivatives and options. Therefore, mathematics and finance have been a part of my academic and professional background throughout much of my life. Five years ago, I had the opportunity to attend the World Knowledge Forum in Seoul. For the first time, I heard several speakers there talking about how big blockchain technology - the technology underlying Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies - could become. Since then, I have developed a growing interest in this field, and I started to read books and articles on blockchain and did research on the industry. In fact, it was challenging to get information about blockchain five years ago, as the subject was very new to everyone. I could only find highly technical, very complex cryptography/IT books or bad quality vulgarization that was mostly imprecise or even outright inaccurate. Luckily, I made some friends in this industry who pointed me in the right direction. Since early 2019, information in the field has become widely available and is improving in quality and clarity by the day. Aside from entrepreneurship and venture capital, therefore, my current research interests also include blockchain and cryptocurrencies. Q. How do you assess the future of cryptocurrencies? A. While more and more people are becoming aware of blockchain technology with all the hype around cryptocurrencies, not many people are using them yet - for reasons other than speculation - due to the infancy of the industry; the lack of user-friendliness; the somewhat negative press from mainstream media; and the lack of understanding of the technology. In the long run, however, I have no doubt that blockchain technology will permeate many areas of our lives, starting with the financial industries. Moreover, some cryptocurrencies will be used as actual currencies and as a medium of exchange in several countries. Nevertheless, how cryptos will develop or which ones will survive will be heavily affected by government regulations. Q. Why do you think it is crucial for students to learn about blockchain and cryptocurrencies? A. Blockchain technology is here to stay, and cryptocurrencies will become significant components of our economy in the future. Just by looking at the development of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) projects all over the globe, we can tell that governing bodies are trying to ride that wave too. Looking for ways to play a part in that digital ecosystem, many companies have already been seeking people who have a good grasp of the industry and its current dynamics, and are able to directly help firms in that endeavor. As proof, three of my students who took my class at SKK GSB and had internships in the industry, received job offers shortly after. So far, people knowledgeable in cryptocurrencies and Blockchain have usually come from a computer science background. However, aside from these technically-oriented people, firms also need business-minded people who can merge technical knowledge into business practices. Accordingly, students in our MBA programs are now being offered training in this area. My class covers the fundamentals of this technology and some of its applications in the business world. It also covers some valuation methodologies and offers insights from industry expert guests such as the anchor from CNBC Cryptocurrency Channel, the co-founder of Proof Suite (a blockchain-based asset management platform), a manager of Line’s crypto-related VC fund, etc. In addition to the regular MBA programs, SKK GSB has started offering a specialized degree in data analytics, thereby granting students the opportunity to meet with industry experts in order to understand the current applications of technology in the real business world. Q. Do you have any recommendations for students who want to know more about the field? A. As a (future) business leader, you do not need to learn the latest technical details in the way that computer scientists do; instead, you have to understand the principles behind it. If you feel like you lack understanding in this field currently, do not be discouraged. However, I advise you to step out of your comfort zone and tackle this issue right now. Attending the MBA program and taking classes related to this field is undoubtedly a great way for you to acquire the building blocks of that knowledge. Irene So and Bomi Kim, SKK GSB PR Committee, Class of 2022
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- 작성일 2020-12-03
- 조회수 6738