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Calling all NTU Nanyang Applicants: (2016 Intake) Class of 2017!!

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SingaporeNews

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31 Mar 2016, 19:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Holi Festival of Colours – Splash the fun!

On Saturday, March 26th, the Beer, Wine and Liquor Appreciation Club and the Culture Club co-hosted an event to celebrate all things Indian!

The MBA students, ready to get their hands dirty and bath in a cloud of color dust, started off by convening on campus to prepare for the day. It is customary in India to drink during this day, which is why beer, wine, and liquor was providing beverages. Afterwards, the crowd joined the traditional Indian festival hosted by the Wave House on Sentosa.

Once the guys and ladies in old clothes, which they were ready to dispose after the event, made their way to the Wave House, they first faced a patience challenge while waiting in several long queues. The venue was packed with excited people from all over the world. The wait was worth it, however, as there was a DJ and a festive, colorful atmosphere all around that involved much dancing, mostly to Bollywood hits from the 90s.

The games began when the group of NBS MBAs finally started to smear each other with the colours purchased, and occasionally people in other groups would do the same to the students. At this point, everyone in the Warehouse was all messy, ready to move on to the fountain where the party guests were spraying each other with hoses. It was a good way to get clean, only to have someone smear paint on you all over again!

The fun even reminded the graduate student of their business lectures when they started trading their orange colours for other ones, such as pink and green to make the event even more colourful – such a rewarding day of fun and networking!

After 2 hours of playing with colour powders, everyone was exhausted and tried to get the paint off for good to embark on the journey back to campus, but some where more successful than others in this regard.

Finally making their way back to the NTU Graduate Hall, the Holi group agreed that this was surely a high point for the Culture Club this year!

BEFORE….

…and AFTER!

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yudi19872001

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01 Apr 2016, 04:00

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Has anybody got Call from NTU .I have submitted my application on Feb,2016

gautam2204

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01 Apr 2016, 09:48

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Anyone got interview call for NTU R3.

zinatra

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11 Apr 2016, 08:19

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Hi,

I got interview call over Skype for R3. Anyone who did Skype interview at NTU, can you please share your experience? It would be very helpful.

Thanks

SingaporeNews

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12 Apr 2016, 00:01

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Getting ready for the MBA soccer tournament in Hong Kong

After the success of the MBA Olympics, here comes another event for our NBS soccer team: A prestigious soccer tournament organized by HKUST, where schools from all over Asia are competing for one common goal: the trophy!

The entire NBS team is very motivated to participate in this great tournament and every player is excited to represent Nanyang Business School once again in a interscholastic sporting event.

To get ready for Hong Kong, the sports club organises regular practice sessions, during which the team focuses on improving endurance, moves and skills. As part of the tournament preparation, the NBS MBA team played a friendly match against the RSIS batch.

The game was a great learning experience and enabled the players to apply some of the skills developed during practice. It was a fantastic match with a lot of fun on both sides, which will likely be repeated in near future.

The NBS MBA team vs RSIS team – a friendly match!

SingaporeNews

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13 Apr 2016, 05:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Happy Belated Easter – An Egg Hunt on NTU campus

On April 11, the Cultural and Social Club together with the Beer, Wine and Liquor Appreciation Club celebrated Easter, the resurrection of Christ, which is the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church.

On this occasion, the MBA batch of 2016 was invited to join an amazing race: a very competitive, but colourful egg hunt as per the tradition of celebrating Easter.

All participants did not wait long to run for the eggs, looking everywhere on campus to find the precious trophies. While some were extremely fast filling up their egg baskets, others could only find a few. But once the winner of the egg hunt was determined, all eggs were of course shared equally among all participating teams in order to start the egg coloring.

Back inside the event venue, everyone got very creative and came up with various egg designs from rainbow colour or striped egg, to drawing smileys and spider webs on simple unicolour eggs.

During this fun activity, traditional Easter snacks and drinks were provided, leaving the group with a stomach full of chocolate Easter bunnies, chocolate eggs and Haribo fruit gums.

It was a truly enjoyable event with lots of fun and a great opportunity to share some traditional Easter customs!

SingaporeNews

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13 Apr 2016, 10:01

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Nanyang MBA at the John Molson Case Competition

A diverse Nanyang MBA team consisting of Sheng Jie Tan, Deep Dabholkar, Priyanka Kholsa and Pierre Vinarnic took part in the 35th edition of the John Molson MBA International Case Competition, from 03 Jan – 08 Jan 2016 in Montreal, Canada.

The John Molson Case Competition is a not-for-profit event organized by MBA students from the John Molson School of Business in Montreal, Canada. The competition is among 36 teams from top business schools worldwide, and is recognized as the largest and most prestigious competition of its kind.

The event was a very enriching experience for the team, right from the first session of the preparation phase, with the guidance of coach Akshay Regulagedda, the Nanyang MBA John Molson alumni and part of the previous year’s winning team as well as Professor Vijay Sethi. While the team experienced a tremendously steep learning curve, all team members really bonded through a strenuous preparation phase. It was particularly memorable that Coach Akshay guided the team through a full case preparation despite a loosing his luggage and suffering from severe jetlag.

During the actual competition phase, the Nanyang MBA team sought to tackle various real life case problems, within a 3 hour time frame. The issues presented and industries covered were very diverse, including a fascinating case on turn-around strategy for MacDonald’s. After preparing a compelling case solution, the team proceeded to present a ppt outlining the case solutions to a panel of judges, predominantly senior leaders from major enterprises in North America.

One of the most memorable cases was a live case presentation by a Spanish Joint Venture, who presented their “Beauty & Go” product. The teams had the opportunity to interact with the actual stakeholders of the business, who presented on the case and business issues that they were facing in person.

The dynamic nature of the competition format really broadened the horizons of all participants, and served as an enriching platform for interaction and learning.

Overall, while the Nanyang MBA team did win the competition in this edition of the event, it was definitely one of the most memorable experiences in the MBA program. For the competing team, it represented an opportunity to make the Nanyang MBA program proud, and to showcase the “Nanyang” perspective towards resolving business issues. The friendships and bonds forged will be fondly remembered as a highlight of our MBA experience.

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14 Apr 2016, 18:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: A walk in the park – Trek to the Macritchie reservoir park

After staying very close to amazing greenery for almost six months on NTU campus, it was time to actually explore the abundance of nature right outside the university campus.

Despite being busy with group meetings, assignments and internships, it was time to give rest to the mind and have some physical workout. Hence, an adventure trek to Mac Ritchie Reservoir park was organized and many of the students participated enthusiastically.

The target set was to complete a 10 kms stretch around the park. The group of MBAs, determined to master this exercise, looked like an army batallion on a mission – and accepted yet another challenge.

Sounds of humming birds welcomed us throughout the trek. The chosen stretch had many different terrains – rocky/muddy, wooden planks over muddy ground and concrete floors. Short conversations on plenty of MBA issues and matters with fellow batch mates shortened the 10 kms trek. Also, monkeys were very eager to find out what we had for them and gave us company in many of the pictures. Luckily, the weather showed sympathy for our sweating bodies and remained normal throughout.

The highlight of the trek was the TreeTop Walk, a 250mlong freestanding suspension bridge between the two highest points in the park and the first of its kind in Singapore. From the suspension bridge, the MBAs had a bird’s eye view of the forest canopy and tried to spot different wildlife in their natural habitat. The group could also enjoy panoramic views of the verdant greenery of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and the placid waters of the Upper Peirce Reservoir. As the group overheard the firing drills happening in the nearby park, the Singaporean batchmates enlightened us with their army firing experiences to calm the agitated minds of some frightened graduate students.

Finally, the hiking mission was accomplished and our stomach was starving for fuel. The entire MBA group was invited by on of their native Singaporean batch mates to a nearby golf club to relax in the pool and fill our starving stomach with food.

pria131

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19 Apr 2016, 03:52

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NTU has a horrible admission support. I mailed and called them regarding LOR's concern. No one replies and ain't the results should be out for R3 already. The date mentioned somewhere was 18th april.

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21 Apr 2016, 06:01

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Nanyang MBA enters ‘The Negotiation Challenge’ for the first time

Nanyang Business School, Singapore, was recently represented at The Negotiation Challenge (TNC) 2016, held in Vienna, Austria on 1st and 2nd April, 2016.

It was the first time that a team from Nanyang MBA, comprising of Laveesh Hassija, Shajitha Sinasamy and Akshaya Kumar, who decided to name themselves as ‘The Nanyang Negotiators’, participated in this prestigious competition.

The Negotiation Challenge is one of the only few international negotiation competitions in the world. The competition is aimed at gathering world’s best student negotiators, allowing them to compare their negotiation skills and preparing them for the complex negotiations they will face after graduation. This year, 16 universities from across the world participated in TNC.

TNC has been an extraordinary experience for the Nanyang team that worked hard under the guidance and support received from the NBS Negotiation Professors – Valerie and Kit Wye. The team participated in a total of five rounds, wherein they were evaluated on application of appropriate methods from the whole spectrum of their negotiation skills in different negotiation situations. In some of the rounds, the evaluation was based on the team’s ability to understand interests and identify issues, as well as their ability to create and claim value,while in other rounds the assessment was based on the instrumental and/or relational outcome of the negotiations.

Though the Nanyang Negotiators could not reach the final round, they were able to demonstrate their negotiation intelligence and recall TNC as the most eventful time of their MBA journey. The team enthusiastically remembers one of the rounds where they were asked to negotiate with another team in a moving Vienna tram. This round tested their ability of managing a negotiation without being influenced by external factors.

The Nanyang Negotiators in action

The competition venue in Vienna

The Nanyang MBA TNC team for 2016 – The Nanyang Negotiators is extremely proud to have exemplified Nanyang Business School at this highly admired competition that invites world’s top business and law schools. Their experience in the competition has instilled in them stronger confidence for business negotiations that they will be facing in their careers after their MBA. The Nanyang Negotiators not only got a chance to experience diverse ways of negotiation, but also to meet and network with students from various countries with different backgrounds and cultures. The learnings from the competition and the cherished memories they have from the beautiful city of Vienna are definitely going to last a life-time.

db02

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05 May 2016, 01:32

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Hey! did anyone who was interviewed in Round 3 of Nanyang hear back from the school?

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08 May 2016, 20:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Winter is coming – MBA Class of 2016 has “Game Of Thrones” fever

Just in time for the first episode of the 6th season of the popular show “Game of Thrones” on April 25, the most passionate fans of the medieval fantasy epic came together in a Nanyang Business School seminar room to watch how the story of knights, queens, kings of the Game of Thrones saga unfolds.

Equipped with chips, soft drinks and the most tasty popcorn available, the class transformed their preferred lecture room into a full fledged movie theatre and anxiously awaited the beginning of the show. A sense of joy, mixed with tense expectation filled the room and the spectators were notably relieved when the first scene´s actors appeared on the screen. To match the atmosphere in the room with the show´s arctic winter scenery, the NBS seminar room was bone-chilling cold and the air conditioner did the best it could to let winter come to Singapore, too.

As per the event rules there was utter silence in the room while the show was running, but great agitation started as soon as the final credits appeared on the screen.

All students thoroughly enjoyed the Game of Thrones event and as the post-show discussions to unravel the happenings of the first episode intensified, the class agreed to meet again in the next week to jointly watch the upcoming episodes. What is going to happen next? What will happen to John Snow. It remains exciting.

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09 May 2016, 22:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Boost Your Career With A Global MBA Programme

Top MBA programmes are intensive and global. They want you to be ready to face the world and not just the industries in your geography. The Nanyang MBA is one such programme that is designed to make you a global leader within 12 life-changing months. Whether you are trying to figure out where to take your career next, or you’re considering a change of field, a global MBA is your passport to growth and success.

Here’s why people like you should apply for the NBS MBA programme.

[b]International Exposure[/b]

Singapore is a diverse city with international corporations and citizens making up a large part of the industry. Still, further exposure to other locations and their business practices go a long way in shaping your MBA experience. That’s why the Nanyang MBA offers additional opportunities that can really put you out there. The most popular of these is the Overseas Business Study Mission or BSM, which involves travelling to a location that is relevant to your MBA courses. You get one week to apply your newly learnt theories and practices to a real setting. Once you’re done, you will find yourself with lots of knowledge regarding the business environment of your host country. In addition, you get to build a great network.

[b]More Overseas Opportunities[/b]

Even after you are done with the Nanyang MBA programme, you can extend your business education by taking part in an exchange programme, which lasts between three to four months. NBS has close associations with academic institutions around the world and encourage students to take advantage of the collaborations. So why not choose a partner university from the list and acquire some fresh knowhow.

[b]Global Faculty[/b]

All the classes conducted for the Nanyang MBA candidates are led by experts who are leaders in their industries or internationally qualified. From interactive learning, to industry talks and visits to companies, you’ll get the global edge even before you set out abroad. And just like your fellow students, your professors will come from diverse backgrounds and talents that will add more to your MBA experience.

[b]Another Foreign Degree[/b]

For those of you who are extra ambitious, NBS’s MBA programme allows you to work toward a double MBA or a second master’s degree. Our partner business schools include Waseda University in Japan, University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and ESSEC in France where you can devote extra months to your MBA time and gain another globally recognised degree – and of course, the chance to immerse yourself into another business destination. Here’s more about that: https://www.nanyangmba.ntu.edu.sg/why-nanyang-mba/double-mba-master-degrees/

We all know that an MBA is a big investment. Your money, time and hard work should be worth it. That’s why you need to select well from the large number of MBAs around you in order to get the personal and professional makeover that you want. When you go home with your degree, you should be able to adapt to leadership positions in any country with success.

Good luck!

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12 May 2016, 20:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Walking You Through The MBA Application Process

s

So you’ve made up your mind and the Nanyang MBA programme looks like a great fit for you. First make sure that you’ve cleared the initial checklist; do you have a bachelor’s degree and at least two years of work experience? Is your GMAT score above 600 or do you have its equivalent in the GRE test? If you checked everything off, you’re ready. Take it step by step to avoid unnecessary stress. Here’s how:

Get Online:

Do not go to any external agents or education firms for the application – it’s available online for your convenience. Once you register on the application portal and start filling out the application, you’ll find clear instructions leading you till the very end. The admission committee will be keen to know as much as possible about your interests, intellectual capability, achievements and leadership skills, so be prepared to answer questions that will pertain to these. Sit down with a clear head and with lots of time on hand.

Answer the Essay Questions:

The application will contain some essay questions for you. You should answer them all. Be honest and stick to the prescribed word limit. Don’t try to give an inflated impression of yourself because the people reading your application are great at spotting such candidates. And of course, pay attention to grammar and typos and stay away from clichés. Most importantly, click on the Save button as you go along.

Apply for Scholarships:

The scholarship application process is easy. There are no separate forms to apply. All you have to do is tick on the boxes next to the scholarships that will be mentioned in the online application. NBS offers several scholarships for meritorious candidates who display promise as future leaders.

Pay the Application Fee

Your application won’t be considered without the application fee. Once you click on the Submit button after you’ve completed every field, you’ll be given multiple payment methods to choose from. So you can pay by cheque or bank draft, or by Visa or Mastercard. Remember that the fee is non-refundable.

Put Together the Supporting Documents:

In our online application system, you have to upload important supporting documents such as your resume or CV, a recent passport size photograph, and your GMAT or GRE score report. The GRE DI code is 3802. For those of you whose language of instruction at the bachelor’s level wasn’t English, do arrange to take the English Language Testing System (ELTS) test or the Pearson Test of English Academic test (PTE). The NBS MBA programme requires a good command of English with proficiency in reading, writing and speaking.

Request Referee Reports:

Unlike the other supporting documents, your referee reports or recommendation letters cannot be uploaded. Instead, you need to download the form and send it to two referees and ask them to send the completed reports to us by email at mba.admissions@ntu.edu.sg. Remind them to include their designation and contact details and official email address. People get busy, so don’t hesitate to follow up with them and see if they’ve sent in the forms.

Applicants to the part-time programme have to download the Company Approval Form and get it filled out by their work supervisor.

Provide Certificates and Legal Documents

Get your degree scrolls, certificates and official transcripts of academic records ready from every institution that you have attended. If a document isn’t in English, you must arrange to have a translated version sent to us. If you have any professional membership certificates, send in those too. Applicants should also provide proof of identity and nationality and residency status. Without these, your application will not be complete.

Interview Time

The NBS MBA programme has three rounds of application deadlines. You’ll find them here: https://www.nanyangmba.ntu.edu.sg/admissions/admission-deadlines/

If you have been shortlisted for an interview, NBS will let you know within 4 to 6 weeks after the deadline of the round you applied to. If you are shortlisted, look out for an email since interviews are by invitation only. After the interview is over, the committee will decide if you’ve made it to their list.

Then it’s time to breathe. You’ve worked hard on your application. Successful applicants will get the good news by email. Avoid calling or sending follow-up emails to the admissions office to find out the status of your application. The online system lets you check on the status.

Good luck!

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15 May 2016, 00:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Nanyang MBA travels to a soccer tournament in Hong Kong

From April 29 to May 3, a group of 17 full-time, part-time and exchange students of the MBA class of 2015/16 embarked on their last fun trip of their MBA journey. The trip´s destination could not have been more exciting, exuberant or exhilarating: Hong Kong. The MBA program of HKUST, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, invited the Nanyang MBA as well as 7 other teams from Singapore, China and Hong Kong to participate in a full day soccer tournament at their beautiful seaside soccer field.

Soccer field at HKUST campus, Hong Kong
The NBS soccer team had practiced hard and was well prepared and pumped when they boarded the flight to Hong Kong on a Friday afternoon. The players, who were supported by four dedicated cheerleaders from their MBA class, showed great excitement and enthusiasm for the tournament ahead and the class outing to Hong Kong started with great fun and laughter already on the flight to the venue.

Once arrived in the city of 7 million people, busy financial centers, super tall buildings and a seemingly endless skyline, the players and their supporting team took of to find a good place for the last supper before the big game. Well fed, the group made an excursions to Hong Kong´s ferry terminal, the best viewing spot to take impressive photographs of the city´s skyline, but returned to their accommodation early to rest well for the match day.

Students from the MBA Class of 2015/16 in Hong Kong
On Saturday morning, the HKUST representatives fetched a joyful yet exhausted NBS group to shuttle them to the soccer field on the HKUST campus. As the program is coming to an end, many final project are due soon, and the weeks before the trip had been tough so that the bus ride to the tournament venue was much less agitated than the flight on the day before. Travelling to HK, and the excitement of the vibrant city, had exhausted the players who now had to focus on the matches ahead of them.

The tournament started off with an intensive game against an MBA team from Hong Kong, followed by an encounter with the HKUST international alumni. When the NBS players finally met with a Chinese team, exchange student Patrick scored the first goal for NBS, and great cheering started from the side slide. Unfortunately, the NBS team was eliminated from the tournament after the first group stage, but thoroughly enjoyed the day, the amazing venue as well as the hospitality of HKUST, and left the field and without any injuries – a great success in itself!

During the following three days after the tournament, the class ventured out into the city in small groups and explored the streets of Hong Kong, visited breath-taking view points and embarked on jaw-dropping tours across the island. After cable-car rides to Big Buddha, double decker bus tours along the shore of Hong Kong, a short visit to the HSBC headquarters including a tour through the historic building, and finger-licking good meals at Hong Kong´s local restaurants, a happy but tired MBA cohort returned to Singapore with bags full of good memories, thousand of pictures, and an enormous sleep deficit. What a great trip!

Big Buddha Statue on Lantau Island, Hong Kong

MBA Class of 2015/16 in Hong Kong – A great trip for all!

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15 May 2016, 00:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Analytics Workshop by E-Commerce Expert from Lazada

A NBS alumni working for Lazada, South-East Asia´s number one e-commerce player, was invited to give a workshop on business analytics and advanced excel to the current batch of MBA students.

Sunny Jain (NBS MBA Class of 2013) has over 6 years of experience of working for technology companies as well as financial institutions. Over the last 2 years he has been working as a pricing manager with Lazada, who recently made it into news with regards to its acquisition by Alibaba.

Sunny provided thought-provoking insight into the ways of working of e-commerce firms, especially with regards to the key performance indicators and the challenges that various firms face to remain competitive. In the second half of the course, he offered an excel learning sessions wherein he gave sample case questions based on data populated in an excel file.

The current MBA students who signed up for the workshop learnt to build pivot tables and simple statistical data models that allowed them to understand e-commerce dynamics and generated insights pertaining to an annual sales report of a hypothetical company. The speaker proved that Excel is indeed a powerful tool and stated that learning to build complex data models catering to various business challenges is indispensable to be well prepared for the corporate world.

The 3-hours sharing session was very insightful and after multiple “aha”-moments, the participating students left the room with many valuable takeaways from the workshop. Eventually, the lecturer closed the day with the recommendation to spend 5% of earnings every year to upgrade one´s skills – an interesting tip that the MBA students who are to graduate soon certainly will take to heart!

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15 May 2016, 09:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Why you need 100+ approvals to cut a tree in India

On Tuesday, April 12, Nanyang Business school invited to the third session of the quarterly ”CEO Breakfast Series” at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore to explore challenges and opportunities when doing business India. Panelists, current NBS students, alumni and faculty engaged in a lively sharing session of the benefits of investing in India, discussed obstacles that individual and institutional investors face when entering the Indian market, and outlined the rewards of a long term foothold in the fastest growing economy of today.

Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at Nanyang Business School, Professor Nilanjan Sen, introduced the crisp 90-minutes sharing session on the opportunities and challenges when doing business in India by addressing the current macro- and microeconomic context of the largest Commonwealth country. India is not only affected by the slowing demand of the superpower China, a shrinking export market, and more conservative investment policy of the west but also fights against typical internal challenges of an emerging market. Touching on the 3 dimensions of future growth, Prime Minister Modi´s 3 D, demand growth, demography, and democracy, Professor Sen opened the stage for five expert speakers of Indian descent to present their views on the Indian market, and the prospects for foreign investments.

The majority of panelists who joined the early morning event to elaborate on their experiences with doing business in India has significant professional experience in banking and investment management, or held senior positions with large multinational corporations, so that the audience large benefitted from a pool of real live experiences and insider insights.

Even though India allegedly is the fastest growing economy with a 6-7% average annual growth rate, the seemingly attractive percentage by itself represents a far smaller absolute economic growth in India than a 6-7% growth rate in China. Also, the challenges that institutional investors and multinational corporations face in when expanding into booming markets with large one digit to double digit growth rates are fairly similar. Despite significant differences in the root causes of obstacles, doing business is not less challenging than doing business in other emerging markets.

India scores low on “ease of doing business” due to unusually frequent elections in the different states of its large territory, and political power struggles in the fragmented republic prevent a much needed consistency in decision-making and harms sustainable infrastructure investments. Hence, panelist advise to find a local partner to enter the fragmented and culturally diverse Indian market. Bringing a global brand to India, it is recommended to redesign one´s value proposition for the local market, as for example providing small quantities for daily demand to the the bottom of the pyramid and customise one´s offering for the Indian market to match cultural expectations. When looking for best practices on how to approach, and sustainably attach the Indian consumer in the long run, newcomers to can learn from successful MNCs, as global brands such as Czech “bata” and American “Colgate” are exceptionally well established in India, considering that the brands are commonly recognised for their “Indian” heritage by the local costumers.

When contemplating about gambling on India´s growing economy, panelist recommend to prioritise the prospering logistics industry which significantly benefits from the rise of Indian e-commerce. Further, investments into infrastructure and transportation are especially rewarding as they support the filling of institutional voids, and lay the ground for the country´s road to unparalleled commercial success.

Still, India´s current competitiveness is suffering from a below standard road network and the country is severely disadvantaged by its complex regulatory, taxation and public administration system. MNCs seeking to cater for the needs of the upscaling middle class of Indians, face a series of appointments appointments when knocking on the doors of governmental offices to beg for the necessary approvals needed to start a business, or even wait up to 13 months to simply cut a tree. Panelist report that they have seen peaks of 100 plus approvals needed to get going on an investment project and Foreigners and Indians alike criticise the artificially erected bureaucratic hurdles and missing dynamics of the Indian market, prompted by an unnecessary complexity that foreign investors encounter when dealing with Indian authorities.

Although the challenges highlighted during the 2016 panel discussion have been present for over one decade, they have not been properly addressed so far. Yet, India still promises 7.7% annual growth due to the the peoples’ entrepreneurial spirit and the prevailing start-up culture that builds the backbone of India´s competitiveness and promotes technical innovation and unique solutions to global challenges. In addition, public and private sector joined forces to spot the gap in global manufacturing capabilities and aim to position India in an untapped niche as a specialised manufacturing service provider that might translate to a distinct competitive advantage which will allow India beat other emerging economies in the race for FDI.

Supporters of crisis-prone, but inventive India highlight the public sector´s increasing investments in infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities, and predict a stable upward trend for Indian society and the standards of living, eventually leading to improvements in the ease of doing business. Yet, despite all promising prospects, there are different viewpoints on doing business in India. Experts cast a critical eye on India´s demographics, its sluggish reform progress, and suggest carefulness in dealing with authorities. The tax bureau might have announced taxation reforms and committed to creating more investor-friendly business environment already a few years back, but is actually just about to pass the GST and tax reform bill. While the US Fed hikes interest rates, US foreign investment streams dry up, liquidity flows out of India and tells the uprising country to combat corruption and social unease in its the multi-religious and multicultural Indian society before the money comes back. A nation that is publicly characterised by the lavish lifestyle of its billionaires and their excessive spending rather than a conservative savings policy, struggles to attract investments in the light of previously disappointing foreign engagements.

Going forward, investors are strongly advised to set the right expectations instead of hoping to reap short term profits from businesses in India. First, one has to obtain clarity on the target segments, and business goals, to find its sweet spot in the vast Indian market. Despite continuous progress on the reform and regulation front, India seems to be market that rewards investors to come to stay, and punishes those looking to reap short term benefits. Hence, the recipe for success in India involves a step by step approach that acknowledges the diversity of a country which is best compared to is culinary richness: analyse the customer, understand the recipe to success, select ingredients, cook a sample and then scale-up.

By Melina Loeven

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15 May 2016, 20:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Working With Cross Cultural Teams

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A good manager has to have the key skills required to manage teams in every country where the company operates in. With the globalised industry expanding, to take advantage of cost-effective technical expertise and other benefits that may not be present in the home location, cross cultural team management is more vital than ever before. Whether you’re sitting in a foreign office or holding a meeting via video chat, you need to understand, respect, and integrate each culture and its people into your system.

Here’s how you can do it:

Focus on daily communication:

Communication is the major chunk of effective team management. When you’re interacting with individuals from a culture that isn’t your own, you need to keep cultural norms and habits in mind. For example, many eastern cultures are fairly rigid regarding the hierarchies in the office. That means that they won’t be used to open discussions where subordinates speak their minds too. And bringing up certain topics may be a taboo because good workers aren’t expected to speak about or report such things. Some managers think that merely asking everybody to speak up does the job, but it doesn’t. Changing beliefs and long-term patterns is never easy. So take the time out to encourage each person in the team to talk to you on a one-on-one basis too. Work out a process that can give you accurate information about how the project is going without seeming like you are being insensitive to their ways. At NBS, you’ll get expert training on this in the comprehensive Leading People Globally module. Also take a look at the programme structure to understand how you can become a well-rounded MBA graduate:

Build an awareness of the differences:

Cultural differences stand out even as you travel from one state of a country to another. Like in India where you have hundreds of languages and enough cuisines to make you wonder if you have entered a new country each time you visit a new state. Difference should never be seen as a detractor because it can actually bring more skills and knowledge to the table. Successful managers do their research and don’t just notice the differences and ignore them. Building trust is impossible without understanding. As you continue to identify differences in the way things are said, done or perceived, find out where the differences are coming from. For instance, is something that they’re doing stemming from a religious belief? In fact, during the Nanyang MBA programme, you will get a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in another culture.

Keep your language positive:

Always keep negatives out of your conversations. That includes the use of negative language, negative tone, and negative body language. So you and other team members who are new to the culture will not frown and raise eyebrows or roll their eyes if you don’t understand or agree with a point. Also avoid saying ‘I disagree’ or ‘You can’t be serious?’ Instead, you can say ‘I do not quite understand what you are saying’ or ‘Can you please elaborate this for us?’ If there is a language barrier and you work heavily with that team, why not attempt to learn the language? Ideas and communication might flow better then.

Working with teams from different cultural backgrounds is challenging. But good management can prevent the risks that can occur from a lack of understanding and contrasting values and attitudes since all of these factors affect how work is done.

Be flexible. Be ready to learn!

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18 May 2016, 04:56

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Did anyone from R1 get rejects?

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18 May 2016, 19:00

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FROM The Nanyang MBA Blog: Crafting a Perfect Resume

Most of you would have dedicated valuable hours to the GMAT on your quest for the perfect score. You’ve probably also rehearsed replies to all kinds of possible interview questions. But have you put enough effort into your resume? You definitely should, because a resume written for an MBA admissions committee isn’t the same thing as one that you send to prospective employers. In other words, a bit of tweaking here and there won’t work.

This is what you need to do:

Quantify Your Achievements:

Talking about your professional achievements in terms of words or self-praise is a no-no. Your resume needs to include quantifiable data to set the context of your accomplishments. So be honest and write the figures to show what kind of a difference you made. For example, instead of saying that you were a part of a well-known marketing programme, include the percentage of new customers you helped the organisation acquire. Another example: Led a team of four people to increase downloads of app X, resulting in a 12% increase in downloads that quarter.

Keep it Brief:

The Nanyang MBA’s admission guidelines tell you that they don’t expect more than a three-page resume. So do the admissions committee a favour by keeping it concise and professional. Use to-the-point headline-style writing. Do not try to pack in excessive information by using a small font size – size 10 to 12 is the norm. If you find it overflowing, delete the unnecessary points. Remember that a long, cluttered resume can give people the idea that you cannot communicate well.

Exclude What Isn’t Needed:

When you are applying to the Nanyang MBA, you are introducing yourself to admissions officials who want to know if you have the leadership ability. Some applicants make the mistake of including information that isn’t required. A photograph, and your height and weight, are not a part of your resume. If you have lots of technical knowledge on a subject, the resume is not the place to write paragraphs on it. Personal interests should be included only if they make you stand out as a candidate. That means that reading science fiction or working out doesn’t make the cut. But more significant events like a published book or a charitable fundraiser where you created a big impact should be present.

Keep the Education Details Brief:

The education section of your resume should contain your educational history in chronological order. You need to mention the areas of study and any significant achievements such as making it to the Dean’s List or achieving a top rank in class. Make it easy to scan so that the reader can quickly identify the schools and years to arrive at a sense of where your background.

Run a Final Check:

Is every point on your resume important? Have you missed out on any position or activity that could showcase a particular skill set that you have? Can anybody reading your resume detect your career path? Does it support your career development goals? And have you started each point with a strong action verb like ‘generated’, ‘maximised’ or ‘spearheaded’?

The Nanyang Business School MBA programme is on the lookout for individuals who will be successful as leaders and in highly collaborative work environments. You need to show them that you have the skills that can lead to success. Keep the above pointers in mind and share your MBA relevant skills such as teamwork, collaboration, innovation, etc. with them.

Here’s more about the application process: https://www.nanyangmba.ntu.edu.sg/admissions/

Good luck!