听说最近有排名全国TOP10之内的某高校MBA学生要去某著名商业楼盘当一线售楼人员,据说是为了实践和学习。然而，最近在网上看到一篇文章，讨论在中国“就读MBA到底值不值”？福布斯中文版负责人的回答是，一般而言就读MBA是非常值得的，因为MBA教育可以带来直接的薪资快速增长和职位的快速提升。既然MBA教育可以带来直接的薪资快速增长和职位的快速提升，那么这些MBA学生当一线售楼人员的目的到底是什么呢？真的是为了学习还是为了商业抄作呢？
“《福布斯》中文版市场部主管杨山杉认为，MBA教育可以给学员带来直接的薪资快速增长和职位的快速提升。比如针对2002届中国MBA毕业生的调查表明，全日制MBA毕业生就读前后的薪资增长达到96.8%，毕业后4年的年平均薪资涨幅达到24.9%,平均年薪24万元；在职MBA毕业生就读前后的薪资增长达到62.9%，毕业后4年的年平均薪资涨幅达到22.1%.而针对2005届MBA毕业生的调查表明，这一届毕业生就读前后的薪资增长达到 74.9%.MBA教育也帮助MBA毕业生获得了快速的升迁。而且综合调查也显示，全日制MBA毕业生平均需要2.7年收回投资，毕业4年后平均年薪24 万元，是入学前的3.75倍，毕业后年均薪资涨幅为24.9%.在职MBA毕业生平均1.6年即可收回投资，毕业4年后平均年薪为18.7万元，是入学前的2.8倍，毕业后年均薪资涨幅为22.1%.在就读MBA之前，仅有22.4%的学员在企业中出任总监以上级别的高层管理职位，而在毕业4年后，则有 50.5%的学员出任高管，其中16.4%的学员已经成为企业最高管理者。”
Archive for the ‘Sun Yat-sen Univ.’ Category
惊闻高校MBA要当售楼员!?
Thursday, June 28th, 2007Things floating in the Pearl River
Sunday, June 17th, 2007If you ever get the chance to train for the dragon boat competitions in China, it’s great fun to get out on the river. The air flows freely, the water refreshingly splashing in your face, and dramatic weather swirls overhead – fantastic sunsets, ferocious storms, and beaming sunlight. It’s really a great workout and a nice way to see a different perspective of China. Nothing quite like training for the traditional southern China duanwu festival.
In our dozen or so morning and afternoon practices we’ve had the opportunity to observe some of the “natural wildlife” on the river. Besides our 20-some-odd undulating paddling bodies, there is plenty else afloat in the Guangzhou Pearl River. The Zhujiang is technically one of a network delta where estuary waters churned by a daily tide mix fresh and salt water for a most fascinating concoction. Here’s a running list of some of the more interesting things we’ve spotted from our oversized canoe.
1. Leeches (small ones in the bottom of the boat by our feet)
2. Raw sewage (a noticeable dark cloud of stink)
3. Condom (used)
4. Dead rat (large and bloated)
5. Dead turtle
6. Dead chicken
7. Dead pig (in a sack)
8. Dead dog (missing front legs and head)
+ dead chihuahua
9. Dead fish (of course)
10. Woman bathing (old and naked)
11. People swimming (yes, many of them – we regularly steer to avoid them – oh and they’re still alive)
Guangzhou Multinational Dragon Boat Team
Saturday, June 16th, 2007
在MIX成为流行元素的今天，我们有一个至IN的组合。
他们，来自不同的国家—-中国，美国，加拿大，法国，泰国……
他们，来自不同的专业—-MBA，金融，国贸，保险……
他们，有着不同的文化背景和思维方式
但，相同的是，他们都有满腔的热情，都热爱着中大和中国的文化。
请举起你的双手，释放你的激情，为他们—-中大岭院佳得乐梦之队，加油！
Sun Yat-sen University, Lingnan College and Gatorade (Pepsi Co.) are hosting a team to compete in the 2007 Guangzhou International Dragon Boat Competition. The competition is held during the Duanwu Festival and is an annual event that attracts teams from all over China and the world. The races are held on the Pearl River between Jiefang Bridge and Renmin bridge. This year’s event on June 23rd will attract 112 professional and amateur dragon boat teams from countries as far as Singapore, Australia, Canada, etc. Thousands of spectators show up at the river’s edge to cheer on the teams for this lively festival.
The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday that dates back to ancient times. In the fourth century B.C., the Warring States period in China, there was a great poet named Qu Yuan in the kingdom of Chu. There came a time when the kingdom of Qin attacked and conquered the Chu kingdom. Out of devastation and concern for his country, Qu Yuan threw himself into the Mi Lo river in what is now Hubei province. The people loved the talented poet and rushed out in their boats splashing their paddles to scare the fish away from Qu Yuan’s body. They wrapped rice in leaves and threw it in the river to feed the fish so they would not bother Qu Yuan. Today, the Duanwu festival captures the spirit the villagers racing out in their boats for the beloved Qu Yuan.
Sun Yat-sen, Lingnan College is one of the premier education centers in China. The college offers top-ranked degrees in International MBA, Economics, International Trade, Finance, etc. The Lingnan Gatorade Dragon Boat Dream Team members are all students at Lingnan college. They all hail from a variety of cultural backgrounds – from all over China and as far as France, Canada, United States, and Thailand. But they all have two things in common – motivation to be a winning dragon boat team and a passion for Chinese culture. This year’s competition is sure to be an exciting event! Come cheer on your school in the traditional Chinese Dragon Boat festival!
See more pictures here and here! Also short news report in English and 中文新闻. Official Lingnan dragon boat website here.
Chinese Corporate Competencies
Thursday, June 14th, 2007
Sat through an interesting class in Human Resource management recently that contained a bit of interesting information. The focus of the class was teaching business students how to identify a company’s core competencies. In the western world, the modern idea of “competency” in business has been around since the early 70s. Its origins lie in the US State Department where McClelland developed an initial version of the Behavioral Event Interview that was used in hiring foreign service officers. The BEI method was improved in the 80s to the point where it is now used across industries in current competency modeling.
Companies develop competencies like “teamwork” and “analytical thinking” based on the qualities they think they’re looking for in employees in order to help the enterprise as a whole realize its mission and vision. These competencies are the fuzzy definitions of qualifications that job applicants are striving to exhibit in a job interview. Companies use competencies to guide HR staff in selecting the right people for a variety of positions that may differ widely in technical requirements (easy to discern in an applicant) but all require similar corporate competencies.
The Chinese have only recently come on board with corporate competency modeling. In the early ‘90s, famous companies such as Lenovo, Huawei, and Vanke were all pioneers in developing not only corporate mission and vision statements but competencies that they looked for in their employees. So why such late-comers? Some would argue that China is just slow to saddle up to the capitalist table. Anyone that’s traveled to/read a bit about China knows that capitalism is alive and well in the once-closed society. Some Chinese would also argue that competencies are an inherent value of almost any Chinese person – an ingrained cultural sense in their national psyche. The famous military philosopher, 孙子, or Sun Tzu as he is known in the west, was perhaps one of the first people to really think about and teach core competencies. In his popular book, 兵法 or The Art of War, is now almost required reading for every professional in the western world 商场如战场. In this work, Master Sun clearly outlines what he considers the five competencies of a successful military general – 信 credibility，智 wisdom，勇 bravery，仁 benevolence，严 discipline. The parallels between war and business are all-too-similar sometimes. These qualities of a good military officer are almost always at the core of any modern business’ core competencies. For more information about Sun Tzu’s thoughts on business and how it applies to both Chinese and western business practice, you can peruse here.
MIT in China
Wednesday, June 13th, 2007In 1996, MIT Sloan School of Management established partnerships at two top-ranked Chinese universities, Tsinghua and Fudan. In 1999 they came back to and created a program with Lingnan College at Sun Yat-sen University. MIT also recently started a program in the western mountainous province of Yunnan. MIT Sloan provides textbooks, training for professors, visiting professors, and guidance on how to run an exceptional MBA program. MIT takes its expertise in running one of the best MBA programs in the US and applies a similar model to the best universities in China. It gives Chinas future business leaders a professional MBA program for a fraction of the price and an excellent opportunity to hone skills in business English. International students now too are recognizing an ideal way to study the best American business education has to offer in a Chinese environment.
After over 10 years of operation, the MIT’s China MBA programs are running stronger than ever. Not only are the schools attracting some of the best talent in China but at the same time they have developed a powerful alumni network. Next semester at Lingnan college, MIT’s premier business school in southern China, will welcome over 10 international students as well to its program in Fall 2007. The MIT programs in China continue to be ranked among the top 10 business schools in China.
As the MIT-sponsored universities continue to grow and improve their programs, they are also preparing to move in new directions – with strategies to adapt to a rapidly increasing market for Chinese business education. With a sound foundation in western-inspired MBA education, the schools are now building more and more components of specifically Chinese business concepts into their programs. China MBA News reports:
In an interview Alan White, the senior associate dean of MIT Sloan and shown here in China, said, ‘Our approach is to work with Chinese Faculty and educators to assist them in determining their definition of a Chinese MBA. Educational materials in China need to be developed based on Chinese practice, not on Western practice. For this reason, we do not transport MIT to China; we consider the approach of establishing Western schools in other countries the missionary approach. This is not our concept. Our program focuses on Chinese faculty development. To develop a great university you develop the faculty.’
As an international student currently enrolled in Lingnan’s MBA program, I encourage and welcome these new changes. Many of the professors, though their careers boast of experience all over the world, were born Chinese and have extensive experience in some of China’s most successful corporations. As China’s stock market rises and more businesses look to China as more than just a place for cheap labor and other resources, MBA graduates are being called to take on larger roles in both multinational and Chinese corporations that involve a critical Chinese management component. For the past couple decades, “Chinese business” was largely analyzed and taught from a western perspective – the west’s interpretation of how best to do business in China. Now it is time for Chinese managers and professionals to step up and start to tell the world not only how to do business in their country but how best to do business with their country. Chinese corporations like Lenovo and Haier have already made international recognition for their brands. More are on their way.
Lingnan teaches a fine course on International Business Management. The professor, Dr. Songhua Hu, not only has an excellent understanding of international business procedures and regulations but he adds an interestingly and exclusively Chinese element to the course. The course uses both the latest text in International Business from MIT Press but also uses an well-researched text published by Dr. Hu, himself, at Sun Yat-sen University Press. The case studies are an intriguing mix of Dr. Hu’s Chinese teaching and working experience coupled with selected international case studies. This combination gives a unique China component to the curriculum. This trend will only continue as the western-partnered universities in China work to better meet the needs of the international roster of students in their classrooms.
Western supported education in China is no longer a one-way street of funding, training, and teaching. It’s time for the west and China to start sharing more with each other about the world’s best business practices.
『天涯杂谈』研究生、MBA、老外自费划龙舟
Saturday, June 2nd, 2007
Guangzhou’s premier multinational team from Lingnan, Sun Yat-sen University is currently training for the annual Guangzhou dragon boat championships. Read all about the fine sport of dragon boating and this unique team here.
又快到一年一度的端午节，“龙舟”比赛，这个传统的庆祝方式又一次走进人们的视野。
但试问：有多少中国人会去关心？
如果，让你去参加划龙舟比赛，你会去么？
如果，让你顶着37度的高温，在烈日下训练，你会去么？
如果，还让你要自己掏腰包，每次20元钱，你会去么？
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Chinese family values
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
Sun Yat-sen University Lingnan IMBA program recently held a guest lecture series in Corporate Ethics or more specifically, “Leadership, Humanity, and Corporate Citizenship”. The seminar series was led by renowned lecturer and MIT professor, Leigh Hafrey. A few biographical notes about Dr. Hafrey:
International ethics expert, Hafrey graduated from Harvard & holds a Ph.D. from Yale. After receiving his Doctorate, he started his teaching career at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Having held the most prestigious post of Staff Editor (Sunday review section), The New York Times, Hafrey has been a visiting Scholar at Harvard’s Center for European Studies & a Lecturer at the Harvard Business School. Since 1995, Hafrey has been distinguished faculty at Sloan School of Management.
Dr. Hafrey led the class through a lively discussion of American and Chinese ethics in the workplace using films and written selections as a central media throughout his teaching. We watched and discussed Tom Cruise’s transformation from a self-serving sports management agent to a client-focused, values-based entrepreneur in Jerry McGuire. We examined traditional Chinese roles and those that challenge them in The Long Road Home. We laughed and reflected on Danny Devito’s aggressive corporate take-over tactics and philosophy in Other Peoples’ Money. Dr. Hafrey spurred an interesting discussion among my Chinese classmates on many interesting topics that may later serve us well in the business world.
At one point in the course, Dr. Hafrey asked us to write a bit about the values that guide our behavior as we think about our future private and professional life. Not quite too sure what to write about, I picked a recent brief conversation I had with a fellow classmate in one of Dr. Hafrey’s previous sessions.
I learned something about Chinese thinking that appears to differ quite significantly from western assumptions about universal values. We were asked to watch the movie, Hotel Rwanda, in preparation for class. The movie is about the genocide that occurred in the mid-90s and a particular Rwandan hotel manager who saved the lives of hundreds of people with his quick-reacting pragmatism in a time of intense national crisis. At a particular point in the movie, the main character, Paul Rusesabagina, secures a spot for his family and himself on an evacuation aircraft. He helps his wife and children onto the truck that will take them to the airstrip. In a moment of guilt, he glances back at all the people he is leaving behind as refugees at the hotel (and will likely die very soon). As the manager of the hotel, he feels it is his responsibility to stay back with those people and do what he can to help them to hopefully live. He leaves his family to follow what could be called a duty to his countrymen and his customers at the hotel who desperately need his help avoiding almost certain slaughter in the next few days/hours.
At this point in the movie, I lean over to my Chinese classmate and say, “What would you do? Would you leave your family like that?” (we learn later that his family drives into a rebel ambush that almost kills them, and actually prevents their extraction from the country) My classmate, almost without thinking about it, says “Of course!” At this point I realized, there may be an underlying difference between US and Chinese culture in way we value our families.
Going back to the brief essay we all wrote for Dr. Hafrey’s lecture – after the lecture a classmate asked me what I wrote about. Turns out this same classmate wrote about the same topic – the difference in the way we think about our families in our two countries. He wrote about a conversation he and I had several months ago. He and I both were members of a business plan team that won a school competition last semester. He recalled my apprehension about initially joining the team because of the additional time (for a required business plan class) needed on the weekend. I expressed to him that in the US, I was used to spending weekends with my family and was unsure about the extra time I would have away from home (in addition to the full-time weekday MBA courses). He didn’t say at the time but he remembers thinking that my comment was such a strange reaction.
Incidentally, I ended up joining the team and not missing too much time at home. In fact, I had a wonderful experience being a part of a winning team and learned a great deal about working so close with the Chinese and designing a competitive business. Anyway, I thought this was interesting and since realizing all this have started to really admire the Chinese loyalty and commitment to company, country, and society. Perhaps this is something else the West could stand to learn from our Chinese friends.
Chinese Business Philosophy
Monday, April 23rd, 2007You might never believe it but the factories of China aren’t all sweatshops and labor camps. At least one factory in China is actually in better shape than many in the western world. This according to a Canadian colleague who attested to the fact having toiled in a machinery shop himself back home. Walking around we were surprised at things in such order and good cleanliness. The assembly line was well organized, outlined with safety warnings, and remarkably clean! In fact, this particular factory we visited appears to be making quite a name for itself. Borche is a company that manufactures plastic molding machines. We visited as a fieldtrip with the Lingnan MBA program. The manager of said factory is a young man of 40 years and quite a passionate and excited fellow. He spoke to us in accented Mandarin for about two hours about his philosophy on how to run both an efficient factory and profitable business. From what I was able to glean from the speech, his approach is a bit radical from what we’ve heard of CEO’s in the past. Particularly interesting is his focus on several Chairman Mao principles as an inspiration for his company strategy. Thought it might be nice to share some of these communist proverbs that just might be a part of the business theory of other Chinese businesses.
服从，万船服从，色对服从
First and most obvious of the mottos guiding this organization is the one that’s inscribed in large, bold letters on the back wall of the conference room. Usually you might expect a company motto to say something about high quality or the customer is always first or something otherwise inspirational. This particular phrase was not so. A rough translation yields something like “Obedience, Complete Obediance, Absolute Obediance”. In fact, the translation is written up there on the wall in English as well, so there’s really no misunderstanding how this CEO keeps a hand on factory operations. Perhaps this is a natural precursor to the quality machines that the factory produces. We didn’t talk to any workers about what they thought of this inspirational motto but they all appeared to be working quite obediently. This motto has an interesting connection with another company value, 志同道合 or to work together toward a common goal and 执着 or persistence. Obedience ensures, of course, that all this is so.
从农村包围城市
This is a quotation from the Chairman. Borche’s CEO strongly subscribes to the teachings of the famous 20th century ruler. The CEO finds an interesting parallel in what MTD said about ruling a country and how to run a business. This particular proverb captures MTD’s idea of “empowering” (or “exploiting” depending on your perspective) the people of the countryside in order to realize prosperity in the country’s cities. His idea was to give every farmer a plot of land to plow for the benefit of feeding the socialist masses. Without going too political (and getting this blog “firewalled”), Borche applied this idea by first moving its operations out of the big city (in which their CEO had formerly worked for a large competitor) and into the country where the workers were both cheaper and perhaps more open to obedience training.
集中优势兵力，逐个歼灭敌人
From this phrase, the company draws military influence. The idea here is to focus all of the Army’s strength on the development of the troops. Doing so, helps assure swift and efficient annihilation of the enemy. The CEO applies this idea to business in much the same way that many western managers read Sun Tzu 孙子 and then integrate his theories in tactics and strategy to their business environments. Due to limited resources as a start-up company, Borche concentrated on their core competencies in a certain type of machinery. Most important of all, Borche focuses on one market in south China (广州) before attempting to reach out to a ready market of customers in Shanghai and Beijing. Only after they achieved superiority in this market did they attempt (successfully) to expand operations.
There were several other motivational phrases around the factory compound. We didn’t have a chance to snap a photo of every one but a few will be posted here soon.
- 成功从登楼开始 – “success begins by climbing the stairs” posted at the base of the five flights of stairs climbing to the rooftop conference room
- 开会 + 不落实 = 0 – hold a meeting + don’t carry out plan = 0 – on a placard sitting on the conference room table
- 好思路 + 不行动 = 0 – good idea + no action = 0
- 布置工作 + 不督促检查 = 0 – arrange the work to be done + don’t supervise and check = 0 (this one tracks with the obedience value)
抓住不落实的事 + 追究不落实的人 = 落实 – grasping the things that aren’t getting carried out + chasing the people that aren’t doing what they’re supposed to = Git er dun!
Borche is considered a model company in southern China – a big reason why we went to visit in the first place. I really regret not understanding more of what the CEO said to us. Fortunately, my kind classmates are more than happy to help me grasp the main idea of what’s going on. The insight into the way Chinese businesses are quickly realizing leadership in China and worldwide is interesting.
We’re currently on the road (or rather “rail”) headed for 张家界 (zhangjiajie or wulingyuan) in Hunan. It’s a large national forest preserve and supposed to have some spectacular scenery. Updates soon.
Let’s go fly a Chinese kite
Friday, April 20th, 2007Ever wondered how the original inventors of the kite, the Chinese, actually make them? Did you know that kite flying could actually be an aggressive competitive sport? In Guangzhou along the Pearl River, the competition is fierce.
The culture outside the north gate of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou is a sight to be seen. Conveniently secluded from the traffic that moves below, the north gate promenade is a concrete park for all ages to come out, gather, enjoy the outdoors, the river scene, and many activities for all ages. In the morning are the old folks practicing taiqi, old ladies clapping and flogging themselves, sword-wielding martial artists waving their weapons, and many people who come for the therapeutic tip-toe on the cobblestones that surround the flagpole at the water’s edge. In the evening emerge the dancers. Entrepreneurial dance instructors lead their groups in ballroom steps, tap dancing, salsa, and even the Macarena. And we can’t forget the roller skaters – like an ice-skating rink without ice, the promenade turns into a race track where young and old get together to learn the basics and show off their backward skating skills.
Perhaps most interesting of all the action outside the north gate is a special group of sports enthusiasts. (more…)
Differences between Chinese and American Business Education
Friday, March 30th, 2007Chinese MBAs are becoming more popular as the world’s students and businessmen start to realize that the largest market on the globe is gaining purchasing power and business savvy. Programs range from focused studies in Asian/Chinese business to week-long trips to China during winter break to intensive month-long immersions to exchange programs for extended study at Chinese Universities. Many resident Chinese MBA programs have partnerships with universities overseas and some are even partially funded by these schools.
Lingnan (University) College at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou works very closely with MIT Sloan in designing their curriculum, training their teachers, and obtaining teaching materials. In fact, once a year Sloan students visit the Lingnan campus for a couple days of exchange and teaching called Project Team China. These visits are overall an effective and rewarding experience for most of the students in the program. In speaking and sharing with the MIT students, we noticed a number rather distinct differences between the two programs. Some of the differences are indicative of the difference in American and Chinese culture. Others are maybe ways both programs could improve or change. As these are just impressions left by a small sample of MIT students, they may not necessarily be representative of the entire student body. (more…)
