Professor Tam: a highly competitive major

Aimed at training highly-motivated students to become stalwart business leaders by providing them with a global mindset, the BBA in Global Business programme was introduced in 2001 as a three-year undergraduate course at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Today, this demanding programme stands out as one of the most competitive majors on campus.

Designed to be a focused programme catering to a small number of students, Global Business is offered as an undergraduate major and has its own sequence of courses, augmented by a number of enrichment programmes, explains Professor Kar Yan Tam, associate dean and director of undergraduate programmes at HKUST.

Highlights include a mandatory semester abroad, along with a valuable internship opportunity and the requirement to research and write a thesis and complete a final project. Last but not least, Global Business students must graduate with a double major, focusing their academic interests on a variety of related fields such as accounting, economics, finance, information systems, operations management, management of organisations and marketing.

The university is very pleased with the incoming students' examination scores. "[These were some] of the highest in all the programmes offered by local universities," says Prof Tam. Besides having highly-competitive grades, incoming students are required to meet a stringent language requirement - high C or above in English and a second language.

All 20 or so students attend classes together for three years, forming a close-knit group. Taking courses in a second major allows them to mingle. "Other students are afraid to take classes with the Global Business students - thinking that they are too smart," he chuckles.

Custom-designed and enriched
In addition to taking the course requirements for a second major, students follow a custom-designed curriculum, which focuses on critical thinking, communication skills, leadership and problem-solving techniques, as well as enhancing their international exposure. Courses include: Global Politics and History; Global Business Case Studies; Interpersonal Relations; International Trade and Finance; Leadership and Entrepreneurship.

"Global Business is the only programme on campus that requires a mandatory semester abroad," Prof Tam says. "It is important for students to go overseas. It gives them a global perspective and makes them more independent. Students learn to interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds."

The semester abroad takes place during the second academic year. The university arranges one-semester exchanges with universities in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. "Students give us their preferences of ten universities and we try and match them with exchange partners. The current group of Global Business undergraduates is attending programmes in Canada, the United States, Europe and Singapore."

To ensure that students can put theory into practice, HKUST works with banks, financial institutions and major retailers to set up paid internships. These, although not mandatory, allow students to obtain work experience while attending classes. Prof Tam hopes that the students working with local businesses will receive placement offers upon graduation.

The demanding curriculum also includes the requirement to research and write a thesis and complete a final year project. According to Prof Tam, "the thesis is academic, while the project is a practical exercise". Students work with a faculty coordinator and advisor to complete their thesis, which must be written during the third year. Typically, the topic encourages students to develop a business plan for a start-up. A team initiative, four to five students work together on the project and the university usually tries to find companies for them to collaborate with.

The first set of Global Business majors will graduate in 2004. When asked about their potential career possibilities, Prof Tam explains, "The direction of their future depends on their second major. Global Business provides the soft skills that the employer finds essential. Wherever they go, these skills will help them with career development."

Course information

Doubling your options The choice of second major usually determines the career path of a Global Business major. While the Global Business programme provides a broad-based education with a global perspective, the second major delivers training in a specific discipline, according to Professor Kar Yan Tam, associate dean and director of undergraduate programmes at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). HKUST offers several options, including economics or finance. With a general education in business and economics, graduates can pursue careers in marketing, sales or management at financial institutions or government agencies, or in industry, trade or education. With a focus on corporate finance or investment management, finance graduates can work with commercial and investment banks or with insurance, accounting and management consulting firms. An Accounting major can take a range of courses, including financial reporting, valuation and company management, and may work for major accounting firms, multinational corporations or investment banks upon graduation. Information Systems (IS) is another discipline offered by HKUST, which focuses on the application of information technology to achieve management objectives. Armed with a general education in business and specialised IS training, graduates can pursue careers in a wide variety of areas including systems analysis, programming, marketing, sales or management. The Operations Management programme uses systematic and scientific methods to model and solve companies and organisations' management problems. Graduates may find jobs in logistics, banking, trading, financial management, production, manufacturing, retailing, telecommunications, transportation, management consulting, health-care or government. Management of Organisations deals with the many aspects of administering an organisation, such as the formulation of goals, strategic planning, organisational structure and human resources development. Career opportunities include government jobs or management trainee positions within any business. According to HKUST, an organisation's success often depends on the effectiveness of its marketing efforts. Marketing courses provide students with the analytical tools to understand marketing problems and the skills to solve practical ones. Job opportunities for marketing graduates include positions in advertising, administration, consulting and sales.

Taken from Career Times 2003/10/31