At Nanyang Business School, our goal is to nurture you into a socially responsible leader, with acumen to balance the triple bottom line of people, environment and business.

For a start, you will be equipped with skills to manage real world situations, even while you’re in the classroom. Learn actively through courses and projects that are designed to develop your critical thinking, presentation and communication skills. New courses covering issues of ethics and corporate social responsibility have been integrated into our curricula to prepare you for a business world that is no longer concerned only with monetary profit.

The learning continues outside the classroom. Experience social responsibility firsthand through a Service Learning project and put your knowledge and skills to good use at not-for-profit organisations in Singapore and beyond. Get involved in one of our many student clubs and discover leadership and management insights ‘on the job’. Take part in a business competition and get a taste of the cut-and-thrust of the corporate world.

Cultural diversity is an integral part of the Nanyang Business School experience. Enjoy an open and vibrant environment, with a student community that hails from across the globe, and an international faculty that will enrich your academic journey with cross-cultural insights. Opportunities abound as well for you to experience life abroad through overseas internships and study exchanges.

As one of Asia’s top business schools, we are committed to providing you with an education that is world-class and world-relevant. Our academic rigour is globally accredited, while strong industry ties underpin the practical relevance of our programmes.

We look forward to making your undergraduate journey as exciting as it is rewarding, while helping you enhance your opportunities for success in the business world and beyond.

But the scope of sustainability extends far beyond reducing, reusing and recycling. Community interests must also be guarded, and economic viability secured, for long term success.

At Nanyang Business School, we nurture leaders who understand and balance the interest of people, businesses and the environment – to secure a sustainable future for our world.

Sustainability and Business
Sustainability for a company must begin at the core of its business model. How does it operate? What interest does it seek to advance?

Does it consider the impact of its operations on the environment and the stock of natural resources? Does it care about how it treats its employees and the impact it has on the community of which it is a part? A company that seeks enduring success must optimise the triple bottom line of people, environment and business.

Sustainability and Leadership
Awareness is growing that a one-dimensional pursuit of profit is no longer adequate. But there is still much to be done to embed sustainability in our government, business and society. Strong and fresh leadership that possesses the knowledge, skills and passion is needed to make a positive impact on the environment and their community.

Sustainability is more than mere pragmatism. It is an obligation. Just as we stand as beneficiaries of those who came before us, who harnessed physical, economic and social resources to give us this world of opportunity, so too should we ensure a better world for those who come after us.
It is this ethos that underpins our mission to groom Leaders for a Sustainable World.

Top Rankings - We are rated as Singapore’s best business school and among Asia’s Top 3 by The Economist’s global MBA ranking. The Financial Times’ MBA ranking rates us as one of the best 35 business schools in the world.

International Recognition

Our international accolades and achievements speak volumes of the first-rate education and global recognition you will enjoy as our student and graduate.

Highest Teaching Quality Standards
We have been awarded both the EQUIS (European Quality Improvement System) and AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditations – the most respected standards in business education. Outside of the United States, we are one of only nine business schools to be awarded the AACSB accreditation for accounting.

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In hot pursuit
Six months before her final class at NTU, Sylvia Lim of the Nanyang Business School had already received job offers from the likes of Deutsche Bank and Singapore’s Economic Development Board. Hardly surprising, given her stellar credentials: a First Class Honours; a double specialisation degree in Tourism & Hospitality Management and Human Resource Consulting; an enriching global exchange stint; and commitment to volunteer work.

About those offers “I had to make a decision within 14 days and it was tough for me because both organisations offered great growth and learning opportunities. I eventually decided to take up Deutsche Bank’s offer as I felt their programme was more aligned to my career goals.”

Days to remember Of the many positive experiences she had at NTU, Sylvia recalls two highlights. First, her overseas exchange to the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark under INSTEP (International Student Exchange Programme). “Besides taking a memorable trip across Europe, my four-and-a-half month stay in Copenhagen broadened my horizons greatly. I learnt many skills for working in cross-cultural settings and was trained to become more independent to manage my life alone.”

The second highlight was taking part in the Singapore Human Resource Challenge, an annual competition organised by the Singapore Human Resources Institute. Sylvia’s team was named grand finalist in 2010 and first runner-up in 2011. “It was an unforgettable experience because it brought me great friendships. We were all extremely proud and happy to do our best for NTU.”

People person Sylvia also enjoyed her internship with the Holiday Inn Singapore in 2010. “There were plenty of opportunities to learn about hotel operations, business management and working with people,” she says. “It definitely taught me how to apply my classroom knowledge and skills to real world settings.”

Over the horizon Sylvia intends to make her career in human resources at a leading organisation. And she’s not ruling out a return to higher education.

Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU’s) actuarial science programme has become the first in Singapore to be accredited by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, the world’s oldest actuarial professional body.

 
The UK organisation signed last Friday an agreement that will make it simpler for NTU actuarial science graduates to gain exemptions from the first eight of 15 professional examinations that the institute requires for qualification as a professional actuary.

Accreditation by the institute is a major endorsement of NTU’s actuarial science programme as it recognises that knowledge and skills taught at the university’s courses match the needs and standards of this highly regarded and technical profession.

The institute currently grants exemptions, to varying degrees, to 40 universities around the world – with just 15, including NTU, enjoying full accreditation. Within Asia, NTU is only the second university to be accredited, after Hong Kong University last October.

“We are most pleased to accredit the actuarial science programme at Nanyang Technological University. We are very satisfied with the rigour of the programme’s courses and assessments, and look forward to welcoming its graduates as student members of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries,” said Institute and Faculty of Actuaries president Jane Curtis.

About 50 students join NTU’s actuarial science programme, conducted at the university’s Nanyang Business School, each year. Those who graduate from 2015 onwards can gain exemption from the Core Technical portion of the institute’s professional exams, if their overall results for specified exams taken at the university meet a minimum grade. Exemptions granted by the UK institute are recognised by its counterparts in the US, the Society of Actuaries and the Casualty Actuarial Society, and Australia, the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.

NTU’s actuarial science programme is the most established in Singapore. Since it was first conducted in 1991, the programme has produced over 40 professional actuaries who have carved out highly successful careers in insurance companies, and other financial institutions around the world. Beyond education, the university is also fast becoming a regional leader in research on the subject. Together with global reinsurer SCOR, it established the Insurance Risk and Finance Research Centre last year to direct and promote primary research on insurance and insurance-related risk in the Asia-Pacific.

Professor Jun-koo Kang, who heads Nanyang Business School’s banking and finance division, said, “We are very proud of this prestigious and independent endorsement by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. It testifies of the rigour and relevance of our actuarial science programme, and gives our students a further head start into the challenging but rewarding career as an actuary.”

The accreditation by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries comes soon after NTU’s accounting research was ranked first in Asia and top 10 in the world. In Brigham Young University’s 2011 Accounting Research Rankings, released last month, NTU was ranked seventh internationally, based on the productivity of its accounting researchers across 11 top accounting journals in the most recent six years. Professor Tan Hun Tong retained his standing as the world’s top accounting researcher, followed closely by Professor Clive Lennox, making them Asia’s top two accounting researchers – both based at Nanyang Business School.

Earlier in January this year, Nanyang Business School’s MBA programme was ranked by the Financial Times as one of the world’s Top 35 and Asia’s Top 10 MBA programmes for the fourth consecutive year. The school’ MBA graduates charted the highest salary level compared to other Singapore MBA graduates, with an average pay of US$102,350 a year, three years after graduation. The programme also ranked first in Singapore for career progression opportunities and successful job placements offered to its graduates.

The 3-day event was kicked off on the morning of 13th December at Canopy K in North Spine with icebreakers played between close to 120 beneficiaries and an equal number of volunteers, who would accompany them throughout. Ten groups of beneficiaries were formed, containing 12 beneficiaries each and headed by a Group Leader (GL). These groups would compete against each other in the various games and activities over the course of the three days. The kids’ enthusiasm and high spirits were clear evidence of how eager they were to start. The first activity planned for the day was a handicraft workshop, requiring each beneficiary to create a penholder and a lantern from simple stationery items such as craft paper, pins, and small wood pieces. With a little guidance from the volunteers, the children came up with some really unique designs. The variety in their thought and the joy of creating something on their own was resplendent on their faces and a heartwarming sight. Next up on the list of activities were the exciting and much-awaited station games. Five game stations were set up across the academic complexes of NTU, each station having a different objective to accomplish. The ten groups were to visit all stations and complete tasks set by the respective stationmasters. Ranging from molding clay to overcoming a path of hurdles, the station games stretched the physical and mental limits of the children, encouraging healthy team play. Though volunteers guided the children, their sense of achievement was rewarding for every volunteer. The station games did tire the kids out, but not enough for an energetic group dance by their GLs on the song “Happy boys and girls”, at Canopy K. The dance steps for the song were then taught to the kids in different groups as preparation for the mass dance on the 15th. As the first day came to an end, spirits were high and everyone looked forward to the coming two days.

The second day of Kids’World 2011 was probably the most awaited of the three days. The kids embarked on a fun-filled outing to the organic farm “Bollywood Veggies”- one of the few countryside regions in Singapore. The outing at the farm comprised of activities that kids would otherwise not experience in an as urban environment as Singapore. From potting plants to a farm-wide treasure hunt, the unique activities in the serene arboretum gave the different groups ample room to have fun while learning about agriculture at the same time. The exhausted kids were rewarded for their hard day with homemade snacks and cool drinks. With rain threatening to play spoilsport, it was time for the kids to head back home and reminisce about a day spent well.

Come 15th December and it was party time! The start to the day nothing short of colorful as groups dressed in their respective colored shirts assembled in Hall 12 function hall to perform the mass dance to the song “Happy boys and girls” by Aqua. The mass dance was followed by renditions by each individual group. Prizes were given away to the best dancing pair of volunteer and beneficiary in each group. The organizers still had a lot in store for the kids in the form of another round of station games in North Spine. The planning of the games involved great contemplation on part of the organizers in making sure they were meaningful and fun for the children to play. Games such as Newspaper Soccer, Say my Name, Get it Right and others tested a group’s team play and the ability of its members to predict each other’s moves. Although the beneficiaries were tired, they showed no signs of exhaustion in their display of enthusiasm for each group’s performance. After a sumptuous dinner, it was finally time for the group performances, encompassing dance, singing and drama. Each group put its best foot forward with entertaining performances, enthralling the audience.

With the group performances coming to a close, everyone had their eyes on the prize distribution ceremony. Hui Leng, the chairperson of VM and also the event head of Kids’ World 2011 distributed goodie bags to the runner up groups, with a morale-boosting appellation such as ‘Smart’,‘Most enthusiastic’, bestowed on each group. Group 10 was declared winner while Groups 1 and 7 were declared runner-ups of the fascinating 3-day event. Best volunteer prizes were also given away by each group’s GL to the most deserving volunteer in his/her group. Noisy group celebrations followed the prize distribution and the volunteers bid their beloved beneficiaries final goodbyes before they met again in their weekly tutoring sessions.

Hui Leng and her team of dedicated volunteers place their biggest success in the kids’ smiling faces at the end of the event and those special moments that the kids shall remember for life.

The article (Kids’ World 2011 – An Initiative By Volunteer Management (VM)) was reproduced from the Jan 2012 issue of The Tribune, NTU’s monthly publication of Nanyang Technological University’s Students’ Union. Special thanks to the Welfare Services Club (WSC) and the writer, Shashank Jere for their contribution to this article.

The modest economic outlook is not stopping organisations from looking to hire NTU students.  A record number of 221 Singapore and multinational organisations will be zeroing in on these students at the annual NTU Career Fair 2012, compared to 175 last year.  This is also the largest employment fair at a Singapore university campus, with public and private sector employers looking for students from every college across NTU to fill full-time positions. Held over two days on 7 and 10 February 2012 just like last year, it is so that a bigger number of eager employers can participate in the event.

In total, there will be about 3,000 job openings at this year’s Fair.  Close to 15,000 students are expected to attend the event, including more than 8,000 final-year students who will graduate in July this year.

Dream jobs months before graduation

Ms Swetha Balachandran, 21, from NTU’s Accountancy & Business Double Degree pioneer class, will be joining global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG).  Ms Balachandran, who had earlier spent an internship at Goldman Sachs, went through 6 rigorous rounds of interviews over 2 months. She has made an outstanding entry into BCG, as only a select group of students from Singapore universities make it into the firm each year.

Ms Balachandran, who has been gunning for a career in the management consulting industry from the start of her job search last year, said, “The job at BCG is very appealing because I can apply my skills and talents in a wide range of areas, including project management, communication and business analysis.”

Internship “conversions” on the rise

Internships “conversions” to full-time positions are expected to increase this year as well. Internships have proven to be effective talent-spotting for organisations as they extend offers of full-time employment to students who have held internships with their firms. For the Class of 2010, nearly 800 out of about 4,000 undergraduate students surveyed had received job offers from their internship companies.  In that year, about 4,300 NTU students did their internships at more than 1,200 organisations worldwide, such as global technology company 3M, the Big Four accounting firms, American multinational oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil, Lucasfilm Animation and power systems giant Rolls-Royce.

One such intern was Nanyang Business School student Mr Adamson Alagan.  Four months into his internship at global marketing powerhouse Wunderman, Mr Adamson so impressed his bosses that the Chairman and CEO offered him the job of Chief of Staff, a role that needs at least 5 years’ experience.  Now based at the firm’s New York office, Mr Adamson, who graduated in July 2011, attributes his success to the combination of strong industry knowledge gained from his training at NBS and his passion for marketing.

Professor Kam Chan Hin, NTU’s Associate Provost in charge of Undergraduate Education, said, “This Career Fair is an exciting opportunity for us to bring together the employers and students on campus – both to show employers what our students have to offer, and to show our students what employment opportunities exist for them as they pursue and complete their studies.  The fact that there are a record number of employers attending this year’s Fair is a testament to the quality education our students receive here, and how well it prepares them for the global workplace.”

Mr Loh Pui Wah, Director of NTU’s Career & Attachment Office said, “Companies always want to attract the best and brightest, and despite the sombre economic outlook for 2012, they are still hiring our graduates.  When we ask these companies why they prefer to hire NTU graduates, they tell us it is because our students are well-prepared for the workplace, but just as importantly, our students have integrity and positive work attitudes that companies look for in new employees.  This is wonderful feedback for our students and professors.”

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You can be like him if you are the one who… clumsily bumps into others on the street… because your head is buried in a copy of the Financial Times. Your eyes light up when you see the words Greek debt crisis, because where others fear the worst, you smell an opportunity to pick up stocks on the cheap. Your friends face the “difficult” choice of choosing between Manchester United and Barcelona; you scoff because you have a far more critical decision to make: Technicalist or Fundamentalist?

Your perfect match: the Nanyang Business School, with the region’s most established accountancy programme and one of the top business programmes in Asia.

Its students are highly sought-after in the financial world, with many securing jobs with the “Big 4” accounting firms and MNCs by the start of their third year. The school’s undergrads also regularly shine in areas like management and marketing, winning prestigious competitions such as last year’s McGill Management International Case Competition in Montreal and the L’Oréal Brandstorm International Finals in Paris.

Confirming its impressive pedigree, the school’s MBA programme ranks among the top 35 in the world, according to the latest Financial Times ranking, where its MBA graduates were also found to have the highest average salary compared to other Singapore MBA graduates. The Nanyang MBA has also been ranked by The Economist as the best in Singapore for the last eight years.

Lim Chow Kiat:
From Kampung Boy to Global Investor

The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) only hired one person back in 1993 – a former Malaysian kampung boy fresh out of the Nanyang Business School.

Nearly two decades and several promotions later, in 2011, that someone – Lim Chow Kiat – became the President of GIC Asset Management, handling the company’s public market investments, at the relatively young age of 40. Fresh out of university with a First Class Honours degree in Accountancy, he had turned down higher-paying positions to join GIC as he felt that it offered better learning opportunities.

That decision paid off, with Chow Kiat enjoying a truly global career with the organisation. Besides his work in Singapore, he has had an “entrepreneurial experience” in New York, where he helped form a team to invest in credit assets, and a posting in London, during which he ran the company’s European operations.

The education he received in NTU gave him the tools to succeed. Says Chow Kiat: “One of the strengths of the curriculum was that its scope went beyond our core discipline.”

“Even though accountancy was my major, I did other courses in law, statistics, communication, IT and organisational behaviour, which I have found to be really useful. As I did more management work in the last 10 years, the things I learnt as an undergraduate came in handy.”

“Without some of those foundational courses, I would probably have had to do a Master of Business Administration to try and understand the management issues that I encounter at work.”

The article (Their Business is His Business) was reproduced from the Mar-Apr 2012 issue of HEY!, NTU’s bimonthly free magazine featuring interesting morsels of varsity life and inspirational success stories.

Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) accounting research is once again ranked first in Asia and top 10 in the world. In Brigham Young University’s (BYU’s) 2011 Accounting Research Rankings, which was released recently, NTU was ranked seventh, based on the productivity of its accounting researchers across 11 top accounting journals in the most recent six years. In the area of auditing, the university took a clear lead globally, after sharing the No. 1 spot the previous year with Bentley University.

Professor Tan Hun Tong retained his standing as the world’s top accounting researcher, followed closely by Professor Clive Lennox, making them Asia’s top two accounting researchers – both based at NTU. Their prolific research output over the last six years, combined with that of 11 other faculty at Nanyang Business School (NBS), contributed to NTU’s steady performance among the world’s top accounting research programmes.

NTU’s strong showing was achieved largely on the back of relatively recent research by its faculty. In terms of research output over the past 20 years, NTU placed at 25th position. By contrast, the six universities that were ahead in the global rankings – University of Texas at Austin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Stanford University, Michigan State University, Ohio State University and University of Chicago – all ranked within the top 15. When research output over the last 12 years is considered, NTU was ranked 9th globally.

Professor Gillian Yeo, Interim Dean of Nanyang Business School said, “The strong endorsement by the BYU’s latest Accounting Research Rankings reaffirms the position of Nanyang Business School as Singapore’s premier business school. This outstanding result, combined with the strong showing by our MBA programme in this year’s Financial Times ranking, and by NTU in other world league tables, is another firm endorsement of our standing among the world’s elite higher education institutions.”

In January this year, NBS’ MBA programme was ranked by the Financial Times as one of the world’s Top 35 and Asia’s Top 10 MBA programmes for a fourth straight year. NBS’ MBA graduates charted the highest salary level compared to other Singapore MBA graduates, with an average pay of US$102,350 a year, three years after graduation. NBS’ MBA programme also ranked first in Singapore for career progression opportunities and successful job placements offered to its graduates.

Professor Tan, the United Overseas Bank Chair Professor of Accounting at NBS, focuses his research on understanding the judgment and decision making processes of auditors and financial analysts and other preparers, users, and financial intermediaries of accounting information. In particular, he is keenly interested in how institutional and environmental features influence such judgments and decisions. He typically uses psychological theories and experimental research techniques to gain insights into fundamental accounting issues. His research interests extend to judgment and decision issues in general management contexts.

Commenting on his latest accolade, Prof Tan said, “A lot of the credit for my research output goes to the great group of co-authors I have been working with.  Many of them are NTU colleagues, including current and former students. They have played instrumental roles. In particular, I have found mentoring students and younger colleagues a very enriching process.”

The BYU Accounting Research Ranking is based on an index of peer-reviewed articles in 11 top accounting journals since 1990, and categorised by topic and methodology.  Further information about the rankings is available at: www.byuaccounting.net/rankings.

Source: News Release

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Top on the list is an Asia Consumer Summit, organised with the Financial Times. Modelled in format after the World Economic Forum in Davos, this event, to be attended by global business leaders, will be a platform to examine Asian consumers.  The rest of this year’s calendar is filled with conferences headlined by big names in the region, like Acer’s Stan Shih, and uniquely Asian events including a seminar on “Ghosts, Spirits, Lucky Numbers and Other Superstitions” and the consumer.

The Institute, funded jointly by the Singapore Economic Development Board and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), is a world-class, first-of-its-kind institute focused on Asian consumers. Through research, education programmes and industry collaborations, ACI will help companies develop strategies for Asian markets. Hosted at NTU and funded up to $77 million over five years, the Institute will help businesses innovate brands, products and services, based on insight about pan-Asian consumer needs, wants, and preferences.

The Institute was officially launched at an inauguration ceremony at the Mandarin Orchard Hotel Singapore. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade & Industry, S. Iswaran, presided over the event.

In his speech, Mr. Iswaran noted that the launch of the institute is in tandem with the shift in economic focus to Asia.  He added that Singapore’s ideal location and integrative research capabilities in biomedical sciences and engineering will benefit consumer goods companies looking to access and capture market opportunities in the region and beyond.

“Singapore’s physical connectivity and cultural proximity to the region, coupled with our multi-cultural talent base, makes us an ideal outward looking pan-Asian hub for many research agencies and consultancies to acquire a nuanced understanding of similarities and differences among Asian consumers,” said Mr. Iswaran.

Top executives of global consumer goods and market research companies also attended the event. They included Unilever, ADK, Kraft Foods, Research in Motion, and Nielsen, which have committed to collaborating with ACI on various initiatives. Also present were Professor Amitava Chattopadhyay from INSEAD, Professor Shi Zhang from the UCLA, Ms Leung Cheong Tai, President (Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa) from Nielsen, and Mr BV Pradeep, Vice President (Consumer & Market Insight) from Unilever, who participated in panel discussions on consumer insights, and strategy and growth.

“Unilever is delighted to support ACI. We need thought leadership and insights about Asian consumers that we can use for marketing and product innovations.” said Mr Pradeep.

Ms Leung said, “As consumer needs evolve at an increasingly rapid pace, insights into how and why they make purchasing decisions become even more critical for companies to win, and also identify emerging demand for growth. We welcome the ACI’s initiatives to accelerate the development of talents in the region, which will foster an even stronger community of professionals to help companies win.”

At the event, NTU President, Bertil Andersson highlighted ACI’s relevance to NTU’s strategy of becoming a New Silk Road of knowledge that combined the best of the East and West. “The study of Asian consumer insight is one that relies on expertise across many disciplines. Say, you are looking to make inroads into the Asian retail markets. You may start by looking to history, culture, psychology, to figure out what goes on in the mind of the consumers. This requires a multi-disciplinary approach. At NTU, ACI will have access to some of the world’s best brains in fields like marketing, culture intelligence, accounting, engineering, and very soon, neuro-science – when NTU’s new medical school, the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, set up in partnership with Imperial College London, enrols its first 50 students in August next year,” he said.

The Institute is led by Executive Director Bernd Schmitt, who is currently at NTU as a Nanyang Visiting Professor. A professor of international business at Columbia Business School, New York, and Director at the Centre on Global Brand Leadership, Professor Schmitt has taught and conducted research on Asian consumers for almost 20 years, at universities such as CEIBS in China, Yonsei University in South Korea, and Hong Kong University. He has also consulted for a variety of organizations Sony in Japan, Samsung, Lotte, and Amore Pacific and Hanjin in South Korea, Wheelock in Hong Kong and Tata Industries in India.

“The Asian consumers are set to become the number one priority for companies around the world. Vibrant economies and youthful demographics are creating the world’s fastest growing middle class. Firms that are seeking that next phase of growth cannot ignore this region and I’m most excited for this opportunity to lead this pioneering work at the frontier of the global consumer franchise,” said Professor Schmitt.

Conferences, Seminars and Executive Programmes

ACI’s flagship event is the Asia Consumer Summit, which will be the global platform to examine issues of growth and strategy, exploring Asia’s latest consumer trends and how to capitalise on business opportunities that arise from them. Organised in partnership with the Financial Times, it is fashioned after the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, and will bring together the world’s most influential and iconic leaders from business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, research firms, creative agencies and academia. The inaugural conference is scheduled for October 11, 2012.

Prior to that, ACI will be organizing its first seminar on Friday, 13th April, at 1808hrs. Titled “Ghosts, Spirits, Lucky Numbers and Other Superstitions and How They Influence Consumer Behaviour”, this seminar will help retailers, hoteliers, property developers and other companies unravel the mysteries of how superstitions affect consumer perceptions, decisions and ultimately – business. For more tailored insights on market-specific trends and issues, ACI will be conducting several Country Series seminars this year. The first of the Country Series takes place in July, with the spotlight on South Korea. This will be followed by a seminar on India in August, and one on Indonesia in December. The Institute will also offer executive education courses for working professionals. It will also develop customised courses for companies that want their employees to be trained to meet their specific needs.

Research 

ACI, through its research fellows, conducts academic research in areas such as consumer decision-making, consumer psychology and consumer culture. ACI fellows are a multi-disciplinary faculty from universities in the region, including NTU, National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University, INSEAD, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. ACI has already invited professors from leading US business schools, such as University of Chicago, University of California, Los Angeles, and Columbia University, to present their research. It has established a partnership with the Centre on Customer Insight at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland.

Master of Science Programme 

ACI, together with the Nanyang Business School, will launch a Master of Science in Marketing programme in October 2012 to help nurture talent that understands Asian consumers, and possesses the know-how to reach out to them. This one-year, part-time programme will focus on developing quantitative and qualitative research skills to analyse, evaluate and appreciate the unique needs of Asian consumers. Students will learn well-established research methods like survey design as well as cutting-edge methods such as ethnography, text mining and Bayesian analysis. More than just theory, participants will learn how to implement and apply these methods in practically relevant contexts, such as design, branding and product innovation.

Industry Collaborations

ACI invites companies to engage in joint projects and create “next practices” for areas such as understanding young Asian females, “the bottom of the pyramid” and emotional consumption. Corporations can sponsor company-specific research projects and case studies, which will provide them with key strategic insights into how they can grow their businesses in Asia.

Source: News Release, 30 Mar 2012

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Channel 5 News, 30 Mar 2012, 9:30pm

Channel NewsAsia, 30 Mar 2012, 10pm