Vietnam

As the world becomes increasingly globalised, the business environment, too, has increasingly turned more dynamic. This entails that skills that brought success in yesteryears are no longer sufficient to compete in this new global environment. Rather, it is the set of global perspectives coupled with the relevant technical competencies that would allow one to truly succeed and become an effective business leader. Therefore, it is with this in mind that has primarily motivated me to apply for the Global Discovery Programme.

In order to acquire a wide global perspective, it is essential for one to gain an extensive global exposure. Going to Vietnam would therefore be part of my objective in accumulating global exposure. However this would not be my first step in doing so; having first had the opportunity to serve a 22-week internship in Shanghai between July and December last year. Then, I had the opportunity to widen my perspectives and learnt much about the socioeconomic and cultural make-up of China through experiencing life and work there. Regardless if it was a formal networking session, attending a business conference, or having a lunch of beef noodles with my colleagues, the immersion opportunities certainly gave me much insight into the way of life and doing business in China. It was also a humbling experience for me as I came to realize how myopic I had been to be locked in the Singaporean mentality all these while. In fact, without the opportunity to work overseas, I would still have taken much of the efficiency of the Singapore system for granted without knowing how businesses could be weighed down by heavy and rigid bureaucracies.

Likewise, the overseas experience also led me to understand how norms that may be customary in Singapore could turn out to be taboo in another country. Certainly, these are understandings acquired only when one is able to look beyond the Singapore mentality, and they therefore further underscore the need for me to venture out...