政大IMBA新生專屬的「領導與團隊合作課程」於2月26至28日在宜蘭圓滿落幕。圍繞2022年度的主題「學習、連結與領導」（Learning, Linking and Leading），同學們把握機會透過互動式的學習與體驗，挑戰個人過往的思維和經驗，並透過團隊激盪，重塑過往對於學習的認知，並反思轉換式領導的重要性。

活動一開始，由IMBA新任執行長何富年揭開序幕，他談到了IMBA學程的獨特性，以及透過融合中西文化的管理哲學，和多元化的同儕背景組成，培育同學們於全球化的商場上擁有獨特的競爭力。最後他也鼓勵同學們在IMBA的期間，能夠大膽走出舒適圈，敞開心胸和不同的團隊交流，並且從中體驗樂趣。

本次三天兩夜課程及活動，由商學院特聘教授胡昌亞領銜設計及規劃，她也在活動說明時，特別強調關於重啟學習歷程、了解自己與隊友、發揮領導潛力的必要性。除了傳統的授課之外，本次活動也特別安排了臺灣知名的威士忌酒商「噶瑪蘭酒廠」的參訪行程，同學們親自探訪了酒廠，在活動後更對於世界各國的飲酒文化，以及不同文化對於商業環境的影響進行討論與分享。

課程之一，係由企管系助理教授朴星俊（Sungjun Park）主持的模擬挑戰──釣魚遊戲，旨在擴大同學們的視野，遊戲中也必須面對，當經濟利益與社會企業責任產生衝突時的矛盾情境該如何抉擇。儘管在小組討論、形成決策的過程中，充滿激烈的辯論與折衷妥協，但同學們也藉由這一環節凝聚了更強的共識，並且理解到有時候某些不得已或是令人不舒服的決策，若換一個角度思考就會產生不同的解讀。

臺灣學生白紹筠（Bianca Bai）表示，儘管同學們已經一起度過了整學期的課程，但是在營隊當中的活動及討論更進一步加深彼此的連結，也有更多的機會和比較不熟的同學互動了解，此外透過這次的營隊，也讓自己暫時停下忙碌的腳步，重新思考當初加入IMBA的初衷，以及再次釐清我們想要達成的未來。

理解文化差異

IMBA作為一個國際化的學程，特別鼓勵同學們打破國籍的藩籬，敞開心胸經驗跨文化的觀念交流。課程的第二天聚焦於文化內容與系統的討論，國貿系教授蘇威傑帶領同學們進行一連串的活動與討論，盼能幫助同學們理解不同文化之間微妙的差異，培養未來在多元文化環境工作的敏銳度。

創新訓練與系統思考

為協助同學們打造出解決問題的技巧與能力，課程當中也安排了一系列的創新思維與系統思考課程。並邀請到在本校EMBA、IMBA有多年任教經驗，同時也在跨國飯店及餐飲業有15年專業經理人經歷的王劭仁（Arthur Wang）擔任講師，帶領同學進行一連串的創新思維訓練，同時也鼓勵同學們跳脫傳統的思維框架，發揮創意與想像力。

來自泰國的學生黃金達（Mickey Wongchinda）表示，這堂課最大的心得就是「要勇於作夢，儘管只是微不足道的開始，仍要用盡全力、保持專注及努力不懈」，這對於他作為一個國際業務開發經理，真的非常重要且受用，同時也是鼓勵自己邁向創業之路的座右銘，持續不斷的學習，並且將所學與所知連結，以產生更多的可能，最終將帶領自己完成夢想。

在創新思維工作坊之後緊接著登場的，是由本校資管系副教授莊浩鈞主講的系統思維講座。本課程旨在協助同學形成心智模型，並且應用此種思維模式，創建具有變革性的解決方案。

讓每一件事情產生連結

在課程的最後一天，同學們挑戰將這幾天學習到的所有知識付諸實踐，每一組同學都必須綜合在研討會與會議中學到的知識設計一項活動，並在所有同學面前展示活動及分享心得。最後所有的參與者透過綜合討論，激盪出各種創意火花。來自於德國曼哈姆大學的雙聯學位學生馬佳（Maja Peters）表示，三天兩夜的營隊對他而言是和來自世界各國的同學們交流互動的好機會，此外從課堂中對於學習及領導力的概念也有更深的認識，相信可以幫助自己準備好，未來在國際化的經濟環境中能夠擔任管理要角。

The IMBA program recently concluded its annual leadership and teambuilding camp for its 2021-entered students at the Shangrila Boutique Hotel located in Yilan, last February 26-28, 2022.

Under the theme “Learning, Linking and Leading,” the students got the chance to experience interactive activities that challenged them to think about their experience, re-orient their understanding of learning, and reflect on the importance of transformational leadership.

Professor Foo Nin Ho, the newly-appointed IMBA Director, gave the opening remarks. He talked about the significance of an IMBA degree from NCCU and how it provides the students a competitive advantage due to its mix of Eastern and Western management philosophy lectures and its diverse student body and faculty. He concluded his speech by encouraging the students to make the most of this program by collaborating as a team and having fun.

NCCU’s leading professors from the College of Commerce facilitated the team-building activities. Distinguished Professor Changyu Hu headed the team as the overall designer and facilitator of the three-day camp. In her opening session, Professor Hu highlighted the necessity of learning about oneself, working with orders, and leading oneself.

 

The students visited the Kavalan Distillery in the afternoon, a well-known Taiwanese single malt whisky producer. This field trip was followed by a discussion on diverse drinking cultures around the world and their importance in the business environment. 

Dr. Steven Park, Assistant Professor from the Department of Business Administration, supervised a simulation game dubbed the “Fishing Game” to round up the day. This simulation challenged the students to extend their horizons and consider scenarios in which corporate social responsibility and economic interests can collide. 

As the students interacted with each other, it formed a strong sense of camaraderie amongst them and it was clear that there were decisions that were somewhat uncomfortable to make, but the game forced them to look at things from a different perspective. 

Bianca Bai, a local student expressed, “Even we’ve already worked together in class for one semester, the lectures and activities that we had during the camp help us form deeper connections with our classmates whom we don’t have chance to work with before. Also, the camp encouraged us to stop and reflect why we joined the IMBA program in the first place, and what we want to achieve in the future.”

Understanding Cultural Differences

As an international program with students hailing from different countries globally, the IMBA program seeks to instill in its students a multi-cultural perspective. The second day continued the discussion about cultural contexts and systems. Dr. Wei-Chieh Su, a professor of International Business, led the discussion through a series of activities to help the students understand the nuances of culture and working in a culturally diversified environment. 

Innovation Training and Systems Thinking

A series of innovation training and systems thinking workshops were also conducted to help the students hone their problem-solving skills. 

Dr. Arthur Shao-Ren Wang, who teaches NCCU’s EMBA and IMBA students as well as a respected entrepreneur with several well-known restaurants and hotels, led the afternoon innovation training session with a series of learning activities that challenged the students to think beyond the box.

“Dream big, start small, work hard, stay focused, and keep going.” These are the takeaways from Professor Wang’s creativity session for Mickey Wongchinda, an international student from Thailand. Mickey explained how important this was to his work as an International Business development manager. “This is exactly the way I’d like to work towards my entrepreneurial journey. Keep learning, link it to what you have, and use this approach to lead you to your ultimate dream.” 

Complementing the innovation training session the following day was the system thinking lecture by Dr. Howard Chuang, an associate professor of Management Information Systems. The camp’s curriculum included system thinking as a means to help students form mental models and apply them to create solutions that can lead to transformation.

Linking Everything Together 

All students were challenged to put their learnings into practice on the last day of the camp. Each team was tasked to design an activity that could synthesize their learnings from the workshops and sessions and had to facilitate it. 

This end-of-camp round-up activity provided all participants an opportunity to showcase their takeaways and also learn from one another through the moderated discussions that followed. 

Maja Peters, a Dual Degree Student from the University of Mannheim, Germany, shared the value of the camp to her, “The Leadership and Team Building camp was a great opportunity to connect with my classmates from all around the world. Developing a deeper understanding of learning and leadership concepts will help me in my future role as a manager in a global environment.”

IMBA菲律賓籍學生張舒儀（Arlene Chang）、新加坡籍學生林潔（Inez Lim），和另一位來自加拿大薩斯卡通大學（University of Saskatchewan）的研究生，代表亞洲組隊參與2021年11月16日舉辦之2021年日內瓦挑戰賽（2021 Geneva Challenge），獲得全球第二的殊榮。

「日內瓦挑戰賽──高等發展目標」（The Geneva Challenge - Advancing Development Goals Contest）係由日內瓦國際關係及發展高等學院（Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva）每年舉辦之競賽，並鼓勵來自世界各地的研究生踴躍提案，以解決緊迫的發展問題。而第八屆的主題為要求學生針對「危機管理的挑戰」提出解決方案，代表五大洲的五支決賽團隊，受邀至日內瓦的和平之家進行簡報，然而受到全球新冠肺炎疫情影響，團隊只能透過遠距直播的方式進行簡報發表。

為解決菲律賓糧食危機和營養不良的問題，團隊提出名為「DAAN」的專案，透過數位解決方案以確保基本物資可以在該國的首都地區自由流動，並透過系統合作和數據驅動的規劃，以減少因物流不順暢造成的食物浪費。

進入決選的亞洲團隊來自本校及加拿大薩斯卡通大學，成員之一Arlene表示，在菲律賓發生第一波COVID-19疫情期間，新聞大篇幅報導，因為邊境管制和相互矛盾的政府政策，扔掉大量的蔬菜的狀況層出不窮。與此同時首都地區卻承受的封鎖帶來的糧食危機，當人們為了獲取食物而爭執時，肆意把食物丟掉和犯罪無異，團隊也致力於針對這樣的問題提出解決方案。

成員皆表示該專案經歷了反覆的討論與調整，才產出目前的方案。最初的想法是針對政府採購的永續性提出解決方案，但由於涉及範圍太廣，團隊必須限縮範圍以提高可執行性。在某次的深夜討論中，成員之一Inez分享了新加坡政府如何善用科技對抗COVID-19的經驗，這也成為了團隊發想出最終提案的契機，也就是「DAAN」──在菲律賓語中代表「道路」、「途徑」。DAAN是一款app，用以優化食物運送的物流路徑與流程，以達到最高效率，此一跨專業的解決方案靈感來自於，團隊觀察到新加坡政府於COVID-19期間的作為，以及菲律賓政府所推動的數位化研究。

結合了在IMBA課堂所學到的理論與知識，加上跨專業領域的洞察力，讓團隊得以發展出兼具理論與實務的商業提案，並且在競賽中獲得全球第二名的殊榮，同時還有瑞士法郎5,000元（相當於新臺幣15萬元）的獎金，他們也將善用這筆獎金進一步發展提案的概念。

Arlene鼓勵所有本校同學，未來可以更積極的參與比賽，她指出：「『日內瓦挑戰』是同學們將課堂所學知識付諸實行，並進一步實踐『聯合國永續發展目標』的絕佳機會。我在IMBA課堂中學到一系列的商業模式，並能夠將其應用於專案中。」很高興將課堂學到的東西具體實踐的她提到：「IMBA不但形塑了我的創業思維，更提高了對於社會問題的意識。我強烈建議政大的所有研究生都應該嘗試參與2022年度的『日內瓦挑戰』，本屆的主題為『減貧挑戰』。」

更多關於日內瓦挑戰賽的資訊，請點選連結。

IMBA is pleased to announce that two of its students, Arlene Chang from the Philippines and Inez Lim from Singapore, represented Asia at the 2021 Geneva Challenge, which took place on November 16, 2021. The team, which included another graduate student from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, finished second worldwide.

The Geneva Challenge – Advancing Development Goals Contest is an annual competition hosted by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, in which master students from around the world are encouraged to submit proposals to address a pressing development issue. In its eighth edition, students were asked to provide solutions to “The Challenges of Crisis Management.”

Five finalists teams, each representing a continent from across the world, were chosen and invited to present at the Maison de la Paix in Geneva. The team had to make their presentation virtually due to the global pandemic.

In order to address the Philippines’ food insecurity and malnutrition concerns, the team presented DAAN, a digital solution that could be used to ensure that essential goods can move freely across the country’s National Capital Region (NCR). It also aims to promote systemic cooperation and data-driven planning in order to reduce food waste caused by poor logistics.

“There were a lot of news headlines during the first wave of the COVID-19 in the Philippines about how tons of vegetables were thrown out due to border controls and contradictory government policies. At the same time, the lockdown resulted in food insecurity in the capital; it appeared to be criminal that food was being thrown away as people struggled to acquire food. So we know that as a team, we wanted to create a solution that can help address that” said Arlene.

The projects underwent different iterations. The initial idea was to develop a solution to make government procurement sustainable. However, since the scope was too broad, the team had to narrow it to make it more actionable. During one of the late-night discussions, one of the team members, Inez, shared her experience in how Singapore is utilizing technology in its fight for COVID-19. This insight led to the development of the final proposal called DAAN, which also means “road” or “way” in Filipino, DAAN is an app that digitalizes the food pass and paves the way for more efficient logistics. This multidisciplinary solution is based on the team’s observations of Singapore’s COVID-19 pandemic efforts and study into the Philippine government’s digitalization push.

Leveraging on the learnings from the different IMBA classes and the diverse disciplinary perspectives, the team was able to come up with a business proposal that was theoretically grounded and actionable. They were awarded CHF 5,000 (NT 150,000) in prize money for coming in second place, which they will use to further develop their concept.

Arlene encourages more participation to this case competition in the future from NCCU: “The Geneva Challenge is a fantastic opportunity for students to put what they have learnt in class into practice in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. I learned a range of business models from IMBA, which I was able to use to my project. I am delighted I was able to put what I learned in the IMBA program to use; since it instilled in me an entrepreneurial mindset as well as a greater awareness of social issues. I strongly encourage all NCCU graduate (masters) students to join in this year’s edition of the Geneva Challenge. The theme for this year’s edition is “The Challenge of Poverty Reduction.”

To learn more about the competition, go to https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/geneva-challenge/contest/.

It was Saturday morning, when all the new students gathered in the NCCU College of Commerce to commence their orientation ceremony and discover what it is like to attend one of the most recognized MBA programs in Taiwan. This semester the IMBA program is glad to have such a wide diversity of international students that, for COVID-19 related reasons, have yet to arrive in Taiwan. This day, the orientation was attended by all Taiwanese students, a few international students that already live and work in Taiwan, and international students streaming from all over the world as they prepare to travel to their new home for the next 2 years.

They started at 9:00 AM sharp, with kind & welcoming words on behalf of IMBA Director, Professor Shari Shang. Minutes later, Professor Swee-Huat Lee led the session with a flaring lecture on “Re-learning How to Learn.” This lecture helped incoming students understand that in order to be successful in their IMBA experience (and in life), they must re-think how is it that they learn, and improve on their habits by continuously managing themselves. Professor S-H Lee reminded students that, “in order to change the world, we must first change ourselves.”

Later that morning, the new students proceeded to take a group picture that will remind them of the day they joined the IMBA family. Furthermore, they received two short lectures on behalf of IMBA Administration representatives Ms. Li-Chi Ho and Ms. Jasmine Lu. These were related to the facilities around campus, the online and offline resources offered by NCCU and IMBA, career advice services, and much more useful information that will help students solve any frequently asked-for issue.

Before lunch, the class received Alumni Jim Lai, who shared an inspiring message with the new students related to how to manage work, life, and studies. Followed by Jim, student council president, Holly Chen, along with student council members shared important information related to future networking activities, school facilities, and information of interest for new students. Along with them, club leaders Irina Aguilar and Cinny Huang, presented about the Dragon Boat Club and the Oath Club. In their speech they persuaded new students to join their activities and be part of their teams.

During lunchtime, new students were joined by 2nd-year students and alumni to share a meal together, connect, and answer any questions they may have. In the words of 2020 graduate, Paul Huh, “it is inspiring to see them all so happy for this new challenge that it feels as though it was yesterday, we were in their shoes.”
Lunchtime was followed by a small reception at the IMBA Student Lounge, where students can study, relax, and meet in a casual manner. At the reception, alumni and 2nd year students shared some advice on how to navigate the program and painting a picture of how the new students’ future will look like.

On behalf of all IMBA family members, we are all excited to receive a new batch of talented professionals into our program and wish them all a fruitful IMBA experience!