Marco Polo report Annefleur Clercx S The Polytechnic University Hong Kong Semester 2 January 12 th May 9 th

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1 Marco Polo report Annefleur Clercx S The Polytechnic University Hong Kong Semester 2 January 12 th May 9 th A. General report Host institution and exact dates of semester abroad My semester abroad was at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The second semester was from January 12 th until May 9 th. Contact with home faculty, preparation and journey Contact with both of the faculties in Groningen and Hong Kong was satisfactory for me. Once I received an from the RUG that I could go to Hong Kong I received s from PolyU. These s explained me what they needed from me and when I had to hand in certain documents. I had to upload several documents such as resume, transcript of grades and passport copy. Whenever there were any questions these would be answered by ing Debbie Choi at PolyU. My visa was arranged by PolyU and got sent to me back home on time. Lastly you get a buddy appointed who can pick you up from the airport and show you around your first day. Residence abroad Visa and vaccinations In order to study in Hong Kong you need a visa. PolyU will take care of this after you fill out several forms and send them to PolyU. Vaccinations can be done at the GGD in Groningen, they will tell you which ones you need or are smart to take. Make sure you do this a couple of months before leaving as some of the vaccinations take several months to work. Accommodation PolyU provides residence for the students, as exchange student a place in the halls is guaranteed if you want to. Almost all of the exchange students stay there and it is recommendable to do so. It s a 5-10 minute walk from the university. Residence abroad was satisfactory and relatively cheap (around 700 for the whole semester). Finding your own place will cost at least around 500 a month. You share your room with a roommate, you indicate if you want a local, exchange or own nationality student. If you re arriving earlier than the check-in date at the halls you can check-in to your room for a fee of HKD 40 a day. Reception & Introduction Before the first week starts there will be an introductory lecture, which gives information about rules and where to go if you have problems at PolyU. After that there is an introduction reception where you can meet all the exchange students.

2 Student life, culture and leisure As most of the exchange students live in the halls it is relatively easy to come in touch with everybody and organise things to do. Facilities needed are in or close to the halls, which is convenient. It is your own choice to mix with local or exchange students as much as you want. As the halls are not on Hong Kong Island whenever you want to go out you have to go to the island, all the bars and clubs are there. Every 2 floors have their own hall, which organises activities; you can decide whether or not you want to participate in these. Language In Hong Kong they speak English and Cantonese. You should be fine just speaking English; you could have difficulties some times as the level of English is not great in every area. Grant The grant you receive is 400 for your flight ticket and 150 a month for living. As I stayed 5 months in total I received You receive 70% of this before you leave and the remaining 30% you receive once you are back and handed in all the necessary documents. Living in Hong Kong is relatively expensive. For food you will eat out most of the time. There are kitchens at the halls however, no kitchen equipment is provided and they are not the most convenient kitchens. A meal outside the halls will cost around HKD There are places around the halls, which serve meals for these prices and have nice food. The first couple of weeks you will have to discover these but this will happen quite quickly. Travelling in Hong Kong is cheap, as student you can apply for a student Octopus card, which gives you 50% discount on travelling with the MTR (Octopus is the HK version of OV-kaart). As cabs are cheap as well sharing a cab with others is also possible. Study (general) Before you go to Hong Kong you receive an explaining you about subject selection. This was quite unclear to me at first however, if you send an and ask the things you don t understand you will understand it quite quickly. Be careful when selecting subjects that the different courses don t overlap with each other as you can choose which tutorial group you want to be in. Almost very course has lectures and tutorials which are mandatory. Accompanied by this are several assignments and group projects you have to complete throughout the semester. When arriving you can add or drop courses during the first two weeks which is convenient as you can modify your schedule the way you want and add or drop courses you like. The courses require some work in order to complete the assignment and projects. However, in my opinion they are manageable. The semester lasts 14 weeks with 2 exam weeks after that. Don t schedule your return flight as the

3 exam dates are only provided towards the end of the semester and can vary from ending in the first or second week. Summary My time in Hong Kong was amazing and I would recommend everybody to study abroad in Hong Kong! Because living in the halls is relatively cheap the quite expensive living will be compensated and manageable. Make sure to pick courses you like, as it requires effort to complete all the projects and assignments. Do the things you want when you want because the semester will be over before you know!

4 B. Specific report Host institution and study period Host institution: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Study period: to Courses 1. Entrepreneurship Lectures and literature 1 lecture of 2 hours a week 1 tutorial of 1 hour a week 13 teaching weeks Literature: Textbook: Entrepreneurship: A process perspective (2 nd edition) by R. A. Baron & S. A. Shane Textbook: Essentials of entrepreneurship and small business management (7 th edition) by N. M. Scarborough Textbook: Entrepreneurship (9 th edition) by R. D. Hisrich, M. P. Peters and D. A. Shepherd Overview of lecture program Week Date Topic 1 15 Jan Nature and development of entrepreneurship 2 22 Jan Profiling entrepreneurs 3 29 Jan Entrepreneurial environment 4 5 Feb Creativity and business ideas 5 12 Feb Creating and starting the venture 6 26 Feb Financing the new venture 7 5 Mar New entry 8 12 Mar Managing and growing a small business 9 19 Mar Ending the venture

5 10 26 Mar Group presentations 1 & 2 Submission of individual assignment 11 2 Apr Group presentations 3 & Apr Group presentations 5 & Apr Feedback on individual assignment Submission of business plan Contents This subject provides students with an understanding of the entrepreneurial process, the establishment as well as the management of a venture. Both conceptual (understanding entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur, and entrepreneurial environment), and technical issues (growing, managing and financing a venture) will be covered. Issues such as creativity, e-commerce and family business will also be addressed. Lecture-related activities Business plan presentation 10% Business plan report 10% Peer evaluation 5% Written assignment 20% Class participation 5% Final examination 50% Relevance to Groningen study program This course can be a follow up on the Innovation Management in Multinationals course in Groningen. Study load 2 hours lecture a week 1 hour tutorial a week The group work demands some effort Individual assignment approximately 4/5 hours Assessment in Groningen Lecturer: Dr. Stephen Ko 3 credits at PolyU resulted in 6 ECTS at the RUG

6 2. Employee relations Lectures and literature 1 lecture of 2 hours a week 1 tutorial of 1 hour a week 13 teaching weeks Literature: Textbook: Employee relations (3 rd edition) by Rose Ed Overview of lecture program Lecture No. /Date L1 & L2 (14/1/201 5; 21/1/201 5) L3 (28/1/201 5) L4 (4/2/2015 ) L5 (11/2/201 5) L6 (25/2/201 5) Topic and readings Introduction and Overview of Employee Relations; Theories, Perspectives and Contexts of Employee Relations Role of the State / Government in Employee Relations Employee Relations in the HK Context; Government and Labour Department in HK Legal Aspects of Employment in HK Trade Unions: Functions, Structure and Development L7 (4/3) L8 (11/3/201 5) L9 (18/3) L10 & L11 (25/3 & 1/4) Test Trade Unions in Hong Kong Employers, Management and their Strategies in Employment Relations Patterns, Processes and Outcomes in Employee Relations: Employee Involvement & Participation. Employee Engagement. Joint Consultation and Collective Bargaining. Collective disputes and Industrial Action. Negotiation.

7 L12 & L13 (8/4 & 15/4) Practice and Skills in Employee Relations: Grievance, Discipline, Dismissal, Redundancy. Contents Understand and explain the main theoretical approaches to the study of employee relations. Identify and analyse the institutions, actors, and characteristics of employee relations in HK with respect to political, economic, social and legal contexts. Analyse and evaluate various skills, processes and outcomes of employee relations including handling discipline, grievances, labour disputes, negotiation, and employee communication & involvement. Integrate the learned principles so as to make recommendations to organisations to develop effective and ethical employee relations policies and practices. Lecture-related activities Test 13% Individual assignment 15% Group project 16% Class participation 6% Final examination 50% Relevance to Groningen study program In Groningen there is no course similar to this one so it can be considered a good addition to the IB program. Study load 2 hours lecture a week 1 hour tutorial a week Individual assignment approximately 4/5 hours Group project demands some effort Mid-term requires memorization of the slides of the lectures given Assessment in Groningen Lecturer: Dr. Andy W. Chan 3 credits at PolyU resulted in 6 ECTS at the RUG

8 3. Business to business marketing Lectures and literature 1 lecture of 2 hours a week 1 tutorial of 1 hour a week 13 teaching weeks Literature: Textbook: Business marketing management-b2b by M. D. Hutt & T. W. Speh Overview of lecture program Week: Lecture date EVERY WED Lecture (Hutt & Speh xxth INTERNATIONAL eds) 1: Jan 14 Chapter 1(Unit 1): A Business Marketing Perspective Tutorial (All small cases can be found in (Hutt & Speh 11 th eds) NO TUTORIAL 2: Jan 21 Chapter 1 CONTINUE 1. Introduce the concepts of OBM (Original Brand Manufacture), ODM (Original Design manufacturer) and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). 2. What are the difficulties of an OEM to become an OBM. 3. Divide students into subgroup (G1 to G4). 3: Jan 28 Chapter 2 (Unit 2): Organizational Buying How to do a good case presentation? Behaviour 4: Feb 04 Chapter 2 CONTINUE Group 1: The Middleby Corp. p.389 5: Feb 11 Chapter 3 (Unit 3): Customer Relationship Group 2: Sealed Air (p.391) Management Strategies for Business Markets 6: Feb 18 CNY: No Class No Tutorial 7: Feb 25 Chapter 3 CONTINUE Group 3: Intuit p.397 8: Mar 04 Chapter 4 (Unit 4): Segmenting the Business Market Group 4: Schwinn p.399 9: Mar 11 Supplementary financial analysis Discussion: GROUP PROJECT WITH INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT 10: Mar 18 Chapter 7 (Unit 5): Managing Products for Business Markets Group 1: Columbia Industries 11: Mar 25 Chapter 7 CONTINUE Group 2: FedEx 12: April Chapter 10 (unit 6): Managing Business Group 3: Circuit Board Corp 01 Marketing Channels 13: April Chapter 10 CONTINUE Group 4: Barro Stickney 08 14: April Chapter 12 (Unit 7): Pricing Strategy for Business NO TUTORIAL 15 Markets Contents Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to have: An understanding of the scope of business market especially the differences between Consumer and Business to Business Market; An appreciation of management, marketing, costs etc problems emerges in an organizational context; An ability to solve problems arise in a business environment; &

9 A concept in business planning of marketing activities in a business marketing environment. Lecture-related activities Small case presentation 10% Bigger case presentation 15% Group project with individual component 25% Final examination 50% Relevance to Groningen study program This can be considered a follow-up of the marketing course offered in Groningen. Study load 2 hours lecture a week 1 hour tutorial a week Small and big case presentations are done in groups which demand some effort however, the group project with individual component is more time consuming as this needs a report as well and the presentations don t. Assessment in Groningen Lecturer: Dr. Thomas Leung 3 credits at PolyU resulted in 6 ECTS at the RUG

10 4. Sales management Lectures and literature 1 lecture of 2 hours a week 1 tutorial of 1 hour a week 12 teaching weeks Literature: Textbook: ABC s of relationship selling by C. Fturell Textbook: Guanxi relationship marketing in a Chinese context by Y. H. Wong & T. K. P. Leung Text: Relationship selling (3 rd edition) by M. Johnston & G. Marshall Overview of lecture program Week Lecture Readings Tutorial Week Jan Week Jan Introduction to relationship selling Ethical and legal issues in relationship selling (2010) Chapter 1 (2010) Chapter 4 Team formation Group discussion Case analysis Online activity Week 3 26Jan- 1Feb Prospecting and sales call planning (2010) Chapter 5 Knowledge-building activity Online activity Week 4 2-8Feb Week Feb Week 6 23Feb- 1Mar Week 7 2-8Mar Week Mar Week Mar Week Mar Week 11 30Mar- 5Apr Week 12 Communicating the sales message (2010) Chapter 6 Group discussion Online activity Negotiating for win-win Role play solutions (2010) Chapter 7 Research activity LUNEAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS (16-22 Feb) Closing the sale and Group discussion follow-up (2010) Chapter 8 Online activity Self-management: Time and territory Salesperson performance: behavior, motivation, and role perceptions Recruiting and selecting salespeople Training salespeople for sales success Salesperson compensation and incentives (2010) Chapter 9 (2010) Chapter 10 (2010) Chapter 11 (2010) Chapter 12 (2010) Chapter 13 Group case presentation Team 1 & 2 Group case presentation Team 3 & 4 Research activity Group project presentation Teams 1 & 2 Group project presentation Team 3 & 4 No lecture and tutorials as Easter Holidays Use this time for revision

11 6-12Apr Week Apr Evaluating salesperson performance Sales management for the international operations and PRC market (2010) Chapter 14 Wong and Leung (2001); Futrell (2013) Appendix C Revision Days (20-22 Apr): Spare session if needed Examination Period (23 Apr 9 May) Revision/ Knowledgechecking activity Contents 1. Nature and scope of sales management Sales-force management in the total marketing programme Relationship between sales management and other marketing and managerial functions Responsibilities of the sales manager Sales environment To discuss sales management s tasks in a company with a customer orientation and outline its roles in relation to other marketing mix variables. Students are expected to know how the nature of sales management has changed, what managerial challenge face sales managers and how environmental factors affect the sales activities of the company 2. Essentials of the selling process Key steps of the selling process: prospecting, preparation, presentation, handling objections, closing the sale and follow-up activities To trace the evolution of modem selling and discuss the roles of personal selling today Students are expected to have key ideas about typical problems encountered in doing personal selling and how they can be resolved. 3. Sales management for international operations Customer analysis Roles and responsibilities of sales force in overseas markets: sales planning and control in foreign markets Sales management for the PRC market To discuss the roles of sales management when operating in the international business context. In this perspective, different types of international sales organizations will be examined. Students are expected to know how sales activities are affected by situational factors and the differences in consumer and organizational behavior. Lecture-related activities Class participation 10% Individual essay 15% Group assignment case presentation & report 10%

12 Group project 15% Final examination 50% Relevance to Groningen study program In Groningen there is no course similar to this one so it can be considered a good addition to the IB program. Study load 2 hours lecture a week 1 hour tutorial a week The individual essay requires around ¾ hours The group projects demand some effort Assessment in Groningen Lecturer: Dr. Winslet Chan 3 credits at PolyU resulted in 6 ECTS at the RUG

13 5. Marketing channel management Lectures and literature 1 lecture of 2 hours a week 1 tutorial of 1 hour a week 13 teaching weeks Literature: Marketing channels: a management view (8 th edition) by B. Rosenbloom Overview of lecture program Week 1 (15 Jan) 2 (22 Jan) Lecture Topic Course overview & Introduction to marketing channels Channels flows and major members Main Text Reading Ch 1 Ch 2 Tutorial Activities No tutorial Introduction 3 (29 Jan) Channel members Ch 2 & 16 Issues for discussion 4 (5 Feb) Channel conflicts and channel power Ch 4 Issues for discussion 5 (12 Feb) Channel strategy and target markets Ch 5 & 8 Issues for discussion Lunar New Year Break 6 (26 Feb) Channel design & member selection Ch 6 & 7 Issues for discussion 7 (5 Mar) Motivating members & evaluating their Ch 9 &14 Reading week No tutorial performance 8 (12 Mar) Marketing mix 1: Product Ch 10 Group presentation 9 (19 Mar) Marketing mix 2: Pricing Ch 11 Group presentation 10 (26 Mar) Marketing mix 3: Promotion Ch 12 Group presentation 11 (2 Apr) Logistics Ch 13 Group presentation 12 (9 Apr) E-channel & channel for services Ch 15 & 17 Group presentation 13 (16 Apr) Revision No tutorial Contents Analyze and evaluate the place in the context of managing channels of distribution as well as physical distribution, and then to acquire a solid foundation on both dimensions. Apply the channel management concepts in real commercial settings and learn how products to be physically distributed in effective ways in terms of the total cost borne by all related parties based on logistics and channel management cases drawn from local and international perspectives. Enhance students critical and creative thinking.

14 Lecture-related activities Class participation 5% Individual essay 15% Case study and presentation 30% Final examination 50% Relevance to Groningen study program This can be considered a follow-up of the marketing course offered in Groningen. Study load 2 hours lecture a week 1 hour tutorial a week In comparison to the case study and presentation which is a group effort the individual essay requires a lot more effort as quite some research has to be done. Assessment in Groningen Lecturer: Dr. Chi-hong Leung 3 credits at PolyU resulted in 6 ECTS at the RUG