Adventures in India

This past July I have had the opportunity to work with the social enterprise, Pollinate Energy, through the Business School's Community Placement Program. Pollinate Energy aims to improve the lives of India’s Urban poor. Every year, thousands of Indians are migrating from their rural villages to these urban slums. These people are seeking employment and these harsh living conditions, often without electricity, act as a gateway to the city. Pollinate Energy helps these people by employing locals to sell them solar lights and fuel efficient cookstoves.

I was placed in Hyderabad, the first city for Pollinate to expand their working model to in Bangalore. The program ran for four weeks where we worked on different aspects of the organisation in a group made up of ten kiwis and aussies, and six local Indians. The international students were all living together in an apartment called the ‘Hive’ which doubled as our work space.

We were split into three different working groups, each with a mix of international and Indian students. I was lucky enough to be in the team that was coaching the new ‘Pollinators’ – local’s who want to help, and are looking for a job. By targeting this demographic, those in the slum communities are more likely to relate and can more easily communicate with the Pollinators. At the same time it’s giving someone a job, skills and an international network which is quite rare for these people in a place like Hyderabad!

My training partner was Shanti – she might look cute but she was tough coach. She also acted as a translator between Vinay (our Pollinator) and I, translating both Telagu (the local language) and body language. I learnt that the Indian head wobble meant anything along the lines of yes, no, maybe, I’m listening to you but hurry up and finish and I’m telling you yes but I’m not going to hold my promise – something I found quite frustrating not understanding!

In the mornings we three would get together and discuss the what had gone well the day before, and where there was room for improvement in Vinays sales techniques. A big challenge we faced was developing trust between us, and those we were trying to help, as they had never had any kind of interaction with Pollinate before. In the afternoons we would head out to a selection of his designated slum communities, which were randomly scattered amongst the high rise buildings in the city or near new construction sites. The contrast was incredible.

The approach to business is completely different in India and it definitely took awhile to adjust. For example, what’s considered rude and what isn’t. Apparently it isn’t considered rude to answer your phone mid-way through a sale of a product? Calling your employer the day you are heading to your village for a week long festival is not uncommon. And as for the stretchable nature of ‘Indian Standard Time’ the difference between 5 minutes, three hours, two days late or a day early to an interview is minimal – oh and your welcome to bring a mate. All these things become less surprising when you start operating in the same environment.

People in the communities were extremely welcoming, pulling out chairs for us to sit on and offering us food. They take such pride in their huts, it’s difficult to not feel guilty for being treated so well, when the average wage is less than $2 a day, but it actually means more to them if you accept their offers. This cute woman even did Henna for me! She saw me watching her pluck leaves from the tree and grinding them into a paste for her daughters, so invited me over to have it done.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone considering a career path in renewable energy engineering, an interest in social enterprise, or even just for personal development. The $2,000 Pollinate Energy Community Placement Scholarship from the University of Sydney was a huge help in getting me to India. It was such a challenging but rewarding experience where I directly saw the impact Pollinate is making. Although it was sad saying good bye to the Pollinators we still keep in touch on whatsapp, see who has sold the most lights and make sure the ‘Hive’ is still buzzing!

Esther McArthur
Current student at the University of Sydney

Applications are now open for Pollinate Energy's fellowship programs in December and February. Grow your skills as a leader, an innovator and a social change-maker while bringing renewable energy solutions to urban poor communities in India. Hurry – applications close 4 September! Learn more: http://bit.ly/1I6Qyxa

Master of Management students visit China - part 2

A trip to China is not complete without visiting the impressive factories and facilities the country has to offer.

On our recent trip to the south-east provinces of China, twenty Master of Management students and I had the privilege of being hosted by the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection (CECEP) Group. CECEP is China’s largest state-owned renewable energy enterprise and is leading China into a new era of solar panelled, clean energy in an attempt to mitigate previous damage done by other businesses, often foreign.

CECEP
Whilst in Nanjing, CECEP were extremely generous and hospitable, welcoming us at their impressive Training Centre and Resort in Jurong, Jiangsu. At the resort, we enjoyed banquets, fishing, karaoke, laser tag, fruit picking and everyone’s favourite – the lakeside barbeque. We had the pleasure of being looked after by one of CECEP’s managers, Fan Liang, a representative, who showed us the in’s and out’s of China. CECEP’s Vice General Manager, Mr Zhu, flew in from Beijing to welcome us and answer our questions about CECEP.

As a part of our learning about CECEP and their business conduct, we were taken on a special, one-of-a-kind tour of their solar energy technology plant in Jurong. The buildings were grand and modern, and we were able to observe how an innovative factory operates in China. Some of us were surprised by the high level of automation of the factory (which is contrary to a lot of media reports about Chinese factories!), but were pleased to see that the employees working there were greatly cared for and looked after by CECEP – they had clean and modern working conditions, excellent food provisions and were commonly given accommodation for themselves and their families.

Henkel
Whilst in China, we also took a day trip to Shanghai to visit Henkel’s Chinese head office and one of their newest production facilities.

Most of us (especially the girls!) knew Henkel as a leading producer of hair care products, owning brands such as Schwarzkopf. What many of us did not realise, however, is that Henkel is responsible for leading the world in adhesive technologies, creating adhesive products for customers producing products such as automobiles.

We were able to see Henkel’s production of adhesives in action, visiting their world-class factory named “Dragon Plant” in Shanghai’s Chemical Industrial Park. Whilst there, we also met with Jason Wang, Henkel’s Chief Financial Officer, who explained to us the importance of having a Chinese CFO in China, especially for foreign companies with offices in China.

Our visit to Henkel was integral to building on our understanding of conducting business in China. With the rate of company internationalisation increasing exponentially, this experience highlighted to us that a global experience, as well as knowing your potential, is essential for success in the Chinese environment.

Our trip to China was one that truly makes our Master of Management degree complete in developing ourselves as future world managers and leaders. Anyone considering completing the Master of Management degree should definitely take the trip to China. Our hosts, CECEP and Henkel, as well as our amazing guides and teachers, Associate Professor Philip Seltsikas, Dr Li Wei, Global Executive MBA alumnus Christine Bishop and Professor Hans Hendrischke, made this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us.

Sibylla Dammann
Current student in the Master of Management program at the University of Sydney Business School

Master of Management students visit China

After many delays due to monsoons in Southern China, our group of students in the University of Sydney Business School's Master of Management program finally made it to the Habour View Resort and Training centre in Jurong, a town not far from Nanjing in the Jiangsu province. We were the guests of CECEP - the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group - a Chinese state-owned company that is a leader in its field and presents exciting potential to help China and the world reduce their carbon footprint and move towards renewable energy sources.

On our first day after arriving, we were treated to a VIP tour of the beautiful city of Changzhou, a growing metropolis just an hour by bullet train from Shanghai. We met with the officials of the City Government who were eager to tell us all about the growth and prospects of their city. They also wanted to encourage us to consider the potential employment opportunities available in Changzhou, and the chance it affords us to bring our foreign knowledge and insights. The Changzhou Government even treated our whole group to a visit to the Dinosaur Park, a giant dinosaur theme park, where we got to ride the largest rollercoaster.

After attending a lecture at a local administrative school on the reform of the Chinese state, we were hosted there for dinner by the Vice Chancellor. Chatting and eating gourmet local cuisine with our hosts was a surreal evening and something that few Westerners have the privilege of experiencing.

It was also wonderful to meet so many University of Sydney alumni who are now working in China in important roles in industry and government. It goes to show how valuable an Australian education is and how highly it is viewed in China. This has also helped us to understand Chinese business activities in Australia, and the opportunities that interactions between Australia and China can provide both countries.

This has been a life changing experience to say the least. We saw so much in such a short time and gained a great understanding of China and Chinese business culture. I’m sure my cohort would agree with me in saying that this is a very valuable trip!

Will Lyall
Current student in the Master of Management program at the University of Sydney Business School

Think Big Data

In Semester 1, Woolworths teamed up with the Discipline of Business Analytics at the Business School to run a competition using real time data about the sales of some of their most popular product lines. At the end of the six week challenge, top students were giving the opportunity to interview for an internship with Woolworths. John Brann shares his experience on our blog this week.

The unique experience provided by the Big Data Competition was incomparable to anything I had previously experienced. From the beginning, there were a multitude of challenges, including ensuring that our group was on the same wavelength, as well as the simultaneous test of evaluating which techniques, of which we had learnt, would be most beneficial in gaining the best results. Thankfully, my group got along extremely well and we decided to split the workload and allow time for confirmation of our respective results to increase our chances of working out the correct predictions for the varying products.

Once our group was identified as one of the top groups, the next challenge of preparing for interviews with Woolworths arose. Fortunately, the Business School's Careers and Employability Office offered an interview workshop, which answered all the crucial aspects of how to impress and create a favourable first impression. Throughout this whole experience, I have gained valuable and unique skills that are definitely going to help me in the short term during university, as well as in the long term. Most importantly, it highlighted the clear benefits of teamwork and working as a coherent team. This will be especially important, as it will allow for more efficient and proactive group work in both an educational and workforce environment.

From a business perspective, by preparing for the interviews and researching Woolworths Limited, it exemplified how all aspects of any business boils down to the consumer. For example, I learned that when analysing the data, and ultimately it’s trends, the data analyst must recognise firstly, why the consumers behaved in a certain way, and secondly, how to change the consumers’ behaviour and perceptions to manipulate future data. Not only has this competition helped me gain many skills, but it has also supported and enhanced my business studies.

Looking back at my first semester at university, I have been most appreciative of the fact that I have already been given a wonderful opportunity to experience real world applications of business studies. This will not only add practical value to my next three and a half years, which I can use to my benefit when working on theoretical aspects, but also, it solidifies my interest in my studies and the opportunities it can manufacture.

In the long term, this competition and ultimately the internship in which I have been awarded with Woolworths will be extremely beneficial to my career goals. I will be able to work on real life situations consisting of at least a terabyte of data daily. This will be of great pragmatic value in a team environment, and will undoubtedly arm me with the skills for the future, which will fuel my potential. I am also grateful for being awarded this internship as it puts a foot in the door for future employment, which will assist my aspirations to a great extent.

John Brann
Current student at the University of Sydney Business School 

Applications for the 2015 Woolworths Limited Summer Internship Program are open now. Dare to Lead and apply today www.wowgrads.com.au.