Singapore University of Social Sciences

Fundamentals of Contemporary Business Management

Fundamentals of Contemporary Business Management (CET257)

Applications Open: 14 September 2023

Applications Close: 20 February 2024

Next Available Intake: 05 March 2024

Course Types: Short Course, SkillsFuture Series

Language: English

Duration: 4 days

Fees: $4400

Area of Interest: Management, Business Administration, Others, General Studies

Schemes: To be confirmed

Funding: SkillsFuture

School/Department: Centre for Continuing & Professional Education


Dates: 5 to 8 March 2024
Level: Intermediate
Venue: Singapore University of Social Sciences
Minimum number to run: 15 participants (To be updated by SUSS)


Synopsis

Capitalising on existing domain expertise of individuals, the programme aims to develop and strengthen the business management and communication skills of managers in addressing challenges faced in an organization. The programme provides a broad perspective to the key business functions to aid managers adopt multidisciplinary approach in understanding business objectives, problems and be able to provide solutions in a more holistic manner.

Who Should Attend

Business advisors (BAs), managers of companies

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, participants should be able to:

  • Enhance soft skills, including interviewing, presentation and communications etc, in their interactions with SME clients
  • Understand different business functions, appreciate different perspectives from a multidisciplinary angle.

Sessions (each session is 4 hours)

1. Communications & Presentation Skills
This course aims to develop the effective communicator in you. Presentation skills are coachable. Your delivery will rapidly be transformed from being muddled to mesmerising!

Through interactive discussions, group activities, oral presentations and real-time feedback, this course is designed to put proven tools and techniques into practice.

Participants will have the opportunity to test out new approaches which are designed to enhance their communication style, while at the same time, learn to look for cues to adapt to the audience and connect with them.

Participants will leave the course with measurable gains in skills to communicate effectively in various settings.

2. Business Advisory & Facilitation Skills
This course aims to equip participants with diagnostic skills to identify and understand the internal capabilities and challenges of a company and be able to help business owners improve and transform companies.

Through case studies, interactive discussions and group activities, this course is designed to put proven diagnostic tools into practice.

At the end of the course, participants will be able to identify challenges faced by the SMEs, identify areas of growth and opportunities and be able to do proposal structuring and planning and promote customised solutions.

3. Business Strategy & Planning
In the current VUCA world, change is inevitable. Hence, companies need to develop agility as part of their business strategy, to rapidly respond to opportunities and risks in the evolving business landscape.

In this respect, a business plan is a useful tool for mapping out an agile strategy for the longer-term growth and sustainability of SMEs. It provides clarity on critical success factors, unique value proposition and potential limitations in resources.

At the same time, it helps organisations to keep an eye on the changing forces within the external environment. It brings together key elements such as finance, human capital, marketing and analytics into one integrated framework.

This half-day session seeks to offer practical insights to the participants on the importance of a business strategy and plan for SMEs, and how the latter can use some of the key strategic concepts in a dynamic manner.

4. Fundamentals of Marketing
This course provides an overview of the fundamentals of successful marketing. Businesses need to identify consumer needs, determine which target markets to serve, and develop marketing strategies that best satisfy consumer needs, relative to competition.

Participants will acquire marketing decision-making skills that are necessary to help develop a marketing orientation to enhance long-term business success.

5. HR Management & Practice
Leading in a disruptive business environment requires work to change and adapt to this new environment. This disruptive environment requires a change in the way HR manage and practice to meet the new environmental requirements.

The workforce of the present and future will work differently, and HR practices must change to reflect the trends of the workforce that is changing.

The course will allow participants to understand the dynamics and trends of the new workforce, functions in talent management and to understand the importance of recruitment and selection based on competency as part of Fair Employment Practice.

Participants will also be introduced to the competency-based approach interviewing technique and on how to manage and retain talents.

6. Accounting & Finance
This course will provide participants with the vital skills to understand accounting and finance concepts so that they can interpret a company's performance, detect problems, make various decisions, and communicate with accountants, managers, shareholders, and creditors.

The course will cover fundamental accounting concepts, reviewing of short-term planning tools, learn about budgeting process and discuss cash flow management which is an important aspect of the short-term, day-to-day management of SME.

Participants will also be introduced to capital budgeting and learn to appraise potential major projects or investments to determine whether they are worth pursuing.

The course will conclude with an appreciation of how to interpret, evaluate and synthesise a company's performance using financial ratios.

7. Business Analytics
Business Analytics will become critical in the Post-Covid era where digitalisation is inevitable. Organisations can tap into data analytics to gain insights into their operations, and identify threats and opportunities in a rapidly changing world.

This workshop explains the notion of Business Analytics from three perspectives, namely business, data and analysis, where participants will reflect on the developments of analytics applications and the potentials to improve business operations efficiency.

The course will cover the explanation of what is Business Analytics and its importance. Participants will also be introduced to the key factors to consider when working or advising on issues related to analytics. Case studies on the applications of business analytics will also be discussed to provide greater clarity on the topic.

8. Social Media & Digital Marketing
This course aims to equip participants with the knowledge of social media marketing so as to develop their understanding of the importance and application of marketing concepts within the digital space.

Rather than focusing on abstract theorising of marketing philosophy at the conceptual level, it is designed to train learners to design and operate a useable social media ecosystem.

Participants will be trained to execute digital marketing initiatives such as the designing of a company website, the purpose of having a YouTube channel, a Facebook and LinkedIn business page, as well as basic introduction to targeted advertising through various social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. 


Schedule

DateTimeTopicsTrainer(s)
Day 19am - 1pmCommunications & Presentation SkillsDr Josephine Tan
2pm - 6pmBusiness Advisory & Facilitation SkillsDr Josephine Tan
Day 29am - 1pmFundamentals of MarketingAssociate Professor Amy Wong
2pm - 6pmSocial Media & Digital Marketing
Associate Professor Ada Wong Hiu Kan
Day 39am - 1pmAccounting & Finance Associate Professor Ng Kai Teck
2pm - 6pmHR Management & Practices
Mr Yeo Beng Teck
Day 49am - 1pmBusiness Strategy & PlanningAssociate Professor Brian Heng
2pm - 6pmBusiness Analytics
Associate Professor James Tan


Assessments

  • Written Test

Requirements

  • Attendees have to bring along their own laptop

About the Trainer

Dr Josephine TanDr Josephine Tan
Dr Josephine Tan has always been in the hospitality industry and is currently a consultant that focuses on marketing strategy and planning for hotels. Her areas of interest are in Marketing, Services Marketing, Strategy and Entrepreneurship. She has recently published a case study “Stark Hotels: Fixing What is Bugging You,” with Singapore Management University Case Series, The Case Centre, Harvard Business Publishing. Dr Josephine Tan holds a Bachelor of Business Management (Marketing), Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from Singapore Management University.

BrianHengDr Brian Heng
Dr Brian Heng is the Director of SUSS' Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (CCPE). He has more than 15 years experience in marketing, business development, corporate strategy and development, as well as human resources, Brian has also been deeply involved in greenfield projects across retail, insurance, education, oil and gas industries. His research interests include the digital economy, marketing and communications, entrepreneurship, Overseas Chinese capitalism, future skills, future work and the knowledge economy.

Brian has also recently completed consulting projects with FDAWU/NTUC; and delivered projects for 3M, Engie, StarHub and Mitsui Chemicals respectively while at Frost. 

AmyWongAssociate Professor Amy Wong

Associate Professor Amy Wong is an Associate Professor in the School of Business at the Singapore University of Social Sciences. She holds a PhD in Management from Monash University, Australia. Her research interests include service robots, online brand communities, and influencers.



Mr Yeo Beng TeckMr Yeo Beng Teck
Mr Yeo Beng Teck is an adjunct lecturer in Nathan School of Human Development and Centre for Continuing & Professional Education, Singapore University of Social Sciences. With more than 25 years’ working experience holding various positions such as Account Manager, Service Delivery Manager for Asia, to Acting Director of Learning and Development (Asia-Pacific) in a multinational corporation, he currently provides HR consultancy and conducts training, as well as facilitates training workshops in Singapore and various other Asia Pacific countries, focusing on areas such as talent management, performance management, leadership and management, teamwork and organisational behaviour. Mr Yeo graduated with a Master of Science in Industrial/Organisational Psychology and HRM from Baruch College, City University of New York.


AdaWongAssociate Professor Ada Wong Hiu Kan 

Associate Professor Ada Wong Hiu Kan is an Associate Professor at SUSS School of Business, with a decade of expertise in teaching and executing impactful social marketing campaigns. Her passion lies in promoting behaviour change for social good, and she holds valuable experience in coaching social media execution for social marketing projects. Committed to empowering social sector organizations, she equips them with the skills and knowledge required to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

 

CET257 - Ng Kai Teck_editedAssociate Professor Ng Kai Teck

Associate Professor Ng Kai Teck is the Head of the Accountancy programme in SUSS and was previously the Vice Dean of the School of Business. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours from the University of Tasmania and a PhD from the Australian National University as well as a Chartered Accountant of Singapore and a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA Australia). He previously served on the Annual Reports Awards Committee under the Singapore Corporate Awards. He has been teaching courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level in financial and managerial accounting and accounting theory.

 

Associate Professor James TanAssociate Professor James Tan
Associate Professor James Tan is Head of the Business Analytics programme in SUSS. He holds a PhD degree from Monash University, Australia. His teaching and research focus is on applications of analytics. He has also been involved in many analytics projects; and some examples include anomaly detection, fraud detection, and service analytics.



Application Procedures

Please submit the following documents to cet@suss.edu.sg:

  1. Coloured copy (back and front) of NRIC for Singaporeans and PRs, or "Employment"/"S" Pass for foreign applicant
  2. Application form

Course Fee

Course Fee for $4400

1 Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy: Singaporeans aged 40 and above may enjoy subsidies up to 90% of the course fees.
2 Enhanced Training Support for SMEs: SME-sponsored employees (Singaporean Citizens and PRs) aged 21 and above may enjoy subsidies up to 90% of the course fees.


  • Participants are required to achieve at least 75% attendance and pass any prescribed examinations/assessments or submit any course/project work (if any) under the course requirement.
  • Participants are required to complete all surveys and feedbacks related to the course.
  • The course fees are reviewed annually and may be revised. The University reserves the right to adjust the course fees without prior notice.
  • Singapore University of Social Sciences reserves the right to amend and/or revise the above schedule without prior notice.

For clarification, please contact the Centre for Continuing and Professional Education (CCPE) via the following:

Telephone: +65 6248 0263
Email: CET@suss.edu.sg

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