Essay01
What arguments would you use to demonstrate your ability to perform well in the MBA program?
I am a fast learner. A student of the Mainland University, I was not trained in business. But when I wanted to do business, I quickly learned the art of identifying a niche market and developing a strategy to seize it. I did not have much knowledge of computer science when I went into the computer software business, but I made myself something of a computer expert so fast that I was soon able to come up with the principal ideas for the development of software systems. These systems catered to a very specific market.
I am an experienced businessman. I have set up and run my own company, which has been very successful. In this experience, I have many success stories that I can be proud of. There are also lessons that I have learned very well. I am prepared to share these experiences with my classmates. I am sure that the lectures and textbooks will make more sense to someone who can measure them against his personal business experience, particularly if that experience has been significant.
I am a good communicator. I talk smoothly in any situation, particularly in small group settings. These skills have enabled me to keep together a diverse group of people working for my company. I am sure that such skills will help me in my communications with both the faculty and fellow students.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 19:53
Essay02
Please share any information you think would be important in the evaluation of your application.
In applying for acceptance into the MBA program, I have been banking on my rich experience as a particular strength. To my mind, MBA courses teach advanced science of management that students without practical experience cannot possibly comprehend in full. I therefore think that each applicant should have not only a solid academic background, but also a rich and proud working experience, preferably in management positions with a famous company.
For undergraduate studies, I went to a university that belonged to the Chinese military. That gave me quite some difficulties after my graduation, when I tried to get a civilian job. But I toughed this ordeal out by undertaking arduous part-time studies for a second degree. For each job I obtained thereafter, I got it through excellent performance in the entrance exam or interview, and for each position I have taken, I outshone my colleagues in performance. I am absolutely confident of my basic abilities and my resoluteness in pursuing career successes.
Another thing I wish to emphasize is my language skills. I enjoy an excellent command of the English language that I have acquired through years of learning and using it. I am sure that my fluency in both conversational and written English will facilitate my studies in the MBA program as well as my future career when I try to establish myself in the management consulting business.
What's more, I have a large circle of friends working in a variety of fields in China. Some of them have been my friends since my childhood, while others got acquainted with me through business transactions. Quite a lot of these friends are working in management positions, some with famous multinational conglomerates. It is a great pleasure for us to sit together and exchange our ideas at our leisure time. From their interesting stories about the success and failure of the Chinese or foreign enterprises, I learnt invaluable experiences as well as painful and expensive lessons. This is probably the best preparatory lesson I can get before taking my MBA courses. And these friends will certainly be the biggest help to me in the business world of the coming century.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 19:54
Essay03
Please describe an ethical issue that you have faced, how you dealt with the situation and what the outcome was.
In October 1996, I faced a situation in which I was not sure whether I could be completely honest with my employer about my intention to pursue an MBA abroad. In the end, After careful consideration, I decided that I had to be completely truthful no matter what. It turned out, as it usually does, that honesty worked best in enhancing my best interests.
One day in that October, my department manager summoned me into her office. After lavishing praise on my performance, she told me that I would be promoted to the position of a group manager. Before I digested the news, she asked me to sign an agreement by which I would commit myself to three years of employment with the company in exchange for the opportunity to undertake an intensive management training program in Helsinki, where the company is headquartered.
The development took me by surprise, as I had planned to quit for MBA studies abroad, which would certainly catalyze my career even higher. For that purpose, I had taken the TOEFL and was scheduled to take the GMAT the next March. My plan then was to start my MBA studies in the Fall of 1998. If I took the company's offer of training and promotion, I would have to either put off my planned MBA studies or run the risk of breaching the employment contract with my company Kornia. At the time it was hard to gauge the risk since I had not applied for acceptance into any MBA program yet, and did not know whether I would get accepted into a quality MBA program. But I really wanted to commence the MBA studies as soon as possible.
Naturally, I would like to take advantage of the opportunities on both fronts, if at all possible. As the breach of an employment contract routinely goes with impunity in China, the temptation was there for me to sign the employment agreement with Kornia and wait and see my chance of MBA studies. In any case, the prospect of my MBA studies was still uncertain, and I was not sure whether I should jeopardize my immediate chance of promotion and training by informing my current employer of such an uncertain prospect.
Back to home that day, I carefully thought the matter over. Although I felt that I could take the chance of accepting Kornia's offer while waiting to see my prospect of MBA studies, I felt that I should not arrange things in a way that would suit only my purposes. I should put my employer on notice of my plan to pursue MBA studies so that my bosses could be prepared for my departure or absence. And I felt that it would be unconscionable for me to break a promise once I make it. In spite of the risk that my chance of immediate promotion and training would be spoiled, I should tell my employer of all the circumstances so that they could make an informed decision on my future in the company.
Having straightened up my thinking, I went to see my department manger two days later. After expressing my desire to assume more responsibility and participate in the proposed training, I told her my personal plan, and asked her to make her decision in view of the potential conflict between that plan and the company's offer. As much as I wanted to advance my career, I also wanted to be fair with the company. It was a lengthy conversation. For the most part, my manager just listened. Job-hopping was then so common for quality managerial people in China that many employers had got used to surprises. My department manager was also surprised, but in a way that was apparently very pleasant to her. She was struck by my honesty.
When I finished talking, she seemed very moved. "Thank you for your trusting me so much," she said. "I understand your intention to develop yourself, and I believe there may be a way to bridge your personal plan with that of the company." Since it was still two years before my MBA studies would start, she still hoped that I would participate in that training and take the offer of promotion. As the agreement was part of human resources policy, she had to discuss the matter with the HR manager. "I would work something out for you," she said.
I felt very relieved after the conversation. After all, I did the right thing, and it would not impact on my career negatively. One week later, my manager told me that the HR manager agreed to take my case as an exemption and put an appendix to the standard agreement. According to the added provision, I would be granted unpaid leave of absence for studies for my MBA studies once I obtained an offer of acceptance. If I came back to Kornia Group after gaining an MBA degree, my absent years would be counted as part of my seniority in the company. This result was totally unexpected, but it proved that, with honesty, one could find a simple solution to a very complex problem.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 19:54
Essay04
Describe an ethical dilemma that you have encountered in professional, academic or personal experience. How did you handle it and what is the outcome? (limit 500 words)
An ethical dilemma befell me in 1994, when I was working for the China Textiles Resources. At the time, I had a long-term contract with a famous domestic beverage producer to supply it with a kind of antiseptic agent called sodium benzoate (S.B.). The contract was signed after I had wooed the beverage producer for a year. The contract would bring my company quite significant profit each year.
By chance, I got to know a trader of potassium sorbate (P.S.), a new kind of antiseptics, and I quickly learned the advantages of the potassium sorbate over the sodium benzoate. When the S.B. decomposes, it produces a kind of Benzoate salt that is harmful to people, while the P.S. decomposes into water and carbon dioxide that are of no harm to human beings.
So I had to confront a dilemma. I would like to recommend the new antiseptics to my client, which would not only reduce their cost but also help the environment. But if I did, I would lose the deal with the client. As the above-mentioned trader was the sole agent of P.S., it would be impossible for me to provide the client with the new antiseptic in place of the old one. But I had to consider that the P.S. would help the producer make better products, products that would not contain the potentially cancer-causing agent that S.B. would discharge.
After several days of agonizing, I decided in the end to advise my client for a change of the antiseptic. I believed that people's health should come before profits. I also figured that, to do viable business, I should take care of my client's long-term interests. It would be better to build up my reputation rather than make quick money.
As expected, I did lose the S.B. deal with my client but they really appreciated my good will in trying to improve their products. I was proud of myself for doing the right thing. After they got to know the sacrifices I made, they appreciated me even more. In the next season, they made me another deal, which brought me better profits than the one before. The moral of this episode is that, in business as elsewhere, doing the right thing brings its reward, particularly when the right thing helps reinforce one's good reputation.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 19:54
Essay05
The Darden School seeks a diverse and unique entering class of future managers. How will your distinctiveness enrich our learning environment and enhance your prospects for success as a manager?
If accepted, I will be joining the Darden School as a developing nation's citizen who has played something of a leadership role with one of the world's premier corporations. As such, I will bring with me the experience of a business manager who has successfully marketed hi-tech products in a country that values its traditions and ancient culture.
Having spearheaded MIB's marketing drive in China, I am acquainted with the most advanced marketing techniques, which in turn deepened my understanding of the business environment and customer needs in this vast emerging market. As the country embraces the concept of market economics, its economy is increasingly integrated into the international economic system, generating an urgent need for business managers who know how to bridge the enormous gaps between the traditional culture, the developing nations' need for economic protection, and the international business competition. In the era of reforms and opening-up, crop upon crop of Chinese young people have "plunged into the sea" to do business. While making a career for themselves, they have learned to abide the rules of international business and how to survive and beat the ever intensifying international competition. As a member of the country's embryonic business elite, I have, in the capacity of MIB China's Channel manager, met head on with the challenges of operating an international business in China, which houses both the world's oldest surviving civilization and its fastest growing major economy. In the process, I have learned much about the importance of modern management and marketing as well as the strength of my culture and my people.
I will come over to Darden equipped not only with positive attitudes towards diversity and confidence in cross-cultural exchange but also detailed knowledge and profound insights on how to apply established international business practices to a fast changing market. I look forward to sharing my experience with the professors and students at Darden, just as I look forward to learning from their experiences and opinions. All this will be accomplished, I am sure, in the case studies and group projects on which Darden apparently places firm emphasis. Given my experience, I will probably be much more able to appreciate the different backgrounds and experiences that people bring together.
I have been tested by the most competitive PC market in the world, a market that I now know inside and out. I know the strategies of PC makers in this market. With a bachelor's degree in computer science and five years of experience of marketing PCs, I have been exposed to virtually every aspect of the PC industry, such the R&D, pricing, marketing and promotion, but particularly channel managing. I am especially well versed in coordinating and managing second-tier dealers. MIB's agents under my supervision include companies from all over the world, American, Indian, Japanese as well as local Chinese, with sizes ranging from fifty to thousands of employees. I have been able to understand the needs of each and every dealer, and to align the interests of diverse parties with that of MIB's. With that, I have contributed significantly to increasing MIB China's revenue by thirty times in four years. This has elevated MIB to the top PC maker's seat in China in terms of market share. I have thrived on the challenges of motivating and organizing diverse interests for a common goal. I am convinced that such experiences can enrich Darden's diversity and enhance its distinctiveness.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 19:55
Essay06
Describe a significant leadership experience, decision-making challenge, or managerial accomplishment. How did this experience affect your professional/personal development?
I led a sales campaign in the heart of China's computer industry that ultimately gave MIB the biggest share of the country's PC market.
Home to most prestigious universities and scientific research institutes in China, Beijing's Zhong Guan Cun (ZGC) area boasts the fame of China's Silicon Valley, serving as a trail-blazer both in product development and marketing. As the most important distribution center of I/T products in China, the ZGC market takes up almost a third of the country's PC business and therefore has a significant impact on the national market. Most PC vendors attach strategic importance to this place. It was here that I fought and won a most memorable battle, which I have come to regard as a milestone in my career.
MIB's PC share in China was second to that of Compaq in the first half of 1996. Not satisfied with that status, the company decided to launch a sales campaign in ZGC. I was chosen to head a task force, made up of managers responsible for distribution, retail and marketing, charged to win back the hearts of major second-tier dealers and increase the company's market share in ZGC by 25%.
We identified fifty dealers who distributed our competitors' PC products and persuaded them to participate in the MIB ZGC program. We also chose three prominent sites in ZGC and set up MIB PC billboards there. To switch a dealer's long-standing allegiance from someone else to oneself is much harder than recruiting one's own new dealers. After tough negotiations, we convinced 25 dealers to act as authorized dealerships for MIB distributors.
Next came the massive advertising I designed. This was to swamp our competitors with our ubiquitous and colorful presence. We had all of our new dealers' shops painted blue. Using mass media of every kind in Beijing, we bombarded the public with slogan: "ZGC: Blue Street".
All was not smooth, though, as the task force was made of people from different functions who could not be readily integrated into a coherent scheme. These people barely knew each other at first, and half of them were new recruits. I quickly laid down the rules: the whole task force should meet every morning and all members should report his or her accomplishment and immediate plans. I also encouraged my associates to offer their input even on matters that they were not directly responsible for. Meanwhile, I made sure that all associates took turns to work with me so that I was able to monitor the progress and solve problems on spot. The result was rewarding. We all felt that we had teamed up in an exciting encouraging effort.
Another challenge was that some major players in the second-tier dealership we thought we converted had backtracked. They were uncertain if selling MIB only would be as profitable as before. They doubted if they had bargained enough when we approached them individually. So they banded together and tried to re-negotiate the terms. I talked with them twice and no agreement could be reached. Then I decided to try a new strategy. I paid a visit to each of the three largest dealers and offered them concessions that I was not able to offer them all at once. The coalition of dissenters was thus crushed and the campaign went on.
The campaign paid off quickly. In three months, amidst the blue sea of signs and billboards and deafening slogans, both the dealers and MIB China both saw that their revenues in ZGC shot up an impressive 35 per cent.
In China's PC market, a winner in ZGC wins all. By the end of 1996, MIB grabbed the top seat in PC market share in China and the campaign I led has come down as the watershed of MIB's expansion in China.
My company's growth has led to my own elevation on the corporate ladder. I received an achievement award from General Manager of PCG in recognition of my leadership ability. Three months later, I was formally promoted to the position of a supervisor with responsibility to lead the entire channel management team at MIB China.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 19:57
Essay07
Describe a failure and how you dealt with it. (Discuss a non-academic personal failure. In what way were you disappointed in yourself? What did you learn from the experience? (Limit 500 words) Columbia)
PCG of MIB China lost US $400,000 on low-end PCs in a two-month period in early 1998, partly due to my erroneous forecasts. The mishap cost MIB a bundle, but I drew lessons from the failure and consequently saved the company from another potentially catastrophic price war.
1997 was a good year for MIB China as its share of China's PC market increased by 30%. It was also a good year for me personally. I won recognition, honor, new-found confidence as well as monetary reward. Unfortunately there was a downside to the success. I got carried away and became over-confident and insensitive. In my capacity as the chief of channel management, I was supposed to submit bi-monthly forecast to the product department, who would then order products from world-wide plants according to my estimates.
I failed to foresee the effect of dramatic changes in the PC market. Taking advantage of the fallen price of components and newly acquired technology and marketing know-how, local Chinese PC vendors began to compete with foreign vendors with unprecedented vigor, especially in low-end PC market. This caught us off guard. The government downsizing, which caused the demise of a third of the ministries, only made things worse, as many large accounts were eliminated.
My forecast of low-end PC sales for April was 25% higher than the actual demand.
It was this debacle that made me understand that a senior business manager should never be content with and confined with management skills and business savvy per se. He or she should have a broader vision over the macro business environment. In other words, he should be keenly aware of events beyond his control and be prepared for their effect on his line of business. Businessmen are like sailors who navigate ocean vessels. A little bit of caution always serves you well. Perils could be just lurking when you think you are on a Titanic in tranquil waters.
I now pay much more attention to statistical analyses of market changes. Meanwhile, I also watch closely for political and economic events that may pertain to our business. I collect the sales reports from several of my distributors every three days and analyze the demand curves, price trend and the competitor's moves. I have been spending significantly more time communicating with distributors and end users in my efforts to understand their needs and concerns. These efforts have paid off.
With accurate forecasts and forceful persuasion, I recently prevented PCG from engaging in a damaging price war with other major vendors. In May, some major players on China's PC market, including MIB, started a campaign to sell home computers with non-Intel CPUs. On the basis of market research, I sensed that the market was not ready yet for non-Intel CPUs, and such a campaign would be ill-fated. Accordingly, I lowered my forecast to the normal level for June. I was right. Soon, low demand triggered another price war, out of which MIB China emerged unscathed. Consequently, I received another achievement award in recognition of my sound judgment and contribution to the loss prevention. My colleagues jokingly termed this award the Fastest Recovery Award.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 19:58
Essay08
Tell us about the most challenging team experience you've had to date. What role did you play? What factors made it a challenge for you? How did you and the group address these issues? What did you learn? (Limit - 2 pages).
The most challenging team experience I have had is the exploration of Lop Pol, a no-life desert in Northwestern China bordering the former Soviet Union.
This life-forbidden zone once served as China's nuclear test site. It acquired an enhanced aura of mystery in recent years because two well-known people, one a famous geographer and the other a legendary traveler, disappeared there without a trace. It has thus become an attractive site for adventurers. In March 1998, I decided to participate in an expedition organized by the Beijing China Travel Agency.
My family was shocked and grieved when I announced to them my travel plan and told them I was determined. Their response made me feel like a tragic hero who was destined to embark on a dangerous trip. My colleagues and friends were also surprised and came to me to show their concern. I derived great satisfaction from this attention and the feeling of martyrdom.
The expedition team included twenty-one men and seven women. We left Beijing on March 23, 1998 for the City of Urumchi, capital of the northwestern Uygur Autonomous Region. Then we headed for Kurle, a city 480 kilometers away from Urumchi. Driving over snow-covered mountains, we arrived in Kurle late at night. The Loulan Hotel we checked in was where Mr. Yu Cunshun, the dead traveler, enjoyed his farewell dinner before he set off on his trip of no return. The idea of following Mr. Yu's path next day through the Gobi desert made us nervous yet excited.
For the sake of safety, the travel agency took some precautions. Their policy was that each team would be made up of five people, with an elected leader and an assigned professional guide. As I had more travel experience than the others in my team, I was elected as the team leader.
We were then on our way to the no-man zone. The closer we were to the Gobi, the lonelier we felt. As it was getting darker, a profound fear griped us. We stopped and set up a tent and watched the desert sunset in awe. The nature was not only sublime but also relentless and unforgiving. As temperature dropped to below minus 20 degrees centigrade, water froze and the steamed bread we had prepared for ourselves became as hard as rock. It was too cold to fall asleep before we were absolutely exhausted. Finally, we huddled together and dozed off.
The next day, we drove all day to the edge of Lop Pol. Our Jeep then got stuck in the sand. We had been told many times that the loss of a vehicle or a camel in the desert was often the prelude to death. We had no choice but to haul it out. We spent hours digging for the jeep and pulling it out of the sand. By the time we got back our jeep, the sand was blowing so hard that it was almost impossible to breathe.
With the vehicle, we pressed on deep into the desert until there was no hard ground but sand left. We started to walk the following day. With an area of 3,000 square kilometers, Lop Pol was once the fourth largest lake in China. It completely dried up in 1972 and became a desert. We made sure that, in this sea of sand, the team would band together, since the whirling wind could blow up the sand and bury a person up in seconds. To get lost means to die.
That day has come down as the longest day in my life. We mustered all our strength to combat the freezing cold, blowing sand and physical fatigue. As we were held in awe by the brutal force of Lop Pol, a team member was suddenly struck by severe stomachache in the afternoon. All others went to his aid immediately. One person took his luggage. The rest of us took turns to help him walking. We encouraged each other and kept telling jokes in order to endure the fatigue more easily. When we finally arrived at the other side of the desert, we embraced each other, against the traditional Chinese customs, in celebration.
The hardship on the trip did not defeat us. Instead, it helped unite the team, in which everyone felt the warmth and strength of the group. With the feeling of enduring hardship together for a common goal, the satisfaction derived from meeting severe challenges and the exultation from experiencing nature, we have come to see this trip as a milestone in our life.
During and after the journey, I could not help thinking about Yu Cunshun, the traveler who died in Lop Pol. No one knows the exact reasons for his death. Maybe he lost direction and was unable to walk out of the desert, or maybe he was buried by a sand storm. But I believe if he had traveled in a team, he would have got help from his comrades and survived.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 19:58
Essay09
Recognizing that everyday is not the same, please describe your typical day in recent months.
As the general manager of my company's South Africa branch, I am responsible for both business development and internal administration.
I get up early everyday and arrive at the office before most other staff members. I first meet leading sales people to listen to their reports on progress. And I then devote myself to marketing the products like other members of the sales team. Most of my time is spent on the phone, on the road or on meetings with customers or potential customers.
I cull my information from the newspapers, trade newsletters as well as the Yellow Pages. When I see a potential customer, I make an immediate phone call to solicit a meeting with him or her. I usually meet customers by appointment. When I go to a meeting, which is usually held at the customer's business place, I always bring my sample products. Once a deal is struck, I take the order and send it to my supplier in China.
Often times, the customer requests either changes to the design or improvement to the quality. I almost always oblige them. This is sometimes difficult because my suppliers may be reluctant for cost and other reasons. I have to convince my suppliers that it is in their interest to cooperate with me. After the changed or improved design is realized, I present the new samples to the customers, who will then usually place orders.
I send people to clear the customs and help the customers take delivery of the shipments. In case delivery is made to my company, I then arrange for the goods to be sent to the customer.
Depending on the day, I may have to spend long hours meeting my staff to give them instructions. Sometimes, I have to meet lawyers, accounts and other professionals. I also have to deal with the authorities for tax and other purposes.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 19:59
Essay10
Great leaders are capable of learning from their mistakes. Please describe a professional or personal failure you have experienced.
Yes, I did make my blunders in South Africa.
The problem was that I did not think quality was crucial in a market like South Africa's. Acting upon my suggestion, my company once sent in quite some products that were substandard in quality but priced accordingly. I thought that was fair enough, since large numbers of South Africans could probably afford only such products.
But we soon found that we were woefully mistaken. Although poor black South Africans make up the majority of the country's population, 80 to 90 per cent of the country's purchasing power was concentrated into the hands of the privileged white community, in which the demand for quality is as rigid as any other western country. The poor-quality products we had had to be stockpiled for a long time, resulted in considerable losses to the company.
That loss drove home the importance of careful market research, which simply cannot be replaced all with business hunch, no matter how sophisticated one is. I took responsibility for the blunder. I have since attached the utmost importance to quality, and that has not only turned things around quickly but also ensured my company's continuous expansion.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 19:59
Essay11
What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
My immediate plan is to pursue an MBA education so that I can be on the fast track to realize both my short-term and long-term goals.
Upon my graduation with an MBA degree, I would like to pick up a job with a major multinational company. At such a company, I can practice what I will have learned in the business school. But more importantly, I will gain first-hand knowledge of how a big corporation is operated.
Ultimately, I will start another company of my own. To pursue an MBA, I have sold out the company that I set up and made successful. But this by no means spells the end of my dream of running my own company on a significant scale.
Ideally, I will set up a consulting company that promotes a new mode of production, with which I think I can help create a seller's market out of China's overall buyer's market. By "a new mode of production", I mean the kind of production that is tailored to meet the very specific demands of specific customers. This is only possible with the extensive employment of computer-aided design, computerized manufacturing and advanced data management. With our help, a company will accept small orders and forsake the traditional mode of mass production. If a lady wants a fashion dress, the company will tailor-make it for her at the cost of a mass-produced one. The designers will take in all her specifications, including color, measurements, and style, and the factory will deliver the specially ordered and produced dress for the customer in a few hours.
Although this sounds a little far-fetched in China now, it is not really a novel idea any more. The Japanese company Toyota started to make cars this way ten years ago. Levi's has been tailor-making jeans the last few years.
I am particularly good at organizing talented experts in the development of technologies. Using this strength, I will make the firm grow in two stages. First, I will develop the software systems to realize the "new mode of production" for the textile and clothing industry. Once the idea is popularized, I will expand into other industries. My objective is to run a large-scale consulting firm that helps to realize small-scale production for big corporate manufacturers.
This objective is a grand one. But I believe that, with the skills that I will have learned in the MBA education, I will be able to realize it. Most people may not have realized it yet, but I foresee that the new mode of production outlined here will be the principal mode of production in the future. It may be realized sooner if I promote it. To take advantage of the opportunities of the future, I need an MBA education.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:07
Essay12
Specifically address your post-MBA short and long-term professional goals. How will Darden assist you in attaining these goals?
Ambitious and strongly business-minded, I have both short-term and long-term goals. Upon obtaining an MBA, I would like to work as a marketing executive with a major I/T company. But over the long run, I will have to set up my own company so that I can become a successful entrepreneur in my own right. I remind myself of these goals every morning on my way to work.
To realize my goals, I have already accumulated considerable experience in China's I/T industry. After my graduation in 1990 with a Bachelor's Degree in computer science, I first took up the job of a salesman with the Legend Computer Company, a leader of the I/T business in China. I did so well at Legend that I was promoted in early 1996 to the position of a department chief, responsible for the sales of Legend Personal Computers (PC) in northeastern China. I quitted, however, two months later to take on more challenging responsibilities.
I was welcomed into the Personal System Group of MIB China in June of 1994. At MIB China, I received not only increased benefits but more importantly, greater challenges, particularly in the field of channel management. Towards the end of 1996, I was appointed the head of a channel management team made of five seasoned marketing engineers. Commanding this team, I now deal on behalf of MIB China with two of its strategic business partners, Dawn Co. and SRIT Co, which together account for more than a quarter of MIB China's total revenue.
My job at MIB China has given me plenty of opportunities to interact with executives of some prominent Chinese corporations, and I have thereby learned first-hand about the difficulties with which they cope with the ever intensifying competition in the world economy. One of the major problems they have to face is China's lack of business managers who are seasoned in both the Chinese culture and the modern managerial techniques, as taught in a Western business school like Darden. This problem still plagues MIB China. Such problems have opened up huge opportunities for those with the right type of training.
My determination to make myself an entrepreneur in the I/T industry was strengthened in 1996, when I attended the Comdex show held in Las Vegas on my first trip abroad. That show presented the latest developments in the global I/T industry, developments that usually represented the performance of the world's leading companies. Fascinated, I set out to decipher the secret of their successes, and realized that the technological edge they enjoy over countries like China can be attributed, in no small part, to their much more advanced management. I wish to have myself trained thoroughly in the art of their management so that I can manage a business at least as successfully as they do.
I have acquired, through working at MIB China and elsewhere, much professional knowledge and expertise in marketing, product, pricing, channel, finance and international market. Yet I feel that I do not yet know enough to run a viable business venture on any large scale. As a computer science major, I must receive the kind of comprehensive business training that Darden MBA program offers to turn myself into a full-fledged businessman. To satisfy my most pressing need, I must take courses that include:
* accounting and finance;
* the impact of financial strategies on business decisions;
* the formulation, implementation and evaluation of sales and marketing strategies in a global market environment;
* strategic planning in dealing with customer needs and competitor responses;
* negotiation skills, primarily focused on the win-win approach required for long term business relationships.
Compared with other famous business schools in the US, Darden appeals more to me for several reasons. First, I know its classes are smaller. As a foreign student, I wish to communicate more with both my professors and fellow students, which is only possible when the classes are relatively small and characterized by some measure of casualness and informality. Second, I like that "case-study" approach that you have practiced, which I believe is the best approach for me to learn what the real business world is like in the US. Third, I have been told that Darden puts more emphasis on teaching than most other American business schools. That is particularly important to me. While I value good research as much as anybody else, I as a student prefer professors who put teaching ahead of other pursuits. Effective teaching methods will probably be the biggest help I can get when I try to transcend cultural and other barriers in pursuing advanced business training in the US.
I hope that, after two years of focused studies at Darden, I will have improved my leadership skills, sharpened my financial and operational acumen and expanded my network of contacts. If so, my life will be put solidly on the right track. While I may still be able to realize my goals without formal training at Darden, I am firmly convinced a Darden education will significantly shorten the distance I will have to travel to reach my goals.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:07
Essay13
What is the most important decision you have made in your life? In retrospect, would you make the same decision if you could start all over again?
Looking back to my life of the last 20 years, I must say that the career decision I made upon graduation from Beijing University in 1995 has a most profound impact on who I am and where I am today. I am glad that I made the right decision at the time, a decision that I can find nothing to regret about today.
At the time, a number of choices were presented to me. As high degrees are revered in China, many of the students in my class, me included, contemplated pursuing graduate studies right away. After toying with the idea for a long time, I eventually decided against it, thinking that I should accumulate some significant hands-on experiences before I should embark on advanced studies and research. I knew that management is an applied science, and one can hardly learn to be a good manager without ever managing anything.
Once I decided not to enter into graduate school, I had to choose where to work and what kind of work to do. Like most university graduates in Beijing today, most of my classmates back then wanted to stay in Beijing, the nation's capital, even though the government was encouraging graduates to pursue jobs elsewhere. But I went against the trend in choosing to work in Shenzhen, the boomtown across the border from Hong Kong, attracted by its reputation of being pioneering in the country's economic reforms and development.
Choosing Shenzhen over Beijing does not end the decision-making process. At the time, I could either join a bank as an accountant or a foreign trade company as an ordinary office worker in Shenzhen. Many people prefer the bank for its high income and steady job security. But I felt that accounting with the bank would not be challenging enough for me. So I chose to join the foreign trade company Tigerta Group Corporation Ltd., one of the country's top 300 companies. The decision was proved right. Although hired as an ordinary member of the staff, I quickly stood out among the company's employees with my knowledge and perseverance. Soon, the CEO took me on as his assistant. As such, I not only learned first-hand how a modern Chinese is managed but also participated in the policy deliberations. In the process, I gradually developed my own thinking on management.
Three years has passed since my graduation. With devotion and brilliance, I have reached higher on the corporate ladder in my company than virtually any of my classmates in theirs. For the past two years, I have been serving as the company's top manager in its South Africa chapter, where I have mapped out a business expansion strategy and significantly increased the company's sales. During this period, I have given full play to all my business training and business acumen.
Working independently in a foreign country, I have also learned to be self-disciplined and confident. Moreover, I have significantly improved my command of English.
Even if I had not been as successfully as I really have been, I would not regret having made the choice of working in Shenzhen for a foreign trade company, for the choice would still lead me onto a challenging yet promising career path. Once on this path, I would be full of ambitions, as I am now.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:07
Essay14
Outside your career, what accomplishment brings you the most personal satisfaction?
In the course of pursuing my career, I have never forgotten the ultimate purpose of human life, that is, the pursuit of happiness. To fulfil this purpose, I have never failed to make the greatest possible effort to build up a happy family, the time-tested institution that I think is ideal for bestowing the most enduring happiness on human beings. My efforts have paid off, for I have been enjoying family happiness for nine years. In an age when families are breaking up in record numbers, I take my stable and happy family not only as a source of inspiration and strength but also a tremendous accomplishment in itself, which brings me at least as much personal satisfaction as my career successes.
My wife is different from most other girls I have known. Before I met her, I usually had to compete intellectually with the girls I dated. They thought that they would have to appear intelligent to be attractive to me, and I thought I would have to outperform them intellectually to attract them. This duel of mental power went on for a long time to no avail, until one day I met an undergraduate girl at a dancing party. Saying that she had come to "dance her homework away," she displayed a free spirit that set her apart from everyone else. Almost instantly, I decided that she was my type of girl. Luckily, she found me her kindred spirit, too. Soon we got married, for which she temporarily dropped out of university. Neither of us hesitated for the most important decision that we made in our respective lives. We shared an urge to do right away what we felt was the right thing to do. With this urge to take decisive action in pursuit of our true will, she later finished two degrees, one in accounting and one in English, and I, as I have told you in other essays, achieved career successes.
With a happy family, we have maintained a huge network of friends, who would fill apartment to the full on weekends. With friends bringing along their friends, we have got acquainted and made friends with people from all walks of life. We would share our experiences and trade our jokes. These friends not only bring us information and vision that enhance our respective careers but also help make our life meaningful and interesting.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:08
Essay15
Discuss a challenge in your life, why you consider it a challenge, and what you learned? (400)
Keeping people in my department turned out to be my biggest challenge soon after I took up the position of the department manager in 1995. That year, some young employees of our company left for new foreign trade companies that paid higher salaries. Although none of my fifteen people left, they were certainly tempted. Their performance was apparently affected. If my department, the most important export department, suffered a brain drain, the whole company's performance would be undermined.
At the time, we could not possibly provide the kind pay or positions that other companies were providing. I analyzed out situation, looking for our advantages that might offset our disadvantages. Compared with the newly emerged competitors, our department was much more established in business, staffed with much more qualified people and had a lot more financial assets. I decided to make full use of these resources to meet our people's needs to the best we could
First, I wanted to instill a sense of professional pride in our people. I laid down a rule of routine project review whereby project managers would report the progress of his project to the whole department as "case studies". I made English our working language and thus turned the offices into effective classrooms where people could learn and improve their command of the foreign language. I let everyone know I cared about their professional progress and their personal future. They began to appreciate the environment, which would not be available to them elsewhere.
Second, I changed the focus of the department's business to larger and more complicated projects that were beyond the capability of new foreign trade companies, which were usually small and inexperienced. This strategy successfully withdrew my department from the chaotic competition between foreign trade companies scrambling for business and personnel with connections.
Third, considering the company's bonus/profit ratio were dragged down by a large reserve set aside for possible losses, I proposed to the company management a method that incorporate the risk factors into bonus calculation. This method allowed a much higher bonus/profit ratio for "safe deals" such as most of our department's projects, which were financed by World Bank. Many managers in my department received a remarkable increase in their incomes.
The result was that my department gradually restored its stability and our export started to go up. Today, as the assistant general manager in charge of my company's export, I always keep in mind what I have learned from this experience -- human resources are the most important asset of a company, and, to retain such an asset, the management have to put people's needs before anything else.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:08
Essay16
Tell us about your professional aspirations and how you plan to realize them.
My goal is to become one of China's best businessmen ever. I am glad to say that I have been taking very solid and substantial steps towards that goal. As a graduate from Beijing University's business school, I have received probably the country's best possible undergraduate education in business. Upon obtaining my Bachelor's Degree in business, I chose to take up a job with a company rather than go into graduate studies right away, as I understood the importance of hands-on experiences. I needed to apply what had learned from the books to the real world first before I should embark on further studies.
In the three years I have been working with Tigerta, I have been promoted from the position of a rookie office worker to the position of a general manager for one of the company's most important branches. In the process, I have acquainted myself with both how a Chinese is typically managed and how a modern business along the Western model is managed. Furthermore, I have learned how to maintain a Chinese business' presence on foreign soil. There are not many Chinese people of my age who have had such colorful experiences.
Perhaps my most important preparation will come through my MBA education at Harvard, a cradle of some of the world's most important businessmen. I have accumulated significant experiences in doing business, and I would now like to sit back and look at those experiences reflectively in light of the world's most brilliant business models, principles, and conceptual frameworks.
I hope that what I learn at Harvard will shed light on how China's state-owned enterprises can turn in a profit, and what kind of role I can play in reforming these state-owned enterprises. If I can make a significant contribution to the country's endeavor to make its state-owned enterprises profitable, I will probably have no trouble in being recognized as one of the best Chinese businessmen.
As was required at the time, I underwent a full year of rigorous military training after I was accepted into the Beijing University. That helped to instill endurance and self-discipline into my character. With that, I have lived a life of strong principles and impeccable integrity. The training also helped to make me physically healthy. All these qualities - endurance, self-discipline, integrity and a healthy body - will be my assets as I seek to reach my goal.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:09
Essay17
What is your long-term goal? And how do you think an MBA education can help you reach that goal?
My long-term goal is to become one of China's best businessmen ever, one who is able to solve the world's practical business problems with the most sophisticated business theories. My short-term goal is to acquire comprehensive knowledge and expertise in Western business principles and practices.
I have been taking very solid and substantial steps towards my goals. As a graduate from Beijing University's business school, I have received probably the country's best possible undergraduate education in business. Upon obtaining my Bachelor's Degree in business, I chose to take up a job with a company rather than go into graduate studies right away, as I sought to gain hands-on experiences. I needed to apply what had learned from the books to the real world first before I should embark on further studies.
In the three years I have been working with Tigerta, I have been promoted from the position of a rookie office worker to the position of a general manager for one of the company's most challenging branches. In the process, I have acquainted myself with both how a Chinese is typically managed and how a modern business along the Western model is managed. Furthermore, I have learned how to maintain a Chinese business' presence on foreign soil. There are not many Chinese people of my age who have had such colorful experiences.
Perhaps my most important preparation will come through my MBA education at Haas School, a cradle of some of the world's best business talents. I have accumulated significant experiences in doing business, and I would now like to sit back and look at those experiences reflectively in light of the world's most brilliant business models, principles, and conceptual frameworks.
I hope that what I learn at Harvard will shed light on how China's state-owned enterprises can turn in a profit, and what kind of role I can play in reforming these state-owned enterprises. If I can make a significant contribution to the country's endeavor to make its state-owned enterprises profitable, I will probably have no trouble in being recognized as one of the best Chinese businessmen.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:09
Essay18
Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate business degree in the US.
My career goal is to lead a state-owned company to expand from a local to international business scale. The first thing I want to do after I earn an MBA is to work as a manager in general management at a multinational for several years. Equipped with sophisticated management skills I learn from this experience, I will move ahead to direct the operation of a state-owned company.
Now the badly managed state-own companies are running in red and laying off their workers on a massive scale. The most effective way to help these workers and companies is to train their managers. I want to share my efforts and expertise with them. This was what I learned after I graduated from university in 1994 with a hope of reforming a state-owned enterprise.
At that time, most state-owned enterprises were running in the doldrums. Interpreting challenges as opportunities, I volunteered to join Beijing Engine Corporation, the third largest industrial enterprise in Beijing. After one year in the company, I realized there was not much we could do to change the status quo of such companies.
Knowing such backward companies would not offer much for me to learn about management, I decided to select a multinational to work for. In October 1995, I was employed by Kodak (China) Limited. I have really learned a lot over the last three years at Kodak. Kodak performs well in developing new techniques, making high quality products, setting efficient distribution channels around the world and offering good services to customers. What impresses me most is the teamwork spirit in Kodak. Support is coming to me everyday from our local office, Hong Kong, Singapore, Melbourne and Rochester. I did not personally know most of my colleagues in those places, but I can always rest assured that we are working in the same team.
Now three years of working experiences with Kodak have turned me into a professional businessman. I can pursue my career with Kodak and continue to learn business management skills. However, I will have more opportunities if I can earn an MBA at a renowned business school. To receive MBA training at this stage of my career will be good for my personal growth. After I examined my past working history and education, I came to believe that a rigorous training in business management will launch me onto my desired career track.
My undergraduate years were spent at Xi'an Jiaotong University, one of the most prestigious institutes in China. I was admitted in 1989 without taking the usually mandatory admission test held nationwide each year. Only a handful of the very best high school students are given such offers by several leading universities around the country. My academic performance continued to shine at university.
The student leadership positions I held during my undergraduate studies may well indicate my good mastery of organization skills. In 1991, I was elected president of the Students Union of Xi'an Jiaotong University out of more than 10,000 undergraduates. During the summer holidays in 1992, as a representative of Xi'an Jiaotong University, I attended No.21 Conference of All China Students Federation held in Beijing and was elected one of five executive presidents of this nationwide student organization by representatives from all over the country. My management capabilities were well cultivated in the extracurricular activities at university
To bring my potential in management into full play, I am eager to pursue an MBA in the United Sates where new ideas about management are constantly generated. Kellogg is a great education center as illustrated by the ranking of business schools. I believe that the culture of the school sets it apart from the others. For example, teamwork is taught extensively at Kellogg. That is something highly valuable after school. With good cooperative working style, Kellogg graduates will be greatly appreciated by their employers. I am sure that I can learn a lot from Kellogg students who represent various experiences, interests, talents, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:09
Essay19
Briefly and specifically describe your career objectives and your reason to apply to the Montana School.
In consideration of my education, professional experience and personal qualities, I have for long been determined to build up a career in business management consulting. Such a career calls for knowledge, experience, keen judgment and creativity, but the challenges it presents are precisely what makes it so attractive to me. My dream is that, under my seasoned guidance, many a Chinese company will grow by leaps and bounds to take up dominant positions in the world market. I am confident that my education at Simon, coupled with my strong analytical skills and broad vision, will put me firmly on track to such a career.
Having undertaken professional training in trade and finance, I believe that I can also do well as a professional working for a foreign trade firm or a banking institution.
In choosing my career path, I have carefully canvassed the human resources market in China. Thanks to economic and other reforms, the country's economy has been growing as the world's fastest for almost two decades. Such growths have generated an enormous demand for modern managerial talents, which Chinese universities do not supply sufficiently in either quantity or quality. The shortage of professional managers is now seriously hampering China's economic restructuring drive, particularly in the state-owned sector. As globalization sucks China's economy into the world economic system, the lack of professional managers also puts China at a disadvantage in its economic and trade relations with other countries. China's continued growths have been called into question, particularly at a time when it gets hammered harder and harder by the Asian financial crisis.
If China is to sustain its spectacular economic progress, its businesses will have to be managed by professional managers who are equipped with not only excellent personal qualities, but also solid business expertise. They must have a keen sense of the risks and opportunities around them, a quick instinct on the best development strategies, and superb organizational skills. They should also be versed in business theories, relevant law and regulations, and the prevalent business practices of the world. I think such abilities can be best attained through advanced training at quality business schools.
The ideal way for me to meet China's need for modern managerial talent is to make myself a professional manager and then advise a host of Chinese businesses on their management. I feel that my current knowledge and expertise are not yet up to the task that I have set for myself. I therefore wish to pursue MBA studies at a well-known graduate business school such as the Simon Business School. What I need is not just a degree, though. I need to learn the ways of handling complicated situations and making the right decisions. Your program, with its excellent faculty, significant international student body, and the small sized teamwork model of learning, holds strong allure to me. I would dearly love to have the opportunity of communicating with diversified talents in the classroom. I am sure that education at your school will put me firmly on track to realize my dream.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:10
Essay20
Describe your career goals, explain how the Olin School will help you meet your objectives. (400)
My ideal job is to head a foreign trade service company. At present, this kind of company does not exist in China. My future company will provide innovative services-offering insurance on product quality and after-sale service to foreign purchasers of Chinese goods. We will do this in corporation with overseas companies so as to share our human resources, information, marketing channels and management skills.
My experience of over ten years in international trade business has endowed me with insights and a sense of direction. I have observed that many foreign trade companies are being pushed out of the market because the international buyers and sellers have established close contact made possible by modern information technologies. Many traditional services provided by China's foreign trade companies are no longer needed by their clients. I have many ideas of how my future business is going to function in the new market. However at this stage, what I need is to better prepare myself with advanced business skills. I also need to pause in order to reflect on my professional experience. Towards that end, I shall pursue MBA studies.
A friend of mine who is familiar with your MBA program speaks highly of it and has encouraged me to apply for acceptance. Your program holds special allure to me because of your fame as a top business school in the US and your philosophy recognizing that "each student has unique needs". You offer the students maximum choice and personal attention to meet their individual needs. Based on my own professional experience, I understand customization represents the greatest responsibility and highest standard in any kind of services. Your customized teaching will not only help me achieve my professional goals but also conform with my own ideals in business practices.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:10
Essay21
Indicate your reasons for taking part in an MBA programme (including what you hope to gain from the MBA program).
As a successful businessman who has not had a formal business education, I wish to learn the art of running a business on scale. I have set up and run my own company, which has proved highly successful the last few years. But the company was small, with a staff of six and a regular team of collaborators. I wish to do business on a bigger scale and play on a larger stage. That calls for institutionalized management, which I have not really learned to do.
If accepted into your MBA program, I would be receiving, for the first time, the kind of education on which I will be building up my career and business. As a student at the Mainland University, I did not really get to receive the kind of education that I preferred. What I did later on as a businessman had little to do with what I learned as an undergraduate student. I am determined to make myself a top businessman in China. My experience the last few years has laid a good foundation for me, and an MBA degree will put me firmly on track to reach my goal.
I hope that I will be thoroughly trained in business development strategy. I know that business schools of the European tradition are strong in training their students to do strategic thinking.
I also want to train myself in pricing, international accounting and other technical skills. As my own business grew, I found it quite a handicap to lack expertise in these areas.
I also wish to have the capacity to understand and appreciate the country's overall business and economic conditions. I think this will help me greatly as I make my long-term business plans.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:11
Essay22
Describe one or two accomplishments in which you demonstrated leadership. (limit 500 words)
I have been playing leadership roles in my company for years. But my first days of being a highly independent manager were the most memorable.
By a deal I made with the China Textile Resources Corporation, I took over its chemical products division as something of a contractor in 1995. The deal was made after this division had suffered lackluster performance for years. Under the deal, a 10 million yuan line of credit was made available to me at an annual interest rate of eight per cent, in return for which I would have to generate half a million yuan in net profit of half a million each year for the company. By good organization and aggressive networking, I easily reached the target and made a significant income for myself.
1. The way I did it was to delegate as much responsibility as I could to my employees while I exercised control over the main events. I had only three people on the staff, but they were each given a clear scope of duties. The girl would serve as the secretary, and the two young men would be responsible for import and export, respectively. Together we set out to specialize in trading in sulfur, sodium sulphate, phthalic anhydride, tartaric acid, rubber and etc.
2. I laid down strict rules of performance to ensure accountability. I would be involved in the negotiation and signing of every contract the value of which was beyond 200,000 yuan in Chinese currency. My employees were expected to handle most other responsibilities the best they could, with me coordinating among them. I demanded a written report every month about each and every on-going project, sweeping away the indolence that was then characteristic of state-owned companies.
3. I made sure that remuneration was closely tied with performance. Incentives were clearly spelt out and promptly paid up. Under these incentives, the staff members were highly motivated, since they could see that their personal incomes were growing hand in hand with that of the business.
4. I encouraged the staff to undergo whatever training they could possibly receive in relation to foreign trade. Whenever necessary, I made sure that cost of such training is paid for. Such training enriched the employees' expertise and broadened their horizons. Such training proved highly effective in updating my people's knowledge and heightening their sensitivity to special circumstances.
5. As the boss, I focused on creating synergy in this small group people, with each and every one backing up all others when called upon to do so. Exercising my superb communications skills and dealing with everybody above the board, I easily enjoyed everyone's trust and loyalty. Although we did not have too many people, our teamwork compensated for the lack of hands. I understood that the number of employees did not necessarily matter much as long as the employees were all quality people bound together by team spirit. I am glad to say that I achieved a strong measure of synergy in my office.
I believe that all of the above were qualities of a good and effective leader. Over the years, I have continued to refine my management approaches. The synergy resulted has served my business very well. I have no doubt that, with MBA training, I will be able to shoulder much larger leadership roles than described here.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:11
Essay23
What is your most memorable achievement in your professional career?
In the first few days after I was appointed by my company, Tigerta Propriety Limited, as its manager in South Africa, I decided to shift the company's operations away from Johannesburg, the South African capital, to other South African cities. The decision was considered risky at the time as it would take the company's business into uncharted waters. But the risk-taking paid off. As a result of the shift, my company secured a strong foothold in the South African market, where it has an ever expanding presence.
Our office, like those of most other foreign companies in South Africa, was situated in the business district of Johannesburg. But the market there was already saturated. Upon being appointed at the beginning of October 1996 the manager in charge of South African operations, I convinced my colleagues that we had to tap into markets in other areas of that country. The decision was implemented immediately. After my office established initial contact over the phone with some potential customers on the basis of the information we culled from the Yellow Pages, an assistant and I drove on October 6, 1996 to Durban, the country's largest port city on its east coast, 600 kilometers away from Johannesburg. We set out at 5:00 am only to be trapped in outpouring rain and bewitching fog. We spent eight instead of the usual four hours on the road.
We persisted and reached Durban right after the lunch hour, hungry and tired. With a few hamburgers quickly stuffed into our stomachs, we proceeded to meet our potential customers. In three hours, we visited seven of them, three of whom placed orders, which together valued at 23,000 US dollars. We spent seven hours on the way back. By the time we arrived home in Johannesburg after 1:00 am, we were totally exhausted. But it was with this rocky ride that my company's business in South Africa finally took off. The three customers all became long-term buyers of our products later on, but more importantly, we tasted the fruits of creative thinking.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:11
Essay24
Describe an experience in which you exercised leadership and made a difference in an organization.
As my company's top guy in South Africa since October 1995, I have secured a strong presence for my company in South Africa. To do this, I have streamlined our business, devised new incentive program for our employees, and cut back the cost.
Before I was made the manager, my company was trying to sell a wide range of Chinese products in South Africa, including commodities as different as foodstuff, china, clothing, and textiles. Seeking to do many things too fast, the company incurred huge costs but generated little profit. Upon careful analysis of the market situation, I determined that my company should concentrate on marketing textiles, for which we had relative advantages in terms of expertise and supplies. So, we pulled out of the markets of other products, where we had no special advantages in the fierce competition. With the benefit of scale in one product, we quickly achieved better efficiency.
With a new incentive program I developed, the company's sales people, its biggest asset in South Africa, worked harder and more productively. In my scheme, remuneration was strictly tied with one's performance. Each salesperson's income is made proportionate to his or her volume of sales. With this program, the company brought in more revenue and the sales people made more money for themselves.
Large sums of money were saved for the company because, with strict control of operational cost, I drastically cut down the company's overhead in South Africa. For this, I put in place a clear chain of authorities with respect to who can authorize what amount of spending for what purpose. That has worked very well. With the cost down and revenue up, the company's profits have soared.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:12
Essay28
If you are in charge of the company you work for now, what strategic changes would you make to give your company a competitive edge?
I really enjoy my current job, particularly the fact it is challenging. I am exporter vis-a-vis the Chinese market, but in South Africa, I am in fact an importer. This dual role notwithstanding, I have to conduct careful market research, tough negotiations and be always on the lookout for more and better business opportunities. The demanding nature of the job means that I must muster all my intellectual resources in order to do the job well. This has forced me to improve both my professional expertise and my strength of my personality constantly.
I also enjoy the career opportunities that the job has brought me in the last two to three years. As I said, very few of my former classmates have moved so far or so far up the corporate ladder as I have in the last two to three years. This has brought me not only handsome monetary compensation but also professional respect from my friends and confidence in myself.
It used to be hard to say what I disliked about my job, but this has changed recently with the deepening Asian financial crisis. With the drastic devaluation of most Asian currencies and the Chinese government's determination to uphold the value of China's currency, Chinese products are getting increasingly expensive in foreign markets, particularly those emerging markets, including in South Africa. By now, we have lost all pricing advantage we ever had, which has made it increasing difficult for us to do business abroad. The dire situation has aggravated the already intense competition among Chinese exporters, who are racing to beat each other's offer of prices. This state of affairs simply cannot be allowed to continues for long, or we may lose significant amounts of money.
If I were promoted to the top management of the company, I would make a strategic change to our business. I do not want to abandon the South African or other African markets, and the market share we occupy will be needed in the future, say, after the Asian financial crisis comes to an end or China is forced to devalue its currency. No big company with long-term plans should pull out of the market and simply give up its market share to its competitors. But meanwhile, the company has to be doing commercially viable business to survive, or it will make no sense to talk about the future. So, every effort must be made to ensure that our loss of pricing advantages can be compensated for by better services and more value-added technologies.
But more importantly, we must shift the focus of our business if we want to be certain that we can ride out the financial crisis. For now, instead of exporting Chinese products for consumption in South Africa, we can import South African products, particularly raw materials and wine, which can now be bought at almost unprecedented bargain prices, thanks, again, to the financial crisis that has swept into Africa.
This will be good for China as a whole, too. One way or another, China's economic takeoff will have to happen. The country will need raw materials on a massive scale as it pursues a host of gargantuan infrastructure projects. The Asian financial crisis surely has given China headaches, but it should be taken to be nothing but a curse. China's imports are getting cheaper, which will help cut down the cost of its infrastructure projects and relieve the Central Government of some of its financial burdens.
When my company is engaged in both imports and exports, it will enjoy much more resiliency in the volatile marketplace. In fact, it will place the company in a position where it can hardly ever lose. That way, I will find my job much more gratifying and a whole lot less distressful.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:12
Essay26
What are the three most important accomplishments in your life?
The three most significant achievements in my life are: winning acceptance into the Beijing University, winning a job with Tigerta Group Corporation Ltd., and winning the position of general manager of Tigerta's South African chapter.
On the strength of the high scores that I obtained in 1990 in the National University Entrance Examinations, which are held every year to screen high school graduates for higher-learning, I got to enroll myself into the Beijing University, considered by most people as China's best institution of higher education. Five years at Beida, as it is known in Chinese, endowed me with extensive knowledge, broad perspectives, confidence in myself and a strong sense of mission and responsibility. I entered into Beida a naive small town teenager, but, five years later, I graduated a mature man.
One sign of my maturity was that I chose to work for Tigerta Group Corporation Ltd., based in the boomtown Shenzhen, across the border from Hong Kong. This went against the trend among university graduates in Beijing, most of whom prefer to stay in the nation's capital even today. But I wanted to join a good-sized company in a pioneering city. Shenzhen was an ideal place as it was the venue where most of China's reforms are first tested before they are dropped or adopted nationwide. Working for Tigerta, one of the country's top 300 companies, as its CEO's assistant, I learned first-hand how a modern Chinese is managed. By participating in the policy deliberations, I gradually developed my own thinking on management.
In 1996, I was sent to South Africa to be Tigerta's top gun in opening up that country's market, which was closed to Chinese businesses for decades as the Chinese government refused to deal with its former white government. In South Africa, I worked perforce independently, which forced me to keep learning and exploring. I had to come up with a solution to every problem, big or small, no matter what. The pressure was intense, but my entrepreneurial spirit was tempered. In South Africa, I got to improve my command of English by leaps and bounds, since it was my working language every day.
The hardship that necessarily accompanies expatriate businessmen did not deter me, but rather helped to steel my will and give me unprecedented will power.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:12
Essay27
You have the opportunity to invite three individuals who have ever lived to help you solve a problem. What problem would you solve? What role would each person, including yourself, play on the team? (1-2 pages)
I would like to help solve the education problems in China, as that has been my long held dream. Education needs people who are devoted to the progress of the society.
I would like to have Confucius who lived 2,000 years ago to help me to promote a higher moral standard of the general public. He was a great educator advocating human dignity, forgiveness, honesty, diligence and charity. Traditional Chinese ethics and culture to a large extent stem from Confucian teachings. A person who wishes to be properly treated when in a subordinate role must, according to the Confucian Golden Rule, treat his own inferiors with propriety. In the midst of the warfare and tyranny, he urged a system of morality and statecraft to bring about peace, stability, and just government. Today after the era of communism in China, our nation is in desperate need of new ethical standards to guide its people's behavior.
I would also invite Benjamin Franklin, the American statesman, scientist and writer to help me educate the educated. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence, which he signed. As a scientist, he proved the presence of electricity in lightning through his famous experiment with a kite in a thunderstorm. Today, many Chinese intellectuals lack the sense of social responsibility and they pursue their studies only to improve their personal life. Franklin would be a good example as an outstanding intellectual, who was devoted to the cause of freedom and the cause to understand the natural forces.
I would also ask for help from Kenan's family, who donated to the Kenan-Flagler School of Business. People like them have through their altruistic actions made education much more affordable and attainable. I will invite her or him to China and preach on contribution to education. If we believe one's value lies in one's contribution to society, then contribution to education renders the highest value to the contributor. In making such contributions, the contributor does not only maximize his contribution to the society but also sow the seeds of uplifted human beings, who can be inspired to pay back to the society that they feel indebted to.
As for myself, I will do something really special. In China, the government allows only one child in each family to receive public-financed education as one of the measures to reinforce Family-Planning Policy. While this policy is necessary to forestall a catastrophic population explosion in the world's most populated country, it is very unfair to those "extra children," who did not choose to come to this country. They are often deprived of equal rights to education, which usually means they will not have any opportunities whatsoever. Private schools in China only cater to kids in wealthy families and are prohibitively expensive. I will set up schools to take in only these disenfranchised children and provide them with quality education. I will make sure that my school instill in them good values and mold them into responsible and noble citizens.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-14 20:12
Essay25
What is your most important achievement and how has it changed you?
Born into an ordinary family in a small town in China, I, as a child, used to believe that whether one can be successful depends on one's luck. It never occurred to me that I could get anywhere or become somebody. Such is life, I thought. But I still studied hard in high school, thinking that it would not do any harm anyhow. My diligence proved rewarding, as I passed the mandatory university entrance examinations with such high scores that I was accepted into the Beijing University, described by Bill Clinton as "China's Harvard" on his recent trip to my home country. That was really a milestone in my life.
Once I entered into the Beijing University, I had a lot more confidence in myself and I began to believe that, as long as I tried hard enough, everything would be possible. With that kind of confidence, I graduated from the university as one of its top students, which won me a host of excellent job offers. Having taken up a job, I believed that I could have an outstanding career if I worked hard enough. With industry and tenacity, I have been quickly promoted up the corporate ladder. I am convinced that it is my intellectual caliber and hard work, not good luck, that ensures my continuous success in life.
It is with such confidence that I am now applying for acceptance into the Harvard business school, which no doubt has a reputation of selectivity and distinction. I know that most of Harvard's applicants make up the cream of their communities, but I also know that I will make no less a businessman than any of them.作者: hsWang 时间: 2004-8-15 23:02
