East Asia Institute of Management educates with excellence

EASB equips its students not just with academic excellence but also with various enrichment programmes to produce career-ready graduates.

While having an MBA degree does not guarantee a great career in itself, the East Asia Institute of Management (EASB) ensures each student gets equipped with holistic knowledge and skills that lead not only to academic excellence but to complete competence.

Holistic education at EASB
Felinka Zhou Fan, a property sales manager at Far East Organisation, finished her MBA at EASB - Cardiff Metropolitan University (Cardiff Met) in 2008. “I am one of the many who went through the complete EASB pathway. I started with a Certificate in Business English and progressed through to Advanced Diploma and Bachelor’s, before my MBA. It took me around 4 years. The transition was especially smooth for a then-foreigner like myself,” says Zhou Fan.

Apart from the exceptional academic equipping, Zhou Fan has been trained to think outside the box and have a long-term perspective for business development throughout her stay at EASB. “As property sales manager, my training at EASB helped me create and develop my prospects pipeline and build good relationship with buyers and business partners,” she says.

Zhou Fan notes that the EASB-Cardiff Met MBA provides students with current and in-depth knowledge in their field of study while incorporating theory and hands-on practice into its curricula. She adds that the staff and professors are seasoned veterans in their specialisations and lectures are rich with case-studies to exercise the students’ strategic thinking process.

EASB also provides students with enrichment programmes such as grooming workshops, CV writing workshops, overseas educational trips, social etiquette sessions and other soft skills enhancement such as time management, presentation and communication techniques, self-awareness, and team-building. “Ultimately this personal enrichment package helped me transform into a wellgroomed, articulate and confident individual able to conduct myself professionally in my job,” says Zhou Fan.

Tedious but worth it
Zhou Fan admits that the EASB-Cardiff Met MBA is tedious and challenging but a blessing in disguise  indeed. “While it challenges the mind, it stretches your ability to think out of the norm and innovate  to formulate solutions. Given the opportunity to learn from past experiences of our professors and be informed on the latest changes in the industry, it gives graduates the confidence and competencies to succeed in their endeavours,” reckons Zhou Fan.

She notes that the EASB-Cardiff Met MBA enhances the students’ analysis and interactive skills. “I also learnt the importance of teamwork. This is especially important in my line of work since I need to manage my teams’ expectations and ultimately motivating them towards a common goal. The knowledge that I have gained and the soft-skills that I’ve inculcated through the MBA program and my journey with EASB opened doors to opportunities.”

Dr. Andrew Chua, principal and executive chairman at EASB, notes that academic assurance is an ultimate guarantee brought about by quality lecturers with strong industrial experience and teaching professionalism. “Service assurance is primarily achieved by our adherence to what we promised students prior to enrollment and throughout their journey with us.”

An unspoken requirement
While an MBA may not ensure employment if the applicant has no relevant experience, Zhou Fan recognizes  that a better education qualification coupled with diligence are some of the essentials to get a job. She shares, “During the global economic downturn in 2008, some of my foreigner friends decided to go back to their home country because they feel it is very hard to get a job in Singapore. I did not follow. I refused to accept defeat even before giving my best. I sent out my resumes and started to go for interviews. I got a job offer from Far East Organization, then I got an Employment Pass within two weeks. What does this mean? There is always an opportunity for everyone.”

An MBA degree is slowly becoming an ‘unspoken requirement’ for some positions in large organizations. With the right attitude, proper and sufficient experience, an MBA degree from a premier educational institution like EASB (https://www.easb.edu.sg/) is sure to serve you well in your career development.

Felinka Zhou Fan, property sales Manager at Far East Organisation