43 Year 1 and Year 2 students from International Business and Chinese Enterprise (IBCE) and Global Business Studies (GBS) went on a field trip to Macau on 13 November 2015. The trip aimed to allow students to learn more about the economy of Macau, the gaming and hotel industry, and the student life at University of Macau.
The trip began with a tour to City of Dreams, the entertainment hub with luxury hotels, dining, shopping and shows. Students visited the Heart of House Area, the Crown Towers and Hard Rock Hotel. At the Heart of House Area, students took away invaluable advices from Ms Ann Lao, Manager, and Mr Daniel Lo, Specialist, from Learning Academy, Melco Crown Entertainment on what it takes to become a successful manager. With 7,000 employees, City of Dreams demonstrated how to motivate their staff and keep them energetic. With a small working population and a high turnover rate in Macau, fulfilling employees’ needs is extremely important. The strategy adopted by City of Dreams for employee retention is to provide a range of facilities and staff benefits: iPads located at the Heart of House showing different internal transfer opportunities available; café/napping areas for staff on breaks, nicely-furnished staff restaurant with various cuisines to cater for different preferences etc.
The tour proved to be a great experience for those who targeted to become a manager in the future as students were taught that in the competitive labour market nowadays, the best way to retain employees is to think from their perspective and support them with resources and thoughtfulness.
The second focus of the trip was the visit to University of Macau (UM). It started off with a warm welcoming note by Prof. Rico Lam, Head of Department of Management in UM. UM students then led the GBS and IBCE students for a campus tour and shared their exchange experiences as well as what it is like to live in Macau. It was a nice surprise to the students to meet the Dean, Prof. Kalok Chan, who was making an official visit to UM on the same day.
After a pleasant tour at the new campus, Prof. Linda Chen, Associate Professor in Management in UM, presented her research project on the famous bakery, Koi Kei (鉅記). Prof. Chen analyzed the success of this well-established enterprise from multiple perspectives: the economy of Macau, quality of products, their human resources management and marketing strategy. The unique strategies leading to the success of Koi Kei have helped to establish a good reputation through customer-orientated approach, commitment to continuous improvement and building brand image with corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Before the end of the fruitful trip, Prof. Raymond Loi, Associate Professor in Management in UM, shared his research on foreign workers in Macau, the causes and consequences of introducing foreign workers, and the impact on local economy.
The Macau trip provided a rewarding and enriching experience. Not only did it provide students with insights on various opportunities in Macau, but it also helped shaped their global mindset.
