Greetings Mate!
A lot has happened since my last blog post; this past month I went on a week trip to Singapore for my “Business in Asia” class. In the class we are learning about the different cultural traditions and business systems within each country in Asia. By going to Singapore, I was able to experience different industry procedures that companies respectively adopt within their businesses.
Our first visit was to Nordam, a leading manufacturer in producing parts and components for business, commercial, and military aircrafts. We learned about the competitors that have recently joined the market and how it has greatly affected their profit margin. Second, we got the opportunity to tour the US Embassy, where I learned about the business relationship between the United States and Singapore. It was interesting to learn how the United States monitors business transactions to prevent corruption.
APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) is a corporation whose goal is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. APEC ensures that goods, services, investments and people move easily across countries. This company sets up a common standard across countries especially in the Asia-Pacific economy. On our final day of our excursion, we visited the local Housing Development Board and Deloitte. The housing development board talked about the on-going struggle to offer affordable housing to its citizens because of the high cost of living within Singapore. My favorite company we visited during the week is definitely Deloitte. Deloitte specializes in audit, tax, risk consulting, financial advisory, and many more. As a Finance major, I was especially interested in their financial division.
However, besides touring the different businesses, we were given free time, where I got to explore the attractions Singapore had to offer. The iconic Marina Bay Sands is a renowned hotel for having a boat as an infinity pool where it sits amongst three of the hotel towers. The view was picturesque and breath taking as you see the city lights down below illuminate the night sky. Moreover, Gardens by the Bay is another high-end hotel known for their collection of greenhouses that are shaped like trees and at night they light up in different colors. Lastly, a few of my friends and I decided to go to Sentosa Island, which is a huge tourist destination in Singapore, where they offered many different attractions. On the island, they offered Skyline Luge, a go-kart style adventure activity that requires you to race on hairpin corners, long straights and exciting slopes. This was perhaps the most memorable activity on the trip as I would race my friends down the track as fast as possible.
Looking back at my experience in Singapore, I can truly say that this trip was filled with educational and activities that were truly a rewarding and an unforgettable experience.
Until Next Time,
Nathan Nusaputra