“In today’s globalisation and internationalisation, there is no doubt that organisations are becoming more diversified. They are either growing larger or constant restructuring for the right size. Simply put, to find multi-faceted ways to cope with the escalating changes and turbulence in their daily business operations.  Human resources management scope thus has expanded and has become the centre of all organisations.

Currently, my company’s HR approach and practices are perceived to be more administrative and operationally-focused. The scope of HR has to evolve and re-position itself to be at the forefront of the business planning process; it entails manpower planning, performance management and employee development in the lens of a strong understanding of people-metric residing in the organisation.

Sodexo is in the process of change and transformation. As part of its Asia Pacific expansion plans, Sodexo officially opened our regional headquarters office in Singapore in May 2015. With the immense growth potential in Asia and the huge reservoir of talent available, we envision to triple the headcount here within three years. The current headcount in Singapore is around 1,100.  At the same, HRM is expected to lead and drive the people agenda that needs to be in complete alignment with business intent to achieve superior performance.  It is therefore imperative that HR for Sodexo, in view of our business expansion plan, be able to cope with the changing competitive business demands, to become indispensable and have a competitive advantage over our competitors.

My role as a strategic HR partner and HR adviser is on consultative approach and working in tandem with business owners and leaders to align people agendas to the business objectives. I need to be equipped and kept abreast of the latest HR practices as well to develop further to hone my skills and further build on my HR expertise; in order to be the enabler to lead organisational change and transformation.

My objective to pursue this Master’s Degree programme is because it is beneficial to the company as well to the employees. From a company’s perspective, I believe with my newly acquired knowledge and skills through the executive programme, I can help the company to re-invent and integrate new HR practices, policies, systems and processes to help the company progress through increased productivity and effectiveness, to be sustainable and relevant to meet the business vision. The programme is relevant to my role in the company and the case studies and research required in this programme would enable me to value add to the company and replicate the best practices. This will support the business expansion and talent pipeline plan. I need to help the company to streamline HR processes and review various innovative methods to automate certain processes and help our employees in their work, for speedier turnaround in terms of talent acquisition and retention strategy. I believe my attainment of a Master’s Degree in HRM from Murdoch University will support my credentials as a seasoned HR professional. “

I graduated with a Diploma in Marketing. With this, I decided to pursue my studies further by taking up the Bachelor of Business Studies (Hons) in Marketing with University College Dublin, in association with Kaplan. I’m currently working as an Assistant Account Manager. My job scope includes sales and marketing, with a focus on account management/servicing and planning client’s marketing campaigns.

Hence, the course really helped me a lot in my job as I get to apply what I’ve learnt to my work. Studying this course is a value add to my work profile.

Believing that there was an increasing demand for labour in the IT sector, I chose to broaden my knowledge in two specialisations, Computer Science and Cyber Forensics. As a Software Engineer today, I can actively apply the coding skills and computer science principles gleaned during my studies to code and create progressive software compliant with coding standards.

Gaining a recognised Double Major Degree from Murdoch, which is accredited by the Australian Computer Society (ACS), further affirms that choosing Murdoch University has been the best decision I have made.

P2 – Corporate Reporting, 3^rd in Singapore *
F4 – Corporate and Business Law, 3^rd in Singapore **

I would like to convey my most sincere gratitude to my Kaplan lecturers for imparting new skills and instilling confidence I needed to excel in my ACCA journey.

It was tough for me to understand Financial Reporting or Business Law at the beginning because I did not have strong foundation knowledge. However, my achievement today shows that it is not impossible to do well even in the face of challenges.

I believe that the key factors to my success were to attend classes regularly, pay attention to my lecturers, seek their guidance when needed and practice as many past year questions as I could.
By doing these, I was able to familiarise myself with the subjects and master them in no time.

* Based on results from the June 2015 ACCA Examinations.
** Based on results from the June 2014 ACCA Examinations.

Last update: 21^st September 2016

Kaplan offered me a fast track to a degree. I could finish it in 16 months instead of 28 months because I was exempted from some modules, thanks to my diploma from Nanyang Polytechnic.

The programme offered me insights into the global economic and business climates – just what I needed to develop a global mindset. It equipped me with the necessary skills to evaluate and manage challenges and opportunities in an increasingly complex global economy, especially for new start-ups. There was a good mix of written assignments, projects and examinations. We also worked on case studies in teams, and that helped me pick up skills in teamwork and project management.

More importantly, I found what I needed to succeed in a start-up economy. My degree has benefitted me tremendously in my career.

Having relished a wide variety of travel experiences such as solo cycling from Singapore to Thailand and skate scooting from Cambodia to Vietnam, my passion to explore the tourism industry led me to choose my Double Major Degree programme. I was blessed to enjoy a welcoming environment where lecturers were always ready to clarify doubts.

My Degree propelled me further as I started my own travel agency and launched a Website and Mobile-App Development Business, KomengTech. Reflecting on my journey, I believe Murdoch has brought out the best in me and I have already recommended more than 5 people to attend.

Spurred by my interest in connecting with people from all backgrounds, I wanted to take a step further to gain insight into the management of workplace relationships. Attracted by Murdoch University’s international reputation and the flexibility to plan my own study schedule, I knew that pursuing my passion for Human Resources would boost my credentials and gear myself up for bright career prospects.

Apart from widening my thinking framework and diversifying my knowledge, my Double Major Degree journey was sweetened by approachable lecturers like Mr Frankie Yee and Mr Dinesh Dhaliwal who were always generous with sharing their rich industry experiences. I am confident that my Double Major Degree has not only set the building blocks for an exciting career but also shaped me into a well-rounded individual.

Top ACCA Affiliate, 9th in Singapore *
After graduating from a local polytechnic, I was undecided if I should continue pursuing accounting as a career. As I needed the time to decide, I signed up for ACCA evening classes at Kaplan and took up a short work stint in finance to see if accountancy really suits me.

As lessons progressed, I started to find myself getting really interested in this career path. My teachers’ passion and dedication warmed my passion in accounting and I finally switched to full-time lessons as I continued my ACCA journey with Kaplan.

My favourite lecturer is Andy Tan, who taught me Business Analysis (P3) as well as Advanced Performance Management (P5). His lessons were very engaging and he really wanted his students to succeed.

* Based on results from the June 2016 ACCA Examinations.

Last update: 21^st September 2016