Roles and Responsibilities

In a nutshell, my responsibilities would be to: 

1. Coordinate with Field Staffs (merchandisers) on travelling and working schedule 

2. Ensure the Field Staff complete the work on time with the submission of proof of work
3. Guide and assist the Field Staff for any queries.

During the period of the internship, I handled only HSBC and CIMB Bank clients.

For HSBC:
A master-list would usually be passed to be by the client of either HSBC Bank or CIMB Bank containing participating brands of retail and dining. With this, I was expected to sort them out according to 4 categories; outlets that have already been settled by the previous intern, outlets that we have received the A1 artwork, outlets that only have A5 artworks and outlets that we have not received any form of artwork (pending). Clients will send me PDF version of the artwork in A1 (594mm x 841mm) and A5 size (148mm x 210mm). 

Master-list sorted into 4 categories.

In continuation of that, I needed to request Image Magic (supplier) to print those A1 artwork. I did this by sending them the PDF version of the artwork via email and also stating the quantities required for each brand. There was over 50 brands to sort out and each brand had outlets spanning all across Malaysia. All the outlets the boards need to be sent to and the quantities were stated in the master-list. Altogether, there were almost 200 boards ordered. When done with that, the next step is to develop a list where the brands are categorized into the same shopping malls so that the merchandisers can deliver it. I sorted the malls by areas; Kuala Lumpur, Klang Valley, Penang, Johor, Melaka and Ipoh. 

Outlets sorted based on areas.

For all these areas, we have merchandisers who helps us deliver the boards in the reference to the lists I made. As for those areas not mentioned, the boards will be sent directly to the outlets. This is where the summary of my job comes in. I assists those merchandisers (field workers) and provide them with a travelling schedule. Anytime when the boards arrive in the office, the first thing I would  do is to check if the quantities are as ordered; was it as I have ordered? 

For CIMB Bank:

I dealt with 3 clients from CIMB. All 3 of them are in charge of different areas of Malaysia; Penang and Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley. Every now and then, I would get emails from any of these 3 clients, asking me to work on specific artworks. Different from HSBC, I definitely need to come out with the artwork using Adobe Illustrator and send the PDF of the ready artwork to the client for approval. Once I get the green light to carry on, then the same procedure takes on with the printing until the merchandising. The below pictures shows the artwork in the process by using Adobe Illustrator. 

In General:

During the process of delivering all the boards to the merchants, I need to make sure which ones need to be prioritized as the clients have specific dates on when the boards needs to start being displayed. As a proof that the boards have been delivered, field workers/merchandisers need to take pictures of the boards displayed in front of the outlets. I will collect all the pictures and update the status of each board to report it to the respective client. Sometimes, client might want some of the pictures as well to make sure that we are doing our job. The pictures below are some examples of the proof that the boards have been delivered to their designated outlets.

For boards that needs to be sent to outstation, I would wrap them in bulks (many boards in one) if we have outstation merchandisers. These areas includes Penang, Kedah, Melaka and Johor. For areas that other than mentioned, we send to the outlets directly, writing the outlets' address on the courier consignment. For HSBC boards, we would use GD Express else, for CIMB we would use Nationwide Express. The picture shown below is an example of how the boards are packed. Others packed includes the stands for the A1 boards, and the acrylic stands for CIMB A5s.

On busy days, there are many to be packed

Company Background

Brand Activation Asia is a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) which consists of 12 employees altogether, including two of us interns. The company and number of employees are split into two areas of focus which is branding (Brand Active) and music (Music Active), therefore it is very much like two sub-companies working in the same office. The company logos are shown in the picture above.

An overview of the company.

Brand Active is the only company that provides Point of Sales Material (POSM) to banks. These banks include HSBC Bank, CIMB Bank, Hong Leong Bank, RHB Bank and Maybank. Since there are only half the numbers of employees working for Brand Activation, there are no departments or division of labor. Everyone is fully responsible for everything. Because of the small group of employees, there is only one manager we all report to, Louise who is also my company supervisor. Therefore the organization structure is rather flat and broad. From the picture above, Brand Activation employees are seated on the right side where else, the Music Active employees are seated on the left side. 

Moving onto Music Active, they are in collaboration with Universal Music and Tune Talk. Their current project, M Nation is to provide awareness to students that they are ways to listen to music legally. This is due to the rise of illegal downloading of songs from various sources. So employees will have to collect surveys, approach and recruit students from all universities for their own reasons. 

Preparing for the Internship

Selection of Company
I did my selection of company based on the job description stated in the Industrial Training System (ITS). The descriptions that seem more appealing and do-able to me would be what I am attracted to the most. Next was the services that the company provides to clients, the industry that they are involved in. My first choice was Brand Activation Asia because the job descriptions stated appeals to me. Not only that, a considerate amount of salary was provided alongside a really good working hour of 10.00 am to 6.30 pm. Although the company is quite a distance from my house, to gain valuable experience we need to get out of our comfort zone. 

Workshops and Training
Taylor's has came up with many internship workshops for us to attend in preparing us for what to expect, what to do, what not to do, setting first impressions, writing a cover letter, writing a resume, what looks good on a resume, how to access the Industrial Training System (ITS) to select our company choices, personal grooming and dressing and many more. During these workshops, I have extended my horizons by just learning that it is the simple things that counts. A firm handshake tells employee that you are confident, competent and professional. The way you sit also tells another story. Therefore we cant take all these things lightly and have to be alert on how to carry ourselves. 

Setting Expectations & Goals
For this internship, I have set a few expectations and goals for myself so that I do not go through this experience blindly and would have achieved at least something by the end of the period.

1. The internship will provide me with the opportunity to test my interest in a particular career before permanent commitments are made. 

2. The internship will allow me to develop skills in the application of theory to practical work situations.

3. The internship will further motivate me to continue and enhance my education.

4. The internship will provide an in-depth knowledge of the formal functional activities of a participating organization.  

Semester 5 Results

Semester 4 Results

Semester 3 Results

Semester 2 Results

Reflection on Semester 2 Subjects

Finance

• I learned to describe key financial concepts used in financial management and how to apply them.
• I learned to apply the concepts of finance and make informed financial management decisions.
• As it was my first time taking Finance as a subject, I learned to be patient and determined to understand the new concepts that I have not encountered before.

Organizational Behavior

• I understand a comprehensive theoretical framework of organisational behaviour covering the individuals, the groups and the organisation.
• I learned to understand a better working environment for people in organizational settings.
• Importance of human dynamics in working environment.
• Understanding the importance or a person's behaviour which can influence the working relations and productivity.

Business Communication

• Importance of effective communication in the business environment.
• Understanding how communication can differ based on the skills one possesses. 
• I am now aware of the global context in which business communication takes place

Macroeconomics

• I have a critical understanding of macroeconomic concepts and how these concepts help me understand the workings of the national economic and financial systems.
• I learned to be more analytical towards the global economy in a more systematic manner.
• I am now able to interpret macroeconomic datas and to communicate those information across effectively. 

Management Information Systems

• I understand the importance of information systems in business to grow locally and globally in creating successful, competitive and global corporations.  
• I am able to analyse business cases in management, organization and technology perspectives.
• Understand how organisations design, manage and use information systems and technology as important corporate resources.

Semester 2 Presentations

Organizational Behaviour 

This subject has the most presentations compared to other subjects. There was a lot of preparations to do for tutorials as they include answering tutorial questions, presentations and debates. All these were included as part of participation marks which rounds off to 10% of the course. After all those presentations, I think I am more comfortable standing in front of the class. 

Business Communication

There was only one presentation for this subject but it was worth 15% overall. It was regarding the business report we did on a small company we chose which was Nuffnang. One of the most formal presentations ever.

Management Information Systems

Only one presentation for MIS where my group presented a case study about Facebook and its security problems and marketing strategies. 

For the other 2 subjects, there were no presentations.

My Learning Style

Everyone learns best in their own style. For me, I cannot read and remember facts. Instead, I would prefer learning visually and auditory, more to visually. So far the subjects this semester does not incorporate visual learning other than the slides projected during lectures. 


As much as I know myself, I can sometimes remember what is written on the particular slide and also the chronology of the slides to come. This really helps me a lot during exams where I get to think back that particular slide and get the answers. 


I am still finding the best way to revise visually the topics given but it will be another task to overcome. Everyday is a self discovery and I will find out the best way for myself soon.

Management Information Systems -Video Assignment

We were required to create a 3-5 minute video clip explaining specific concepts relevant to the subjects/topics learnt in the course and upload our video to YouTube for public viewing and comments. The topic we chose was: How information system help customers.

Overall it is a fun experience as making a video is not what we are majoring in however, extra knowledge outside business is always acceptable. We shot the video and edited it within the period of 3 weeks. Enjoy!

Macroeconomics -Video Assignment

This video assignment included 6 members. The topic is about subsidy which is a hot economic issue these past few years as the government decided to decrease it to cut expenses. The video explains what happens to the short run supply, long run supply and also demand once the government cuts on subsidies.

My Weaknesses

When there are strengths, it is always accompanied by weaknesses which are sometimes detrimental and I feel that there is always room for improvements. My weakness is that I tend to over commit myself with too many tasks. As a result, each of the tasks at times would not be up to the standard that I expect.

This would also mean that I have poor time management which needs to be managed soon so that I can set up my priorities. Time is a resource that cannot be stored and it is always easy to continuously look back and wish things had been different. To avoid all that, I would then attend a few time management workshops. These weaknesses that I have mentioned can change over time with commitment and more determination.

Organisational Behaviour -BUS1524

This course provides students with an introduction to psychological and behavioural approaches to the study of work and organisations.  The course introduces some of the basic analytical tools and concepts from the fields of organisational behaviour and work psychology that encourage an understanding of the behaviour of individuals and groups in the workplace.



(George, J.M. & Jones, G.R 2008, Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior, 5th edition, 
Pearson, New Jersey.)

Management Information Systems -BUS 1704

This subject provides students with an understanding of the fundamental concepts, principles and theories of applying information systems and technology in business. It enables students to appreciate the use and development of emerging technologies and critically assess future technological trends in a globalised economy. This subject also incorporates the academic/career e-portfolio to promote selfdevelopment and self-evaluation around subject specific knowledge, ICT skills as well as soft skills which is vital to students’ professional success.



(Laudon, K. C. & Laudon, J.P. (2009) Management Information Systems. Managing The Digital 
Firm (11th Ed.). NJ: Prentice Hall.)

Macroeconomics -BUS 1614

This module looks into the workings of a domestic economy and the policies that governments may implement to manage it and improve the business environment. The module exposes the student to the various macroeconomic tools of analysis and analytical frameworks that are essential to understand and apply. It will complement other Level One business modules that you do and provides a basis for Level Two and Three modules in both business and economics.The subject content deals with such topics as the workings of the national economic and financial systems, evaluating government policies, interactions between the national and global economies, exchange rates, the role of institutions, as well as topics in trade such as multilateralism, regionalism and protectionism.It will also teach students how to source relevant economic data and analyse them.


(Parkin, M (2010). Economics, (9^th ed. Global ed). Pearson)

Introduction to Finance -BUS 1204

This course introduces students to the main issues and financial concepts that encompass financial management that non finance majors would be able to appreciate, and yet, equipping finance major students for higher level finance or business related courses. Students would be expected to keep abreast of financial issues that prevail and impact the domestic and financial markets.In this sense, the course is expected to go beyond theoretical issues to real market issues that impact international organisations, such as currency changes and the risk and rewards it offers. 


(Ross, Stephan A.; Westerfield, Randolph W.; & Jordan, Bradford D. Essentials of Corporate Finance, 6^th Edition, McGraw-Hill / Irwin)

Business Communication -BUS1514

Business Communication equips students with the necessary written and spoken skills for effective business communication. Students are exposed to various business correspondences and taught practical strategies to write convincing and coherent messages. Students are also taught to strategise, and to use appropriate and ethical approaches in writing not only routine messages, but also persuasive and negative messages. Listening and speaking skills are also focused on to ensure effective interpersonal communication. This course also emphasises the need for business communication to be seen in a global context where various considerations such as technological advances and ethical considerations play a vital role in ensuring that all business messages achieve their aims in a positive manner.


(Bovee, C & Thill, J 2010, Business Communication Essentials, 4th edn, Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey.)

My Strengths

It takes years maybe a lifetime for people to recognize what they have in themselves, and so far, I have only discovered some strengths that I have and some yet to be discovered as the challenges come. My biggest strength is being self motivated where I always take my own initiative to carry out tasks that I need to complete. By being self motivated, inspirations always come from within me that drives me to do better than what I have accomplished before.

The other strength that I posses is being a good listener. It is said that communication always begins with good listening skills. This is a good skill to have in the career that I have chosen because it makes the client feel important when I am being attentive while he or she speaks and at the same time, I am able to improve my understanding and have the capacity to empathize. Not only that, while listening I can articulate my response so the words that I speak would be appropriate.

I am also a risk taker who dares to take chances on the decisions I make. Sometimes, risk taking does encourage in a company’s growth and it is what separates achievers from ordinary folks because risk takers are able to estimate probable outcomes that results from a choice of alternative. I believe in a saying by Virgil which is, “fortune sides with him who dares”.

Semester 1 Results