GHRM MBA Student: Mandy Chen

Company: Taiwan Fu Hsing Industrial Co., Ltd.

The academic Field that one studies doesn't necessarily have to be related to their future career, but it can broaden their horizon. Studying at GHRM MBA enabled me to see HR management of a company or a department in a professional manner when I am at the managerial level. Instead of restricting my career to HR, I would like to try as many career paths as I can in my postgraduate life. Hence, this semester,  I became an intern in the planning department of Taiwan Fu Hsing, one of the top access controller manufacturers in the world.

The business model of Taiwan Fu Hsing is B2B. As a result they are less familiar with end-users. To enhance product and service quality, the company builds a stronger liaison with customers by optimizing the online service channel. Therefore, Stan, a 2^nd-year IBMBA student, and I had to launch an online service channel prototype within 3 months. Due to the in-depth training arranged by HR, we knew the line-ups and the sales status of digital locks in the domestic market. To develop the most effective and feasible solution, we conducted comprehensive market research and benchmark to have a clear grasp of the industry’s status quo and market demand.

Inter-departmental communication plays an indispensable role in PM’s daily work, and it is also the most interesting part of the internship. We had several discussions regarding customers’ feedback collection, insurance policy, and brand image with domestic sales, QA, and the design team. PM’s versatility was shown when my mentor discussed the issues with the other teams. Besides mechanical design, my mentor is well-equipped with multimedia tools, website development, and lock installment. In addition to admiration, I also found my own shortcomings. "The more PM understands, the more willing other units will be to cooperate." The advice from my mentor guides me in a new direction.

Through internships, we can discover sides of ourselves that we didn't know before. To be honest, I hesitated to take the internship due to the commuting distance between Gangshan and Gushan, but my mentor and colleagues encouraged me to accept the internship. Thanks to the internship, I learned about one more industry, one small town, a group of warm-hearted supervisors and co-workers, and a new career path, and it was worth riding 150km every week. Regardless of whether we land our career in HR or not, as students, it is worthwhile to explore various internship experiences. We may end up unlocking another unexpected life path.