BSP1005: Managerial Economics
This is a compulsory module for acc/biz students. If you have taken H2 Economics before, do not rejoice just yet. Around more than half of the content is new, with a heavy emphasis on Game Theory. While there is the usual introduction of demand and supply, elasticities, taxes and subsidies etc, this course goes a lot more in depth. This module is very calculation-based, so forget about those long essays from the bygone era of H2 Econs. Brush up on your mathematics, especially differentiation and simultaneous equations. That being said, the calculations are relatively simple, understanding the concepts and formulas is key towards scoring well in this module.
The lecture is split between two lecturers, Prof Yang Nan and Prof Seunggyu Jung. The former is in charge of microeconomics, while the latter dwells on Game Theory and behavioural economics. I had a hard time understanding Prof Jung’s Korean accent, but towards the end of the course I got used to it and found him to be generally quite an engaging lecturer who focused greatly on the conceptual understanding of his topics. Prof Yang Nan is generally ok, although he can get quite monotonous at times.
The bell curve for this module is AWFUL. Despite doing very well for the group problem sets, case presentation, and class participation, my final grade was still less than desired. I suspect that in order to get a good grade, one must get full marks/close to full marks on the final examination. However, do not be too deterred from taking this module, as I found the content to be quite engaging and useful, and the professors tried very hard to make the syllabus more business-oriented. There is no need to buy the textbook (as stated explicitly by the prof), the lecture notes are more than enough to help you with your revision.
Assessment:
- Problem sets – 20%
- Case presentation – 10%
- Class participation/attendance – 10%
- Finals: 60%
Workload:
The workload for this course was moderate. Although my group of 6 people had 2 slackers, the rest of us were still quite dedicated so group work was quite painless overall. We were the first group to present (case presentation), so we got that out of our way quite early. The case presentations get harder as the weeks go by, so be sure to choose one of the earliest slots.
As for the problem sets, they were quite burdensome but on the bright side, its done together as a group. If you’re able to do these sets on your own efficiently, you probably won’t have much problem during the final exam. As such, it’s important to do the problem sets on your own and then corroborate answers with your group mates in order to get sufficient practice.
As stated earlier, the bell curve for the finals is super steep, so aim for full marks if possible.
The micro economic questions were easy, but the game theory questions were very challenging (much harder than those from the problem sets). It really tests your understanding of the concepts, so there’s no point in memorising mindlessly. In fact, a cheat sheet is allowed into the exam, so it can act as a failsafe in case you forget important formulas.
MKT1003: Marketing
While marketing is one of those things that does not require a degree to excel in, this course was nevertheless quite useful and practical. The lecturer, Prof Ang Sween Hoon, did a fantastic job in making the course interesting and engaging. Her teaching style actively encouraged student interaction, while at the same time creating a relaxed environment for discussion. She also includes real-world examples frequently, which helped to better solidify our understanding of the subject.
Overall, I found this course quite enjoyable, mostly because of the great lecturer. The bellcurve was also not as bad, so I did quite well for this module.
Assessment:
- Subject Pool Participation – 10%
- Group Case (Content) – 15%
- Case Competition (Content) – 20%
- Group Case or Case Comp Presentation – 10%
- Individual Class Participation – 30%
- Discussive Participation – 20%
- Finals Quiz – 25%
Workload:
The course material is actually quite light, but a significant portion of the module is taken up by the main marketing project, which is split into two parts – the case study and the case competition. Unfortunately, I had group mates that were very uninvolved, which made the general process very painful as I had to do both the presentation slides and the report by myself. Hence, it is of utmost importance to choose the right group mates. As for class participation, it is important to speak up during class, and more importantly, to say things of value (i.e. don’t bullshit). Finals were all MCQ, but the questions were VERY difficult and tricky.
DSC2006: Operations Management
Although the course material appeared rather daunting, this was actually one of the modules that I scored better in. There is a significant amount of math involved, so do brush up on your H2 maths, mainly the statistics part. Thankfully, there is no calculus needed, so say goodbye to differentiation and integration. In fact, I would compare the math in the module to that of physics, where your understanding of the concept is of vital importance. The actual formula and mathematical calculations are not very complicated, but it is essential that you can identify clearly the variables needed.
The lecturer we had was Lucy Chen, and she did an okay job overall. While there were a few topics that she failed to explain clearly, the other topics were taught quite well. She also tried to bring in real life examples to her lectures, which helped a lot in contextualising the lecture materials.
I would recommend this course to those who wish to start their own business someday, as it definitely helped me to see certain business processes in a new light. For acc/biz students, this is a compulsory module, and I can see why that is so. Although I may not go into operations management as a career, I can foresee that the knowledge I gained from this course would benefit me greatly in future.
Assessment:
- Class participation – 10%
- Group project – 30%
- Finals: 60%
Workload:
The workload was manageable, even though there was a group project involved. For the project, we had to pick out a theme within operations management and subsequently select 10 scholarly articles on that topic and write a report on it. My group mates were luckily all quite responsible and did their work well, so our project was relatively smooth sailing. As for class participation, my tutor would note down whenever someone answered a question, so it is best to come prepared to tutorials. Finals was actually all MCQ, which is actually a bad thing, since you wont get any “error carried forward” or extra/pity marks for your working if your final answer is wrong. However, the bell curve was probably not as steep, which explained why I did better for this module.
ACC1002: Financial Accounting
I took this module in Semester 2, and the lecturer was Professor Winston Kwok. He is truly a gifted educator, as he was able to make the material interesting and accessible to all. I have nothing but good words to say about him, and he is truly deserving of winning the teaching award for many years in a row. His sense of humour, while odd, definitely helps to make each lecture more lively and entertaining. I actually looked forward to his lectures every Wednesday at UTown.
HOWEVER, the bell curve for this module is absolutely killer, and as said by the man himself, “in order to receive the A grades for this course (i.e. A+, A, or A-), the students must have received either full or close to full marks for the test and participation, as well as very high marks for the exam. In other words, students who did very well for the mid-term test might not get any of the A grades if their participation and exam were not also among the highest scores.”
The course material was actually not very difficult, given that this is a level 1000 module. None of the concepts were difficult to understand, and the content covered in this module was not too much to handle. To score well, it is important to be able to do the questions quickly and efficiently, and sincerely hope that your peers don’t do as well as you.
Despite all this, do not feel discouraged to take this module. Even if it may have a negative impact on your CAP, its intrinsic value is obvious, and I definitely learnt a lot about the internal finances of businesses. If you’re an accountancy/biz student, then this is a compulsory mod for you. For others, I still highly recommend this course, as it would definitely help with one’s financial literacy and would come in useful if you ever want to start your own business someday.
Assessment:
- Class participation: 20%
- Mid Terms: 25-30%
- Finals: 45-50%
Workload:
The workload was actually very light, as there was no group work or extra projects. The only work needed was the weekly tutorials, but make sure to be prepared as the tutor may pick on you to answer. Then again, most people were competing to answer questions in order to fulfil their class participation. I was able to get the professor as my tutor, but I felt that he was not very fair when picking students to answer, as he kept picking this one guy most of the time. Although I tried to participate at least once or twice during each tutorial, my class participation was deemed “below average”, which was rather discouraging.
It is important to not slack off and work consistently, although such advice can be applicable to almost any subject.
GEK1527: Genes and Society
Only take this module if you have taken H2 Biology in JC. If not, the extremely steep bell curve would put you in an even more difficult position. For acc/biz students, it is compulsory to take a science GEM/GEK module, and I made the unfortunate mistake of selecting this one.
The lecturer, Lam Siew Hong, was very passionate but did a poor job of teaching the course content. Despite starting each lecture with much gusto, he nevertheless did not organise the lecture material well, and students are left to themselves to decide which information is important and which is not. As such, I can see how this can be quite difficult for those who have not taken H2 Biology before.
I did try to attend the lectures in the beginning, but honestly they were of zero use to me. After all, not everyone can teach, and simply knowing the material well doesn’t make one a good teacher. As such, I skipped most of the lectures and studied on my own.
Assessment:
- Continuous assessment – 40%
- Finals – 60%
Workload:
For a GEM/GEK couse, the workload is actually disproportionately heavy even though there were no tutorials, much to my irritation. The continuous assessment, which takes up 40%, is split into 4 assignments and several in-class questions. If you happen to skip lectures, make sure your friends help you to take down the in-class question. The assignments, which add up to 34%, were a great burden, requiring an incredulous amount of time and effort. For example, we had to design and craft a brochure to increase awareness on intersex, and also write a long essay on the government collection of genetic data. Finals were all MCQ, and a relative breeze. However, it appears that they like to test seemingly obscure and irrelevant knowledge, which only furthered my dislike for this module.
Overall, I would not recommend this module to anyone, as it is simply not worth the effort, and more importantly, the final grade you get would hardly justify the time you put in.
NUS Module Reviews 