In an earlier post, I mentioned that we were starting a platform to give some of our students an opportunity to use any available resources during their one year in Cambridge to explore in depth an issue that is close to their hearts. We will launch the plaform later in the year but we have identified two regions that we want our students to focus on. The first is South Africa and the next one is Indonesia.
Like South Africa, Indonesia is a fascinating emerging market. It is rich in commodities but it is only in the last five years with a measure of political stability that it has begun to think about how to grow economically in a sustainable manner that would also benefit as wide a swathe of society as possible. It has a young population that is eager to embrace the world but they want to develop in their own way and not ape the West.
There have been years when we had no students from Indonesia, but the results from the last two years has been encouraging with 4 students during this time. This has encouraged us to put more resources into our outreach in Indonesia and I will be hosting an information session in Jakarta on the 13th of September and you can register here. I will also be participating in an MBA fair in Jakarta that weekend.
Whether you are attending the information session, the MBA fair, or just keen to see how our Indonesian students use the resources in Cambridge, I would like you to suggest some topics, from which I can then choose one for the students to focus on. You just have to suggest a topic by commenting on this blog. Some examples of issues that have been suggested for South Africa are “How can the country sustainably benefit from its natural resources instead of just exporting the raw materials?” or “How can the country grow a global technology company?” I am keen to see what the suggestions are, and whether there will be any differences in the questions compared to those for South Africa.
Hi Conrad,
I’m honored to have Indonesia as one of the countries of focus at JBS this year. Here are some topics I’d like to suggest:
- How can Indonesia strengthen regional economies outside Java and Bali to result in an overall strong national economy and an inclusive growth?
- How can Indonesia leverage its human and natural resources to produce more value-added consumer products for local and international markets?
- On a similar note, another possible topic would be ”How can Indonesia utilize technology, natural resources and local talents to alleviate hunger and poverty in the country?”
- What programs can be implemented to sustainably minimize the economic disparity between the rich and the poor in the country?
Best,
Melvany
Hi Conrad,
Thanks for this outreach, Cambridge’s efforts really is a great gesture to empower an emerging market such as Indonesia.
My 2 cents for the Indonesian class of 2012 to ponder:
“How can Indonesia grow a global brand? E.g. Someday when I land in Heathrow Airport, I can see an Indonesian brand advertised.”
Thanks.
Andrew
Hi conrad,
I think one of the most important subject to discuss is looking the global economy vis a vis Indonesian economy in an emerging market. One major feature of the Indonesia economy is how it recovers from the 1998 and 2008 crisis. In 1998, the economy was severely hit. When the Indonesia just came out of the 1998 crisis, another crisis came in 2008. But this time it’s economy survive and thrive due to robust economy policy pioneered by former finance minister Ms Sri Mulyani in order to survive future crisis. In short, an interesting topic of discussion for business leaders would be “Indonesia Economy: Unforgettable Lessons For Emerging Markets To Overcome Global Economic Turbulence”
Hi Conrad.
Lately, a lot of Social Entrepreneur growing up in Indonesia in any sector from microfinancing, Ecotourism, etc. I really believe that Indonesia has a lot of manpower and resources to do a social business.
My concern will be how to growing up a business in Indonesia that can benefit the society and environment also or in any ways, how to create an economic value in Indonesia by creating social value through developing more Social Business in Indonesia. Because I believe Social Business can be the solution for both social and economic problem in Indonesia.
Hopefully this topic can come up in of the discussion and I’ll be happy to join the discussion since I really concern to this topic & related to what I am doing now to develop a Social Business and creating & supporting more Social Entrepreneur in Indonesia.
Thanks so much
Just adding to my argument, since you are promoting an MBA program, I would advise the stress of the discussion is how business leaders lead their companies in a volatile economy and ultimately create robust companies. In 1998, we would refer Asian countries experiencing crisis. But nowdays, since 2008, it is rampant in America and Europe. In fact, India and China’s economy is slowing.
Hi Conrad,
Indonesia, whose economy is dominated with high domestic demand, is believed to be an engine of world economic growth. As Roy said earlier, Indonesia’s economy manages not only to recover from the 1998 financial crisis, but also to survive the 2008 crisis and currently grows significantly. However a closer look to this matter reveals that the growth is costly.
When Bank Indonesia lowered its reference rate, most banks only lowered their deposit rate and left the lending rate soar. Banks, somehow, are still reluctant to channel public funds. However, the gap between the deposit and lending rate allows banks to improve their financial performance.
One topic that I’d like to suggest is : what should Indonesia’s banking industry do in order to support Indonesia’s economy and still achieve high revenue.
Best,
Donauly
Hi Conrad,
I’ve found this blog on the Internet and I think it is interesting that Cambridge MBA will focus on Indonesia next year. I’m not going for the MBA program, but I’ll be taking a course in the Land Economy department.
I would like to suggest the topic of “How can Indonesia tackle the challenges in infrastructure development to support the country’s economic growth?”
I believe this is a very relevant issue at the moment because of a number of reasons:
1. Lack of infrastructure creates extra costs to businesses and the economy. For example, companies in Indonesia spend 30% of production costs on transportation cost (compared to 12% in China)
2. Infrastructure development is one of the main priorities for Indonesian government, yet progress with many infrastructure projects has been slow
3. This infrastructure challenges creates opportunities for businesses/entrepreneurs/investors (both local and foreign). For example, foreign energy companies may find Indonesia an attractive market to invest in a power plant project
Other related questions that can be addressed include:
- How can companies help to solve this infrastructure problem?
- Should the government involve the private sector more in tackling this issue?
- How should businesses adapt their strategy when infrastructure is lacking?
- What are the potential opportunities for entrepreneurs in this kind of situation?
Some good articles to read:
- http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/experts-weigh-in-on-indonesias-infrastructure-needs/492490
- http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/08/29/govt-still-sings-infrastructure-blues.html
Cheers,
Andy