SKEMA Business School | Exchange Report

Fall 2013-14 Andy Wong

PART I – MONTHY ACTIVITY LOG

Late August & September I arrived at Antibes on 29th August. I spent my first few days to unpack my luggage and wandered around in town to familiarize with the surrounding areas.

Together with my

exchange-mates, we had daytrips to Cannes, Nice, Monaco Monte Carlo, Grasse and St’ Paul de Vence, Marseille to savor the beauty of the Cote d’ Azur. On the 5th of Sep, we went to the school campus for the first time to attend the Orientation Day at SKEMA. As I took only the ‘Globalization’ seminar in September, my life in this month was very relaxed and I treasured my long holidays to go on long trips. In the middle of September, I went to Northern Italy (Genoa, Cinque Terre and Milan) for 4 days.

In late September, I went on a 8-day trip to Poland,

Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland alone. It was a real fun to travel on my own as I could communicate with locals more and also learnt to be more independent.

October After I returned from my 8-day trip, I finally managed to open the bank account with HSBC in Antibes. Even though I had more lessons in this month, there were still long breaks which I could go on vacation. At the beginning of the month, I went to Great Britain for 4 days to visit my secondary schoolmates.

We travelled together to Birmingham, Warwick and London. After

returned from GB, I had the examination for my ‘Globalization’ seminar. After the examination, I had full-day lessons for five consecutive days before two more long trips. After the lengthy classes, I went on an 8-day trip to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam with my fellow UST schoolmates. After resting for a day at home, I went to another 8-day trip to Central Italy which includes Venice, Firenze, Lucca, Pisa, Siena and finally, the Capital Rome. It was really an unforgettable experience to visit all these great cites within just a month.

During the busy

October, I learnt the importance of ‘Work hard, play hard’ in the exchange journey.

November After returning from Italy in early November, I did not have class until mid-month. Therefore I spent plenty of time in writing the long essay for a course. In the middle of the month, I had all-day lessons for around entire week. It was quite exhausting but I learnt a lot from the lessons. After the school days, I had a long break so I travelled to Bordeaux to visit my friend, then onwards to Carcassonne, Toulouse in France and Barcelona in Spain. The trip was amazing and it was the final long-trip in my exchange journey.

December In this month, I had a few classes scattered across the first two weeks. I had a group

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presentation as well so I spent some time to prepare for it. After long- awaited, I finally attended th

the Medical Appointment for the residence permit on the 4 Dec. Classes schedule in December was relaxing to I had plenty of time to revise for my sole final examination which was held In the middle of the month. After the final examination, I did not go on long trips in this month since the airfare and hostel rate skyrocketed during the Christmas holidays. Instead, I stayed in Antibes and spent my time to explore the surrounding towns, which include some new destinations such as Cagnes Sur Mer, Tende,La Turbie. The Christmas markets in Cannes, Nice and Monaco were worthwhile to visit. At the last few days in the month, I started packing my luggage and eventually, th

I returned Hong Kong on the 30 Dec.

PART II – GENERAL EXCHANGE INFORMATION

Visa Application Exchange students must obtain a Student Long-Visa from the French Embassy in HK. The application has 2 parts – an academic interview and a visa application appointment. The application appointment shall be made online via the embassy’s website. Afterwards the applicant should contact the academic officer for the academic interview. Since the academic interview must be carried out before the visa application appointment, it is best to avoid the earliest timeslot of the application appointment, otherwise it is necessary to travel to the embassy in 2 separate days. The visa will be available around 3-4 weeks after the appointment, it is necessary to make appointment asap especially in summer holidays. The cost of the visa cost around HKD$500.

OFII Application The French government requests all individuals staying in France more than 3months to apply for an OFII resident Permit. Students would be applying the permit via SKEMA. Each of the students would have to meet with an advisor in SKEMA to submit their application. Afterward the OFII office would send the letter of medical appointment to the applicants’ registered address. Rescheduling of the medical appointment is next to impossible so beware possible time clash when planning long-haul travels. The medical appointment takes place in the OFII office 15 minutes-walk away from the Nice St’ Augustin SNCF Gare. Students must purchase the OFII stamp (€58) before attending the appointment. The school will provide detail information on the orientation day. For my case, I filed my application in the beginning of October. I waited till mid-November to receive my Medical Appointment which was scheduled on the 4 Dec.

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Administrative Procedures at SKEMA After being nominated by SBM, students would be contacted by SKEMA around 3 months before the start of semester. Students would then have to submit some ID documents, a motivation letter (reason for choosing SKEMA) and a proof of English Proficiency (ask your LABU/LANG tutor for it). Once a student is officially accepted, SKEMA would contact students for preliminary course selection, visa application, housing arrangement and a welcoming pack.

Orientation Activities On the Orientation day, we received the a folder of documents which included detailed course schedules and some useful documents. There was also a presentation where we were briefed about the course registration, sports class and IT systems in SKEMA. It was also the time we first met our other fellow exchange students. There was be a briefing session on the course registration and every student would receive their respective timeslot to meet the academic advisor.

In the short meeting, the academic advisor would review every student's timetable and

offer some comments if necessary.

Social Clubs/Networking Opportunities Exchange students are likely to come across with a big student association called 'Interculture'. Interculture organizes a wide variety of activities targeting international students in SKEMA. There are 1-2 parties weekly ,mostly organized in different clubs in Juan les Pins but sometimes as far as in Monaco. There is a theme for each party and entrance fee varies.

Apart from

parties, 'Interculture' also organizes a buddy scheme, some long trips (e.g. to Lyon) and French Classes. Details of the activities can be obtained from their Fackbook Page, their association counter (right above the school canteen) as well as from the invitation emails.

Accommodation Although SKEMA has its own dormitories, almost all exchange students rent an apartment in Antibes or Juan Les Pins. SKEMA provides an online database of apartments in the area. Students can search for apartment based on the rent, no. of rooms, location, etc. After that students would have to contact the landlord directly. Beware that most of the landlords know very little English so it is necessary to double-check to avoid misunderstandings. Alternatively, student can also search for apartments directly from Google as there are also many independent agencies and landlords advertising their apartment online.

Students can also look for

housemates to share an apartment from SKEMA’s system or from Interculture’s Facebook Page. Students are welcome to discuss housing matters with SKEMA’s coordinator.

Antibes and Juan Les Pins is a 15mins walk away among each other. Comparatively, there are more supermarkets, banks and daily supports in Antibes. It is also more convenient and closer

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than SKEMA in terms of accessibility. Almost all SNCF trains including longhaul TGV trains stop at Antibes but not Juan Les Pins. Nonetheless, most school parties take place in JLP given there is a nice beach, many exotic bars and the resort-like atmosphere.

For me, I shared a 3-room apartment in Antibes with 2 more fellow UST schoolmates. We paid the rent in monthly basis with all utilities included. We found the apartment very- well equipped and locates at a convenient location. It was an unforgettable experience to live with my friends.

Course Registration SKEMA adapts an ECTS system which special credit transfer rules apply. Initially, the tentative course schedules and syllabus can be downloaded from the SKEMA’s system.

With this

information, it is possible to apply for credit transfer from the department (via SBM's staff). SKEMA would ask student to pre-select 10 courses in the system, but these choices can be easily modified when meeting the academic advisor just after the Orientation Day. In some cases, the academic advisor may allow the student to take 2 courses with time clashes, provided that there are just 1-2 sessions clashed. Normally, student would be failed in a particular course if he absent in more than 2 sessions. Time clashes between courses are common since SKEMA schedules different 'Elective' courses in the same time-slot. Therefore it is necessary to apply for credit transfer for alternative courses.

Teaching and Assessment Method In SKEMA, there are both undergraduate courses (M1) and master courses (M2) available for exchange students. In particular, there are more M2 courses than M1 courses. For M2 courses, they can be divided into ‘Core Course’ and ‘Elective Course’. Core courses tend to last for a long time frame (e.g. Every Monday across the semester) while elective courses are likely to be 2-3 consecutive-whole-day classes. Courses offered in the Fall semester are significantly different from those offered in Spring Semester.

During my stay in SKEMA, I took a total of 6 courses which are equivalent to 10 UST credits.

1. MSC.CFMM2.FICOR.0020: Long term Financing

(FINA Elective | 2 Credits)

The course teaches financial models in corporation’s capital structure and introduces theory in funding opportunities. It provides an overview in corporate finances and covers topics such as WACC, CAPM, debt & securities, dividend structure and portfolio financing.

(Final Exam 85% + Attendance 15%)

2. MSC.TRCM2.FICOR.0001: Globalization (SOSC Elective | 2 Credits) It is a five day seminar before the start of the semester, focusing multiple aspects of the

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globalized knowledge economy. The first day and the last day of the seminar take place in campus while the other three days are solely online video-watching. (Group Research Report 45% + 50 MCQ Exam 55%)

3. MSC.SHRM2.HRCOR.0047: Advanced Organization (MGMT Elective | 2 Credits) This course aims to present the main issues of organizational context and their effects in terms of HRM. Different streams in HRM theory are presented through seminal academic papers. (Group Presentation 50% + Individual dissertation on papers 50%)

4. MSC.WMIM2.MKCOR.0106: E-commence and E-CRM (IS Elective | 2 Credits) The course introduces the challenges of e-commerce and e-CRM and to practice methods for successful human and technical project management. (80% Case Study + 20% Participation)

5. MSC.IMBM2.MKELE.0064: E-Commence (IS Elective | 1 Credit) The course aims to give students an understanding of the basics of e-business strategy, especially focusing on e-commerce practicalities, as well as on the key role of data-mining and marketing. It is a two-day intensive course. The first day is in a lecture format while the second day is a group based case study and presentation. (Case study 100%)

6. MSC.BECM2.ECELE.0016: Technology and Competition (IS Elective | 1 Credit) The courses various areas of the introduction of technology innovation such as the pricing strategy, networking externalities and antitrust. It also demonstrates that how the technology sector differs from conventional industries and why many economics intuitions do not apply to them in a straightforward way. (Quiz 20% + Examination 60% + Participation 20%)

Sports & Recreation Facilities SKEMA provides all types of Sport Skill Classes for exchange students. Every student is eligible to take one sport activity under a subscription fee.

Some classes may be held be held off-

campus which is rather inaccessible by public transport.

I did not take any of the class during

my stay in SKEMA.

Health & Safety Generally speaking, the area where SKEMA locates is rather safe and serious crime is rare. (In contrast, crime rate is significantly higher in Paris and Marseille). It is highly recommended to stay alert at all times. Petty crimes such as pickpockets are very common in Europe. It is

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essential to purchase 'Travel Insurance' before leaving Hong Kong since it would cover your loss and medical expenses even when you are travelling outside France.

Food SKEMA offers catering service in a canteen and a cafeteria.

The school canteen locates in the

new building. It offers only lunch around 1100-1400. Normally students would purchases a combo set consists of Entrée + Bread + Main Dish + Dessert. (€3.15). Food selections change frequently; the cafeteria locates at the underground level in the main building. It offers beverages and light meals such as sandwiches, kebab buns and salad. Both of the restaurants do not accept cash, instead they take only local bank cards and a pre-paid point card (the card will be given on orientation day and it can be recharged with a credit card via a machine). Besides, there are also vending machines scatter in different corners across the campus, selling snacks and hot coffees. Dining out is quite expensive in France. Normally we cooked on our own inside the apartment. Fresh ingredients can be bought easily in the major supermarkets (e.g. Monoprix, Courffeur. Supermarche) in Antibes.

There is also an Asian Supermarket along the street leading to the

SNCF Gare.

Arriving France The closest airport to SKEMA is the Nice Cote d’ Azur International Airport which locates approximately 30 minutes-ride away to Antibes and Juan Les Pins. Currently there is no direct flight between Hong Kong and Nice.

Emirates Airlines, Turkish Airlines and most of the

European carriers offer convenient 1-stop connecting flights from Hong Kong to Nice. Apart from taxi, there are two modes of transportation connecting Antibes & JLP to the Nice Airport. There is a direct Airport Bus (No. 250; €10) which originates from Airport Terminal 1 &2 , while local TER train serving as a cheaper alternate (€2.7; Youth Ticket) . The closest TER-Gare from the Airport is the ‘Nice St’ Augustin’ Gare which is 15 minutes’ walk away from Terminal 1. Be advised that there is no elevator in the Gare so it is necessary to carry your luggage on the stairs. Alternatively, it is possible to fly to Paris and connect TGV train to Antibes.

Transportation to School Bus is the only public transport connecting SKEMA and the towns. Most likely students would take this few routes. 100 Express 1 230

From/to Antibes (Mon-Fri) From/to Antibes & Juan Les Pins (Mon-Sat) From/to Nice

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Students can purchase a Yearly Pass for bus 100 Express from the Bus terminus in Antibes.

It

costs only €5 for unlimited travels on the route. On Saturdays, it is necessary to take bus No.1 to SKEMA (Single Journey €1) as Bus100 does not operate. The journey from Antibes to SKEMA takes approximately 20-30 minutes, but traffic jams are common during morning and evening rush hours. The official website of Envibus provides detailed schedule and route map.

Transportation to nearby towns Local TER train runs from Ventimiglia (Italy) to as far as Marseille, connecting Antibes to major towns nearby such as Nice, Monaco, Cannes, Grasses and Menton; Bus 200 runs from Nice to Cannes via Antibes. For other destinations, 1-stop connections are likely available via Nice.

Climate SKEMA locates at the Southeast edge in France, along the Cote d A’zur which means the ‘Coast of Blue’ in English.

The Mediterranean weather offers a relative mild weather and plenty of

sunshine, especially during the summer periods.

It is said that there are over 300 sunny days

annually. Rainy weather concentrates in October and November every year. During my 4-month stay in SKEMA, average temperature ranges from 10-30 degrees Celsius.

Telecommunication and Postage Mobile network and 3G/4G Internet are common in France. The French mobile network is dominated by three services providers – SFR, Orange and Bouygues. They all offer pre-paid phone cards as well as monthly subscriptions, it is easy to locate their stores in Antibes to access more information.

Free Wifi services are available in the entire SKEMA campus, as well as many restaurants, hotel lobbies and transportations across France and other European Cities. For myself, I didn’t subscribe for a phone service as I travelled outside France for a long period of time so it was not worthwhile to pay the high mobile rate. Instead, I looked for free Wifi in the surrounding areas whenever I needed to go on internet.

There is La Poste Office in downtown Antibes. Stamps can be purchased from local tobacco shops as well.

Language and Communication French are generally helpful and kind. Nonetheless, be prepared that people speak very little English only. When asking for direction, it is more polite to begin the conversion by asking whether if he/she speaks English in French.

Also, bring along a French Phrasebook as it may

be very helpful in some cases; some of the staff in international banks and SNCF Gare may

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speak English.

Banking SKEMA has agreement with LCL and BNP Paribus regarding students’ bank accounts. In the first 1-2 weeks on the semester, there are bank representatives from the 2 banks station in SKMEA to assist new students creating accounts. Unfortunately due to some administrative matters, BNP refused to open short term bank accounts for exchange students. Compare to other banks such as HSBC, LCL offers student accounts with lower bank charges and higher interest rate; there are multiple banks in Antibes city center.

Cost and Expenses Category

Price in HKD

Price in EUR

$8000

Flights to Nice -Emirates Accommodation -4 months

€2600

Food & Grocery

€465

Local Transport

€75 €2620

Travelling Travel Insurance

$2500

Visa

$500 €58

OFII Stamps TOTAL

HKD $70400 1 EUR =10.2HKD

PART 3 – CHECKLISTS

Passport

Camera

Umbrella

Alarm clock

French Birth Certificate

Computer / Tablet

Swimsuit

Lock

Int’l Student Card

Cables & Chargers

Gloves

Compass

Photos

Batteries

Sunglasses

Mirror

French Phrasebook

Memory cards

Money Belt

A4 Folder

Copies of Documents

Europe Adaptors

Sleeping bag

Notebook

Travel books

Hair dryer

Sewing Kit

Stationery

HK Bank Cards

Backup mobile

Medicines

Torch

If more information is needed, get my contact from SBM Exchange Team by emailing at [email protected]. Andy Wong (OM & IS 2014)

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