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Business Insider
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Smart manufacturing and services is the future, and a new master's program is training the talent to lead it
The fourth industrial revolution (also called Industry 4.0) has been upon us for years. It's characterized as an amalgamation of different technologies — IoT, robotics, Big Data, 3D printing, and AI — that help companies become more digitalized and smarter in terms of how they handle their business and operations. But like everything else, it was accelerated by Covid, according to Puay Guan Goh, a professor with the National University of Singapore. "During the disruptions and shutdowns, companies realized they needed to digitalize and become more efficient," he said. "They needed to be able to do remote coordination. This was about control of what was happening in their remote sites." Places like Singapore, where there is limited manpower, are ripe for smart manufacturing using robotics and automation, Goh said. "We recognize we can't compete on cost and therefore we need to have more efficient operations and value-added services in order to be more effective," he added. And for a country like the US, that is looking to possibly reshore manufacturing, especially for semiconductors, electronics, and automotive, but does not have access to low-cost labor, there will be a need for high-end smart manufacturing, he added. A big part of Industry 4.0 over the past two years has been AI, and Goh said it can apply to many different parts of the business. For example, procurement departments can identify better cost savings, e-commerce operations can optimize to generate more revenue, and hospitality companies can figure out how to run efficiently even when occupancy is down. A new opportunity to learn In this environment, it's not enough to just teach technical skills, but also business skills to understand the context of the technologies. "Technology doesn't exist in a vacuum," Goh said. "We must know what our business process is, what our key drivers are, what we are trying to apply [technology] toward, and then bring in data technology to have the most impact on the business." Navigating this world brought on by Industry 4.0 is at the heart of the National University of Singapore's Master of Science program in Smart Industries and Digital Transformation, for which Goh serves as Program Director. This multidisciplinary graduate degree program combines both business and technical perspectives, bringing together courses on technology transformation and different domains of technology and implementation. It draws on the expertise of NUS's Business School, School of Continuing and Lifelong Education, School of Computing, College of Design and Engineering, Faculty of Science, and Institute of Systems Science. Goh said the program attracts a broad base of students — from recent graduates to people who have working experience. Both want to have a better understanding of the digital transformation process, including the business concepts around digital transformation and more technical aspects like data programming, IoT, and data analytics. For those who are already working, they could be in positions within companies where they can drive change and explain the business need for digital transformation. For recent graduates, they could go on to take these sorts of roles, but also engineering or data science roles within companies, where being able to incorporate business language could be valuable. Key components of the program One integral part of the program is the core Capstone Project Course, where students work with a sponsoring company to produce an innovative solution to solve a business problem, leaning on what they've learned about smart industries and digital transformation. The MSc curriculum is also designed in accordance with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) Singapore Smart Industry Readiness Index. It's intended to further aid companies in transforming their capabilities through the right talent and support Singapore's drive toward becoming a Smart Nation. The full-time one-year program (1.5 to 3 years for part-time) attracts students from across the world, though in the past the majority of students have come from Asia, with some coming from the Middle East and Europe. NUS is eager to welcome students from the United States as well, and has already taken steps to work with universities there. For example, students from USC Marshall MBA program recently joined students from NUS in Singapore for a global AI case competition, where the teams came up with ideas for AI use cases for a company of their choice. Applications for the MSc program in Smart Industry and Digital Transformation, beginning in August 2026, will be open from November 2025 to January 2026.
The Star
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Trump gives Harvard 30 days to contest end of international student enrollment
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo BOSTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration on Thursday backed away from plans to immediately revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll international students and would instead give it 30 days to contest those plans through a lengthier administrative process. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security sent Harvard a notice of intent on Wednesday to withdraw the school's certification under a federal program to enroll non-U.S. students. The Justice Department filed the notice in court ahead of a hearing before U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston over whether to extend a temporary order blocking President Donald Trump's administration from revoking the Ivy League school's right to host international students. Citing the potential for Harvard and its students to be harmed if the administration reverted to its earlier plans, Burroughs at that hearing said she planned to issue a broad preliminary injunction preserving the status quo while the newly announced administrative process plays out. Harvard had argued that the revocation violated its free speech and due process rights under the U.S. Constitution. In addition, Harvard contended that the revocation failed to comply with DHS regulations. The regulations required providing at least 30 days to challenge the agency's allegations and giving Harvard an opportunity to pursue an administrative appeal. Harvard has said losing that right would affect about one quarter of its student body and devastate the school. It has denied Trump administration charges of alleged bias against conservatives, fostering antisemitism on campus and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party. The Homeland Security Department said it sent Harvard the notice after school officials indicated an intent to comply with requirements of the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which allows Harvard to enroll non-U.S. students. "We continue to reject Harvard's repeated pattern of endangering its students and spreading American hate—it must change its ways to be eligible to receive generous benefits from the American people," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The revocation announced on May 22 was an escalation of the Trump administration's attack on Harvard. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based university's lawyers argued the agency's action was part of an "unprecedented and retaliatory attack on academic freedom at Harvard," which is pursuing a separate lawsuit challenging the administration's decision to terminate nearly $3 billion in federal research funding. Harvard argues the Trump administration is retaliating against it for refusing to accede to its demands to control the school's governance, curriculum and the ideology of its faculty and students. The case before Burroughs, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, was filed after Noem revoked the school's certification to enroll non-U.S. students. In announcing the decision, Noem, without providing evidence, accused the university of "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party." In a letter that day, she accused the school of refusing to comply with wide-ranging requests for information on its student visa holders, including about any activity they engaged in that was illegal or violent or that would subject them to discipline. Harvard said the decision was devastating for the school and its student body. The university, the nation's oldest and wealthiest, enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, about 27% of its total enrollment. The department's move would prevent Harvard from enrolling new international students and require existing ones to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that Harvard University should have a 15% cap on the number of non-U.S. students it admits. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Lisa Shumaker)
Mail & Guardian
29-05-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
Protected: Breaking the MBA mould, A radical rethink of business education for the real world
Segran Nair, Director of Milpark Business School. This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below.
The Star
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Harvard sues Trump administration for blocking enrollment of foreign students
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo (Reuters) - Harvard University sued the Trump administration on Friday over its decision to revoke the Ivy League school's ability to enroll foreign students, ratcheting up White House efforts to conform practices in academia to President Donald Trump's policies. In a complaint filed in Boston federal court, Harvard called the revocation a "blatant violation" of the U.S. Constitution and other federal laws, and had an "immediate and devastating effect" on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders. "With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission," Harvard said. "Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard," the 389-year-old school added. Harvard asked a federal judge to block the revocation, citing "the immediate and irreparable harm inflicted by this lawless action." The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson dismissed the lawsuit. "If only Harvard cared this much about ending the scourge of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators on their campus they wouldn't be in this situation to begin with," Jackson said. "Harvard should spend their time and resources on creating a safe campus environment instead of filing frivolous lawsuits," she added. The termination of Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, effective with the 2025-2026 academic year, was announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. She said the termination was justified because of Harvard's "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party." HARVARD DEFENDS 'REFUSAL TO SURRENDER' In a letter to the Harvard community, the school's president Alan Garber condemned the administration's actions. "The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government's illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body," Garber wrote. Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in its current school year, equal to 27% of total enrollment. In its complaint, Harvard said the revocation would force it to retract admissions for thousands of people, and has thrown "countless" academic programs, clinics, courses and research laboratories into disarray, just a few days before graduation. The revocation follows Noem's demand on April 16 for a large trove of information from Harvard about student visa holders. In a letter to Harvard, which was attached to the complaint, Noem said the information was needed because the university had "created a hostile learning environment for Jewish students due to Harvard's failure to condemn antisemitism." On Thursday, Noem said Harvard could restore its certification by turning over within 72 hours a raft of records about international students, including video or audio of their protest activity in the past five years. In his letter on Friday, Garber said Harvard responded to Homeland Security Department requests as required by law. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in Chicago and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Toby Chopra and Daniel Wallis)
Barnama
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Barnama
Trump Administration Revokes Harvard's Right to Enrol International Students
A view of the Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo WASHINGTON, May 23 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The Trump administration has halted Harvard University's ability to enrol international students, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Thursday, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. 'I am writing to inform you that, effective immediately, Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification is revoked,' Noem said in a letter shared on X. She said the Trump administration is holding Harvard accountable for 'fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.' bootstrap slideshow 'It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. 'They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law,' she wrote on X. Harvard spokesman Jason Newton described the government's action as 'unlawful.' 'We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University -- and this nation -- immeasurably,' Newton said in a statement. Stressing that the university is working 'quickly' to guide the campus community, he added, 'This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission.' The US Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that it is terminating US$60 million in federal grants to Harvard.
