BY LIN XIAO JUN

ENERGETIC, prosperous and vivacious. These three words aptly describe the atmosphere in Hong Kong, the bustling city of dazzling lights and vibrant nights. Our seven-day academic trip to the city, organised by the NUS Business Club and sponsored by the NUS Business School, has been more than just enjoyable.

Every moment was an educational and cultural eye-opening experience filled with excitement, inspiration and delight. Squeezing company visits back to back and rushing across islands, the 30 students visited 10 international corporations within five days.

The companies included JP Morgan; Merrill Lynch; Bloomberg; the Hong Kong Stock Exchange; the Hotel Intercontinental; commercial real estate service provider Colliers International; US health care company Catalo; the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Disneyland; and beverage and desserts enterprise Vitasoy.

Touted as the financial hub of the Asia-Pacific, Hong Kong did not lose one bit of its vibrant metropolitan shine despite the recent global financial crisis. The visit to Merrill Lynch brought us closer to its investment banking division. There, we were given an in-depth understanding of the roles of an investment banker, as well as the company's strategies in dealing with the marketing of investment products.

Merrill Lynch, the largest brokerage globally, introduced its talent recruitment process and even gave us tips on some valuable interviewing skills and expected behaviours during interview. For instance, one should ask about the mobility opportunities that one can have with the firm in the long term, be it across departments or across regions.

Merrill Lynch also looks out for sharp analytical and communication skills that demonstrate one's genuine passion for the job. Indeed, its hiring process reflects its appreciation of human resources in creating an open, collaborative and professional environment to create a pool of talent who can help to set them apart from other corporations.

We also met two of our NUS Business School alumni, Brian Chen and Faye Wang, who were the only two fresh graduates selected from Singapore to work in Hong Kong. They gave us insight into an investment banker's detailed job scope and his daily work routine.

It is not hard to imagine a banker having to work around the clock as he has to deal with a wide variety of business clients with varying needs.

What Mr Chen likes most about working with Merrill Lynch is its open and pleasing work culture. Motivated employees create a driven environment where teams work together to satisfy the needs of global clients.

Through our seniors, we saw the limitless potential and leadership opportunities that Merrill Lynch offered in a highly competitive and dynamic financial environment.

The visit to Bloomberg was a very informative one, as we had the chance to listen to four different speakers - from global market, data analytic, marketing and human resource - who explained to us how different units of Bloomberg worked.

Bloomberg has the advantage of being focused and having the right interactions between departments to bring financial data quickly and accurately to its clients.

Before the trip, we had the impression that Bloomberg was quite a staid corporation. We were pleasantly surprised that far from it, Bloomberg gels both seriousness and fun in its culture. It has a well-appointed pantry and its rainbow-coloured offices impart a message that its corporate culture is cool.

No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without a visit to Disneyland. It was both a pleasure and an honour to be the first business school in Asia-Pacific to receive a presentation from the theme park's treasury director, Michael Moriarty. We learned how Disneyland managed to localise its marketing efforts, as the shows had English, Mandarin and Cantonese translations to serve the local and Chinese-speaking market.

Mulan, the Chinese female character who fought for her country on behalf of her father, was featured as one of the characters for photo-taking as she is a personality that the Chinese can identify with. Additionally, the High School Musical concert has a mainly Chinese cast.

Apart from adapting the performances, Hong Kong Disneyland also adapted its food offerings, with both Western and Asian fare such as dim sum. The merchandise was also localised. Care was taken to showcase merchandise that had non-Hong Kong hallmarks as well as those that demonstrate the local culture.

For instance, some T-shirts featured Disney characters in traditional Chinese costumes; trading pins not only had Hong Kong Disneyland emblazoned on them, but one even had Mickey and Minnie donning traditional Chinese wedding costumes.

Hong Kong's energy seemed to have rubbed off on the group with each of us looking forward to the next day, yearning to learn about the next organisation that we would visit.

This is the essence of Hong Kong - a city which never sleeps, never gives up.

Looking back at the Asian financial crisis in 1997, Sars in 2003, and even the current global economic downturn, Hong Kong and its people are always at the forefront of leading the region back into stability.

To me, Hong Kong's driving force comes from its culture and its people. Its driven nature is probably why it is one of the most prosperous cities in the world. Hong Kong has taught us that no matter how tough things get, no matter how gloomy the future looks, we should always be optimistic, prepared to give our best, and ready to embrace a brighter horizon.

This article was first published in The Business Times.