1819T2 Hong Kong/Participant Information/Muhammad Hafizuddin
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About Hafiz
SMU email: muhammadar.2016@sis.smu.edu.sg
LinkedIn: Hafiz Abd Rahim
Academic Year: 3
Degree: BSc Information Systems
2nd Major: Operations Management
Interests: Playing the French Horn, Watching the Infographics show on YouTube (highly recommend)
Application for subsidy: Yes
Why TSM Hong Kong?
- What motivates me to join TSM?
Firstly, Hong Kong would be the furthest country I have ever traveled to as I am not really someone who travels for fun. Apart from that, I am very interested to see the entrepreneurship scene of various places around the world. I have always been very interested in wanting to be able to put myself around successful entrepreneurs as I would want to be able to think like them. I believe that entrepreneurs are the most creative and driven people out there. Apart from being able to learn so much just by being exposed to the scene, I have heard a lot of fun stories of previous TSMs and I am really keen to be able to learn, and at the same time, have a little break from the classrooms.
- Why pick Hong Kong?
I was disappointed as I missed out on the previous TSM, which was to San Francisco. I have heard good stories and have even seen the reflections on the reflection page. It was a highly beneficial trip as based on the reflections, the team really enjoyed their days over there and it seemed like a very eye-opening trip. I would not want to miss a trip to the silicon valley of China. As I have not really traveled very far away from Singapore, I am also very interested in seeing an entrepreneurship scene in another well-developed country. I have found out from some of my friends who are from or have visited Hong Kong that it is a very fast paced country where people are always in a rush, an even bigger rush than what we see in Singapore. A fast paced environment excites me as something new pops out every now and then which brings along new opportunities and challenges. Another thing about Hong Kong that I am very interested about, is its real estate industry. Hong Kong is one of the world's least affordable housing market and I would want to see how does this factor affects entrepreneurship scene and how do successful companies alleviate this issue as this could be quite a significant barrier.
Starting a business
- What types of business interest me?
There are many types of businesses that I am interested in, but at the top of my list would be the players in the sharing economy. Pioneered by well established companies like Airbnb and Uber, the sharing economy involves peer to peer transactions that relate to the temporary exchange of goods or services. I am very interested in businesses that put people or businesses together in a environment where it does not only benefits both parties but it also improves business processes at the same time. Furthermore, these exchanges are usually facilitated by an online platform, taking full use of technological advancements which opens up plenty of business opportunities. Being primary hosted on a mobile application, Uber looked into providing various other services that has seen successful outcomes all around the world. With a successful primary function, the application's potential of providing even more services is endless. It is very intriguing to see the world's leading accommodation provider does not even own any properties and the world's most popular ride-hailing company does not own any cars.
- What plan do I have in starting a business?
Apart from an account on Carousell where I sell things where people don't easily find in shops, I do not have an existing business. However, I plan, to the best of my abilities, to implement a sharing system involving logistics companies.
I have a strong interest in the Logistics and Supply Chain industry. As one of my majors in my polytechnic days, I was involved in some projects related to Logistics and Supply Chain Management. I represented my school at the National Supply Chain Challenge and was given a stint at a cold chain company to help with their manpower and container allocation issues. That stint motivated me to take up a degree in Information Systems with a 2nd Major in Operation Management as I find that the current systems being used by logistics companies are rather old, sometimes manual and highly complicated to use. Apart from that, there is huge potential for these companies to implement newer systems as technological advancements in this sector is rather rapid.
The sharing economy has inspired me to think of ways where I can improve the current problems faced by logistics companies, and one of the major problems would be the efficient use of containers. There is a big potential for companies to apply some sharing concepts into its container rental. However there are certain aspects and barriers that I would still need learn about.
Past Experiences (optional)
No past study missions
What keeps you ticking?
What keeps me ticking is family. I have never lived a comfortable life. My main goal and what makes me keep going is to ensure that my family and future generations see a comfortable life and I do recognize that for that to be achieved, I would have to work as hard as I can. I would want to take any opportunity that comes my way to learn and to improve myself so I become someone that someone else can look up to. I do not believe in limitations especially when it comes to expanding knowledge and experiences and I highly believe that putting myself in the right environment with motivated and driven people can enable me to pick up valuable cues and lessons.
