Lee Sang-hoon, third from left in the front row, an MBA student at Sungkyunkwan University, poses with fellow students during a field trip to POSCO in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, in this May 2011 photo. / Courtesy of Lee Sang-hoon

Lee Sang-hoon, 28, is a second-year MBA student of Sungkyunkwan University’s Graduate School of Business (SKK GSB). The former base guitarist in indie band Analogu has got a job offer from Cheil Worldwide, a leading advertizing firm here, and he plans to work there after his graduation in February.

You majored in philosophy at college. What made you go to an MBA school?

I thought that management and philosophy are related to each other because they are both about human beings. Since management is a study about boosting efficiency of human relationships, my philosophy background helped me understand management both easily and deeply. A successful presentation in a Consumers’ Behavior class was one good example of my philosophy background enriching my class work. I tried to explain complex consumer behavior based on human curiosity. In other words, I tried to show how consumer behavior changes depending on the degree of curiosity about the product. My presentations gained attention in that mine was the only one that tried to explain the phenomenon by combining management with non-management theory.

What is special about SKK GSB?

They provide global programs such as the Dual Degree Program (DDP) and Study Abroad Program (SAP). In the Dual Degree Program students can earn MBA degrees both at SKK and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Indiana University. About 10 students among 62 benefit from this program a year. Through SAP, students can’t earn degrees but they can take classes abroad and learn foreign business culture. About 20 students take advantage of this program.

Do you have a chance to build global network?

The school invites MBA students from abroad. We can interact with them outside of the classroom. I had an opportunity to talk to MBA students from Slovakia and other countries. It was amazing to exchange views and build up networks globally.

What is your favorite class?

I would pick Advanced Marketing Strategy delivered by Walter Rocakney, who is also a professor at Indiana University. What is best about the class is that there are active discussions between the professor and students. Besides, the quantitative approach of the class is really useful.

Do you find similarities between your vision and the school’s goal?

The global MBA is to produce global managers. Cheil Worldwide is a company that projects global advertisements and performance and my goal is to be a manager of these projects. These two goals are quite similar in my opinion.

What project do you want to manage in the future?

I want to plan a global festival in Seoul. When I went to Montreal, Canada to learn English in 2010, I got a great impression from the city’s Montreal Jazz Festival as the event not only attracted foreign tourists, but also had people in the city get together to prepare for a successful festival. I want to be a manager able to organize such a global event here in Seoul.

Interview by Kwon Eun-young