#linfox

Written by Rachel Martens, Bachelor of Communications (Media Studies).

Supported by a New Colombo Plan Scholarship, the Industry Project Study Tour caught Brad and Jayde’s attention when they heard about how closely they’d be working with the world-renowned company.

“Being in the last year of my degree, I’m starting to think about different roles I could work in when I graduate.  I wanted to get a feel for corporate life, so saw this as a great opportunity to get a real-world sense of what that would be like,” Brad says.

“I also always had this plan of doing some sort of overseas study and when this came up it felt like the perfect fit.”

Working in teams

The students were split into four groups, each with a unique focus relating to growth opportunities for Linfox across Thailand’s logistics markets. Acting as a team of consultants, the groups explored their different areas, meeting with Linfox regularly to report their findings and make recommendations.

Brad and Jayde were assigned to investigate Linfox’s options for moving into cold chain services in logistics in Thailand. Basically, exploring the best ways to keep things cold while they’re being distributed across the country.

“In our consulting roles, we were more or less left to our own devices, checking in with the client twice a week to make sure we were going in the right direction,” Brad says.

Finding a professional voice

Jayde says that in just two weeks of working with Linfox on a real-world project, she learnt a huge range of skills that can be applied to her studies and future graduate roles.

“The main skills I learnt were collaboration and research. My team and I worked so hard together every day of the trip, even working over a weekend. We had to communicate well and work on separate research areas to reach that end goal,” she says.

“It also taught me how to behave and hold myself in a corporate position. Having only had experience in casual or part-time positions before this, it was a fantastic opportunity to be guided through how to converse, act and even dress in these situations.”

Presenting to the bosses

At the end of the two weeks of consulting, each team presented their findings in a formal presentation to Linfox, an experience Jayde says was a real highlight of the trip.

“We had all put in so much hard work, so it was great to have the chance to present our research in a real business environment. The response our team received from Linfox corporate members, my academic coaches and even the other teams was overwhelmingly positive,” Jayde says.

General Manager of Linfox in Thailand, Mark Eversteyn, was particularly impressed with the students’ collaboration, work ethic and the overall quality of their projects.

“The students demonstrated their high calibre through many insightful questions, innovative solutions and growth recommendations presented in our International Group head office in Bangkok,” Mr Eversteyn says.

For Brad, the whole trip stood out as a highlight of his time at Swinburne so far.

“When I started studying, I wasn’t really sure where my business degree would take me. Having gone on this tour, I now have a better idea of what life in a corporate environment looks like and feel more confident about working in the business industry.”