MBA edge Postgraduate Studies

mbaedgeTM i

mbaedgeTM

POSTGRADUATE Stud

iestransformING Melaka

into the regional hub for

educational excellence

Datuk Seri Ali Rustam CHIEF MINISTER OF MELAKA

STUDYING MEDICAL SCIENCES IN MALAYSIA with Dr Alan Ong Han KiatTAPPING INTO A GOLD MIND with Ermin Siow, Executive Director of Poh Kong Holdings BhdPositive Politics as the Best Practice in the Workplace with LENNY CHIAH

PP 17103/09/2012 (030736) 2012 Issue 11 September/October 2012 RM7.00

ii mbaedgeTM

The Premier Postgradaute Magazine in Malaysia

mbaedgeTM 1

mbaedgeTM

Stud

iesPOSTGRADUATE

TAPPING INTO

A GOLD MIND

with ERMIN SIOw ExEcutivE DirEctor of Poh Kong holDings BhD

2 mbaedgeTM


C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Competition Ad - Final 01.pdf 7/8/2012 11:51:36 PM

mbaedgeTM 3

mbaedgeTM

POSTGRADUATE

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Competition Ad - Final 01.pdf 7/8/2012 11:51:36 PM

Stud

iesPositive Politicsas the Best Practice in the workplaceLENNY CHIAH with Rodney Toh

4 mbaedgeTM


CORPORATE

Managing Director: Steven Shim

Office Manager: Vicky Shim

Key Accounts Manager: Wong YW

Finance Manager: Bonnie Bang

EDITORIAL TEAM

Senior Editor: Janet Tay

Writers: Nurraihana, Mohd Amil

Contributors: Alexandra Wong, Dr Alan

Ong Han Kiat, Lenny Chiah, Jeremy

Francis, Julian Goh, Professor Howard

Dooley

Photographer: Tang Weng Kit, Brandon

Leow

Graphic Designer: Tony Lam

PUBLISHER

Penerbit Wawasan Nusa (M) Sdn Bhd

(866716-P), Wisma Wawasan,

19-2 Jalan PJS 8/12, Dataran Mentari,

Bandar Sunway, 46150 Petaling Jaya,

Malaysia

Tel: 603-56301802, Fax: 603-6301803,

Email: [email protected],

[email protected]

Website: www.pwn.com.my

PRINTER

Intan Spektra Sdn Bhd

12 Jalan Vivekananda, 50470 Kuala

Lumpur

All rights reserved by MBA EdgeTM and its publisher. While every care has been taken, the publisher, writers, and editors will not be held liable for errors, inaccuracies or commissions. Unsolicited material is submitted at sender’s risk. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of copyright owner. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this magazine via the internet or any other means without the permission of publisher is illegal by law. Unless otherwise stated, credits for public domain images are from www.inmagine.com without prejudices (royalty free).

EDITOR’S NOTE

In this issue, our cover story

features an exclusive interview

with the Chief Minister of

Melaka, Datuk Seri Ali Rustam,

where he shares his vision

and plans to transform

Melaka into the regional hub

for educational excellence.

Readers will discover the CM’s

exciting plans for transforming

Melaka into a first-class

learning community and taking

education tourism to the next

level.

We speak to Associate

Professor Dr Alan Ong from

the University of Tunku Abdul

Rahman (UTAR) about the

study of biomedical sciences

as well as job opportunities

and the latest developments in

the field.

Ermin Siow, Executive Director

of Poh Kong Berhad, the

country’s largest jeweller, talks

to Alexandra Wong about the

future of the gold industry in

Malaysia and the viability of

investment in this increasingly

valuable commodity.

Rodney Toh is in dialogue

with Lenny Chiah on politics in

the work place; you would be

surprised to know that not all

office politics are bad – there

are positive politics too! Ms

Chiah dispenses advice on

how best to manage politics in

the office so that they create

a positive environment rather

than the opposite.

We have also featured an

article by Professor Howard

Dooley of Western Michigan

University entitled “KL to

KZOO: Twenty-Five Years

of “Twinning Programmes”

between Malaysia and

Michigan” which details the

enduring journey of twinning

programmes from the 1980s

to present time, changing the

landscape of private education

forever and providing even

more opportunities for

students who would otherwise

be limited by the limited

capacity in public universities.

If you have any suggestions

on what you would like to see

in this magazine in relation to

postgraduate studies or have

any comments about our

current issues, please email us

at: penerbitwawasan@gmail.

com.

Happy reading!

Janet Tay

mbaedgeTM 5

CONTENTSmba edgeTM & postgraduate studiesseptember-october 2012

6

50

16

22

32

37

55

43

45

58

46

65

48

TrANSfOrmINg mELAKA into the regional hub for educational excellence, Datuk Seri Ali rustam, CHIEf mINISTEr Of mELAKA

STUDYINg mEDICAL SCIENCES IN mALAYSIA with Dr Alan Ong Han Kiat

Dr TAI CHEN CHIH, With A great Attitude Comes great Happiness

INCrEASINg PrODUCTIvITY in Hard Times, Hard Time Lesson in Europe, Be ready before the Storm comes again in ASIA., by Jeremy francis & Julian goh

KL TO KZOO: TWENTY-fIvE YEArS Of TWINNINg PrOgrAmmES BETWEEN mALAYSIA AND mICHIgAN, by Howard Dooley, Professor of History, Western michigan University

SUNWAY UNIvErSITY ANNOUNCES APPOINTmENT Of NEW vICE-CHANCELLOr

NEW mETHOD to Counter fake Degrees, A system that enables job portal to obtain validated degree qualifications

SUN TZU’S ArT Of WAr & Supply Chain Innovation, UTAr and mISI sign pact to advance supply chain

innovation

POH KONg PrESENTS THE WOrLD Of LUXUrY, The Launch of mOrAgLIONE 1922 Jewellery

THE SmArTEST PEOPLE IN THE WOrLD

THE mBA EDgETm Business Competition Season 3

TAPPINg INTO A gOLD mIND, mEB Postgraduate Studies speaks to Ermin Siow, Executive Director of Poh Kong Holdings Bhd

POSITIvE POLITICS as the Best Practice in the Workplace, rODNEY TOH interviewed LENNY CHIAH

COVER STORY

PROFILE

BUSINESS SEGMENT

6 mbaedgeTM


Mr Likeable, People’s Person,

Hardest Working Chief

Minister: Melaka’s Chief

Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali

Rustam has been called a lot

of things.

Now you can add “Idealist” to

the list, after Prime Minister

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

described Melaka as Malaysia’s

most progressive state and

credited it to the leadership

of the CM: “his idealistic

thinking is embodiment of

the nationalistic agenda of

progress for the people”.

That idealism was never

more apparent than when

he daringly expressed his

dream to turn his home state

Melaka into a developed state

by 2010. If a tiny Western

European country with

limited natural resources like

Luxembourg could rise to

become one of the world’s

most prosperous economies,

so could Melaka, he argued.

On 10 October, 2010, that

ambitious goal was realised

when Melaka was declared

a developed state. This was

no pyrrhic, syiok-sendiri

self-praise: Melaka actually

exceeded the OECD score

of the other 38 member

countries in 29 out of 32

criteria. Melaka came out tops

for seven of the indicators:

100% clean water, 100%

electricity supply, lowest

poverty rate (0.5%), lowest

unemployment rate (0.7%),

lowest crime rate (74 cases

per 100,000 population),

the highest percentage

of contribution from the

manufacturing to the

economy and the most ideal

population growth.

Such achievements mean

nothing if the rakyat’s lot

is not improved in any

meaningful way. Again, the

numbers speak volumes:

Its sound fundamentals

have enabled the state’s

economy to grow 5.26%

annually; its 2010 GDP was

84.3% higher than 2000; and

Melakan household incomes

increased by a whopping

286% from 1999-2009. For a

job well done (and we’ve not

even started talking about

the whole World Heritage

City coup), the Federal

Government awarded the

MBA Edge Postgraduate Studies Bi-monthly interviews Datuk Seri Ali Rustam, Chief Minister of Melaka by Alexandra Wong

transformING Melaka

into the regional hub for

educational excellence.

Datuk Seri Ali Rustam CHIEF MINISTER OF MELAKA

“”

Making Melaka a first-class learning community will be a top priority for my administration in the next few years.

COVER STORY

mbaedgeTM 7

Chief Minister’s Department

with a five-star rating.

This 43-year UMNO veteran,

and wakil rakyat for 25 of

those years, has few things

left to prove. But the people

of Melaka are fortunate that

the sprightly 62-year-old –

who keeps a hectic work

schedule from 7am to 3am

and can outpace people half

his age on the jogging track

– is still raring to go and has

more items to cross off his

mile-long bucket list.

In this exclusive with MBA Edge Postgraduate Studies,

he shares his vision and plans

to transform Melaka into the

regional hub for educational

excellence.

Q. At the top of your agenda is your goal is to turn Melaka into a regional hub of educational excellence. Why?Making Melaka a first-class

learning community will

be a top priority for my

administration in the next

few years. Education is one

of the most critical drivers

for our transformation from

a middle- to high-income

nation, due to its impact

on productivity and human

capital development. With

Vision 2020 in our sight, we

need a sound education

as a means of generating

sufficient human capital with

the right skills to support

a broad range of industry

needs.

It is also an engine of growth

in its own right. The sector

contributes approximately

RM27 billion or 4 per cent of

GNI in 2009. Malaysia is the

world’s 11th biggest exporter

of education. Education

tourism is going to be a very

lucrative niche to earn foreign

it is also an engine of growth in its own right. the sector contributes approximately rM27 billion or 4 per cent of gni in 2009.

exchange earnings.

Q. Can you give us an overview of the development of the education sector in Melaka? It was kick-started when

Tun Mahathir articulated his

vision of having community

colleges in each state. Melaka

rose to the challenge. We

began with UTEM, then KL

University at Alor Gajah, UITM,

University Islam, MMU, Open

University, and so forth. Over

time, when these colleges

proved their commitment

to excellence, we pushed

8 mbaedgeTM


and communities while

meeting the labour demand

in a variety of public and

private sectors.

MMU, the first private

university in Malaysia, has

emerged as an international

benchmark for ICT in higher

education and its graduates

are the most desired by key

players in the industry. MMU

also serves as a catalyst for the

development of the high tech

ICT industry of the nation,

parallel to the Silicon Valley-

Stanford model in the United

States. MMU (including the

branch in Cyberjaya) now

hosts 13 Research Centres to

date, focusing in the niche

areas of nanotechnology,

microsystems, biometrics,

virtual reality, microwave

and telecommunications,

engineering, photonics,

advanced robotics and

business.

As our educational sector

grows from strength to

strength with the most

MMu, the first private university in Malaysia, has emerged as an international benchmark for ict in higher education and its graduates are the most desired by key players in the industry.

for them to be upgraded

to college-universities,

and eventually achieve full

university status.

Some have established

themselves as major players in

the field of their specialization

and achieved notable firsts.

KUIM is the first private

university college of Islam in

Malaysia to develop a focused

study psychology at degree

level as an intervention

to reduce psychological

problems among individuals

popular courses being

Business Studies, Economic,

Finance and Banking,

Hospitality, ICT, Engineering

and Medicine. From just two

universities, we now have 10

university campuses and 42

institutions of higher learning,

and you can expect more

colleges and universities to

open up in Melaka.

Q. How is Melaka able to achieve this critical mass

mbaedgeTM 9

human capital development

among bumiputera, I

wrote to him and asked

him to open a branch in

Melaka. Today, the UiTM

City Campus is the biggest

in Malaysia with almost

3,500 students. I believe

that private institutions will

be instrumental in leading

innovation and driving

growth in the industry, so

we have spent much effort

wooing educationists to

Melaka. We want Melaka

to play a pivotal role in

moving the country forward

towards the realisation of the

objectives of the Government

Transformation Programme

(GTP) and Vision 2020.

from just two universities, we now have 10 university campuses and 42 institutions of higher learning, and you can expect more colleges and universities to open up in Melaka.

Q. What is Melaka’s competitive edge as an education centre? Why would a foreign student choose to further his postgraduate studies in Melaka over KL, for instance?You might say I am biased

because I am Malaccan. But

the moment you step into

Melaka, you can’t help but

feel that the milieu here is

different. There was an article

who said that “out of the

13 States and three Federal

Territories that make up

Malaysia, perhaps the one

that best encapsulates the

essence of Malaysia is Melaka.”

I have to agree. We have all

the necessary elements such

as infrastructure, amenities,

social and industrial network,

backed by progressive local

government policies.

Many would agree that

Melaka’s biggest drawcard

is the range of leisure

activities within a rich

heritage and cultural legacy

which together makes for

a very conducive learning

environment that promotes

a balanced work life. We have

a wide range of shopping

outlets, eateries, parks,

museum, etc. You learn hard,

and also play hard!

in such a short span of time? We were always performance

driven and moved swiftly

to secure opportunities as

they arose. For example,

when UiTM ran into trouble

securing land for their

campus in Selangor, Melaka

jumped in and gave them

an alternative. In 2000,

when distance learning

was still a new concept

in this country, we saw its

potential and established

the Open University. When

Datuk Seri Najib declared

in UMNO Assembly that he

wanted 200K Bumiputera

students in UiTM to galvanise

10 mbaedgeTM


We are very much aware

that when you study in

Melaka, there is a chance to

gain cultural competency

with an understanding of

other communities and their

traditions. Stay long enough

in Melaka and you’re able to

blend in anywhere with ease.

No other place in Malaysia

can give you this kind of

cultural exposure, putting

you ahead of others in the

job market. To help foreign

students fully optimise their

experience here, we have

a department under the

CM’s office which organises

orientation programmes to

help foreign students adapt

to local life and culture.

Q. A traditional academic problem has been a mismatch between what is required and what is produced. What is Melaka’s answer to this challenge?We realise that over the last

decade, the career market

has changed dramatically

because of globalisation. The

ability to innovate is critical to

sustain economic stability and

generate wealth. That’s why in

recent years, we have focused

not only on theoretical study,

but equipping the young

with the ability to build their

competitiveness, to enable

them to stand proud on

the world stage. The right

education will give them

that. As leaders of the nation,

we have the responsibility

to provide the environment

where learning is meaningful,

useful and relevant.

Melaka has a well-developed

high-tech industry but

we know that we cannot

remain complacent in the

manufacturing niche forever.

With increased globalisation,

the demand for increasingly

sophisticated skills increases

and we’ll have to scale up and

upgrade ourselves or get left

behind.

To create the right kind of

human capital, we spent a

great deal of time and effort

in building a progressive

educational eco-system.

We’ve initiated dialogues

with both the academia and

industry stakeholders, with

a view to creating symbiotic

partnerships and offering

internship and training

“”

the moment you step into Melaka, you can’t help but feel that the milieu here is different.

mbaedgeTM 11

opportunities that can

enable graduates to assimilate

into an emerging green

economy, the technology

sector, and a service-based

economy.

Q. How forthcoming are the industries so far?I’m very happy to report

that the private sector’s

responses have been very

encouraging and reassuring.

Our corporate partners are

excited by our vision and

are interested in being part

of Melaka’s progress and

transformation to the next

level. Infineon, Sunpower,

Honda, CTRM, Panasonic and

numerous other MNC have

invested much and continue

to actively contribute in our

development by getting

involving in the development

of industry specific curriculum

and infrastructure planning.

Once this new crop of

graduates emerge, I believe

they will prove that the

Malaysian education system

is innovative, global and

industry-focused.

As the industry and

relationship matures,

our focus is shifting from

manufacturing to R & D.

This will open up the

opportunities for our

people to upgrade our

skills, knowledge and

competencies to at global

level. We are already moving

aggressively into the R & D

area, beyond our traditional

strengths, assembling and

manufacturing. For example,

Infineon invested RM500

million this year to build an

R & D centre, generating

employment opportunities

for a few hundred engineers.

This represents a major step

for Melaka as it will catalyse

sector transformation and

accelerate Melaka’s progress

up the value chain. It’s great

for Melaka, and Malaysia as a

whole.

Q. Finally, after all that you’ve accomplished, we’re wondering: what would be your ultimate dream for Melaka?I am proud of what my

people have achieved but

I still have a few dreams. I

want to see Melaka become

a green city. We have begun

working on Hang Tuah Jaya

Green City, a new township

which will be a benchmark

for the future development of

similar cities in Melaka.

Another challenge is to

lower the income disparity

levels between the urban

and rural areas in the state.

We have spared no effort

MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSITY MELAKA

UNIVERSITI TEKNIKAL MALAYSIA MELAKA

12 mbaedgeTM


in eradicating poverty: for

welfare aid, with an allocation

of RM71 million a year, we

have given aid to almost

27,000 people. We have spent

RM65 million on housing

projects for the poor, building

6,600 houses since 2000.Now

the ratio is RM1 in kampung

to RM1.37 in the city.

Compared to the national

ratio of 1:1.99, it’s very good

already, but we must keep

working at reducing it. The

number must come down

to 1:1.

My ultimate dream is to

see Melaka become a true

city-state. This means that

whatever infrastructure

and resources you have

in the city, you can also

get in the kampung. You

enjoy the same facilities –

be it water, education or

telecommunications - as if

you were living in the city.

That’s why in Melaka, the

institutions of higher learning

are spread out. You can find

universities in the city as well

as in rural areas like Linggi,

Semujuk, Durian Tunggal,

Selandar, etc.

As leaders, it is our

responsibility to help the

people and bring change that

they desire. The opportunities

before us have to be

maximised for the benefit of

the people. Every plan needs

to be designed with an over-

arching mission: do what is

best to improve the future

and vitality of this state. ME

THE HISTORIC A FARMOSA OF MELAKA

i am proud of what my people have achieved but i still have a few dreams. i want to see Melaka become a green city.

“”

mbaedgeTM 13

“As leaders, it is our responsibility to help

the people and bring change that they

desire. The opportunities before us have

to be maximised for the benefit of the

people. Every plan needs to be designed

with an over-arching mission: do what is

best to improve the future and vitality of

this state.”

14 mbaedgeTM


Master of Business Administration KPT/JPS(KR11580)07/15(A6338)

Master of Business Administration (Corporate Governance) KPT/JPS(KR11589)07/15(A6339)

Master of Business Administration (Building Management) (N/345/7/0113)10/16

Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, 31900 Kampar, Perak Darul Ridzuan.T: 05-468 8888 ext. 2260 F: 05-466 8906

Perak Campus

No. 9, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan.T: 03-7958 2628 ext. 8227 03-7625 0328 (direct line) F: 03-7955 8170

Petaling Jaya CampusFor enquiry, contact Division of Programme Promotion

[email protected]/ipsr

Wholly owned by UTAR Education Foundation (Co. No. 578227-M) INTAKES: JAN, MAY & OCT

Master of Business Adminstration

Your Key to Success

Carrer Advancement PathwayHolistic & Effective TrainingExperienced & Qualified Facilitators

Emphasis on Problem Solving SkillsReal-life Consulting ExperiencesSuperb Networking Place

Cheers for the right choice

mbaedgeTM 15

The university also offers programmes at Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy level in the following areas of specialisation:• Accounting • Applied Accounting • Banking • Bio-Diversity • Business and Management • Cancer Research • Chinese Studies • Communication & Networks • Computing and Intelligent Systems • Corporate Governance • Creativity in Technology, Games and Design • Finance • Economic Studies • Environment and Green Technology • International Studies • Learning and Teaching • Management • Mathematical Sciences • Media and Creative Communication • Modern Language and Literature • Project Management • Science • Social Change and Trend • Social Science • Stem Cell • Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility in Business • Photonics and Advanced Materials • Vehicular Technology • VLSI Design

UTAR’s Master of Medical Sciences and Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Sciences) are multidisciplinary postgraduate programmes, providing opportunities for aspiring candidates to engage in an extensive research that will improve or save life. As the demands for skilled medical science professionals continue to increase, UTAR invites candidates with relevant qualifications and practical experience to upgrade your knowledge in the area of Medical Sciences, on a full- or part-time basis.

Master of Medical Sciences (N/720/7/0015)11/16

Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Sciences) (N/720/8/0016)02/17

Addressing the Challenges andAdvancement of Medical Sciences

Researchers at Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UTAR are engaged in niche research areas of Cancer, Stem cells and Chemoprevention

More info: http://research.utar.edu.my/CCR/

Jalan Universiti, Bandar Barat, 31900 Kampar, Perak Darul Ridzuan.T: 05-468 8888 ext. 2260 F: 05-466 8906

Perak Campus

No. 9, Jalan Bersatu 13/4, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan.T: 03-7958 2628 ext. 8227 03-7625 0328 (direct line) F: 03-7955 8170

Petaling Jaya CampusFor enquiry, contact Division of Programme Promotion

[email protected]/ipsr

Wholly owned by UTAR Education Foundation (Co. No. 578227-M) INTAKES: JAN, MAY & OCT

16 mbaedgeTM


with Dr Alan Ong Han Kiat

a number of scientific publications mainly in a the area of molecular biology related studies and has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Initiative II Grant (British Council) in 2008. He is actively involved in research and was the recipient of the Malaysian Toray Science Foundation

research grant in 2010 and an EScience Grant in 2011. His current research interest is in molecular microbiology of oral cancer and cancer stem cells. MBA Edge Postgraduate Studies Bi-monthly speaks to Dr Ong on the study of medical sciences.

STUDYING MEDICAL SCIENCES IN MALAYSIA

Associate Professor Dr Alan Ong Han Kiat is currently attached to the Department of Pre-Clinical Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Tunku Abdul Rahman. He has a BSc degree in Biotechnology and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology. He has authored

Associate Professor Dr Alan Ong Han Kiat, Department of Pre-Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Tunku Abdul Rahman.

mbaedgeTM 17

What are the entry requirements for biomedical science courses [Masters in Medical Sciences and PhD (Medical Sciences)?

A relevant Bachelor’s (Hons)

degree from institutions of

higher learning, its equivalent

or other professional

qualifications recognised by

the University Senate, is a

general entry requirement for

a Masters course by research

whereas a relevant Master’s

degree from institutions of

higher learning, its equivalent

or other professional

qualifications recognised

by the University Senate is a

general entry requirement

for a entry into the Doctoral

Degree course by research.

However, a minimum

CGPA of 2.5 and an English

language qualification is

normally a prerequisite entry

requirement. Nevertheless,

applications of candidates

whose CGPAs are below the

minimum requirement can be

considered based on relevant

work experience in their

respective fields and upon an

evaluation of the candidate’s

suitability on a case by case

basis.

What are the facilities your universities provide for such programmes and courses?

Well-equipped research labs

which include cell culture

and molecular biology

facilities. The presence of a

pool of experienced research

academics and the availability

of external research grants

and internal seed fundings

are essential to conduct

a postgraduate research

programme. Conducive

research and teaching

environment as well as good

library facilities including

a comprehensive online

journal database are also

provided by the university

to cater for the specific

needs of postgraduate

students. Financial research

assistantships in the form of

monthly stipends, graduate

assistantship as well as

government sponsored

assistantship such as

MyMaster and MyPhd are

made available to deserving

candidates.

“financial research assistantships in the form of monthly stipends, graduate assistantship as well as government sponsored assistantship such as MyMaster and MyPhd are made available to deserving candidates.”.

18 mbaedgeTM


What are some of the major challenges new students face when taking up these courses? Is the workload very heavy? Is there a lot of rote learning? Do students have time for extracurricular activities?

As the postgraduate course

is research based, most

students face some form

of challenge in being more

independent and innovative

in conducting their research

activities which includes

self-directed readings and

critically reviewing relevant

research papers as well

as managing their own

experiments. With good time

management skills and an

adequate level of discipline,

postgraduate students can

have a balanced lifestyle

of spending productive

time in the lab as well as

enjoying themselves with

extracurricular activities and

having their own personal

time.

What are the career and job prospects for students pursuing these courses?

Based on the Malaysian

Science and Technology

Indicators 2008 Report, the

Medical & Health Sciences

sector was the second

highest in terms of R&D

researchers being hired on

the whole by government

research institutes, the private

sector and institutions of

higher learning. In addition,

under the 10th Malaysian

Plan, the Health Sciences

Education (EPP8) is expected

to create more jobs by 2020

especially for knowledged

and skilled intensive human

capital in order to meet the

demands and challengers of

medical sciences and health

care. With the right skills

and exposure, graduates

in this area are in demand

in the health sector that is

constantly expanding.

What are examples of some career options available for graduates?

Research Fellow in Research

Centres, Research Scientist/

Officer in Medical Diagnostics

Labs or Research labs,

Technical Consultant,

Academic, just to name a few.

“With the right skills and exposure, graduates in this area are in demand in the health sector that is constantly expanding. “

mbaedgeTM 19

Are there any options for specialisation? Is it better to specialise?

In a full-time research

postgraduate course

structure, a certain amount

of specialisation is required

in order to address specific

issues and to deliver

realistic outcomes. As such,

specialisation in a particular

research area is generally

part of the objectives of the

programme.

What are some of the latest development in the field?

The global advancement in

the field of medical sciences

is currently associated with

adult stem cell research,

cancer therapy, regenerative

medicine, pharmacogenetics

and drug discoveries, just to

name a few. Although similar

research trends are seen in

Malaysia, the research focus

remains unique as certain

diseases are more prevalent

in this part of the world as

compared to that in the

developed countries.

What about research and development? Are there any initiatives in your university in these areas? Are there any research opportunities at the university?

The Faculty of Medicine

and Health Sciences, UTAR

is currently hosting three

research centres namely

Centre for Cancer Research,

Centre for Stem Cell Research

and Centre for Research in

Traditional Chinese Medicine.

These centres together

with the research activities

of academics in the faculty

are mainly focused on

stem cell research, cancer

chemoprevention, cancer

research as well as research

components of Traditional

Chinese Medicine. Potential

postgraduate candidates can

expect research opportunities

in relation to the niche areas

mentioned above.

What are some of the qualities of a good research specialist in biomedical science?

Some qualities of a good

research specialist include

the ability to demonstrate

“In a full-time research postgraduate course structure, a certain amount of specialisation is required in order to address specific issues and to deliver realistic outcomes.”

Some qualities of a good research specialist include the ability to demonstrate in-depth knowledge and good analytical skills in addressing biomedical related challengers and issues.

20 mbaedgeTM


in-depth knowledge and

good analytical skills in

addressing biomedical

related challengers and

issues. Equally important

are for postgraduates to

communicate effectively

in their field of research

as well as to practise

ethical judgment and

professionalism when

addressing the demands

and challenges in medical

sciences.

What is your advice to students entering the job market in the field of medicine or biomedical sciences?

A certain level of competency

in research methodology

and the use of up-to-date

instrumentations to carry our

“evidence-based research”

are essential for trustworthy

research applications to

be used in healthcare

research, management and

treatments. In order to meet

job market expectations,

good analytical skills and

statistical knowledge as well

as creative, innovative and

proactive attitudes are much

sought after in postgraduate

candidates. ME

mbaedgeTM 21

Name: Ng Di Lin

Email: [email protected]

Name of postgraduate programme: MSc (Molecular Biology)

Studied at: Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

Year graduated: 2011

Current occupation: Lecturer

Brief job scope: Lecturing and conducting research.

Q. What do you consider the best take away value from your postgraduate programme?

Learning to be independent and being patient in adversity.

Q. What is your advice to prospective postgraduate students to prepare them for this programme?

Always prepare to fail and be disappointed, so that you can learn from mistakes.

Q. Where do you see yourself in five years?

A successful researcher/consultant with a balanced work/life schedule.

Q. What is your motto in life?

Do not give up and always strive for the best.

Name: Leslie Low Chen Cheong


Name of postgraduate programme: MBA

Studied at: University Tunku Abdul Rahman

Current occupation: Engineer

Brief job scope: Quality Management


Every single subject or value I learn from my programme will be practised in my work life.


Be prepared to be committed because this programme will take up most of your time.


Joining a corporation for a bigger challenge.


Keep moving forward.

Name: Wong Ping Keong


Name of postgraduate programme: Master of Science

Studied at: Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

Year graduated: 2012

Current occupation: Development Engineer

Brief job scope: Medical device manufacturing, developing and validating new and improved products, formulations and materials


My interest and knowledge in polymer science was greatly generated.


Fortify the EQ and always be motivated. Think out of the box.


With better knowledge, experience and problem solving abilities.


Play hard, live strong.

Name: Lee Khye Tze


Postgraduate programme: MBA

University: University Tunku Abdul Rahman

Graduated: 2010

Current occupation: Executive Customer Service Operation (Toyota)

Brief Job Description: Management Staff in a service centre at Puchong

What do you consider the best take away value from your postgraduate programme?The best value that I have learnt is in developing the skills of team work and planning in every job or assignment.

What is your advice to prospective postgraduate students to prepare them for this programme?

To prepare for the knowledge that would be shared among lecturers and students to assist them for the future.

Where do you see yourself in five years?To use my knowledge and experience to excel in my work.

What is your motto in life?Word hard for our own future.

22 mbaedgeTM


Renowned Taiwanese

motivational speaker Dr

Tai Chen Chih who was

at Universiti Tunku Abdul

Rahman Petaling Jaya

Campus for his new book:

With A Great Attitude Comes Great Happiness sharing session, shared with

the public about the journey

to success. He encouraged

others to “be brave in

overcoming difficulties upon

stumbling them”, and never

give up but persevere till

the very end even when

there are setbacks because

“victory always comes after

perseverance”. A person’s

success or failure, to Dr

Tai, depends on the right

“attitude”.

Born in Taiwan, Dr Tai went

through setbacks and

frustrations when growing

up. These, in turn, only

enriched his life experiences.

Since 1994, he has published

35 inspirational and

motivational books. Touted as

the “Carnegie of the East” and

“Motivational Guru”, Dr Tai is

Taiwanese motivational speaker Dr Tai Chen Chih’s new book: with A Great Attitude Comes

Great Happiness sharing session

Dr Tai Chen ChihWith A Great

Attitude

Comes Great

Happiness

mbaedgeTM 23

a key and influential figure in

Taiwan that brings positive

changes in society.

During the sharing session,

Dr Tai gave precious advice

which saw the audience

eagerly and diligently

taking down notes. Dr Tai

also invited the audience

on stage to share their

thoughts and feelings about

a motivational short video

shown to them. Dr Tai’s fans

were really enthusiastic and

there was active interaction

between the speaker and the

giving up needs only one sentence; whereas success, requires a lifetime’s perseverance.

“”

audience. Before the sharing

session came to an end, some

audience members queued

up to share with everyone in

the audience words of advice

they had taken down during

the session.

The talk was jointly organised

by the Malaysia Mental

Literacy Movement, Universiti

Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Centre

for Extension Education and

Popular Book Co. (M) Sdn

Bhd. ME

24 mbaedgeTM


mbaedgeTM 25

26 mbaedgeTM


Name: Law Chong Seng (Vincent Law)

Postgraduate studies at:

a. Asia e University, Kuala Lumpur; Executive Master’s Degree of Business Management in Supply Chain Management; Year graduated: 2012

b. University of Technology (UTM), Skudai, Johor; Doctor of Philosophy in Management; Year graduated: ongoing 2012-2016

Current Occupation: Supply Chain Manager

Brief description of job scope:

To oversee and monitor daily functions and development, plan and enhance the systems, procedures and documentation flow for the continual improvement of the Supply Chain Department.

To manage and review product sales forecast and ensure efficient and timely execution of product planning schedule.

To review product planning and delivery schedule and ensure the production plan meets demand and to maintain buffer stock at healthy levels.

To direct inventory and distribution activities and maintain excellent housekeeping of the warehouse.

In what area did you pursue postgraduate studies?

Supply Chain Management research (RFID Adoption in Warehouse)

What do you consider the best take away value from your Masters/PhD?

Being an individual who adds intellectual and scholarly values to my field.

What is your advice to prospective students preparing for the Masters/PhD?

Researching and writing your dissertation will probably require several years. A faculty committee will help and guide your process and keep you on the right track. You may end up knowing your area of specialisation better than any of them, but they will offer general, if not specific, advice when they’re able to do so. One of these professors will be your primary advisor or supervisor and will hopefully become your mentor, offering you the benefit of years of experience and the

opportunity to meet other professionals in the field. Your advisor or supervisor will be your advocate and can mediate amongst the other members of the committee, if necessary. Your relationship with your advisor or supervisor can, and will, play a vital role in your success in your Master/PhD programme.

What are some pitfalls to avoid?

Even with your advisor or supervisor as mentor, you’ll be on your own most of the time, thinking, studying, and working independently. Self-discipline is absolutely necessary. This is another stage, unfortunately, where many students falter. A number of graduate students never complete their dissertations, thus leaving behind years of work.

Where do you see yourself in three to five years?

To move into the exciting world of learning and gain as much as knowledge from the PhD programme.

What is your motto in life?

“Anything is not impossible, unless you quit”

Name: Low Cheng Gek


Occupation: Compliance Monitoring

University: Sunway University (VU MBA)

Brief Job scope: Monitoring Risk Management activities and other internal control processes.

Q. Why made you want to study for an MBA?

Knowledge is a journey that has no end, only stops. I’m doing the MBA for self-development and to enhance skills required for higher managerial work. It is also a great opportunity to meet like-minded people from different industries and perspectives.

Q. What inspires you?

I am still looking for the answer to that, but I think wisdom, people who live life with a greater purpose is great inspiration. The Last Lecture by Professor Randy Pausch is inspiring and so is Steve Jobs’ advice: “Live everyday as if it’s your last day”.

Q. Favourite Quote

Whatever you are, be a good one -- Abraham Lincoln

When status and position come second to sincerely giving one’s best in everything one does.

mbaedgeTM 27

Name: James Ng Kai Hung


Occupation: Manager, International Brokers

University : Sunway University; Victoria University, Melbourne

Brief Job Description

Manage the international brokers division and continually develop its operations by setting operational procedures with best practices of the company and industry to meet the objectives of the business plan. Also responsible for the procurement and development of business through international brokers with specific objectives of increasing gross written premium with sustainable profitability while maintaining customer satisfaction.

Why made you want to study for an MBA?

As some might view pursuing MBA as a form of academic progression while others view its necessity for career development, I had always held an opinion that having an MBA along with your other accreditations would be an

honour. At the beginning of the MBA course, one can imagine the congregation of potential CEOs and business owners from different backgrounds and industries to be a challenging environment. Throughout the MBA course, you would soon realise that it is the different ethnicities and characters of your fellow MBA mates that make it interesting, especially when vast contrast of ideas are being tossed around and debated.

What inspires you?

Reading genuine success stories of common people, how their perseverance carried them through failures and reinforced their success in life.

Favorite Quote

‘Life is like a box of chocolate, you never know what you are gonna get’ by Forrest Gump

Name: Ng Geok Leng


Occupation: HR Professional – Case Management & Appeals

University: Sunway University College

Brief Job Description: Handles concern & appeal submissions from employees


To explore and enhance my knowledge in other areas of business which can help in career advancement.

The MBA course also helps me to develop managerial skills, providing hands-on experience leading study groups, classroom discussions and school organisations.

What inspires you?

To be a well-equipped professional with business knowledge and to be able to create successful business models for the future.

Favourite Quote

“Work hard, study hard and party hard” and “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” Abraham Lincoln

28 mbaedgeTM


Name: Mohd Firdaus bin

Omar

Email: fir_tm2000@hotmail.

com

Occupation: Engineer-

Projects, Sime Darby

Industrial Sdn Bhd

University: Victoria

University, Australia (MBA),

University Tenaga Nasional,

Malaysia (BEEE, Hons.)

Brief Job Description: Current Job

To lead project execution

for Caterpillar (CAT) engine

generator sets, based on

customisation requirement

of project specification.

Coordinate and manage

the project based on work

scope and the design layout.

In charge of procurement

related to the overall project

specification.

Previous Job:

Consultant, Advanced Power

Solutions Sdn Bhd

Performed insulation

coordination studies

including transient switching

and lightning over-voltage

and Harmonics Analysis that

involved full three phase

harmonics penetration

studies (using PSCAD

software). Also conducted

Protection study (using CAPE

software) under Engineering

System Study.


I would like to acquire critical

business administration

knowledge which can be

applied in my workplace

and will help to manage

work more effectively in

an increasingly complex,

challenging and changing

work environment. This

knowledge will help one

to mature at work, become

more creative and also

innovative as every job is a

business by itself.

What inspires you?

Green natural scenery

Calmness of high hill places

Mohd Firdaus Omarlike the Cameron Highlands

Beautiful beach with crystal

clear sea water

Favourite Quotes:

You have enemies? Good.

That means you’ve stood up

for something, sometime in

your life.

Winston Churchill

Anyone who has never

made a mistake has never

tried anything new -- Albert

Einstein

Happiness is when what you

think, what you say, and what

you do are in harmony --

Mahatma Gandhi

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried

anything new.” Einstein

mbaedgeTM 29

FAIZUL RIDZUAN

23 properties by 30A story of What to find? When to find? Where to find?

ISBN 978967594106

WARNING!THIS BOOK MAY MAKE PROPERTY INVESTING LOOK TOO EASY!Faizul Ridzuan knows how to invest. And he makes it look easy. This regu-

lar employee turned RM2,000 in seed capital into a multi-million property

portfolio in just five years, with 23 properties purchased to date. In this book, he tells you how he does this, with vivid details from his very own experience. In this book, he shares his unique stories on how he:• Purchased properties using zero or little money

• Made over 1,000% returns on capital in less than three years• Is consistently able to identify properties that give double-digit rental yields • Made RM100,000 in profits over 18 months without putting a single sen• Created a million-dollar portfolio • Created an investment framework that allows investors to invest systematically, and • Saved thousands in seminar or education fees. “On Faizul’s recommendation, I bought my first investment property in Casa Mutiara five years ago

and that was really an eye-opener. That investment has given me over 600% returns to date and is

one that I look upon fondly. I got hooked on real estate investments and my most recent investment in

Axis SOHU units has been very profitable and I have bought four units there on his recommendation

as well!”Ryan Khoo, a banker who has bought 14 properties to date“Faizul has an exceptional ability to spot property with great returns. First recommendation was to

purchase Titiwangsa Sentral condo for RM250 000. I sold it for RM480,000 two years later. A must-

read to discover his secrets!”Dr. Isa Naina, a medical doctor and lecturer at University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)“Faizul’s insightful analysis, detailed research and sharp strategies are very useful to those interested in property investment. I am glad to have met Faizul and thanks to him I have gained more than 10% rental ROI and good appreciation from a recent investment based on his recommendation.”Cheong M.Y., real estate agent

WARNING!THIS BOOK MAY MAKE PROPERTY INVESTING LOOK TOO EASY!

Faizul Ridzuan knows how to invest. And he makes it look easy. This regular employee turned RM2,000 in seed capital into a multi-million property portfolio in just five years, with 23 properties purchased to date. In this book, he tells you how he does this, with vivid details from his very own experience. In this book, he shares his unique stories on how he:

• Purchased properties using zero or little money• Made over 1,000% returns on capital in less than three years• Is consistently able to identify properties that give double-digit rental yields • Made RM100,000 in profits over 18 months without putting in a single sen• Created a million-dollar portfolio • Created an investment framework that allows investors to invest systematically, and • Saved thousands in seminar or education fees

“Faizul’s insightful analysis, detailed research and sharp strategies are very useful to those interested in property investment.”

A Publication by Penerbit Wawasan Nusa (M) Sdn Bhd

Available in bookstores nationwide

ISBN I978967594106

30 mbaedgeTM


Name: Lew Man Wai


Currently Pursuing: MBA

University Name: University of Strathclyde

Current Job Title: Senior Electrical Engineer

Brief Description of Current Job: Develop, design and enhance two-way communication radio accessories.

Q. Why did you choose to study for an MBA at the current institution?

My reasons are because of its triple accreditation, it being in the Financial Times Global MBA top 100 rankings and also because the course is taught by lecturers from the main campus.

Q. To a prospective MBA student, how should he/she prepare before starting the programme?

They need to allocate time not only for the MBA classes but assignments too. It is important to balance the time between family, work, study and etc. They might also face challenges to meet both assignments and work deadlines at the same time. They need to mentally prepare for all kind of challenges.

Q. The MBA is not for everyone. Who should not pursue the MBA?

It is not suitable for fresh graduates who do not have work experience because it is hard for them to link what they learn in the course to real situations.

Q. What do you find most rewarding about the MBA?

Other than the knowledge taught in the MBA programme, friendships with classmates and networking are most rewarding. It is a platform to meet with people from different industries and share knowledge. Besides, it helps me to see things differently. We study the same subject during the MBA but people from different industries will have different interpretations of it.

Q. What do you find toughest during the programme?

Time management and travelling. It is tough when assignment deadlines clash with urgent issues at work. And since I work in Penang, I need to keep myself motivated to travel long distance for the class.


I will have myself prepared for various skills/knowledge (business, management, finance) other than technical. And I am looking forward to another breakthrough in my life.

Q. What is your motto in life? What is your favourite quote?

Motto: Nothing is going to happen without you doing it

Quote: “Man is what he believes.” – Anton Chekhov

Name: Teoh Wei Yi


Currently Pursuing: MBA

University Name: University of Strathclyde

Current Job Title: Research Analyst

Brief Description of Current Job: Equity research in fund management industry

Q. Why did you choose to study for an MBA at the current institution?

The University of Strathclyde business school is a reputable university. It is listed in the Financial Times Global MBA top 100 rankings.

Q. To a prospective MBA student, how should he/she prepare before starting the programme?

He/she has to prepare to commit their time and effort throughout the programme. At the same time, be open-minded and prepared to be a listener, regardless of your job position. This is very important in the entire learning experience.

Q. The MBA is not for everyone. Who should not pursue the MBA?

Fresh graduates who do not have much work experience as well as professionals who want to be specialists in their industry.

Q. What do you find most rewarding about the MBA?

Networking is one of the most rewarding parts of the MBA, together with quality knowledge gained.

Q. What do you find toughest during the programme?

The toughest part is managing time between family, work and assignment.


The knowledge and the experience gained during the MBA are very helpful in my existing career. With these value-added skills, I can see myself excelling in my career and also having a broader network.

Q. What is your motto in life? What is your favourite quote?

Motto in life: Never regret.

Favourite Quote: “We don’t have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined than the rest.” – Warren Buffett

Profile of the winners

of the MBA edge Business

CoMPetition seAson 2

mbaedgeTM 31

Dialogue: Partnership between Sunway Univeristy & Feng Chia University ME

32 mbaedgeTM


Every organisation goes

through hard times at

some point. This may be

down to

mistakes of judgement it

has made or because of

external market conditions.

It is during these times

that engaging the whole

workforce in productivity

improvement becomes a

critical issue.

There are seven factors to

address to achieve this.

1. Communication

This is the time to

substantially improve the

quality and quantity of

communication. Employees

are not dumb. They are in

touch with what is happening

but they may not know the

whole picture. Communicate

the brutal facts. Employees

need to know results and

trends over the last year/two

years. They need to see the

facts and figures in a clear

and tangible way. These

facts may include trends in

the organisation’s market

share, sales and profitability

figures, competitor activity

and its impact, marketplace

predictions and customers’

likely demands.

Share what the organisation

is doing to confront these

challenges, what is working

and what more needs to be

done. The message should

be upbeat and positive with

a ‘we can do it but we need

your help’ message.

Introduce and formalise a

communication process. For

example, the CEO should

introduce monthly face-to-

face communications with

his/her direct subordinates,

and the next level down, on

key messages to be passed

on to employees. The CEO

should address all employees

informally, at their locations,

bi-monthly, face to face

or via video conferencing.

This should be a two-way

communication, including

questions, concerns and

feedback. The CEO needs to

be highly visible in his/her

communications. In addition,

monthly briefings should

be introduced to encourage

top down and bottom up

communication.

The message is ‘communicate,

communicate, and

communicate’ and engage

employees at all levels with

the current realities. Be

honest, be open and win

their trust. You cannot over

communicate in hard times.

2. Cuts

Pay cuts and compensation

pain should start at the top

with the CEO, Directors

Increasing

Productivity in

Hard Times

Hard Time Lesson in Europe, Be ready before the Storm comes again in ASIA.

BY JEREMY FRANCIS & JULIAN GOh

mbaedgeTM 33

and Senior Management.

In hard times it is totally

unacceptable for Senior

Managers to be awarded 11

per cent pay rises annually

and employees one per cent

or worse still, nothing. It is

immoral and plain wrong.

In hard times, the owners of

the business and the already

well-paid senior management

need to be seen to be

setting an example. Their pay

and bonus cuts should be

significant and demonstrate

their commitment to the

future of the business. They

also need to make other

obvious statements by

driving less expensive cars,

staying at less expensive

hotels and taking cheaper

flights. This is a time for

servant leadership and the

leaders need to be seen to be

taking their leadership role

seriously.

This should also be a time

for reassurance and the

message should be that

no staff pay cuts or cuts in

numbers should be necessary

if the organisation can

work together to increase

productivity. This message

is one of total team-working

through the hard times and

beyond.

This is a time for the CEO and

his/her team of Directors and

Senior Managers to walk the

talk when it comes to making

sacrifices for the good of all.

Make no mistake, all eyes are

upon them.

3. Confrontation

Turn the crisis into

confrontation. Confront

the enemy – that’s your

competition! In hard times,

your competitors will

savagely reduce prices and

attack your customer base.

The result is that your market

share falls and theirs rises.

Your sales and profitability

are falling at the same time.

This must not be allowed to

happen. You must renew

your external focus and fight

the competition.

Focus on three of four

key issues or ‘battles’ you

must win to take on your

competition and the

marketplace. Call these ‘Must

Win Battles’ (see the book

with this title), or something

similar. These should be

initiatives which will involve

everyone in the organisation

becoming externally focused

and fighting the ‘enemy’.

Examples of such battles

might be:

• Creating a greater variety

of customer service

offerings, including

flexible pricing

• Involving your internal

departments with key

suppliers in improving

customer distribution

and servicing processes

• Using tele-sales and

e-commerce more

effectively to increase

higher volumes of cost

effective sales

• Broadening your

product/service

offerings

• Speeding up research

and development

processes to get

products to the market

faster

• Increasing customer

communications,

demonstrating the

financial value you bring

to them and improving

account management

• Getting to know key

decision makers in

key accounts better

and building positive

relationships with

them to open up new

business opportunities.

• Cost-wasting internal

issues also need to be

addressed aggressively.

For example:

• Can you afford to

support an ailing part of

the business any longer?

• Does that new product

idea really need to be

scrapped now?

• Does that piece of

technology that has

been causing you real

problems really need to

be replaced now?

• Does the internal culture

and values need to

change significantly

now?

• Are there key people

who are not performing

and really need to go?

• Is the current structure

working or does it need

to be changed?

• Is this a time for

considering changes in

key suppliers?

All these and other questions

should be considered to

make the organisation a fully

effective operation, capable

of winning major battles.

Wake up the organisation, kill

complacency and go on the

offensive!

4. Creativity

Now is the time to tap into

the creative abilities of your

workforce. Human beings

can be enormously creative

if they are allowed to be! In

hard times, you get out of

trouble by not doing more

of what clearly does not

work! Problems need to

be re-thought. The status

quo needs to be robustly

challenged. Processes need

to be changed drastically.

The objectives of all activities

need to be questioned.

Old norms of internal

working practices need to

be changed. Linear, rational

thinking needs to be replaced

by creative, innovative

thinking.

So what can you do? here

are some tips:

Engage with individual

employees to find out what

contribution they can make

Find out the natural gifts,

talents and strengths they can

bring to their job (if they were

allowed to!)

Involve them in solving a

problem at their level. Pose

the problem as a question,

e.g., “How can we reduce the

34 mbaedgeTM


changes re-invent the

business and just see the

employee energy that is

released!

5. Collaboration

Hard times can really

benefit organisations. Why?

Because no one has all the

answers anymore and the

opportunity for collaborative

working suddenly appears.

This is a time for creating

partnerships between

managers and employees,

internal departments, the

organisation and its suppliers

and the organisation and

its customers. The historic

mindset must change from

command and control to

collaborate and co-create!

Vertical functional and

independent ways of working

need to be replaced by

horizontal, cross-functional

and interdependent ways

of working. In hard times,

functions cannot be allowed

to work in isolation. They

need to bring their own

individual expertise and

know-how to other teams

to create a ‘one team’

approach to meeting the

challenges the organisation

faces. This requires stamping

out competition between

internal teams, not allowing

any teams to opt out of

co-operative working and

putting collaborative, creative

working high on the agenda.

Managers should be

encouraged to adopt a

less directive and more

participative way of working

with employees. Your

account managers should talk

afresh with major customers

and your purchasing

managers should talk with

key suppliers to explore

ways to work more in a

collaborative partnership for

mutual benefit. Move from

a competitive mindset to a

collaborative mindset.

The beauty of collaboration is

the need to share, to be open

and honest and to allow the

creatively for problem solving

to flow. Your organisation will

be able to make step changes

as a result.

6. Capabilities

In hard times, organisations

should seize the opportunity

to train, re-train and upskill

the capabilities of their

managers and employees.

The time is now available to

do this, and this is the right

time to do this!

Accept that things will not

get better overnight but

investment in your people

will enable you to capitalise

on the change in market

conditions when it comes.

Train your managers to

be modern managers by

changing their management

style to be more inclusive

and engaging. Train them

to be leaders of change and

entrepreneurs. Turn them

into coaches. Show them

how to empower people by

working less ‘in the business’

number of products returned

by customers?” Turn the

problem into a ‘battle’

Train employees in creative

and innovative thinking

processes and problem-

solving skills

Form teams of employees

to tackle problems at their

level. Encourage them to be

self-managing teams. Appoint

facilitators e.g., managers/

supervisors from other teams

to help them

Put time frames to problem-

solving initiatives, make them

short and urgent e.g., two to

three months maximum

Praise successes and

encourage more involvement

in daily continuous

improvement processes

When you fully engage

your employees with your

challenges, you will be

amazed at the results. Not

only will you realise their

talents, you will also motivate

them and make them feel

like a valuable part of your

business, vital for enhancing

their psychological contract

with you.

Get creative, make step

mbaedgeTM 35

and more ‘on the business’.

Get them to delegate more,

to think strategically, to plan

more effectively. Quite simply,

increase the capabilities of

all your people. Challenge

them, stretch them and grow

them. It sends out the signal

that you value them and that

you are investing in them.

If you do not have enough

budget for this purpose,

pay for the training and

development from cuts in

senior management salaries!

Let’s face it, your business

is your people. There is not

always the time to invest in

their development, but now

the time is here. It is also the

time to send some big new

signals on how you want

to commit to continuous

people development. That

is turn will increase staff

motivation and productivity.

Formalise your people

development commitment

by introducing Personal

Development Discussions

between managers and their

staff. Grow your people and

they will grow.

7. Celebration

Now for the best part – the

celebration success.

Let’s recapitulate. You have:

• Communicated the

brutal facts

• Cut costs at the top

• Turned a crisis into a

confrontation with

competitors

• Engaged and

empowered people

with creative/innovative

thinking

• Instilled a collaborative,

interdependent and

partnership style of

working into the

business

• Embarked on a

programme of

increasing people

capabilities and

developing their

potential

What’s missing? Quite simply,

celebration! Lots of open,

generous and frequent

celebration. Celebration of

success should be evidenced

at an individual level (e.g.,

employee of the month), at

a team level (e.g., internal of

external customer feedback

on the team’s improvements),

at a functional or divisional

level (e.g., improved results)

and at an organisational level

(e.g., improved market data

and press comment).

Celebrations need not be

extravagant. People would

question them if they

were! They need to be fun

and enjoyable, and most

important of all they need to

reward everyone’s hard work.

They can be paid for out of

productivity improvements. If

you’re stuck for ideas, employ

the services of a specialist

adviser/organiser in their area.

Celebration fuels the fire of

success, it fans the flames of

personal desire and it sets

ablaze the marketplace as

what you do is noticed and

admired by others. What an

impact it can make!

So that’s it – the seven ‘C’s

of increasing productivity in

hard times. It is all common

sense, but that of course is

the first thing to go when

organisations run into hard

times! ME

About the Author & Editor

Jeremy Francis is the CEO of

Buyandtrain.com, based in

London. Julian Goh is the sole

representative (Goh Business

Practitioners) of the company

in Asia. Should you have

enquiries, kindly forward your

email to [email protected] or

contact him at +01115683183

36 mbaedgeTM


mbaedgeTM 37

Kuala Lumpur is famous

for its “Twin Towers”,

dual 88-floor skyscrapers

that dominate the skyline

of Malaysia’s vibrant capital

city. KL is also notable for

another kind of pairing:

“Twinning Programmes”,

Malaysia’s contribution to the

globalisation of international

education. Pioneered in a

partnership between the

SungeiWay Group (now

known as the Sunway Group)

in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and

Western Michigan University

in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA,

“twinning” proved such a

success that programmes

modelled on it are a hallmark

of Malaysia’s higher education

system.

July 2012 will mark the 25th

anniversary of the opening

of Sunway College and the

inauguration of its “Twinning

Programme” with Western

Michigan University.

This paper historically and

analytically examines why

“twinning” was invented in

1987 through a partnership

between a Malaysian Chinese

company and an American

Midwest state university;

how together they created

a private school, Sunway

College, that with that with

a 2+2 programme built a

bridge between KL and KZOO

that has graduated thousands

of students; and the ways

it spurred development of

a vibrant private education

sector that helped Malaysia

emerge as a Southeast Asian

regional centre for education

attracting 80,000 students

from 100 countries.

Among the students who

have benefited are Tengku

Idris B. Tengku Zaid, Sue

Yen Lam, and Mohan Rajah

Vatghumalai. They are

graduates of a “twinning

programme” that in 2012

will mark its 25th anniversary

as a bridge between Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia and

Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Malaysians all, representative

of this Southeast Asian

country’s three major

communities – Malay Muslim

bumiputras (sons of the soil),

Chinese, and Indians – they

exemplify the 2,500 students

who have travelled from

Malaysia to Michigan through

an international partnership

between Sunway College

and Western Michigan

University. Thousands more

have attended more than 60

other American universities

and colleges after graduating

from the Sunway-WMU

programme. They embody

the success of an innovation

in international education

that was invented in Malaysia,

pioneered in operation

by these two schools (a

Malaysian private college and

a Michigan public university),

adopted to transform

Malaysia into a regional

center for higher education

Southeast Asia, and been

replicated from Indonesia to

Kenya.

Mid-1980s: Crisis of Capacity in Public High Education; Enter the Private Sector

Twinning grew out of a crisis

in the mid-1980s when the

government was unable to

provide enough seats in its six

universities or scholarships for

study abroad for Malaysians

seeking a higher education.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir

Mohamad appealed to the

private sector to help by

creating private colleges

that could offer access to

higher education at an

affordable price. Quick to

respond was Jeffrey Cheah,

President of the SungeiWay

KL TO KZOO:

TwENTY-FIVE YEARS OF TwINNING PROGRAMMES BETwEEN MALAYSIA AND MICHIGANTHE SUNwAY UNIVERSITY-wESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP 1

by Howard Dooley, Professor of History, western Michigan Universit y 2

38 mbaedgeTM


Group, a construction and

real estate conglomerate.

With no experience in

education, he sought a

partnership with a university

abroad already popular with

government-sponsored

Malaysian bumiputras:


in Kalamazoo. Contracting

together in January 1987,

they developed the idea

of “twinning”: a 2+2

collaboration through which

they would create Sunway

College to offer the first half

of WMU bachelor’s degree

programmes (60 credits) in KL,

then students would transfer

seamlessly to Kalamazoo to

complete the remaining half

of their studies. With savings

of 40% compared the cost a

full education overseas, 2+2

was especially appealing

to middle class Malaysians

from Chinese and Indian

communities, who could

not get into local universities

because of ethnic quotas,

and did not qualify for

government scholarships to

study abroad.

Sunway: From Humble Beginnings to Full-Fledged University

Sunway College opened in

July 1987 in rented quarters

in Petaling Jaya, an edge city

west of Kuala Lumpur and

first intake of 67 students,

mostly Chinese and Indian

Malaysians, who began

their studies in WMU-model

classes. A faculty member

from Western Michigan

University served on-site as

a full-time Resident Director

of the Twinning Program 3.

After two years, the pioneer

cohort transferred to WMU in

1989 and graduated in 1991.

By 1992 the Sunway-WMU

programme had grown to

350 students. Sunway added

twinning programmes (2+1

and 1+2) with universities

in Britain (2), Australia (4),

and New Zealand (1);

enrollment burgeoned to

3500. SungeiWay began

constructing a 22-acre

campus as the centerpiece

of Bandar Sunway, a satellite

city it developed west of

Kuala Lumpur. The new

Sunway College was opened

by Prime Minister Mahathir

in April 1993; with purpose

built classrooms and hostels,

it was the first private college

in Malaysia to offer students

the experience of a complete

campus environment rather

than commuting to classes

in converted shophouses. By

its 10th anniversary in 1997,

Sunway was largest private

college in the country, and

WMU had become the top

destination in the U.S. for

Malaysians, enrolling 700

students.

The Asian financial crisis

of 1997 was a setback

for Malaysia, forcing

devaluation of the ringgit,

but the country and Sunway

quickly adapted. The WMU

twinning programme was

rebranded as an American

Degree Transfer Program

(ADTP) offering enrollees the

choice of continuing on to

Kalamazoo, or applying to

ultimately 60 other American

universities and colleges that

accepted transfer credits on

the Sunway-WMU program.

When the Ministry of Higher

Education authorised private

colleges to offer 3+0 foreign

degree programmes through

franchises, SungeiWay

formed a joint venture with

Australia’s Monash University

to establish Malaysia’s first

foreign branch campus

alongside Sunway College.

Sunway College added

franchise degree programmes

from the UK and Australia,

professional and financial

courses, and pre-university

foundation programmes.

In 2004 it was upgraded to

Sunway University College

by the Ministry of Education,

able to offer its own 3+0

degrees, and in 2010 was

recognised as Sunway

University, with Jeffrey Cheah

its first Chancellor. Enrollment

in Sunway’s education

institutions now stands at

16,000, with about 30%

international students from

80 countries.

Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah: The Andrew Carnegie of Malaysia?

At the center of Sunway’s rise

is its founding father, Jeffrey

Cheah Fook Ling. Now 66,

he is a Malaysian Chinese

of Hakka descent. Hakka

were Han Chinese “guest

families” from south China

who immigrated to Malaysia

early in the last century and

many rose from nothing to

wealth. An accountant from

Ipoh, in 1974 he founded

SungeiWay as a tin mining

company that moved into

construction and real estate.

Professor Howard Dooley

mbaedgeTM 39

Interview: QUILL BMW with the Head of After-Sales ME

Sunway International School.

Through the Foundation,

operating surpluses from the

Sunway Education Group

are reinvested into the

universities and schools, and

the Foundation will disburse

scholarships and research

grants. The Foundation is the

first of its kind in Malaysia.

Through his philanthropy

and especially his devotion

to education, Tan Sri Jeffrey

Cheah seems destined to

be the Andrew Carnegie of

Malaysia.

A Win-Win

Twinning has proved to be

a “win-win” for all parties.

The Sunway College-


Twinning Program was

the first in Malaysia, and its

success inspired emulation

throughout the country.

A vibrant private sector

in education grew up in

Malaysia that now numbers

over 20 private universities

and 40 private colleges.

Twinning has become the

hallmark of Malaysian higher

education. Thousands of

young Malaysians were

enabled to begin their higher

education at home, broaden

their horizons while finishing

their degrees abroad,

and bring back skills and

connections to help Malaysia

realize its goal of becoming

a fully developed country by

2020. The success of twinning

spurred the government of

Malaysia in the early 1990’s to

declare the goal of becoming

a regional center for higher

education in Southeast Asia,

aiming to attract students

from around Southeast

Asia. Today 80,000 foreign

students from 100 countries

are studying in Malaysia’s

twinning programs and 3+0

degree programmes, bringing

in valuable foreign exchange

and experiencing this

cosmopolitan multicultural

crossroads.

Twinning also proved

to the most successful

“internationalisation”

initiative in Western Michigan

University’s history. The

Sunway-WMU contract

of 1987 created a bridge

across the Pacific linking

two “pleasant peninsulas”

– Malaysia and the state

of Michigan – that as 2012

begins has enabled 2500

Today he is one of Malaysia’s

wealthiest magnates; his

SungeiWay Group is a

multinational diversified

into hotels, health care,

infrastructure and education.

He has become a major

charitable donor, recognised

with honorific Tan Sri by the

King of Malaysia. In 1997 he

set up the Sunway College

Trust Fund to formalise the

status of Sunway College as

a not-for-profit educational

institution, and in 2010 in

created the Jeffrey Cheah

Foundation into which he

transferred equity ownership

of the not-for-profit Sunway

Education Group, composed

of Sunway University,

Monash University Sunway

campus, the Jeffrey Cheah

School of Medicine and

40 mbaedgeTM


Malaysian students to begin

their educations in SE Asia

and complete their degrees

in America. In addition, the

Sunway-WMU twinning

programme attracted an

international enrollment,

drawing students, e.g., from

Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia,

Mongolia, Mauritania, Nigeria,

even Iran and Uzbekistan,

who began their higher

education in Kuala Lumpur and

completed their degrees in

Kalamazoo.

WMU still welcomes students

from Sunway and Malaysia,

93 in the Fall Semester 2011,

and it replicated its 2+2

“twinning” model in Hong

Kong, Indonesia, India, Pakistan,

and Kenya.

The Sunway-WMU Partnership

The partnership will mark its

25th anniversary in 2012, but

is also ending as a “twinning

programme.” The Malaysian

government ruled that a

school desiring to become

full-fledged university could no

longer offer curricula provided

by a foreign partner; in order

to become Sunway University

awarding its own degrees, the

2+2 arrangement must come

to an end. While the contract

forged in 1987 is terminating,

the relationship will continue

in the form of course

articulation arrangements,

study abroad opportunities,

and faculty teaching and

research activities, Currently Dr.

Christopher Korth, Professor

of Finance and International

Business in WMU’s Haworth

College of Business-, is in Kuala

Lumpur for three months to

teach courses in Finance at

Sunway University. he first

visited the site 35 years ago,

in an earlier career as a banker,

and when what is now the city

of Bandar Sunway was a tin

mine deep in the jungle.

Conclusion

Looking back over 25 years

of history linking KL and

KZOO, Malaysia and Michigan,

the partnership forged

between a Malaysian Chinese

entrepreneur’s company and

an American Midwest state

university has proved to be

an extraordinary win-win for

all parties, and a microcosm

of the globalisation process

linking Southeast Asia, the

US, and the world. Fittingly, a

new restaurant just opened in

Kuala Lumpur, created by two

WMU alumni, is named the

Kalamazoo Café! *

* A-36, Jalan PJU 1/43, Aman Suria Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petaling-Jaya-Malaysia/Cafe-Kalamazoo/160001724019165?ref=mf

About the author

Howard J. Dooley is Professor

of History at Western Michigan

University, where he has

been a faculty member since

1970. His scholarly interests

include World History, Modern

European Diplomatic history

since 1870, Twentieth Century

United States history, World

War II and the Cold War,

the Modern Middle East;

Globalization and International

Education. He wrote his

dissertation on the Suez Crisis

of 1956 and is working on a

book tentatively titled: 1956:

The Year That Shook the World.

Dooley led Western

Michigan University's

“internationalisation” as

Executive Director of

International Affairs from 1991

to 2004, and Fulbright Program

Adviser 1983-2004. he has

also served as Chair of the

Michigan Humanities Council,

and project evaluator for the

National Endowment for the

Humanities. In 2002, he was

selected by AMIDEAST for a

team of US higher education

administrators who visited

Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and

Tunisia under the auspices

of the US Department of

State. He chairs the Rotary

Ambassadorial Scholarship

Committee of the Kalamazoo

Rotary Club. ME

Notes:

1. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Southeast Asia and World History Symposium, Pannasastra University, Siem Reap, Cambodia, January 2, 2012

2. Dr. Howard Dooley served as Western Michigan University’s rep-resentative on the Academic Board of Sunway College 1992-2004.

3. Resident Directors from Western Michigan University were: Dr. Larry Israel-general studies-social sciences; Dr. Lawrence Tyler, general studies-social sciences; Dr. Alan Jacobs, anthropology; Dr. Richard Pippen, biology; Dr. David Dickason, geography; and Dr. Richard Pippen (extended second term).

mbaedgeTM 41

42 mbaedgeTM


mbaedgeTM 43

Sunway University continues on its path of providing quality education

Bandar Sunway, 11 July,

2012 – Sunway University

is proud to announce the

appointment of Professor

Graeme Wilkinson as

Vice-Chancellor of Sunway

University. Professor

Wilkinson will be taking

over from Professor Robert

Bignall this month, and will

be responsible for providing

strategic direction and

leadership for the University,

representing it both at

home and abroad. With

this appointment, Sunway

University is the only

homegrown institution with

an international academic as

its Vice-Chancellor.

Professor Wilkinson brings

with him broad experience,

as an academic and senior

university manager. Born

in England, he graduated

with First Class honours in

Physics from Imperial College,

London and received a

Doctorate in Philosophy in

Atmospheric Physics from

Oxford University in 1977 and

was awarded the Johnson

Memorial Prize.

Professor Wilkinson’s career

has seen him take up

lecturing positions at several

highly regarded universities

in the UK, including the

University College London.

As a specialist in satellite

image understanding, he has

also worked at the European

Commission’s Joint Research

Centre in Ispra, Italy, where

he led a team of international

scientists working on the use

of space satellite technology

to monitor environmental

issues. More recently, he

helped spur the growth

and development of new

universities in the UK, taking

up senior positions as the

Head of School, Dean and Pro

Vice-Chancellor.

As he begins a new chapter in

an already esteemed career,

Professor Wilkinson is excited

to play a part in shaping the

growth of Sunway University.

He states, “I am both proud

and honoured to be given

the opportunity to play such

a pivotal role, leading Sunway

University and building upon

the outstanding work that

has been carried out by my

predecessor as well as the

highly dedicated staff here.

I will be looking to grow

this university to become a

globally recognised academic

institution known for

grooming students who think

to make a difference.”

The appointment of Sunway

University’s new Vice-

Chancellor is testament to its

continued commitment to

providing quality education

to its students. As one of

the leaders in the field

of private education in

Malaysia, Sunway University

is constantly seeking

new avenues for growth,

enhancing the range of

programmes it offers its

students. With Professor

Wilkinson on board, Sunway

SUNwAY UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF NEw VICE-CHANCELLOR

(ABOVE) Professor Wilkinson, VC of Sunway University, First Class Honours in Physics (Imperial College, London),

Doctorate in Philosophy in Atmospheric Physics (Oxford University), Johnson

Memorial Prize.

44 mbaedgeTM


University will be able to

harness his global experience

and expertise, supporting

its growth as it continues

to cater to the needs of

its growing population of

students and staff.

Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah,

AO, Chancellor of Sunway

University stated, “I am

extremely happy to have

such an esteemed individual

come on board as Vice-

Chancellor here at Sunway

University. On behalf of all the

staff and students of Sunway

University, I would like to

extend a warm welcome to

Professor Wilkinson as he

joins the Sunway family. I look

forward to working closely

with him in bringing Sunway

University to greater heights.”

ABOUT SUNWAY UNIVERSITY

Sunway University provides

high quality education

based on a tradition of

exceptional teaching that

has shaped competent

and intellectually vibrant

individuals since 1987. By

collaborating with Lancaster

University, a Top 10 UK

university, Sunway degrees

have been benchmarked

by their distinguished

As one of the leaders in the field of private education in Malaysia, sunway university

is constantly seeking new avenues for growth,

enhancing the range of programmes it offers its

students.

university partner. Owned

and governed by the

Jeffrey Cheah Foundation,

Sunway University is

committed to plough back

its surpluses to provide

education opportunities

that will transform lives. To

date, the Foundation has

given out more than RM80

million in scholarships to

over 11,000 deserving and

needy students. For more

information about Sunway

University, please log on

to www.sunway.edu.my/

university or call +603 7491

8622 ME

”“

mbaedgeTM 45

Happenings ME

To safeguard degrees from

being forged, Universiti

Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)

and the leading online job

portal JobStreet.com have

developed a system that

enables the job portal to

obtain validated degree

qualifications of UTAR

graduates in their system.

With this new system,

employers with JobStreet.

com we can now verify

degree qualifications of

UTAR graduates quickly

and effectively. Information

obtained from UTAR’s

registry includes name, class

of the degree holder and

convocation date.

UTAR President Ir. Professor

Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah

Hean Teik said, “This system is

a fruition of the collaborative

efforts between the university

and JobStreet.com since the

signing of a memorandum of

understanding between the

two parties in January 2010

and a research agreement in

March the same year”.

“There are more than

20,000 UTAR graduates and

graduating students who are

currently using JobStreet.

com to find their next job. By

validating their degree, it will

give assurance for companies

in Malaysia to hire UTAR

graduates who will contribute

to the country’s economy”,

said Mark Chang, CEO &

Founder of JobStreet.com.

The database linkage for

verification of graduates

is part of a collaborative

research effort by the two

organisations to improve

efficiency and effectiveness

in the hiring process by

employers.

About UTAR

Universiti Tunku Abdul

Rahman (UTAR) was

established in June 2002

under the Act of Private

Institutions of Higher

Learning 1996 of Malaysia.

With an inaugural intake

of 411 students in June

2002, today, UTAR has

a student enrolment of

over 20,000 and alumni

strength of over 26,000. It

started with eight Bachelor’s

degree programmes

and now offers over 100

programmes ranging from

Foundation and Bachelor’s

to Master’s and PhD levels

in its four campuses in

Kampar, Petaling Jaya, Kuala

Lumpur and Bandar Sungai

Long, which house nine

faculties of Accountancy

and Management, Arts and

Social Science, Business and

Finance, Creative Industries,

Engineering and Green

Technology, Engineering

and Science, Information

and Communication

Technology, Medicine

and Health Sciences, and

Science, and the Institute of

Chinese Studies. Aiming to

New Method to Counter Fake Degrees

become an internationally-

reputed teaching and

research university, UTAR

is also actively involved in

research, development and

commercialisation activities

and has established 25

research centres.

About Jobstreet.com

JobStreet.com (www.

jobstreet.com) is a leading

online recruitment company

presently covering the

employment markets

in Malaysia, Singapore,

Philippines, Indonesia, India,

Japan, Thailand and Vietnam.

ME

A system that enables job por tal to obtain validated

degree qualifications

UTAR President Ir. Professor Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik

Mark Chang, CEO & Founder of JobStreet.com.

46 mbaedgeTM



Rahman (UTAR) and

Malaysia Institute for Supply

Chain Innovation (MISI)

signed a memorandum of

understanding (MoU) for

cooperation at the UTAR

Petaling Jaya Campus on 3

July 2012.

Signing on behalf of the

two parties were UTAR Vice

President (Internationalisation

and Academic Development)

Professor Dr Ewe Hong Tat

and MISI Chief Executive

Officer Dr Mahender Singh

while UTAR Dean of Faculty of

Science Associate Professor

Dr Lim Tuck Meng and MISI

Education Director Dr Albert

Tan signed as witnesses.

Present to witness the signing

was MISI Chairman Tan Sri Dr

Zulkefli bin A. hassan.

“Under the MoU, UTAR and

MISI will collaborate to foster

advancement in teaching,

research, and promoting

international reputation of

both institutions through

student and staff exchange,

joint research projects,

training activities, consulting

services or conferences, and

other academic activities,

particularly those that are

related to the advancement

of education and research in

supply chain and logistics,”

said Prof Ewe.

he added that a specific item

under the MoU would be the

full-credit-transfer graduate

student exchange between

the two institutions, which

would provide an enriched

learning experience for the

graduate students of both

institutions.

“MISI is very proud to be

working alongside UTAR, a

University with distinguished

achievements and a history

for excellence. Today signifies

a partnership that commits

us to work together closely

towards our common goal,

UTAR and MISI sign pact to advance supply chain innovation

Sun Tzu’s Art of War &Supply Chain Innovation

the pursuit of excellence

in supply chain, logistics

education and research.

Our joint endeavours will

encompass many significant

activities, from the exchange

of students to the promotion

of educational and academic

activities” said Dr Mahender

Singh.

he added that the first UTAR-

MISI workshop would address

the ‘Art and Science of Supply

Chain Management’ which

would be supported with

contents from MIT and linked

to the Sun Tzu’s art of war

strategic principles.

The Art of War was written sometime in the 6th century BC

mbaedgeTM 47

Happenings ME

Professor Ewe (second from left) and Dr Mahender exchanging the signed documents while Dr Lim (far left), Tan Sri Dr Zulkefli (centre) and Dr Tan look on.

About UTAR


Rahman (UTAR) was

established in June 2002

under the Act of Private

Institutions of Higher

Learning 1996 of Malaysia.

With an inaugural intake of

411 students in June 2002,

UTAR now has a student

enrolment of over 19,000

and alumni strength of

over 26,000. Starting with

eight Bachelor’s degree

programmes, it now offers

over 100 programmes

ranging from Foundation

to PhD level in its four

campuses in Kampar, Petaling

Jaya, Kuala Lumpur and

Bandar Sungai Long. These

campuses house the nine

faculties of Accountancy

and Management, Arts and

Social Science, Business and

Finance, Creative Industries,

Engineering and Green

Technology, Engineering

and Science, Information

and Communication

Technology, Medicine

and Health Sciences, and

Science, and the Institute of

Chinese Studies. Aiming to

become a university with an

international reputation for

teaching and research, UTAR

also actively pursues a variety

of research, development and

commercialisation activities

and has established 25

research centres towards this

end. For more information,

visit www.utar.edu.my

About MISI

Located at Shah Alam, MISI

has been a joint initiative of

the Malaysian Government

and the world’s renowned

MIT Centre for Transport

and Logistics. It was

launched on 22 March 2011

and is the fourth centre

in the MIT Global SCALE

(Supply Chain and Logistics

Excellence) Network,

which is an international

alliance of leading-edge

research and educational

organisations, dedicated

to the development and

dissemination of global

innovation in supply chain

and logistics.

MISI offers graduate and

executive education in

logistics and supply chain

management and will admit

its first Masters students in

August of 2012. There are also

plans for a doctoral degree

as well as a deep portfolio

of professional courses for

executives, symposia, short

courses, and extended on-

site events with activities to

reinforce MISI’s connections

with corporate partners. For

more information, visit www.

misi.edu.my ME

48 mbaedgeTM


Kuala Lumpur, 28 August 2012 – Malaysia’s largest

jewellery retail chain store,

Poh Kong, announced their

new partnership with one of

Europe’s finest and notable

jewellers, MORAGLIONE 1922,

in an exquisite European

themed roadshow at Pavilion

Kuala Lumpur today.

MORAGLIONE 1922 is a

jewellery brand rich in

heritage established in

Valenza, Italy, in 1922. The

company has fostered its

skills in creating timeless

jewels that are sold in the

most prestigious locations

all over the world such as

Europe, Russia, the Middle

and Far East, Latin America,

Japan and now Malaysia.

Their collections are the result

of the ability to juxtapose

colourful precious stones

with diamonds, in true Italian

style.

For MORAGLIONE 1922, the

jewel is a masterpiece of

art, which accentuate the

femininity of a woman. The

collection showcased at the

launch today was inspired

by Europe’s elite royalty

including Queen Sofia of

Spain, Princess Grace of

Monaco, Princess Anastasia of

Russia and Queen Isabella of

Spain and will be available at

selected Poh Kong outlets.

Emiliana Caprioglio,

International Sales Director

of MORAGLIONE 1922 said,

“At MORAGLIONE 1922 we

are constantly renewing and

adapting our design elements

but will always remain true

to our objectives and high

standards of quality. We

are looking forward to this

partnership as we believe that

Poh Kong shares the same

philosophy.”

Poh Kong, founded in 1976,

is one of the most recognised

jewellery brands in Malaysia.

With over 100 outlets

nationwide, the brand is

synonymous with excellence

in respect of design, quality

and craftsmanship. Over

the years, Poh Kong has

expanded its offerings

beyond the traditional to

cater to the demands of its

growing clientele. Besides

MORAGLIONE 1922, Poh

Kong is also the privileged

sole distributor for Schoeffel

luxury pearls from Germany,

Luca Carati from Italy, Angel

Diamond from Belgium

and carrier of many more

exquisite jewellery pieces

from all over the world.

“We at Poh Kong are

extremely happy with

this new partnership

with MORAGLIONE

1922 – a company with

an incredible reputation

for its craftsmanship and

passion. As the largest

jewellery retail chain store

in Malaysia, we are always

committed to bringing the

very best to our customers.

With MORAGLIONE 1922

collections, our consumers

can expect nothing but

glamour, elegance and

POH KONG PRESENTS

THE WORLD OF

LUXURY

The Launch of MORAGLIONE 1922 Jewellery

Emiliana Caprioglio (middle left) and Eddie Choon (middle right)

mbaedgeTM 49

sophistication,” said Dato’

Eddie Choon, Executive

Chairman and Group

Managing Director of Poh

Kong.

To celebrate this unique

partnership, Poh Kong has

embarked on a European

themed roadshow to

showcase MORAGLIONE

1922’s latest collection along

with designs from Luca Carati,

Schoeffel and Angel Diamond

from Belgium for the first

time at signature mall Pavilion

Kuala Lumpur from 28 August

to 2 September. This exquisite

event promises nothing but

beauty, class and elegance as

Poh Kong has collaborated

with notable local designers

such as Keith Kee, Carven Ong

and DL Fashion, pairing their

designs with these unique

jewellery brands in a series

of fashion shows and special

appearances by Reshmonu,

Syafinaz Selamat and Daniel

Lee.

About Poh Kong

Founded in 1976 and listed

on Bursa Malaysia Securities

Berhad since 2004, Poh Kong

is the largest jewellery retail

chain in Malaysia, reaching

its 100th outlet mark in 2012,

which include concept stores

such as Poh Kong, Poh Kong

Gallery, Diamond & Gold

outlets, Diamond Boutique,

Jade Gallery, Tranz Boutique

and Oro Bianco. Poh Kong

offers a wide range of gold

ornaments, diamonds and

gems specially created by

its team of skilled craftsmen

and designers. Poh Kong

in-house brands include

Tranz, Happy Love, Anggun,

The Art of Auspicious, Bunga

Raya Gold Bar and many more

to come. Poh Kong is the

licensee for Disney Collection;

sole distributor for Schoeffel

luxury pearls from Germany,

Luca Carati from Italy, Angel

Diamond from Belgium,

and carrier of many more

exquisite jewellery pieces

from all over the world. Poh

Kong has won numerous

awards including the Reader’s

Digest Trusted Brands Awards

(2011) and the Fair Price Shop

Awards (2010). The company

was also listed in Retail Asia-

Pacific Top 500 (2010). ME

50 mbaedgeTM


“If we do discover a complete theory, it should be in time understandable in broad principle by everyone. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people be able to take part in the discussion of why we and the universe exist.”

Cre

dits

: Sup

erSc

hola

r.org

mbaedgeTM 51

“In my own work, I've tried to anticipate what's coming over the horizon, to hasten its arrival, and to apply it to people's lives in a meaningful way.”

“High school's attractive to me, not necessarily because you

have a good time, but because it's clear why you are miserable.

As opposed to real life . . . Dissatisfactions are more vague,

more amorphous.”

“I learned that fighting on the chess board could also have an impact on the political climate in the country.”

52 mbaedgeTM


“Just because we can't find a solution it doesn't mean that there isn't one.”

Polgár and her two older sisters, Grandmaster Susan and International Master Sofia, were part of an educational experiment carried out by their father László Polgár, in an attempt to prove that children could make exceptional achievements if trained in a specialist subject from a very early age.

At the age of 14, Christopher Hirata entered the California

Institute of Technology (Caltech) and two years later began

working with NASA on a project exploring the possibility of

colonizing Mars.

mbaedgeTM 53

In 1974, during his university studies, he began his research

work at NASA and continued this work until his return to Korea in

1978 where he decided to switch from physics to civil engineering

and eventually received a doctorate in that field.

“I don’t always accomplish what I might initially intend to do, but I usually make progress on something (even if this “something” is just the task of replenishing my own motivation levels).”

“Celebrity - I don't even know what that means. Obviously it's the same basic word as celebration, but I don't know what's being celebrated.”

54 mbaedgeTM

The Premier Postgradaute Magazine in MalaysiaME Happenings

mbaedgeTM 55

The MBA EdgeTM Business Competition Season 3

mbaedgeTM

When Tom Peters coined the term personal branding” in his 1997 article “The Brand Called You” in Fast Company, he had this to say: We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc.

Dan Schawbel puts it this way: Personal branding is the process of how we market ourselves to others. The way we manage our careers is changing, due to the rise in competition and the introduction of web 2.0. In order to extend our reach, visibility and networking capabilities, we must turn to personal branding as our savior. In the digital age, our name is our only currency.

Personal branding is like your fingerprint. It is unique to you. But how

does one create a powerful personal brand?

The MBA Edge Business Competition is now in its third season. For this season, prepare a powerpoint presentation (target audience 28 to 35 years old business executives) on “The Salient Points of Creating a Powerful Personal Brand in the Malaysian Context Today” with presentation notes for each slide.

Rules• Maximum 30 slides.• Proof of purchase

- a receipt for 1 copy of MBA EdgeTM Postgraduate Studies magazine.

• 3 winners will be judged by the impact, persuasiveness, and pragmatism of the advices.

• This is an individual competition open to current MBA students studying in Malaysia.

Entry SlipName of participant:

Email & Mobile:

University name:

University chop:

• All submissions will be blind judged by a panel of judges

• Winners will be contacted directly.

• Decisions of judges are final. No queries will be entertained.

• The Organizer reserves the rights to substitute prizes of equal worth.

• The Organizer reserves the rights to publish the entries submitted with due credits to the students.

PrizesEach winner will win a prize consisting of:• Certificate of

achievement.• Faber-Castel Premium

Pens.• 1 session of

personality-style test by professional image consultant.

• Make up & hair styling (2 themes).

• Fashion styling.• 8 touch-up photos

(print).• 20 softcopy photos in

CD.

Submit by email to:

[email protected] before 15th November 2012 or by mail to: Penerbit Wawasan Nusa (M) Sdn Bhd, Wisma Wawasan, 19-1 & 19-2, Jalan PJS 8/12, Dataran Mentari, 46150 Petaling Jaya, Bandar Sunway, MALAYSIATel: 603 - 56301802, Fax: 603 - 56301803

presents

Contest ME

56 mbaedgeTM


mbaedgeTM 57

BUSINESS

SEGMENT

profiles of extraordinary people

SUBSTANCE, RELEVANCE, SIGNIFICANCE

58 mbaedgeTM


by Alexandra Wong

Everyone, it would seem, is infected by gold fever. According to the World Gold Council, the demand for

gold from private investors has hit unprecedented highs. Where is Malaysia in the life cycle of this gold rush? how safe is it to invest in gold? Will the gold market continue to be bullish? We speak to from Ermin Siow, Executive Director of Poh Kong holdings Bhd – the country’s largest jeweller by revenue and size – and Deputy President of Federation of Goldsmiths And Jewellers Association of Malaysia (FGJAM).

TAPPING INTO

A GOLD MIND

MEB Postgraduate Studies speaks to

ERMIN SIOw ExEcutivE DirEctor

of Poh Kong holDings BhD

high net worth individuals

to the man on the street

who wish to diversify their

investment holdings, gold

investment is shaping up to

be a major trend. Malaysia

has at least 10 banks offering

gold savings accounts (no

physical transfer of gold,

funds parked as weight of

gold tagged to market price)

and selling physical gold. We

are also getting more and

more customers who want

to invest in gold wafers to

diversify their investment

portfolio. Investment demand

Q. Let’s talk about the gold industry. What are the major segments of demand?

Gift-giving continues to be

one of the biggest demand

drivers, simply because of

gold’s significance in many

cultures. In Malaysia, the

Chinese give gold gifts

for the baby’s full moon

celebration, dragon-phoenix

bracelets for weddings and

so forth. Recently, however,

investment has been rising as

a major driving force. From

mbaedgeTM 59

for gold is expected to post

an unprecedented high of

nearly 2,000 tonnes for 2012.

Q. Why the sudden surge in interest, considering how stagnant gold price was several years ago?

Gold does well in times of

economic uncertainty. When

investors are unsure of the

global political, economic

and financial climate, gold

is where they go. When

inflation is low and the

stock markets are roaring,

nobody looks at gold. When

economy and stocks don’t

go well, people start buying

gold! Beginning 2010, the

Central Banks started buying

back gold because they felt

it was time to diversify their

current foreign reserves. For

the first time, they were net

purchasers of gold rather than

net sellers. In 2010, the central

banks collectively bought

77 tonnes of gold. Then last

year, the volume shot up to

450 tonnes! In Turkey, the

government encouraged

consumers to bring their

gold and save in the bank as a

collateral for loans, etc. China

is openly encouraging its

people to buy gold, which is

very different from five years

ago. This is not happening

in Malaysia – yet. Gold was

never considered a first-tier

investment, which means

zero risk, but the situation

is swiftly changing with the

central banks demonstrating

a clear interest in bringing

gold back to the financial

system.

Q. Would you consider this form of gold investment a threat to the gold jewellery business?

With more money channelled

into investment, there are

less funds available for

jewellery. Up to the year

2000, more than 70 per cent

of whatever gold was mined

had gone into jewellery.

Last year, the percentage is

only slightly above 45 per

cent. Jewellery consumption

is forecast to ease further

this year, given higher gold

prices and a slowdown in

global economic growth.

However, the loss is mitigated

by increased sales of gold

bars, wafer and coins. This

facility was always available,

just never as popular as now.

In the 90s, hardly anybody

bought gold bars over the

counter!

Q. Why is there such strong support for gold? How would you rate it as an investment instrument compared to other metals/precious stones like silver, platinum, diamonds and property?

One reason why gold is

so sought after is because

it’s very rare. As a naturally

occurring element like iron,

there is a finite amount of

gold in the world. There are

only 171,000 tonnes of gold

on the surface of the earth

as at 2011. If you melt all this

together into a cube, the

resulting mass is smaller than

a tennis court.

You could argue that

platinum is even rarer, but

gold has another property: it

is very inert. It doesn’t corrode

or rust. It isn’t easily affected

by chemicals. That’s why

whatever gold coins were

buried underneath the sea

hundreds of years ago can

Ermin Siow, Executive Director of Poh Kong Holdings Bhd

60 mbaedgeTM


”“

reasons. One, it’s widely

used in the manufacturing

industry, so there will always

be demand. Two, it is cheaper

compared to gold, so the

entry point is much lower.

Three, there is still a lot of

upside. It has come down

from its all-time high of about

RM5,000 per kg to RM3,000

now.

Silver, platinum and

diamonds are useful

alternative assets, but are very

different from gold. These are

niche investments and should

be held as a very small part of

any portfolio.

Q. What is the outlook for gold price for the next three years? Do you think the price of gold will continue to rise indefinitely?

Every investment is a risk. The

golden rule in investment is

diversify, diversify, diversify.

Broadly speaking, I would say

that there are more bullish

factors than bearish. There

is a slowdown in world GDP

growth; downturn in both

developed world and most

emerging market countries.

The implication is a loosening

of monetary policy globally.

The Eurozone debt crisis

continues in 2012, with

only slow progress towards

resolution. Short-term

interest rates in developed

world remain at ultra-low

levels throughout 2012.

Concerns about inflation, a

volatile stock market and risk

aversion among investors will

eventually drive them away

from traditional equities and

fixed income instruments, to

safer havens of investment –

like gold.

I would say the upside for

gold within the next three

years is quite good. Of

course, not everyone shares

this optimism. Investing

icon Warren Buffett said in

a speech at Harvard, “[Gold]

gets dug out of the ground

in Africa, or someplace.

Then we melt it down, dig

another hole, bury it again

and pay people to stand

around guarding it. It has no

utility. Anyone watching from

Mars would be scratching

their head.” Whatever his

reasons, you can’t argue

with numbers. If you had

invested with Buffett’s

Berkshire Hathaway between

2000 and 2010, you would

have acquired 70 per cent

returns. On the other hand,

an investment in gold for

the same period would have

netted you 600 per cent

gains!

Q. Can you explain why the retail gold price differs from the market price or newspaper report gold price?

Like most businesses,

dealers include a mark-up

to cover their costs and

profit. Depending on the

fluctuation of the market

gold price, a margin is built

in. Prior to the enforcement

of the Competition Act

this year, the Federation of

Goldsmith and Jewellers

Association of Malaysia issue

a Recommended Retail Price

(RRP). Even then, the RRP is

not mandatory. Members

can sell at different prices

if they want to. Early this

year, the Competition Act

was introduced to promote

a competitive market

environment and provide

a level playing field for all

players in the market, which

up to the year 2000, more than 70 per cent of whatever gold was mined had gone into jewellery. last year, the percentage is only slightly above 45 per cent.

within 24 hours (except

for weekends). Traditional

jewellers like Poh Kong have

so many outlets across the

country and we open seven

days a week, unlike the banks.

We also accept credit cards

and customers can go for our

easy payment scheme when

purchasing our products

whereas banks operate strictly

in cash with no instalment

facility.

Silver is another metal to

watch. It has recently gained

popularity because of several

be recovered in their original

state.

Diamonds or gold? If you’re

a first-timer, I would advise

you to buy gold first. There

is always an intrinsic value to

gold. It is not as volatile as

equities, which could drop

from RM10 to 10 sen within

a short time. The price is

transparent. When you want

to sell, you know how much

it is worth.

Gold is also easy to liquidate

and the transaction is less

of a hassle. You can do it

mbaedgeTM 61

ERMIn SIOWExecutive Director of Poh Kong Holdings Bhd and Deputy President of Federation of Goldsmiths And Jewellers Association of Malaysia (FGJAM)

62 mbaedgeTM


in the process will squash

anti-competitive practices

such as cartels and collusions.

With the introduction of the

Competition Act early this

year, FGJAM doesn’t issue an

RRP anymore.

Q. I’m interested in investing in gold. What kind of investment options are available in Malaysia?

In the past, gold investment

was largely limited to the

purchase of gold coins,

pendants and gold bars

from banks, with gold coins

being a particular favourite of

investors. Jewellers sell gold

wafers from 1g to 100g to

customers with many buying

gold wafers at least 20g

and above as investments.

Customers can also trade

in their old gold bars for

jewellery or cash. Today, more

than 10 banks in Malaysia

offer gold investment

accounts and there are more

on the horizon due to its

growing popularity.

Q. For investment purposes, is it better to buy physical gold or

open a gold investment account?

If the amount is not

significant, there’s little

difference between the two

so I wouldn’t worry about

it. One consideration when

you open a gold investment

account with, say, 1kg

of paper gold, it doesn’t

necessarily mean that your

investment is backed by 1kg

of physical gold in the bank.

That’s because in Malaysia,

most banks hold the gold

on an unallocated basis,

which means that you are

not guaranteed of an equal

exchange for metal in the

event of a run on the issuer’s

gold on deposit.

Q. What are the prospects in the gold and jewellery industry?

The gold jewellery industry,

like other sectors, offers

good prospects for the

enterprising. But like most

industries in globalised 21st

century, you must have size,

purchasing power, and image

clout. Money makes money,

so you’ll need to come in

big. A small outfit will not

have purchasing power. An

established name is a must,

or else the big malls won’t let

you in. And when it comes

to retail, good location is

everything.

Q. What are prerequisites for fresh graduates who wish to enter the gold and gold jewellery industry?

Start from retail because it’s

the best training and learning

ground. Jewellery is one field

where you must learn hands-

on. Attitude is as important

as your qualifications. In

retail, you need to socialise,

be comfortable dealing

”“ i would say the upside

for gold within the next three years is quite good. of course, not everyone shares this optimism.

mbaedgeTM 63

with customers, and be

trustworthy. I would

recommend taking up a

supplementary course in

gemology. The nearest place

you can get a diploma in

gemology is in Thailand.

In Malaysia, you can do a

correspondence course with

GIA (Gemology Institute of

America). Poh Kong has sent

our brightest talents overseas

for gemology courses. More

than 10 long-time workers

have left and set up their

own companies. Eventually,

I believe that most people

want to be their own boss.

Q. Safe storage is an issue for those who prefer to buy physical gold. What are some solutions?

A safe is the ideal place to

store gold as it can provide

protection against theft

or fire. Many companies

and financial institutions

provide safe storage facilities

for valuables, although for

convenience, it may be

worth to consider installing a

fireproof personal household

safe.

Q. How do you tell fake gold from real gold?

Not all that glitters is gold.

To tell if the chunk of

yellow metal is real, fake

or adulterated, measure its

density with a densitometer,

which is easily available.

The density of pure gold,

19.3 grammes/cm3, is much

higher than most other

metals. For the layman, you

can start with identifying

gold’s attributes: real gold

does not rust and the item

should be heavy for its size.

Gold is not ferro-magnetic, so

it is not attracted by magnets,

although not fool proof as

other metals and alloys have

similar property. The best way

to assess your gold jewellery

is to take it to a reputable

jewellery store and have them

do it for you; they can also

assess its purity.

It is advisable to buy gold

only from registered or

authorised dealers and obtain

the necessary certification or

authentication to safeguard

its value and our investment.

ME

Gold Fast

Facts

What is gold?

Gold is one of the most stable chemical

elements and may be found in free elemental

form in nature as nuggets, grains, or particles

dispersed in rock veins and alluvial deposits.

Less commonly, it occurs in minerals as gold

compounds, and requires some processing to

extract it. Gold cannot be manufactured and

its finite quantity on earth means that it gets

depleted over time. Gold is used in manufacturing,

electronics, and artefacts of high intrinsic value

such as jewellery and financial instrument due to

its rarity, workability and durability.

What are the different grades of gold?

You have pure gold – also known as 24K gold

or 99.99, which refers to the percentage of gold;

22K or 916 gold; 18K or 750 which is chiefly

used in white gold, gold watches and gold pens.

Below that you have 14K and 9K but they are

not so popular.

Graphic Credits: traderdannorcini.blogspot.com

64 mbaedgeTM

The Premier Postgradaute Magazine in MalaysiaME Advertorial

mbaedgeTM 65

Lenny Chiah has more than 20 years in the media and advertising industry. She believes in continuous learning and loves to impart knowledge gleaned from her long experience in the field.

Rodney Toh is the founder of Kim & Kerrie Sdn Bhd, an e-Book publishing solution provider and pioneer in the field in Malaysia.

opinions and behaviours

with different sets of values,

needs and expectations.

Therefore, conflicting views

are bound to happen with

each individual or team

wanting to achieve their own

goals within a limited supply

of resources.

R: What are these “limited resources”?

L: An organisation always has

limited resources in the form

of tangible assets like the 4

Ms. The first ‘M’ is Manpower,

then, Material, like company

cars, iPads, iPhones and

bigger office space. Also,

Money, like salary increments,

bonuses and incentives. The

last ‘M’ is Machinery, like

Positive

Politicsas the Best Practice in the workplaceRODNEY TOH iNTERviEwED LENNY CHiAH DuRiNg A sTAgE iNTERviEw sEssiON ON 26/8/2012 (suNDAY) DuRiNg THE POPuLAR BOOk FEsT AT kLCC, ENgLisH PAviLiON

Rodney (R): Please define politics in the workplace.

Lenny (L): In general, Politics

is the use of one’s power to

influence others to achieve

a set of goals and benefits

for individual, team or the

organisation as a whole. In

a nutshell, Politics is using

power and influence to get

what we want.

R: Why are there politics in the organisation or workplace?

L: There is a multitude

of people with different

and diverse interests,

backgrounds, beliefs,

Lenny Chiah

66 mbaedgeTM


office systems and hardware

to get jobs done.

And intangible assets like

status, job power distribution,

control of information

flow, career advancement,

job promotion, and even

rewarding or prestigious

assignments like being given

overseas trips or blue-chip

clients to service.

Therefore, these resource

limitations always lead

to power struggles,

unfortunately, with negative

tactics like misrepresentation

of facts, downplaying

others, abusive handling of

the promotion and reward

system for your blue-

eyed boys or pets, unfair

practices of hiring and firing

procedures.

R: You talked about Negative Politics and Positive Politics. What are the differences?

L: Manipulating and

competing for limited

resources by a self-serving

individual at the expense of

others or the organisation is

Negative Politics.

R: Please give me some examples.

L: Credit claiming for example,

the credit thief who steals

other’s good works. Or pass

the buck and blame others

for mistakes.

Like in the case of the

corruptive leadership

game by Enron’s tactic of

Impression Management,

through distorting

information and suppressing

bad news about company’s

performance, thus resulting in

wrong decisions being made,

leading to the downfall of the

company.

Some other negative cases

were witnessed in the recent

London Olympic Games.

We noted some game fixing

or manipulations, doping

etc. with the objective to

win, but at the expense of

the individual as well as

the country’s image and

reputation.

R: What about Positive

Mr Rodney Toh, the interviewer, and Lenny Chiah, the respondent on stage

Office politics the use of one's individual or assigned power within an employing organization for the purpose of obtaining advantages beyond one's legitimate authority.

mbaedgeTM 67

Lenny Chiah answering questions from the floor. The pendrive inventor, Datuk K.S. Phua, is behind Lenny.

68 mbaedgeTM


industry.

Positive outcomes can be

rewarding. Playing it well

can help us to surpass any

academic qualifications,

expertise, personality,

characteristics and

intelligence.

You really don’t need to be a

PhD holder to get promoted

etc. Other outcomes are like

win-win or multi-wins, faster

decision making, better team

work and performances

which are good for

individuals, teams as well as

the organisations.

For me, I strongly advocate

Positive Politics as the best

practice of organisational

culture. It is all about good

working relationships and

communication.

R: When a company emphasises zero tolerance for office politics, does this mean that the absence of negative politics is positive politics?

L: I believe you are referring

to Intel as one of the Best

Companies to work for in

Fortune Magazine list. I

guess what they meant was

probably the negative office

politics.

I personally believe that

there is no such thing as

“No politics”, that’s a very

academic concept.

As long as there is power

and influence, there will be

politics. If I understand it well,

Intel believes in the open

office concept, even the

CEO had no office. Literally,

Politics? Could you tell us more about it?

L: Cooperating and

competing for limited

resources for the common

good or greater good of the

team or the organisation is

considered positive politics.

One such positive example

was also during the recent

Olympic Games, in which,

after winning over our

Datuk Lee Chong Wei, the

Olympic Gold medallist,

Lin Dan humbly said that

he had to thank Datuk Lee

for his superb performance

which had spurred Lin Dan

himself to upgrade his skill to

perform even better to win

the gold medal.

Overall, the super match

of the century had indeed

upgraded the overall

standard of the badminton

nothing behind closed doors,

as there is no room and so

no door.

But just by having an open

office structure doesn’t mean

there are no office politics. As

I mentioned earlier, politics is

all about human relationships

and communication. It is also

about having proper systems

like reward, promotion, hiring

and firing procedures and

many other human resource

functions in fair and good

order. So that nobody can

take advantage of what is

lacking or the imperfection of

these things by interpreting

and dictating their own rules

in accordance with their own

agenda.

R: You have worked for or cooperated with many different organisations

I strongly advocate Positive Politics as the best practice of organisational culture. It is all about good working relationships and communication.

Mr Lai Sing Siang, Advisor of HELP University, being asked about the application of “Jungle Warware” to “Office Politics”

mbaedgeTM 69

and have seen many cases of negative politics at work. Could you share with us on how to change these negative politics to positive politics?

L: For leaders, set the

constructive and positive

political tone as effective

organisational culture for

the healthy growth of the

organisation. Organisational

culture is a direct reflection

of the leader’s values and

character.

For individuals, if you are still

climbing up the corporate

ladder, the first rule and the

most golden one is that when

we have nothing nice to say,

it’s best not to say anything,

don’t just say something

for the sake of saying it.

Otherwise, the things that

you say will come back to

haunt you. Sure, we can be

good listeners, especially

when people gossip or

bitch about somebody. It’s

important to make peace and

be friends with others as it is

said that if we don’t spend

5% of our time building up

relationships, we are doing

something very wrong for our

career indeed.

Next thing to remember is

that we do have a choice

to protect or to defend

ourselves in office politics.

Usually, our most immediate

reaction is either Fight or

Flight.

“Fight” tactic is not

encouraged. Because if

we fight, we will create

even more tension,

misunderstanding and

resistance, and thus

worsening the conflicts, as

the other side will sure to

oppose every thing we say or

suggest simply for retaliation

or saving face.

“Flight” or evasive tactic is

also not encouraged, as we

would be seen as indifferent,

unmotivated and lacking the

ability to cooperate and to

solve the conflict. Therefore,

we can fail as a problem

solver. Most importantly, we

unintentionally let others

who could be very much less

capable, less experienced

or less hardworking than us

to take advantage and to

manipulate and to influence

decisions in our absence.

These decisions can either

make or break our career.

Whenever there is a budget

cut, people with this type of

“Flight” or evasive attitude

will usually be the first on

the chopping board. This is

a survival game of the fittest.

Perception can always be a

reality. Therefore, we need to

be known for our capabilities

and must have the backbone

to stand up to defend our

career and our reputation.

Remember, we are hired for

what we know, but get fired

for who we are.

R: Both these two tactics (Fight & Flight) are equally unhealthy for career advancement or even our health. What is the positive approach to handling negative politics?

L: Well, we know that bosses

with sound minds would

not choose someone

who is bitchy, emotional,

who complains and fights

all the time, or someone

“Fight” tactic is not encouraged. Because if we fight, we will create even more tension, misunderstanding and resistance . . .

70 mbaedgeTM


who takes the flight tactic

and is perceived as being

uninterested all the time.

What the bosses want to see

is someone who is mature,

strategic and is capable

enough to be a problem

solver, or a bridge builder and

a mediator to take charge

of conflicts and to initiate

open communication to

value every one’s unique

needs and goals, opinions

and contributions. for a

multi-win solution. Even if

we are the star performers,

we must still remain positive,

so that we can make it easy

for our bosses to champion

us for a new challenging

and rewarding job, or for a

promotion.

R: How about the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Wouldn’t you give others the benefit of a doubt?

L: Yes, do not think of

only the negative side of

people’s behaviours. This

is self-defeating if we keep

thinking of the differences

in each other’s opinions.

It’s better that we focus on

the overall objective of the

organisation which is to grow

and sustain the business.

Be strategic, open-minded,

respect different opinions

by being more pragmatic

and less idealistic, because

ideology can deter us from

understanding the needs and

opinions of others. When the

organisation does not win,

we also do not win. When

everyone does not win, but

only our competitors win,

then the organisation cannot

survive well.

R: So is there ever a “win-win” situation?

L: Yes, from school days,

we were given the idea of

“win-lose” tactics especially in

sports and any competitions

as there was only one place

for the champion. So when

you win, I have to lose. But

this is not so at all in our

work place today. We have

to practise win-win, and

learn how to be diplomatic

in giving face to others, so

that people don’t look bad.

It’s ok to be the first to eat the

humble pie as long as we can

get things done.

Also, we may not be the

champion, but at least we

can be the winner. Like in

the earlier mentioned case

of the champion Lin Dan’s

high accolades of our Datuk

Lee Chong Wei. Obviously,

Datuk Lee is truly a winner for

his superb performance and

great sportsmanship.

R: In a scenario where a co-worker is not part of a group and the group gangs up against him, what would be your

Office politics is a major issue in business because the individuals who manipulate their working relationships consume time and resources for their own gain at the expense of the team or company.

mbaedgeTM 71

advice to him or her?

L: Well, my advice is to leave

the group, and join another

group of people who respect

you and share the same

interests. Focus on the things

you do best. Consult them

always for any problems. The

adage “birds of a feather flock

together” still holds true. So if

you still can’t beat the devils,

join them. It is important that

we should keep our friends

close, but keep our enemies

even closer!

One more advice, do not

have all your emotional eggs

in one basket. Do know some

Risk Sharing Management.

Therefore, it’s very important

to have a balanced life

beyond work, as beloved

family and good friends are

our safe harbours whenever

we are sailing in the stormy

seas of office politics.

Under all circumstances,

never present ourselves as

victims.

Be a mental warrior. Other

than EQ, IQ, SQ and AQ, we

must also have PQ. The P

is for Politics, so it’s Politics

Quotient, PQ. Meaning that

we need to do our very

best always even if we can’t

change the outcome. But at

least others can see that we

react positively and maturely.

In a way, it’s a self-branding

opportunity too. Good

for career advancement.

Remember, the more we

climb up the corporate

ladder, the more PQ we

should have to convince

others and to beat the rest to

win the race.

R: At what point is it worth considering changing jobs/career due to negative politics?

L: Office politics is

everywhere. It’s like the air

we breathe in, either fresh

or stale. So unless there

is a better prospect and

also that we have enough

management or business

skills for us to go over to

the other so-called greener

pastures, we can’t be job

hopping all the time simply

because we fail to handle the

negative office politics.

R: What are some of these management or business skills you have just mentioned ?

L: Well, whether we survive or

fail to survive office politics,

we do unknowingly acquire

some of these transferable

skills like interpersonal skills,

impression management,

communications, negotiation,

stakeholder management as

well as other general skills

like social networking in the

process. These are truly career

survival skills that should help

us to build up our immunity

to notorious attacks or to

In the workplace, where resources are limited, individuals have an incentive to achieve their goals at the expense of their colleagues.

72 mbaedgeTM


help outdo and outwit those

office politic players. These

players have many names like

Drama Queen, Hell Warden,

Toxic King, Office Psycho and

whatnot.

R: Some will say that office politics is always bad. What are your thoughts on this?

L: Well, I think whoever

says this could actually be

the office politics players

themselves. I would like to

reiterate that as long as we

want to get our jobs done

smoothly and get ahead,

we really must have good

working relationships and

cooperation from all related

parties. To create this good

relationship, we must

practise politics, of course in

a positive and ethical way.

Even though we might not

do it actively or proactively,

many a time, subconsciously,

we are actually doing it. And

also, very often, someone

we respect and admire

greatly might have practised

their positive politics tactics

naturally and subtly without

us realising it. Or in most

cases, someone who can

appear to be very supportive

and appreciative is actually

very toxic and is working

very hard to undermine or

sabotage our plans, efforts,

reputation and career.

And to safeguard our

career, one should not be

naïve to always think that

we should be judged on

merit, performance and

contributions only. Much

more is needed than these

factors alone to protect

ourselves from any negative

office politics.

R: What are your parting thoughts to those facing some of these challenges of negative politics in the workplace?

L: Office politics is natural,

it is like the cockroach that

will survive after a million

years or even after an atomic

bomb or a weapon of mass

destruction. We just have to

get on board or get left out,

but always for positive and

constructive reasons. If we do

not practise positive politics,

the outcome is like this

image: instead of seeing light

at the end of the tunnel, we

see only the oncoming train

towards us. Do not let this

kind of destruction to spoil

any of our successful chances

for ourselves as well as for the

organisation ! ME

Co-worker backstabbing occurs to some degree in many workplaces. It consists of an employee doing something to another employee to get a "leg up" on the other employee.

mbaedgeTM 73

DEXTER LIM & W.T. KAM

RM500 BONUS OFFER!CHECK OUT THE FIRST PAGE OF THE BOOK NOW! For every book purchased, get RM500 off our Property Fast Track Seminar! Log onto www.PropertyFastTrack.comwww.facebook.com/FinanciallyFreeThroughProperties

Start from 0! 3 Years to A RM10 Million Property Portfolio“The tale of Dexter’s property investment journey from 0 to A 10 million property

portfolio in three years following his partner-cum-mentor Kam’s Property Fast Track

method. Simple, duplicate-able, and the fast track way to increase his portfolio. This

young man, in a struggling Superman small business with only RM2,400 left in his

savings with a RM10,000 credit card debt, bought a below market property with all

of his life savings and creative financing; and doubled up his property portfolio every

year and reached RM10 milion in just three years. In this book, he shares with you

all the details that make up his deals, and how Kam’s training and mentorship has

guided him to where he is today. Here, he talks about how he:Purchased all properties with little or no-money down

• Consistently doubled-up his portfolio every year following

• a simple game planAll properties generating Rental returns of minimum 6% to 17%

• Created a RM10 million portfolio

• Infinity returns on all deals purchased

• Low risk property investment methods”

•

“It is an interesting read to see how Dexter and Natalie journeyed from 0 to a RM10 million property

portfolio in three years by staying focused, persistent, following some simple steps, and duplicating

the process again and again. What W.T. Kam taught has really benefited this young couple. And it’ll

inspire a lot of our youths today to make a difference in their lives by investing in properties.”

by Y.B. Senator Dato’IR Donald Lim, Deputy Finance Minister of Malaysia.A light read with a POWERFUL impact! Make sure you take the time to read this book and apply

the strategies! Dexter reminds me of myself when I got started. Young. Hungry. Willing to do

whatever it takes. Dexter truly believes in enlightened wealth and has an incredible future. I’m

honoured to be able to make this contribution to this incredible book and I’m excited for all those

who take the time to read it and apply the strategies that it contains. Bear hugs to you, Robert G. AllenInternational Multi-Bestselling AuthorCreating Wealth, Multiple Streams of Income, Multiple Streams of Internet Income, Nothing Down,

Nothing Down for Women, One Minute Millionaire, Cracking the Millionaire Code, and Cash In A Flash.

DEXTER LIM & W.T. KAMwww.PropertyFastTrack.com

3 Years to a RM10 millionProperty Portfolio9 789675 945175

ISBN 978-967-5945-17-5

Bonus Voucher

worth RM500!

Details inside

Start from Zero Book Cover 01 - Final.indd 1

9/5/2012 11:10:49 PM

DEXTER LIM & W.T. KAMRM500 BONUS OFFER!CHECK OUT THE FIRST PAGE OF THE BOOK NOW! For every book purchased, get RM500 off our Property Fast Track Seminar! Log onto www.PropertyFastTrack.comwww.facebook.com/FinanciallyFreeThroughProperties

Start from 0! 3 Years to A RM10 Million Property Portfolio“The tale of Dexter’s property investment journey from 0 to A 10 million property portfolio in three years following his partner-cum-mentor Kam’s Property Fast Track method. Simple, duplicate-able, and the fast track way to increase his portfolio. This young man, in a struggling Superman small business with only RM2,400 left in his savings with a RM10,000 credit card debt, bought a below market property with all of his life savings and creative financing; and doubled up his property portfolio every year and reached RM10 milion in just three years. In this book, he shares with you all the details that make up his deals, and how Kam’s training and mentorship has guided him to where he is today. Here, he talks about how he:

Purchased all properties with little or no-money down• Consistently doubled-up his portfolio every year following • a simple game planAll properties generating Rental returns of minimum 6% to 17%• Created a RM10 million portfolio• Infinity returns on all deals purchased• Low risk property investment methods”•

“It is an interesting read to see how Dexter and Natalie journeyed from 0 to a RM10 million property portfolio in three years by staying focused, persistent, following some simple steps, and duplicating the process again and again. What W.T. Kam taught has really benefited this young couple. And it’ll inspire a lot of our youths today to make a difference in their lives by investing in properties.” by Y.B. Senator Dato’IR Donald Lim, Deputy Finance Minister of Malaysia.

A light read with a POWERFUL impact! Make sure you take the time to read this book and apply the strategies! Dexter reminds me of myself when I got started. Young. Hungry. Willing to do whatever it takes. Dexter truly believes in enlightened wealth and has an incredible future. I’m honoured to be able to make this contribution to this incredible book and I’m excited for all those who take the time to read it and apply the strategies that it contains. Bear hugs to you, Robert G. AllenInternational Multi-Bestselling AuthorCreating Wealth, Multiple Streams of Income, Multiple Streams of Internet Income, Nothing Down, Nothing Down for Women, One Minute Millionaire, Cracking the Millionaire Code, and Cash In A Flash.

DEXTER LIM & W.T. KAMwww.PropertyFastTrack.com

3 Years to a RM10 millionProperty Portfolio

9 789675 945175

ISBN 978-967-5945-17-5

Bonus Voucher

worth RM500!

Details inside

Start from Zero Book Cover 01 - Final.indd 1 9/5/2012 11:10:49 PM

Another BEST SELLING Publication by Penerbit

Wawasan Nusa (M) Sdn BhdAvailable in bookstores

nationwide!

ISBN 978-967-5945-17-5

74 mbaedgeTM


Documents

MBA edge Postgraduate Studies