VIRTUAL TOUR
2021
21 AprA business education at UCSI. It matters – here’s why.
Diversity is an ongoing conundrum for all sorts of workplaces in every industry, which makes it of relevance for business schools.
Are the educators succeeding in practising what they teach?
The Pew Research Center stated that the coronavirus outbreak has dramatically transformed the way many work across the globe. A significant shift in work culture happened as businesses were forced to shut down their offices.
Over 70% employed adults particularly in the US, according to Pew, have been working from home since the outbreak of the pandemic. However, there is a clear divide between qualifications. Those without a bachelor’s degree qualification or the lower-income workers suffer as they are unable to benefit from telework.
This situation, again, emphasises on the importance of quality education that is both sustainable and equitable not just to individuals but to the overall contribution to the global economic growth.
Providing an education that is meaningful, which would create an impact to students and communities is what UCSI University’s Faculty of Business and Management (FBM) stands for.
“The Faculty’s vision encompasses three aspects: social science research, academic innovation and engagement to practice. Hence, we are building a sustainable praxis faculty where graduates can look forward to getting premium jobs with business providers, venture into start-ups and also enrol in our Master’s and PhD programmes,” Dean of FBM, Associate Professor Dr Pek Chuen Khee said.
The unique approach that FBM has is that it has its own set of values, namely, empathy, inclusivity and diversity. Its values are within the framework of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and user-centrism. More than anything, its emphasis is on empathy. As to how business is related to empathy, it is all about understanding the needs of users.
“Empathy can also be applied in the case of students where their lecturers become like the users when they prepare a paper or assignment. Essentially, students have to write in line with the requirements of the lecturers. In this way, they need to comprehend what the lecturers want and tune their work accordingly,” Dr Pek said.
Top 300 in the world
Recently the Faculty was ranked in the 251-300 bracket for Business and Management Studies according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021. Dr Pek said that the favourable rankings was due to the vast improvement in research publications as well as the employer’s recognition of graduates in terms of their skill sets. Additionally, it is because of the Faculty’s vision which is in line with the needs of the country.
“With regards to the rankings, we are thrilled on our achievement as we have put in a lot of effort in writing impactful academic papers, working on research with business applications, teaching quality, academic innovation and also employers and alumni networks. However, we hope to rise higher. The rankings are indeed a good indicator for students, parents and employers alike to benchmark ourselves against other universities,” he said.
Dr Pek also indicated that the impact of the rankings on the Faculty is that it is an impetus to strive to the next level or bracket while encouraging the staff to do more research which has practical applications.
Despite the faculty’s rise in rankings, Dr Pek has further aspirations for the Faculty. To him, digitalisation is the key in terms of processes, teaching methods and facilities such as labs. Secondly, there has to be more industrial and alumni partnerships. Of importance is mentoring or coaching students which play a large part in their academic development.
Student exposure to top companies
The faculty, being one of the largest in UCSI, has established partnerships and professional collaborations with some of the world’s leading companies to ensure its students receive the right exposure and training on the industry’s best practices.
By doing so, many students are absorbed as full time staff at these companies. Today, students from the faculty have moved on to work in various companies such as PwC, KPMG, DHL, HSBC and Public Bank to name a few.
In the Co-operative Education Report 2018/2019 (Edition 15), 98% of employees polled that they would like to rehire UCSI’s interns. This is indicative that UCSI trains and produces some of the best minds to drive the global economy to greater heights.
“It is our ambition to be one of the leading business and management faculties in the country while having design thinking as a teaching pedagogy. Design thinking is more of a mind-set where we use innovative ideas to come up with business solutions. These solutions can be used by people of all ages. Hence, design thinking is more of a thinking tool, “said Dr Pek.
FBM offers a wide range of programmes from actuarial science, business management, logistics, marketing and finance, to entrepreneurship, among others.
For more details, visit http://bit.ly/enquiry_business_3 or contact 03-9101 8882/011-3592 0893. The university will be hosting its Enrolment Day on April 24-25.
