Azman Hashim International Business School (AHIBS), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) had organized AHIBS Action Research Challenge 2020 (AARC2020) on 17th July 2020 via a virtual platform, Webex. The event was to provide a platform for academics, Master of Business Administration (MBA) students and industry partners to share their experiences and research.
Residential fellowship grant from Azman Hashim Foundation was established in 2019 to facilitate academic development across AHIBS MBA students. Following that, the event aimed to enhance cooperation between AHIBS UTM and industry partners through joined-research activities. With this newly established approach towards the AHIBS MBA programmes, students’ postgraduate projects are enhanced by translating theory into practice.
AARC2020 began with a forum on ‘New Outlook of Academia-Industry Collaboration’ by featuring AHIBS adjunct professors, Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy (Group Strategy Director, Lion Air Group) and Dr. James Tee (Managing Director Southern Region, Tropicana Corporation), and MBA student Mr. Kumarasen Ravichandran (winner of the ‘Pitch For Funding 2019’) while being moderated by a Senior Lecturer Tn. Hj Slae Zaiful Hasmi Hj. Hashim. The forum has given the audience insights on the importance of collaborative efforts from academia and industries that benefitted the students and the industries.
For this inaugural AARC2020, 19 MBA students presented their research findings in the areas of business management, economics, accounting and finance, information technology, marketing and entrepreneurship, and human resources. The participants were assigned into four breakout rooms to share their research with panels among AHIBS adjuncts, industry partners and academics. Four winners were chosen from each of the breakout rooms.
The whole event was successful as an interdisciplinary platform for students, academics and industry partners to present and discuss their latest innovations, trends, issues, and challenges facing by industries.
The event has contributed towards the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for Stakeholder Perspective (P3: Transformative Student Experience) in producing first-class human capital at UTM and SDG 8 on Decent Growth and Economic Growth. Congratulations to the academic team for the job well done.
Prepared by: Tn. Hj Slae Zaiful Hasmi Hj. Hashim
