AHIBS Won Academic Quality Award at UTM Citra Karisma 2020

Nabilah Zaini

The commitment for quality business education at Azman Hashim International Business School (AHIBS), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has been recognized in the recent event, UTM Citra Karisma 2020. AHIBS competed against other faculties and was chosen by the judges based on several stringent criteria.

AHIBS offers academic programs with the direct involvement of well-known industry partners. AHIBS’s latest achievement is to become the Top Business School in Malaysia and has jumped the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking position from 201-250 to 121-150.

The culmination of AHIBS’s achievements is the success of appointing well-known Malaysian industry figures such as Tan Sri Vincent Tan, Tan Sri Tony Fernandez and more through the establishment of AHIBS Advisory Council (AAC) and Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) which aim to boost industry collaboration in business education delivery towards becoming the No.1 business school in ASEAN by 2025.

The combination of three academic interventions called Influential Leaders Collaboration Innovation (ILCI) is the first in UTM and made the university as the only public higher learning institutions (IPTA) that has such a combination of AAC, IAP and Board of Study (BOS) aimed at strengthening academic quality through collaborative innovation with industry partners, improve reputation, student employability, research, and income generation, with the concept of “fundraising and friendraising”. ILCI also plays a role in expanding the corporate and geographical reach of AHIBS.

The establishment of AAC as an advisor to AHIBS serves to provide advice and serious attention on national and global direct issues including direction, operations and strategic management, as well as continuity to enhance delivery in business education to stay relevant in the ever-changing business environment. The AAC is chaired by Tan Sri Azman Hashim.

The implementation of IAP is different from other UTM faculties which is aimed at improving academic quality based on the direct experience of industry partners from various economic clusters. The thematic concepts were implemented based on discussion themes identified through benchmarking from world leading business schools and input of AAC meeting results. The IAP is chaired by the Vice Chancellor of UTM.

BOS is implemented according to the needs of the academic program to be improved with a comprehensive discussion of the program curriculum. BOS that is chaired by the Dean of AHIBS, consists of industry partners, AHIBS professors/lecturers and external professors. ILCI’s sustainability will continue to be strengthened with the intervention of Alumni Advisory Panel (AAP) and Action Research Senators (ARS) by 2020.

Congratulations AHIBS for this achievement!!

Special credit to the teams led by Dr. Norasnita Ahmad (ADQS), AP Dr. Rohaida Basiruddin (TDA KL), Dr. Noriza Mohd. Jamal (TDA JB), Dr. Nazimah Hussin, AP Dr. Norhayati Zakwan, Dr. Suraya Miskon, Dr. Aniza Othman (Head of Departments), and Prof. Dr. Nur Naha Abu Mansor (Dean).