Case Teaching and Research Seminar by Prof Dr Jeffrey Shay

From 11 to 13 December 2012, I have attended the Case Teaching and Research Seminar taught by Prof Dr Jeff Shay. It was interesting to be able to discover new ways of teaching and learning through a case study method and new venues for publications. Although I have been involved with the writing of case studies for quite some time, being able to sit in a room full of people with the same interest was just exciting. And the knowledge shared by Jeff gained mostly by his years and years of experiences had made this training valuable at least to me.

Tuesdays with Morrie

Tuesdays with Morrie shares the final lesson between a college professor, Morrie, and one of his students and the author of the book, Mitch Albom. Having been busy with the demands in life, the author somehow lost contact with Morrie who used to be his most favorite professor during his college days. However, the relationship was reconnected when he accidently saw Morrie in an interview on the show "Nightline." Watching Morrie stricken with ALS disease, the author was suddenly reminded of his promise made sixteen years ago to keep in touch with his professor. That was the start of his last lessons of 14 consecutive Tuesdays with Morrie. Why Tuesday, you might wonder. It is because Morrie's classes were always on Tuesdays. As you read the book, you will become emotionally attached to Morrie and his determination to not surrender to his disease and die in vain. His expertise is on Human Relations and until the day he died, he continued to share his knowledge and aspirations with people around him. If you have the time, read the book. It will be worth your while.

“As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed as ignorant as you were at twenty-two, you'd always be twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It's growth. It's more than the negative that you're going to die, it's the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it. ” Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie

Piled Higher and Deeper

When I did my PhD, I was introduced to a website dedicated in producing comic strips on the life of a graduate student . The comic strips, although funny, closely resemble the situations commonly faced by most graduate students. Therefore, if you have the time, you might want to check it out.. http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/aboutcomics.html

Source: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=124

The Perfect Imperfections

As I was browsing and managing my emails this morning, I had come across this simple, but interesting quote.

" Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism." by David M. Burns

I believe that this is very true. Life is not meant to be perfect. Life is just life...full of ups and downs, laughters and tears, successes and failures. And those are the very reasons why we so treasure it, the imperfections that make it so perfect.

A Round of Applause for FEMSA

On 22 September 2012, a number of students of Faculty of Economics and Management Student Association (FEMSA) embarked in a journey worth a lifetime. On that particular day, these students, regardless of their busy schedules, had volunteered to conduct a motivational session with the orphans and the less fortunate students ranged from Year 3 to Year 6 from Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Sekamat (SKSS), Kajang. Throughout the session, I had witnessed a selfless act by these FEMSA facilitators. The shared laughter and even tears during that one-day session have indeed created a special bond between the younger ones and their big brothers and sisters. I hope there will be more of similar types of activities conducted by our students. To the committee member of FEMSA 2011/12, I would like to congratulate you for a job well done. Thank you for spending some time with these kids. And thank you for sharing your heart with them.

New Way of Communicating

I was just doing my work yesterday, finishing the Felda presentation, marking the caselets prepared by the RSOG Associates that I am also responsible for, meeting the students under my supervision, etc. and my eyes happened to gaze at several cards given by my students. I was thinking on how to actually convey my thanks to them for the lovely cards..the easiest way. And suddenly I had an idea...On my notice board now, I put a section where I can actually put notes to my students. If you happen to pass my door, just look at it. Maybe the message is for you...

Again..New Semester..

Life moves on. It is now Semester I 2012-2013. As I have often told my students, it is not only about getting good grades, but also about learning. A CGPA that states a 4.0 but is only earned by memorizing the facts and not understanding them may not be worth a lot in the eyes of your future employers. Life in a university is meant to teach you about relationships, responsibilities, and many more. Get to know your friends and your lecturers. Learn from them and do not be shy to share your own knowledge or experience with them. At the same time, do not forget to enjoy yourself. I therefore take this opportunity to welcome all the students in my classes - MGM3113, MGM 4124, and GSM5101. I hope we will be able to learn TOGETHER.

HR Talk for GSM5500 July 2012

The new rule of the Graduate School of Management has required a practitioner to be called in for a talk every trimester. I am thrilled by this of course. Personally, any efforts to bridge the industry and the academic are always welcomed and appreciated. This trimester, the speaker was En Ramli Atan from Petronas Leadership Centre. It had been a good session that attracted interesting questions from the audience. In terms of the Centre, I am very grateful for their commitment up to a point that three speakers actually came instead of one. Wow! Thank you also to En Mohamed Rosli Abd Hamid and En Mohd Fuad Ahmad for the information shared. As for the students, thank you for making the time to come. I hope you gained a lot from the talk.

Latest Initiative by CWAM

Message from the President

CWAM was established in 1986 after some members from the first few workshops on case writing felt that there was a need for such an association. They valued the skills that had been imparted by the trainer and felt strongly the need for an organized movement to generate and enhance the use of local management cases.

Trainers and educationists in management who use cases for their choice of pedagogy see the need for good and effective cases. They also know that to use cases from text books which in most cases are foreign, are not an ideal situation. Translating them into a local scenario would not be easy and appropriate either. However, many use it as the last resort.

Since its establishment, our main objective is still to increase the number of Malaysian cases to be used for education and training. This is done through conducting workshops and seminars on case writing and related activities so as to increase the number of skilled case-writers. With an increased number and the right incentives, we feel that they can then start on a journey to write cases that are relevant to their needs.

It also took quite a while for the local academic institutions to recognize case writing as an academic exercise. But slowly and surely, most university authorities have finally acknowledged and have given it due recognition. Today cases are found in many management journals and there are some journals which solely cater for cases.

CWAM has been conducting Case writing workshops regularly through its public programmes or upon institutional requests. Our drive to increase memberships through graduates from such workshops will continue and hopefully will assist in making the overall objective a success. We also invite writers/trainers to submit written cases and if they are approved, they will be included in our list for sharing with potential users. The details are in our 'publication and services' icon of this website. Publication of case texts in the form of a book or a journal will be considered in our next phase of development.

Source: http://www.cwam.org.my/

The latest CWAM initiative is a Case writing Workshop 2012 to be held in September and October. If you are a person who like to combine academic writing and short story writing, then perhaps you should consider attending this workshop. Kindly cut and paste this link https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzSx6-3BKR2yS2NMU1BGLUxNUmM for the registration form.

The Srory of Sugar and Salt

I was in a middle of training yesterday when suddenly the conversation I had with the participants reminded me of a story told by my father. All these years, that story still continues to have an impression on me although I doubt it was written anywhere. I guess it was just a story that my father conjured up in his mind. He is good at those...inventing stories. I thought it is nice to finally share the story. According to my father, ‘Long ago there was a girl that lives in a village. One day, her father gave her two similar bowls with two equal amounts of coins for a simple task to buy sugar and salt. While making her way to the shop, she suddenly realized that she was not sure of which coin was meant to buy the sugar, and which coin was for the salt. She then ran home and asked her father about it. Her father said 'You can use either one my child. They are the same.' Satisfied, she started to walk back to the shop. Along the way, she again became confused on which bowl she would need to put the sugar and which bowl was for the salt. Again, she went home and asked her father. And again her father said,’ You can use either one my child. They are the same.' Feeling comforted by the father's assurance, she made her way back to the shop. On her way, another thought suddenly dawned on her. She did not know which hand should she used to hold the bowl of sugar, and which hand should she used to hold the bowl of salt. For the third time she ran back to the house. Her father told her once again, 'You can use either one my child. They are the same.' Only after that she managed to finally arrive at the shop and made her purchases. What is the morale of this story? Well, for me it is about being confident and independent in making decisions. But of course you might think differently. All I can say is that the story has been with me for a long time. Although it is not famous, it still has a very deep meaning to me. Thank you abah…for sharing with me the story.

Be Seeing You.

At the end of every semester, I will always feel a bit blue, saddened by the end of my classes, saddened by not seeing the familiar faces of my students. Well, time moves on. Next semester will be another adventure. To all my students, I hope success will always be yours one day. No matter how bad the situations are, please remember that the true hero is and always be within you. Believe in yourself and you will be able to fly.

There's a hero, If you look inside your heart, You don't have to be afraid, Of what you are, There's an answer, If you reach into your soul, And the sorrow that you know, Will melt away. And then a hero comes along, With the strength to carry on, And you cast your fears aside, And you know you can survive, So when you feel like hope is gone, Look inside you and be strong, And you'll finally see the truth, That a hero lies in you."

Hero by Mariah Carey.

A Teacher at Heart.

Tuan Haji Yaakob Ibrahim started his journey with UPM in 1981. Since then, he has been friends, teachers and mentors to many. His passion in teaching and learning is what drives him to contribute to this university for more than 30 years. As for me, he is a living example of what knowledge sharing is all about. He is a people-oriented leader by heart and that is what makes his teaching in Human Resource and Organizational Behavior believable and real. Thank you Tuan Haji for your selfless efforts all these years although in truth, no words would be enough to express my appreciation.

"If we fail to get something that we want, don't look back and regret." Tn Hj Yaakob, 08 May 2012.

Thank You Students from GSM 5500 Second Trimester 2011/12

Time flies very fast nowadays. And suddenly it is the final exam! For all my MBA students from GSM 5500 class, thank you for being a good bunch of students this semester. I have always believed that the main factor to a good lecture relies a lot on the presence of good students. In this class, I get to see the teamwork and the patience that you give one another. I see also a lot of efforts on your part in making sure that you deliver the best to meet the requirements of the class. I really hope that your memories of this class remain in your heart forever. Although Human Resource class is generally quite dry, your continuous supports and participations have made the class lively and interesting. I also hope that wherever you are, whoever you become one day, you will remember that humans are your best assets. And governing humans require you to have the ability to empathize. Human governance comes straight from your heart. Frankly, my role in this class is not as a lecturer because I am not there to provide you with an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about human resource. This is a class full of brilliant people already! You will not need me to teach you. But I am simply there to share with you. I hope you have managed to learn from me as much as I have learned from you. Thank you for the opportunity and the experience. Good luck for the final exam. My prayer is always with you.

We are What We Say

Over the years, one of the main hurdles that many students need to pass apart from getting good grades is having a good command of English. No matter what we think of the language, being fluent in English now becomes a necessity as it is the universal language for business communication. Students need to be able to converse in English and understand English. For that, they are required to acquire not just the skills of communicating, but also listening. Learning English can be fun if we know how. It is just a matter of sharpening your embedded skills. It is not that you haven’t known the language at all. You have been learning it since you are in the Kindergarten. If you must know, I was once like you. At the age of 13, I went to a boarding school only to discover that almost half of my classmates speak the language so fluently that it was so difficult for a village girl like me to fit in. But then I discover the joy of reading, and from reading, I discover the courage to speak. And I wish the same on you too. I have listed here some of the things that I do to improve my English. Hopefully you will find one that will suit you.

1. Own: One of the first thing that you need to have before you learn English is to own a good English dictionary. During my student’s time, I prefer Longman because it is easy to read and it provides a lot of examples in the form of sentences. I remembered when I was in the university, every time I went to study in the library; my favourite place is always to be nearby the row of dictionaries. Until now, I have a set of dictionaries in my office and at home.

2. Read: Try to read anything in English. You can read story books, newspapers, magazines, comics, blogs, or even advertisements found by the side of the road. And try to start reading a simple and interesting book. Do not be too ambitious. Remember what you learn about setting a goal? One of the criteria is that a goal must be achievable.

3. Watch movies: There are two ways that you can watch a movie. One, if you are watching the movie in a cinema, try NOT to look at the subtitles. (The subtitles are wrong most of the time – ‘sweetie pie’ should not be translated as ‘kuih manis.’). Try to LISTEN to the words and how they are pronounced. The practice of listening will enable you to understand what others are saying better (You don’t want to keep saying to your boss, ‘Excuse me, can you repeat that’ over and over again simply because you are not able to capture the spoken words.)This is a proven method at least for me. On the other hand, if you are watching a movie from a DVD where the English subtitles are provided, you can turn that on. This way you can listen to the conversation and also read the exact statements of the conversation. (Note: Turning on the Malay or Chinese subtitles is not advisable).

4. Write: There are many ways to start writing in English. If you are an introvert, you might just want to start a journal or a diary. If you are an extrovert, then writing a blog may be a better choice. But you can also start writing to a pen pal from a different country. I had a number of pen pals during my student time.

5. Speak: You must speak the language whenever you can. Once you feel at ease with the language, confidence will start to replace fear. And soon you realize that you can speak after all. If your friends laugh at you, the easiest way is to laugh with them. Sometimes when we learn new things we may also do something funny along the way. So, try to take criticisms as a challenge to improve yourself. Don’t be humiliated by criticisms. Instead, embrace them.

Remember, we are what we say. Our words define who we are.

Taking the First Step Towards the Unkown

Last two weeks, I was offered a chance to conduct my first training session to some of the management and production people from a small yet ambitious company. Initially, I was quite reluctant to conduct such training. Yes, I have been lecturing for almost 11 years now. But giving lectures and doing trainings are two different things. I believe training requires a higher level of experience and courage due to the increase in the expectations of the audiences. But then I thought, if I don't take this first step now, I will never know whether I am capable of doing it. If I let fear rule me, I will never be able to move forward. So, I did what I always do. I said 'yes' first and then think about the consequences of my decision after. By saying 'yes,' I have committed myself to this responsibility. By saying ‘yes,’ there is no looking back.

In a similar situation, a few of my students came to me this week to pour out their worries regarding their exam results. Half of them highlighted English to be the reason that deterred their performance. And so I told them this..if you always say that you are not good in English, then you are never going to be good in English. You need to take the first step. It always starts with an intention or niat. There are then three elements of intention that you will need to satisfy. First, there must be a very high motivation in you to change and you must know what you want to change. After that you have to say it to yourself. By saying it, you are indirectly making a promise to yourself. And the next step is for you to list down the things that you need to do in order for change to happen. Otherwise, your intention will remain an intention for years to come. That is when you get people saying that their new year's resolutions are still to accomplish last year’s resolutions.

Take the first step…venture into the unknown…that way, you are going to be able to expand your Open Area in the Johari Window.

HR Dialogue Session with Former Nestlé HR Director

Undergraduate students especially those who are currently taking HR are welcome to join the HR Dialogue Session that is going to take place this Friday, 23 March 2012 at BK3, Graduate School of Management, UPM from 10 to 11.30am. The session will be handled by En Wahab Bakar, former HR Director for Nestlé Malaysia. Hope to see you there.

Survival of the Fittest

One of my MBA students used to say this to me, 'Generally the students of the class think you give low marks. I think it is just because your standards are high.'

Well, that is my opening paragraph. By the time you finished reading it, I am sure that some of you have started to wonder whether you have made the right choice entering my class or not. If you believe in working hard, I assure you that you have. As a person, I believe it is not right to award impressive grades at the expense of quality. On the other hand, if the impressive grade is well deserved, there is no reason why I should not award it. When you begin your working journey, competitions will be very high and second chances are scarce. In order to succeed, you have to prove yourself. You have to create positive perceptions on yourself. You have to be strong and manage your time well. The most crucial thing is that you have to believe in yourself. Your experience in the university should help you to prepare for those times. Survival of the fittest, some people say. (The phrase 'survival of the fittest' means 'only the fittest organisms will prevail' - a view sometimes derided as Social Darwinism)

However I am not looking for perfection. What I am looking for are efforts in trying to be perfect. And I am looking at improvements. At the end of the day, I do not mind if my name kind of slipped your mind. But I hope you will remember some of the knowledge we shared, and pass it on...

P/s: Just so you know, that particular student got a very low mark for his mid-term exam, but he scored an A for his final grade. It is up to us to achieve the impossible. It has been said in the Noble Qur’an: ‘Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.’ [Ar-Ra`d: Verse 11].

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” Christopher Reeve (Superman)

Is Your 'A' Worth It?

Over the years, I am often amazed on how students value their CGPAs more than the lessons they actually learn in class. Everyone wants to score an A. But an A means nothing when you cannot even apply some of the things that you learn in life or at work. Many students would study hard for exams by memorizing information. And so, most students actually managed to get good grades at the end of the semester. But I want you to answer this question...is your 'A' really worth it? Do you value the things that you have learned? Does the knowledge you gained after all these years somehow make you a better person? Or are you just like SpongeBob? Have you seen SpongeBob taking a shower? He actually ate a bar of soap and his body then expanded until it actually exploded. After that he was clean. That is what students normally do. They memorize the information in the texts and then they explode during the exams. They pour everything that they memorize on the answer scripts regardless of whether the information is relevant or not. But come next semester, they will forget almost everything. So what is the point of you spending hours after hours studying when the knowledge never benefit your future? I am not saying that 'A' is bad. But remember, all the 'A's on your transcripts should reflect who you are. The 'A's are not just for show. They spell a certain level of quality.

Education UK 2012 Exhibition

The Education UK 2012 Exhibition is back! If you have some free time, you may want to go to this exhibition hosted by the British Council Malaysia. It will be held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from 10 to 11 March 2012 ; 1 to 6pm. Students will have the opportunity to weigh their options if they are interested to enhance themselves through a UK qualification and the multitude of experiences in the UK. They will also get a chance to talk to the alumnis in terms of their experiences while studying in the UK. I may also be at the Univerisity of Reading's booth on the 10th between 1 to 3pm. See you all there!

Who Am I?

When we deal with people management, it is essential for us to know who we are first before we are able to make an effort to know others. Most often than not, we take things for granted. Most of us never take the time to assess ourselves and learn. If you have been assessing yourself all these while, well then, congratulations to you. But if you have not done it, then maybe it is time to start. Perhaps you can apply Johari Window in your journey towards understanding yourself. Please refer to the article on Johari Window under the Reading Materials for further information about the model. Good luck.

University-Industry Linkage

Often when asked to comment in public, many would agree with the importance of promoting university-industry linkages. But in reality, we are still very much consumed with our petty differences. Until both sides; the academics and the practitioners, realize that one will not be able to survive without the other the term 'university-industry linkage' will never materialize into something that can benefit the students.

However, over the years I have met many practitioners who are willing to work hand in hand with us the academics in the effort of enhancing the quality of our graduates. Because of these individuals, I believe all is not lost yet. To my students, please, please take advantage of the opportunities provided to you and be involved in as many events as you can especially the ones that include the people from the industry.  Apart from sharing their valuable experiences with you, this can be the start of your network circle. To the industry people, please continue to support our efforts in creating a competitive advantage out of Malaysia future labor force. As we are always reminded, ‘united we stand, divided we fall.’

Welcome Students from MGM3113 and MGM3123, Semester II (2011/2012)

New semester..as usual the first day is full of gossips and catching up with friends. But I hope all of you will be ready for knowledge sharing starting next week. This semester I am trying something new. As often, class times are normally focused on covering the never ending course syllabus. In order to ensure that students are able to learn beyond the necessary curriculum, I have started this blog this semester. My intention is simple...this is about knowledge sharing between me and you. You are welcome to share your ideas or provide comments. Let's treat this like a professional platform for discussion. I hope you will find it useful. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make it better....

p/s: I would like to also extend my welcome to my MBA students Trimester II (2011/2012).

What do we make out of life?

Each individual if asked would have his own definition of life. A few may want to focus inward..only looking at himself when defining life. Life is about what I do, what I achieve and so on. Others may look at life in a broader perspective. Life is about what I do for other people or  life is about how I affect other people. For me, I believe life is about striking a balance of both sides. It is about creating who I am as a human being while at the same time finding my own way to help others. So, I am now asking you...what do you make out of your life?