Surviving an MBA

ACCORDING to famous psychologist, David Kolb, experiential learning involves learning from experience. It is a process where knowledge is created through the transformation of experience and knowledge, resulting from the combination of grasping and transforming experience.
This is the value that is imbued in the premier dual award Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme offered at Sunway University. Addressing a new intake of MBA students during an induction programme, Sunway University MBA Programme Chair, Dr Michael Dent, stressed the importance of experiential learning and critical analysis.
Noting that surface learning may suffi ce in passing an undergraduate programme, he said things are a little different for an MBA programme as it involves critical analysis and seeing things in a different perspective.
“Undergraduate degree is about memorising, completing formulas and writing essays. An MBA, however, is about critical analysis where you need to look at things in different perspectives and see what are the other options. So, there might not be a right answer,” he added.
Giving an example, he said, “If you are in a managerial position, be it in the fi eld of Information Technology or Human Resources, you tend to have a mildly biased view about the organisation that you are attached to; as in what the customers want or what the suppliers are doing.
“And one of the best things to do is to switch things around and see things in a different perspective,” said Dent who urged students who are from diverse background to learn from each another.
He also shared some MBA survival tips such as time management, speed reading and note-taking skills with the students.
“Active learning and interactive learning classroom activities improves learning for students and ‘active’ is the core of the programme curriculum,” he said.
Among the students who were present during the orientation was Chin Chee Leong, who found the orientation programme very beneficial.
Chee Leong who heads a software development team in a multi-national company based in Cyberjaya chose to pursue his postgraduate studies to improve his leadership skills.
“There are two reasons why I chose Sunway University for my MBA. One is because of its dual award and triple accreditation. The programme also gives me an opportunity to harness soft skills that are applicable to my career,” he said.
Chee Leong commended the interactive orientation session as a good mix of people in his class. He also foresees some challenges juggling work and completing the MBA.
“However, it is all about setting my priorities right and making time for what’s important,” he said.
The MBA dual award programme validated by Lancaster University is one of Sunway University’s premier programmes, tailored for aspiring managers with the ambition to become strategic leaders in increasingly complex organisational and business environment. Upon completion, graduates will receive two certificates, one from Sunway University and one from Lancaster University.
Sunway University is a renowned business education provider in Malaysia while Lancaster University is ranked in the top 1% of universities globally and has been delivering MBA programmes that are triple accredited and globally recognised by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) and the Association of MBAs (AMBA).
Those looking to springboard their career from an executive level to a managerial level or enhance their business acumen can join the Preview Session on March 9 at 6.30pm at Sunway University’s Graduate Centre.
To reserve a place at the preview, call 03-7491 8701 or visit https://university. sunway.edu.my/Business-School/Master-BusinessAdministration