International Study Tour Trip to University of Southampton Malaysia

Abstract

The international Study Tour (IST) is an optional component of Executive MBA program. It can be opted for as a replacement of business Project, which is a compulsory part of the curriculum of the EMBA program. IST 2024 was organized to University of Southampton Malaysia, in Johor Bahru Malaysia, with the efforts of Dr. Fawad Khan, Program Head EMBA. University of Southampton Malaysia is a branch and operating under the same roof of University of Southampton United Kingdom. Students can transfer within branches after completion of first years of their programs. The IST 2024 consisted of mainly two parts. Students have attended courses in classrooms of University of Southampton Malaysia. Courses of different subjects are delivered to students, including one Harvard Business Review case study and Bloomberg Lab. Students have added to their knowledge by attending the courses in the fields of marketing, artificial intelligence, volatility in financial market investment instruments and emerging technologies. Through the case study, students have sharpened their analytical and critical thinking, within the context of holistic thinking and achieving strategic objectives. Students also familiarized themselves with the capabilities and uses of Bloomberg Terminal, worlds one of the biggest real time databases for all sorts of economic and financial activities and indexes. Students had a wonderful opportunity to enhance their networks with many faculty members of UoSM, each of which are from different fields, with different experiences, even some of them having switched from different industries to academia. Students also had opportunities to interact and network with students of UoSM Business School. Students even connected within themselves with each other, making use of the different and energizing environment they have found themselves in, since the IST brought together students of different batches together. Second part of IST was an industry visit to Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas Sdn Bhd (PTP), a transshipment port located in the same city as the university, Johor Bahru. Company officials guided students on a tour, explained the business volume and logistics volume in different aspects and numbers, revealed insider insight to the operations, regulations, stakeholders and business partners, as well as the strategic stance and importance of the port, with respect to Malaysian economy and international impacts. Students have added to their conceptual and practical knowledge through these classes, case studies, labs and industry visits, which led to the outcome of reinforcement of their entire learnings with synthesis of a new economical environment and market, taking in account the dynamics of local cultures and human, as a consequential outcome of that culture. Exposure to a new economy and environment also led students to sharpen their analytical and critical skills, since habitually all new learnings are compared to the environment in Pakistan economy and industry.