UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL
Prof. Dr. Noryati Ahmad, Dean, Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA
Editor: Dr. Azlul Kalilah Zaghlol
Please provide a brief introduction on your goodself, your education background, your passion, your values and interest, and some background on your current career office position.
First of all, thank you SOCENTiUM for this interview. I feel very privileged to be given the opportunity to be in this issue. To begin with, I was born on 31st August 1962 and had my tertiary education in Singapore before pursuing my Diploma in Business Studies at Institut Teknologi MARA in 1980. I graduated in 1983 and was fortunate to be awarded the Young Lecturer Scheme Scholarship under JPA and thus I began my bachelor and Master degree at University of Miami, Florida. I completed my Master degree in 1986 and began my journey as a lecturer at the age of 24 on 13 January 1987 at Kem Kijang, UiTM Kelantan. I was transferred to the Faculty of Business and Management, Shah Alam in 1990.
I have always wanted to be a lecturer because it is a noble profession. As lecturer you are able to contribute to the development of your students and you will be proud to see them be better and more successful than you.
My values? Be trustworthy, truthful, and sincere in whatever you do. Always manage your time well and do your level best when you are entrusted with any responsibility.
I have held several positions since joining UiTM. These include being the Head of Program, BBA (International Business) (1996), Management Coordinator (1998), Deputy of Academic and Internationalization (2013), Deputy Director of Research Program (2016), and Head of Postgraduate Studies (2018). My latest appointment is as the Dean of Faculty of Business and Management (2020).
My success thus far has to be attributed to my senior lecturers, former Deans, and UiTM top management team members who believed in my capability. In fact, they are partly responsible for my being here. Their commitment and dedication during their tenure in the Faculty of Business and Management have shaped me into what I am today.
Kindly share a little bit about your roles as the Dean of Faculty of Business and Management (FBM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM). What are your leadership styles and experience, organisational skills, and time management abilities that have facilitated you in achieving the Faculty’s overriding objectives?
Being the Dean of Faculty of Business and Management, UiTM is indeed challenging and a mammoth of responsibility. My main role is to be a strategic leader that helps others focus towards making the school visible, financially sustainable, and effective and efficient operationally.
This is not an easy job. For strategic initiatives to be implemented successfully at the Faculty level, I have to match Faculty members’ interests with the priorities of the Faculty or it will be difficult to inspire and mobilise them to support the key initiatives.
I have no specific leadership style – it all depends on the situation. But I believe that as the Dean I cannot work alone. Everything is about teamwork, transparency, and communication. Through my experience, not everyone will agree with you. Even when it comes to the vision and mission of the Faculty, everyone must be aware of where the Faculty is going. That’s why I try to consistently remind everyone to achieve change and build consensus within our FBM community.
Kindly share some of your most memorable achievements in academic and/or any other fields (state, national and/or international level) which have helped towards achieving the Faculty and UiTM’s vision, mission, and its overall objectives. Has it provided you with a great sense of self-fulfillment?
There are several memorable achievements. Firstly I was instrumental in the development of Advanced Diploma in Business Studies (International Business). Back then I was appointed by Tuan Haji Abdullah to lead a committee to introduce this new program. The program was approved by the Ministry of Education and implemented in 1996 and when ITM was given a university status, this program was renamed as Bachelor of Business Administration (International Business) program. It was the first undergraduate program that specializes in International Business.
I have written several academic books. My first book is Introduction to Malaysian Derivatives, which I co-authored with Prof. Dr. Rosalan Ali and Prof. Dr. Catherine Ho Soke Fun. The book is used by diploma and degree students in UiTM as well as outside UiTM.
I remember one time I was assessing a program in a particular university, and there was this lecturer who asked for my autograph since he has used the book for his class.
Other books that I have written are Fundamentals of Finance with Microsoft Excel and Corporate Finance, both published by Oxford University Press in 2012 and 2018 respectively.
In addition, I was invited by International Journal of Emerging Markets to be their reviewer and was awarded as the journal’s best reviewer in 2017 and 2019. I am also a reviewer for International Journal of Finance and Economics besides serving on the editorial boards of International Journal of Economics, Finance and Management Sciences, International Finance and Banking, Macro Think Institute, International Journal of Islamic Business, UUM, and Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, UKM.
I have had the opportunity to engage with industries by carrying out consultancy and training works with, among others, Tabung Haji Berhad, Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Economic Planning Unit, and the Ministry of Transport.
My first consultancy work was developing the financing model for Line 1 Monorail System in Putrajaya for Putrajaya Holding Berhad, which was worth RM102,000. I am also involved with the academic accreditation bodies locally and internationally with the Malaysian Qualification Agency and ABEST21, Tokyo.
Alhamdulillah at the UiTM level, my contributions have not gone unrecognized and I was awarded Khidmat Cemerlang in 1999, 2006, and 2009.
In January 2020, I was appointed as the Chief Editor for Social and Management Research Journal (SMRJ), UiTM. I obtained my professorship in 2018 and before retirement I was appointed as the Dean of Faculty of Business and Management starting from 1st May 2020.
On the basis of your tenure as the Dean of Faculty of Business and Management of UiTM, what do you see as the current and impending major challenges? What are your major concerns and how are you planning to tackle them?
At the time of the interview, I have been the Dean for only about 7 months. I took the position on 1st May 2020 and it was very challenging since I had to lead the Faculty during the Covid-19 pandemic. We were under strict movement control order (MCO) imposed by the government and most of the time, communication with Faculty members had to be done online. I realized there were many things that I needed to know and understand. Working from home (WFH) is something that I needed to get used to but when the government decided to relax the MCO, I was so happy to be in my new office. Alhamdulillah I am very fortunate because I have very strong support from the Faculty especially the top management team.
Current and impending major challenges? Steering the Faculty to greater heights in the new norm condition. Some strategic initiatives entrusted by UiTM top management could not be fully achieved due to uncertainties that appear throughout this year despite efforts being put into it. For example, we were not able to carry out our outreach program planned for this year and had to do it online – it would have been more effective if done on a face-to-face (F2F) basis.
On the other hand, we were able to achieve more than the expected target set for some strategic initiatives like securing MOUs/MOAs with international partners/ institutions and engaging with international partners as guest speakers, adjunct professors, exchange students programs, etc. In terms of research activities, we were able to secure many grants, internationally and locally. However I would like to see more academic staff involved in research activities.
Again, I would like to emphasize that these would not have been possible if I did not have the strong support and encouragement from FBM Faculty members.
What are your personal expectations and aspirations, going forward? Where do you see the Faculty of Business and Management heading to?
The Faculty of Business and Management is filled with many potential individuals. I am heartened by the talented people I meet and work with in the Faculty. Many of them have a genuine drive to support the organization and student growth locally and internationally by providing high-quality education and being active in research and community activities.
Since every business school in a university wants to be a premier business school locally and internationally, competition is intense. ersonally, I would like for FBM to be a globally renowned business school. To achieve that, FBM must re-evaluate their purpose to ensure that we continue to add value to the education market. We must examine whether our current Faculty and members have the required skills, infrastructure, and info structure that are in sync with current academic program requirements and curriculum development and design that fulfill the needs of the industry.
On a lighter note Prof, being a woman and the top person in the Faculty of Business and Management of UiTM, how do you balance between your work and family commitments? What may have inspired you to become an academic? And how do you usually spend your spare time?
Honestly it is really difficult… Sometimes I feel so guilty that I have been focusing on my work rather than on my family. But the comforting part is that since most of my children are in their 20s and the youngest is going to take his SPM this year, they are more independent and have a good understanding of my commitments as a Dean. But I make it a point to be with them during my free time and before the Covid-19 pandemic I would occasionally take 2 or 3 vacation days to be with them.We try to have dinner together as much as possible.
My spare time is mostly spent on running household chores and entertaining my family needs. I believe good time management and being very disciplined in what you are doing and need to do is very crucial.
What is your personal take on the current Covid-19 pandemic situation on how it has had and will continue to have an impact on the Faculty of Business and Management’s overall well being?
The current Covid-19 pandemic situation has affected the strategic planning activities that FBM has laid out for this year. The MCO imposed by the government has affected the normal activities that everyone was used to. For instance, F2F activities of students, communities, and industries have had to be postponed or carried out online to curb the spread of pandemic. Classes are conducted on open distance learning (ODL) basis and both lecturers and students have had to grow accustomed to this new teaching and learning approach.
We are now in our 9th month of the movement control order but I believe that almost everyone has become used to the new norms and we are seeking and carrying out alternative ways to proceed with our day to day activities in UiTM.
Despite the disadvantages faced by FBM, there are also many benefits from this situation. Meetings can be carried out easily without worrying about the venue and if members might be late. There is no longer any need to worry about enough availability of classrooms, and lecturers have been forced into being creative in their online teaching methods. We also experienced more and faster international engagements with our overseas university partners via webinar series, online guest speakers, and student exchange programs. We have saved travelling costs as well as time. Just set a date and then we will be talking to our overseas counterparts on either Google Meet, Webex, or Zoom. What we must do now is to reexamine and realign the current FBM objectives where necessary so that they can be fulfilled and we will be able to do the best that we can.
Kindly share about your contribution towards the holistic development of UiTM and the local community at large. What are one or two of your proudest professional achievements in this respect?
As I have been a panel of assessor for Malaysian Qualification Agency since 1999, I have been able to provide my knowledge and experiences related to Outcome Based Education and Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) to the development and designing of FBM curricula.
In 2015, I was also appointed by ABEST21, an accreditation body from Japan, to be part of their peer review team that assesses university programs from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Russia, and Thailand. This is a very valuable experience since it enables me to benchmark the standard of curriculum design and development of other international universities against, and thereby improve, ours.
Could you also kindly share about the Faculty’ strategic planning, growth plans, and future collaboration plans (within UiTM, state, national and/or international levels) especially in line with achieving UiTM’s tagline “Unleashing Potentials Shaping the Future”?
UiTM 2025 Strategic Plan actually outlines the path for FBM to structure our strategic planning, growth plans, and future collaborations, be it at the local and international level. In executing the strategic plan, UiTM focuses on three strategic core areas which are Quality Education, Global Excellence, and Value-Driven Performance. Hence, FBM structures our strategic action plans in tandem with this. FBM would like to create business professionals and leaders with an entrepreneurial mindset.
For that to be achieved, we must also ensure that our academic and administrative staff are equipped with appropriate knowledge and expertise to meet that challenge. Not forgetting also that FBM must be innovative through research, publication, and commercialization. We must have many global and local outreach and engagement activities.
If you have any additional information that you could like to share, please do not hesitate to continue sharing with us here. Thank you, Prof.
I will be retiring in two years’ time and will definitely miss my years being in UiTM, particularly at the Faculty of Business and Management. By that time, I will have served UiTM for about 35 years. Thank you FBM and UiTM for these wonderful and rewarding experiences. For those who have many more years in FBM, my advice is to treat your workplace as a place for you to learn, relearn, and discover your potential.
You will be spending many years at FBM and surely you would want to leave this place with great and wonderful memories and be proud that once upon a time you were instrumental in shaping the lives of FBM students, colleagues, and peers.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation again Prof. Thank you very much for your time. We truly value your kind cooperation in contributing to SOCENTiUM. May you be blessed always.
Dr. Siti Sara Ibrahim, Anugerah Kedoktoran Cemerlang Tuanku Canselor (AKCTC), UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA
Editor: Nur ‘Asyiqin Ramdhan
Dr. Siti Sara Ibrahim of UiTM FBM has been selected as the award recipient of the 2020 Doctoral Excellence Award of Chancellor for her successful PhD in Business Administration from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia. Getting this award is an admirable achievement for the Faculty since it has long been held by other faculties. Originally from Kuala Lumpur and growing up as the seventh of eight siblings, Dr. Sara had her undergraduate education in Diploma in Investment Analysis and Bachelor (Hons) of International Business at UiTM before pursuing her Master in Business Administration at UKM. Today, she is a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Negeri Sembilan.
With a focus on the Waqf Project Collaboration PhD area, she has been awarded Graduate on Time (GoT) by the university. She began her vocation at Financial Institution in 2007 prior to joining UiTM in 2011. Besides an enriching career as a lecturer, she is also involved in many research projects with private, government, and international institutions. With deep interest in research, innovation, and community programmes, she is active in joining conferences, invention & innovation competitions, as well as being a volunteer at a few Non-Profit Organisations (NGOs) in Malaysia.
What is the biggest factor that has helped you to be successful?
My support system which is my husband, kids, family, in-laws, supervisor, friends, Faculty, Institut Pengajian Siswazah (IPSis) and UiTM. I consider all these as my support system. Therefore, in order for me to achieve whatever goals I have set up in life, I will always make sure my support system is ready and understand well how they can support me along the journey.
I need husband, kids, and family so I can always lean on their shoulder in times of need. They will always be ready to help me to take care of the kids and house chores as well as give motivation for me to keep fighting and finish the journey successfully.
The people in your support network will be there for you when you need to talk after a long day, or when you’re feeling overwhelmed with work, school, or your other obligations.
I need supervisors to keep motivating me and give guidance towards the correct path for me to finish this journey successfully. I need friends to help me stay engaged in my PhD and motivate me to succeed. If am overwhelmed or struggling, friends in my support network will be willing to help me and offer their guidance, insight, and strategies for success. I need the Faculty, IPSis, and the top management of my workplace to always support me and make the PhD process easier and fast.
What are your tips to complete you PhD journey?
Other than making du'a to God, strategise ahead for your PhD journey. This is what I always practised during my three year journey. Strategising can be seen in many perspectives. Firstly is the relationship with your supervisors and your networking. Fully utilise their expertise, experience, and networking to build your success.
Secondly, manage your time effectively and efficiently. Be smart. You don’t need to devote 100% of your time to your research or thesis. Instead, you should prioritise which should be first, where, and when. I would always have my three year, one year, 6 month, 1 month, 1 week or even daily “to do list” and paste it anywhere, like at your workstation or at home, to ensure everything on the list is being completed according to the time plan. If I manage to complete it, I will definitely reward myself with bonding time with the family.
Another thing, you should learn and practise. Learn skills that can expedite your PhD process. We have many software, apps, as well as gadgets that can help us in reading and writing. This will save your time and lessen the burden. For example, you don’t need to exactly read everything, line by line, when you are reading a journal. Instead, you need to know the tips on how to read a journal effective and efficiently.
How does a journey experience improve the prospects of success in your future career?
My PhD journey has made me realise how important lifelong education is. We should never stop learning until the end. Even after finishing my PhD, I still attend courses, read books, and get advice from experts. This is because I realise, the more I learn the more I don’t know. Therefore, the PhD journey has made me a better person for my future as I always think and plan ahead for my career.
Currently, what are your contributions to UiTM after coming back from PhD?
I currently devote most of my time to giving webinar sessions on sharing tips to Graduate on Time (GoT), Success in PhD Journey, How to Write and Publish in High Impact Journal, etc. I also devote my time to help other PhD students whether in my campus or outside UiTM. I offer free consultation and guidance. I’m also currently helping my friends in the Faculty to start writing for a journal publication and I encourage them to write as well as to apply for research grants.
What is your advice to potential and on-going PhD candidates?
Doing a PhD can often be a journey filled with many successes and hardships. However, regardless of your reasons for doing doctoral research, the fact that you are doing it completes this journey. You have three or four years ahead of you to develop and learn. Much of that time will be focused on your research but it shouldn’t stop there. You should also focus on YOU and make YOU a priority. When the priority is YOU, it will give you a warrior spirit to fight and to finish the journey.
In fact, gaining a PhD will be a huge achievement and can potentially broaden your access to a diverse range of possibilities but the PhD alone won’t be enough. Now is the time to expand your skills, knowledge, and attributes. It is also the time to learn and grow and develop a greater understanding of what motivates and enthuses you, what you want from life, and where you fit.
Therefore, I’d encourage you to use this PhD journey to develop your confidence, build networks, gain insights, improve your self-awareness, add to your experience, and perhaps even have some fun. Start now and keep growing rather than thinking a better time will come.
ASSOCIATE PROF. DR. ANANG KISTYANTO, DEAN, FACULTY OF ECONOMICS UNIVERSITAS NEGERI SURABAYA
Editor: Dr. Nursaadatun Nisak Ahmad
My name is Associate Prof. Dr. Anang Kistyanto, S.Sos, M.Si. I was born in Tuban, East Java, Indonesia, December 9, 1971. I received my Bachelor of Social Science (S.Sos.) in Public Administration, Master of Science (M.Si.) in Human Resources Development in 2000, and Doctor of Philosophy (Dr.) in Human Resources Management in 2008 from Brawijaya University. My expertise is in career development and I have published scientific articles nationally and internationally. I am also a reviewer for the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) Universitas Negeri Surabaya. My Scopus ID is 57188731700 and my Google Scholar profile can be accessed here.
Prior to becoming the Dean of Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Surabaya (2019-2023), I was the Vice Dean of Student Affairs, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Surabaya between 2015-2019. Before that I was the Secretary of Management Department, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Surabaya between 2011-2015. I was also the Dean of Faculty of Economics, University of Hasyim Asy'ari (UNHASY) Tebuireng Jombang between 2013-2017.
Kindly share your current academic and career development at the state, national and international levels.
Besides fulfilling my duties as the current Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, I also perform active public leadership at this time as the Coordinator for Student Affairs of the Association for Economic Education under the Indonesian Higher Education Institute (APE-LPTK) in 2019-2023. Besides, I am also active as a member of the Focus Group on MSMEs, Cooperatives, and Sharia Finance, Indonesian Economics Bachelor Association, Surabaya Branch in 2019-2022.
Kindly share your highest achievements in academic and other fields, including at state, national and international level, that have led to self-fulfillment.
I have received national competitive research grants, such as international publication grants (2009) and fundamental research grants (2013). I have received national competitive research grants, such as international publication grants (2009) and fundamental research grants (2013).
I also passed the Training of Trainer (TOT) for Writing Scientific Articles, Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture (2013). I have been a reviewer of institutional development grants, Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of National Education (2009-2011). I also have received other recognition as speaker and keynote speaker in international conferences such as at the 1st International Conference of Industrial Engineering Technology and Knowledge Science (IETechS 2019) at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn (UTHM) Malaysia.
Kindly share your contributions of career development to the organisation and local community.
After anchoring my career (career anchor) as a lecturer having previously worked as a marketing officer of a leasing company, I designed a roadmap as a professional lecturer, starting from continuing my PhD study to securing academic positions as teaching staff, expert assistants, assistant professors, associate professors, and professors.
In my case, the academic journey from teaching staff to associate professor was completed within four years (2005-2009). This impressive achievement is used as an example to motivate young lecturers to plan their career and design a roadmap for personal development as professional lecturers. My story is also used as a reference for career development policies and mentoring programmes for FE Unesa lecturers. In 2013, I became Detaser (Expert Lecturer Mobilization Program) of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia in charge of assisting university development. Since 2011 until now, I have been a lecturer certification assessor.
Kindly share about you successful collaboration with industries, universities (especially with UiTM), and agencies at state, national and international levels.
We are collaborating with The Indonesia National Islamic Finance Committee (KNKS), BNI Syaria, and Universiti Technologi MARA (UiTM) to develop Islamic economics learning and contribute to the development of the halal industry in the world.
Meanwhile, in order to develop entrepreneurial students, we collaborate with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Indonesia, Mien R. Uno Foundation (MURF), and Junior Prestasi Indonesia (JAPRI to Campus). In addition, we collaborate with private companies, state companies (BUMN), and SMEs in Indonesia.
Kindly share about your career planning and future collaboration at national and international levels especially in academics.
Universitas Negeri Surabaya aims to participate more actively in post doctoral programmes abroad, and collaborate in research and publications with foreign lecturers, visiting professors, speakers, and keynote speakers at international conferences abroad.
To realise this plan we are currently collaborating with UiTM, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Business and Economics of Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Didyasarin International College and Hatyai University Thailand, and National Pingtung University of Science and Technology Taiwan.
Currently, a lecturer research collaboration and student exchange between FE Unesa and FBM UiTM are being carried out. The next plan of cooperation is collaboration on community service projects, publications, international conferences, double degrees, visiting professorships, and teaching staff development as well as building a network organisation.