Ran a session as part of the UNGCMYB x Monash CSMP for Sawarak Energy

I was recently in Kuching, Sarawak as part of the Certified Sustainability Manager Programme (CSMP) for executives of Sarawak Energy, which the School of Business, Monash University Malaysia ran with UN Global Compact Network Malaysia and Brunei (UNGCNMB). 

It was held on Mon 26 Feb 2024 8:30am – 5pm at the Riverside Majestic Hotel Astana Wing Kuching (Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, 93756 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia)

My session was on 'Sustainability performance target setting'. The session was really interactive and I learnt a lot as well. Thanks to  Pam Lee Wen Ai, who covered some parts of the workshop. 

Also a big thanks to Professor  Dr. Avvari V. Mohan Deputy Head (Engagement & Impact) at the School of Business, Monash University Malaysia for including me in this programme. 

It was nice to visit Kuching, Sarawak again - my 3rd visit. 

Events in January 2024

The first event of this year was an online seminar for staff and PG students at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu) on the topic: 'Surfing the social wave: Social media marketing strategies for entrepreneurs'. On 18th January 2024.

Thanks to Prof. Jyoti Kachroo, Dr. Anil Bhat and my old friend Prof. Lalit Gupta for inviting me.

The next event was an online workshop on Questionnaire development for online quantitative surveys during the International Conference INCONSYM, 2024. On 30th January 2024.

Received some very interesting questions. Thanks to Symbiosis for inviting me.

Workshop on Islamic Financial Management and Marketing Principles for SMEs

Helping create some buzz about a workshop:

Application of Islamic Financial Management and Marketing Principles: Preparing SMEs for International Business  Two-day programme for start-up owners, venture capitalists, prospective entrepreneurs from both services and manufacturing sectors. The primary focus of this training is to provide you with a comprehensive synopsis of the tools needed to manage financial functions efficiently, and to develop halal marketing strategies that are necessary for an internationally diversified small and medium enterprise (SME). The course will be delivered using presentations, discussions, case studies and role plays that will help the participants in fulfilling the financial and marketing objectives of their SMEs in a shari’ah compliant way.  Financial management and marketing strategy to prepare SMEs for International Business  Small businesses are essential ingredients of the high-growth Asian markets. Growth of SMEs, particularly that operate based on shari’ah, in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and in South Asia has been astonishing. As the local market is becoming too competitive, local SMEs are in need to expand their operation across border. Financial management deals with two major aspects: collecting funds and investing funds. A good financial manager should know the alternative methods of low cost shari’ah compliant fund collection in foreign lands. Similarly, one must know the criteria that make their investment shari’ah compliant. A good Islamic market strategy will help local SMEs in targeting their foreign customers and marketing their products in foreign lands in a halal way.  Key financial and marketing management questions from an Islamic perspective:   How to collect money for SMEs?  Where to invest money?  How to write a financial plan for loan application?  How to do halal marketing? How it is different from conventional marketing?  How to manage marketing challenge in foreign land?  How to manage typical Islamic marketing challenge for SMEs?  Learning outcomes After completing the training, you will be able: To develop an understanding of Islamic financial management for SMEs that includes an overview of the industy, opportunities and challenges. To learn how to prepare a financial plan to apply for bank/venture capital loans.  To learn how to prepare a halal branding strategy for your company/product.  To analyse the opportunities and challenges for Islamic SMEs in other countries.  Methods of training and assessment Powerpoint presentations  Case exercises  Flipchart presentations for brainstorming Presentation from participants  Programme outline Day One Module one – Financial management of Islamic business  Element of a financial plan Forecasting financial variables Applying for Islamic bank loans Understanding shari'ah compliant investments Module two – Alternative financing, operational management, and sustainability  Understanding alternative financing available Preparing cash budget and determining funds needs  Influence of taxation (GST) and the way forward Micro-equity funds and Micro-takaful insurance   Day Two Module three – Essentials of halal marketing     Elements of a halal branding strategy Target markets and customer satisfaction in Islamic business  Module four – Advertisement, branding and distribution of halal products   Social image of shari'ah compliant advertising Branding of Islamic business Creating a sustainable brand value Supply chain management of halal products  Costing and profitability of the halal product    Programme fee Early bird price: RM2,500/person + GST of 6% Normal price: RM2,600/person + GST of 6% Group of three and above: RM2,200/person + GST of 6% (for more than three delegates attending from the same company/institution) The programme fee covers tuition, case materials and tea breaks.  About the programme leaders Dr Mamunur Rashid is an Assistant Professor of Finance at Nottingham University Business School Malaysia. He has been teaching and conducting training on financial management and Islamic entrepreneurship for the last ten years. His area of expertise includes financial management, financing of small firms, Islamic business, and Islamic ethics. He worked on the “Malaysian Workforce Quality” (a Malaysian Human Resource Development Ministry project) and he trained senior officials of PVH Corp., on advance computer application in business in Bangladesh. Dr Mamunur is also the Deputy Director of the Centre for Islamic Business and Finance Research (CIBFR) at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. He has published on Islamic finance and business, business ethics and Islamic services marketing. Dr Mamunur is a Malaysian Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) certified trainer. Dr Dilip Mutum is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Nottingham University Business School Malaysia. Prior to this, he was attached with the Coventry Business School, Coventry University, as a Lecturer in Marketing and Advertising. He has also taught at the Warwick Business School, University of Warwick and Universiti Utara Malaysia. Before joining academia, Dilip has worked with various organisations in different capacities. This includes a short stint as a sub-editor of a magazine and as the Communications Officer for Consumers International - Asia Pacific office. Dilip has published widely in journals and books, as well as presented at national and international conferences. His research interests include digital consumption, social networking, customer relationship management, and social marketing. His Twitter profile (@admutum) has over 8000 followers.    To register, download the registration form.  For more information, contact Nottingham University Business School Malaysia Executive Education at +6(03) 8924 8303 (Ms Judy Wong; email: Judy.Wong@nottingham.edu.my) or by email NUBS.EDP@nottingham.edu.my  or visit our website at Executive Education.

Introduction to SEM using AMOS 20.0 - Workshop at University of Malaya

Just helping to create some buzz for a workshop on structural equation modelling(SEM) using AMOS 20.0. The workshop is run by Dr. Mohd Awang Idris, a Senior Lecturer in Work Psychology, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Malaya and is organised by CCISUM (Communication and Cultural Innovation and Support, University of Malaya). This is part of their series of Super Sessions.

More information about the workshop:

Date: 21-22, August 2014
Time: 9:00 - 5:00pm
Venue: Computer Lab, Faculty of Science, University Malaya

Click the link below for more information:

AMOS workshop

Online Data Protection training

Attending the mandatory online Data Protection training. This training takes about 1 hours and staff can take the training at their own convenience and unlike actual training sessions, you can pause, go and get a drink, come back and continue from where you left off. It's more like a slideshow but with tests at the end.

I guess the disadvantage is that there is no interaction and you cannot ask questions when you are not clear.

Despite this drawback, there are so many advantages besides the convenience mentioned earlier. For the organisation, I guess it is cheaper for them to organise - there is no need to hire a trainer, book a room, etc. I guess we will be getting invitations to more of such training sessions in the future.

Research ethics training

Delivered by Prof. Marylyn Carrigan, BES ethics and governance leader at Coventry University.
"Most ethical issues in research can be resolved with common sense."

Cesim SIMBrand Simulation Game Hands-on workshop

I organised a hands-on workshop for the CESIM SIMBrand online simulation game for members of our department.

It was run by Waqas Mir from CESIM. Only 6 staff members turned up for the workshop but based on the feedback of those who attended, I felt that it was a great success overall. Even though I have successfully run this game for 4 different UG and PG classes, I still learnt a few new things in the workshop.

DPR reviewee workshop

DPR AC - Reviewee workshop

DPR is the acronym for Development and Performance Review and it's something that all employees have to face in most organisations.

This workshop was Run by the Learning and Development Team of Coventry University.
On the 27th of July 2012 from 09:30 am - 12:30 pm at the TechoCentre, room: CC2.1

The session was run by Anna Chapman, HR Learning and Development Adviser.

As this is going to be my first DPR at Coventry University, I thought it might be useful to understand the key areas to consider in completing my DPR form. I have been evaluated before but I guess each organisation has it's own unique way to review the performance of their employees.

I was not disappointed and learnt that my objective would need to be SMART:

•S: Specific
•M: Measurable
•A: Achievable (and Agreed)
•R: Relevant (or Resourced, or Realistic!)
•T: Time-linked

There were some examples of not so "SMART" objectives. However, I would have liked some good examples of good objectives.

I also found out that if we get an "Outstanding" in the DPR, we get to jump 2 levels on the payscale - a really good motivation.