What fresh grads should be focusing on By Fung Lan Yong
Published in ‘Daily Express Sabah’on April 22, 2018, Page 16
Corporate social responsibility and business sustainability have become standard business practices and values of our time. Successful organizations are those that aim to achieve a positive impact on society, while maximising the shared value for business owners, employees, shareholders and stakeholders. At his recent commencement address to the 2018 EU Asia Commencement Ceremony held at Cordis Hotel, Hong Kong, Kota Kinabalu mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai urged fresh graduates to promote corporate social responsibility and business sustainability.
Stressing that one of most important roles for employees in the corporate world is to improve the public image of their organization, he said, “You want to work in an organization that is committed to various philanthropic causes. Its public image is enhanced by its social responsibility programs and consumers’ awareness of these programs. You can help your organization improve its public image by supporting non-profits through monetary donations, volunteerism, in-kind donations of products and services, and strong partnerships. Remember that consumers feel good about businesses that help and give back to the community. If you help your organization establish a favourable public image, you will experience greater job satisfaction.”
Capitalize on the media
Yeo elaborated that graduates should be aware of the impact of social media in the corporate world. “It does not matter how much your company is doing to promote environmental sustainability if only few people know about it. Make sure that you are establishing relationships with the local media so that they will cover the business news that you offer. The more good your company can do in the local community, the better the media coverage. Additionally, you can also use social media, such as Facebook and YouTube, to publicize your company’s production or activities that have positive community impacts. Remember that media visibility is useful in shedding a positive light on your organization. Your role is to formulate a strong corporate responsibility program that helps your company get news coverage,” he explained.
Increase engagement
Most people will be happy working for a company that has a good public image and is constantly in the media for positive reasons. “When you are happy, you will produce better output because you will be more engaged at your job. You are more willing to remain in a company that is dedicated to improving the community through corporate giving programs. It is more likely to attract and retain valuable, hardworking and engaged employees like you. Try to get a job at a company that is socially minded. Once hired, you tend to stay with the company longer, be more productive and be more creative,” Yeo added.
Help attract and retain investors
Job seekers should join a company that has sound business plans and budgets. “Investors who are pouring money into your company want to know that their funds are being used properly. Your social responsibility role here is to volunteer your time to show the investors that you care about profitability as well as social welfare and the natural environment. You must show investors that you have an interest in the local and global community. Investors are usually attracted to, and will continue to, support a company that is committed to its employees, customers and the public,” he stated.
Promote business sustainability
Besides corporate social responsibility, markets, regulators, customers, employees and partners now require sustainability from every organization. “You need to recognize that a business is connected to ecological, social and cultural systems. If these systems prosper, your business will also prosper. To ensure business sustainability, you must prioritize the long-term survival of your company and connect it to our ecological, social and cultural systems. To promote sustainability, you should work in a company that prioritizes environmental principles and socially responsible behaviour in its business model. You should help your company apply environmental principles to all its business decisions and treat the natural environment as the central theme of its business. When you emphasize sustainability, you greatly contribute to the survival of nations and the global financial system,” stressed Yeo.
Practise the triple bottom line
The final concept that Yeo highlighted at the commencement was the triple bottom line. “To succeed in the corporate world, you must know the three aspects of organizational success, including economic, ecological and social. In the corporate world, you must focus on three things first: people, planet and profit. You must do things that are beneficial to people. Additionally, the things that you do should help save our planet earth. When you do things that are both people-friendly and environmentally-sound, you will be able to enjoy greater profitability in the long run,” Yeo concluded.
EU School of Business is a partner university of Jessselton College Sabah. Based in Switzerland, it has campuses in Barcelona, Geneva, Montreux and Munich. The 2018 EU Asia Commencement Ceremony was attended by 78 graduates in Bachelor of Business Administration and in Leisure and Tourism Management. Another 22 received their Master of Business Administration, while four were awarded a Doctor of Business Administration.
Download Original ArticleAbout the writer
Fung Lan Yong holds a PhD in Special Education (Gifted and Talented Education) from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She teaches Academic English and Mass Communication subjects at Jesselton College Sabah that has 5-star MyQuest ratings in various courses.
26 March 2021
Jesselton College is pleased to announce that it has recently been upgraded to Jesselton University College.
The certificate of approval was presented by YB Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Binti Ahmad, Minister of Higher Education Malaysia to Prof Datin Dr Noor Hamizah Hanifah, corporate advisor of Jesselton College, accompanied by Datuk Arman Azha Abu Hanifah and Prof Datuk Dr Husaini Omar, Director General of Ministry of Higher Education (names mentioned from left to right, respectively).
Established on 10 October 1988, the upgrade is a testament of Jesselton College’s commitment in providing excellent and quality higher education to students from all across Asia. The College has demonstrated outstanding and proven track record, including achieving a 5-star rating by the Malaysian Quality Evaluation System for Private Colleges (MyQuest) over the last 4 consecutive years.
Sabahans will now have more opportunities to pursue higher education as a result of this upgrade. Jesselton College, headquartered in Kota Kinabalu and managed by a highly skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced workforce, is Sabah's first and only homegrown college to be elevated to university college status.
The President of Jesselton University College extends his commendation to the Minister of Higher Education for entrusting the institution in developing Sabah's private higher education industry. Jesselton College is in the process of amending its constitution and appointing its Vice-Chancellor, while its branding trademark application with MyIPO authority is still pending approval.
We are pleased to announce that Jesselton College has been awarded a ‘5-Stars: Excellent’ college-based rating by the Ministry of Higher Education under MyQuest 2016/2017. In addition, we scored a 5-stars rating in the categories of International Student Services and Social Science, Business, Law. These ratings are a testament to Jesselton College’s consistent dedication to offering students an innovative, cutting-edge educational experience. MyQuest 2016/2017 stars rating system MyQuest is an instrument to evaluate the current performance of private colleges in Malaysia. The evaluation of private colleges is aimed at driving improvements in quality through developmental approaches, ratings and self-assessment. MyQUEST 2016/2017 is also a part of the objective to achieve the Key Results Area (KRA) for Ministry in improving the quality of education in Malaysia. The MyQUEST evaluation system covers dimensions of input, process and output that emphasize five key criteria including student quality, resources quality, quality management system, programme recognition and graduate recognition. 5-Stars quality at JC We are delighted to receive a 5-Stars rating for International Student Services. This highly favourable rating is due to our dedication and commitment towards providing top-notch services and hospitality to each student of the College. Jesselton College strongly believes that innovative higher education industry is all about the experience of learning and achieving, which prepare students for careers in global business. Our students have shown excellent employment prospects. Our graduates have secured employment at some of the biggest Asian companies. Moreover, Jesselton College also strives to develop an entrepreneurial mindset among students
Commencement at Cordis Hong Kong at Langham Place Jesselton College Sabah’s partner institution, European University, held its 2017 commencement ceremony at Cordis Hong Kong at Langham Place on 21 April 2017. A total of 127 graduates from Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Philippines and Hong Kong received their academic scrolls from the President of European University Business School, Dr. Dirk Craen witnessed by the Kota Kinabalu mayor, Datuk Yeo Boon Hai. A total of 69 were awarded Bachelor of Business Administration, with 18 from Jesselton College. Another 35 international graduates received their Masters while 22 their PhD. European University-Jesselton College partnership European University is a triple-accredited tertiary institution with campuses in Barcelona, Geneva, Munich, and Montreux. The academic partnership between Jesselton College and EU was approved by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), allowing students to complete a Bachelor’s degree in business administration at Jesselton College. This program helps substantially decrease student expenditure, thus promoting Malaysia as a hub of tertiary education. It requires local students to register in both Jesselton College and European University; follow the same syllabi, undergo the same assessment methods, and finally obtain the same qualifications as their European counterparts. In brief, both international and local students are now able to obtain a Bachelor’s degree from European University by attending classes in Sabah without the need to live in Europe. The Jesselton College-European University collaboration makes it possible to for Malaysian students to pursue a degree within an international environment that integrates both North American and European academic curricula.
Introduction Kuwait Finance House (Malaysia) Berhad (KFH Malaysia) is the first foreign Islamic bank that was granted a licence under the Islamic Banking Act (Malaysia) 1983 on 8 May 2005. KFH Malaysia commenced Branch Operations on 8 August 2005. A wholly-owned subsidiary of KFH, the move to set up an office in Malaysia was on the heels of Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM's) decision to open up the country's Islamic banking industry to qualified foreign players as recommended under its Financial Sector Master Plan. As the regional headquarters of KFH in the Asia-Pacific region, KFH’s main role is to provide innovative Shariah-based financial solutions to our customers. In addition, KFH act as the intermediary and facilitator to promote two-way investments and trade between Malaysia, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Furthermore, Kuwait Finance House (Labuan) Berhad is licenced to carry on offshore banking business in the Federal Territory of Labuan. Jesselton College - School of Business had organized this industrial visit for students from three different programmes in Jesselton College. Understanding towards banking daily operation is the main learning outcomes for this industrial visit. On top of that, activities related to marketing of banking and financing products were shown by the personnel from Kuwait Finance House. The objectives of this visit are to provide students with exposure and insight to the real working environment in banking industry as well as linking the visit experience towards course materials that conducted during lecture. Visit Timetable Time (Duration) Activities 8.45a.m Arrival of students, lecturers and personnel
Before getting into the business world, college students should develop certain leadership skills, including a sense of responsibility and effective communication skills. At Jesselton College, students have many opportunities to develop a sense of responsibility, for example, by doing group projects and engaging in such extracurricular activities as sports and community service. As for effective communication, college life offers countless opportunities for students to interact with others, from other students to campus administrators to leaders of other groups, which in turn encourage them to improve their networking skills. Further, problem-solving acumen and persuasive ability are another two leadership attributes that can be developed while still in college. At Jesselton College, the responsibilities of satisfying the requirements of various subjects, coping with personal obligations and effectively performing their role as project leader encourage students to strengthen their problem-solving skills while enhancing their multitasking ability before they enter the professional world. Besides problem-solving, the ability to persuade a group about its goals and purpose is something that students can develop on campus. Jesselton College encourages students to assume leadership roles so that they can have the opportunity to persuasively speak in front of different groups that in turn builds the poise and self-assurance that they will need as leaders in the corporate world. Leaders must have the ability to manage a group, including overseeing operational procedures, devising budgets and setting priorities. Once enrolled in Jesselton College, students will develop management skills in various ways, for instance, by running a student representative council