Accreditation

Chapter 1: Internal Quality Assurance and Management

• Standard 1: Academic Unit Management
• Standard 2: Governance System
• Standard 3: Self-Check/Self-Evaluation
• Standard 4: Staff-Development

The School has no fundamental issues in terms of Internal Quality Assurance. It has established a system aligned with ABEST21 Standards. The School demonstrates a commitment to conducting systematic monitoring and continuous improvement through its governance structure (FMC, FQAAC, FADCC, and DCDC) and external feedback.

• The School has no fundamental issues. The mechanism and governance follow the policies and regulations of the Government of Malaysia, the University, and the Faculty.
• Compatible overall; management systems meet ABEST21 expectations.
• The School has a well-established internal quality assurance system aligned with ABEST21 standards. Clear governance and committee structures (FMC, FQAAC, FADCC, DCDC) ensure systematic monitoring and continuous improvement. Regular self-evaluation, external reviews, and stakeholder feedback are integrated into decision-making, demonstrating a commitment to accountability and enhancement of academic quality.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty acknowledges and appreciates the Peer Review Team’s constructive feedback.

PRT Response:

The School has adopted ABEST21’s standards for internal quality assurance and management, while also complying with the Malaysian government’s regulations. This demonstrates the school’s commitment to accountability and academic quality enhancement.

Issues to be improved:

The School needs to explain how they use the evaluation results for their improvement initiatives. Therefore, it would strengthen the use of data-driven indicators for quality assurance and decision-making.

• There is no fundamental issue to be improved in this section.
• Strengthening training on quality assurance and feedback mechanisms.
• The School should strengthen the link between evaluation results and improvement actions to better demonstrate impact. Documentation of follow-up measures and closure of action items could be made more explicit. Periodic reviews of governance effectiveness and the use of data-driven indicators would further improve quality assurance and decision-making.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty appreciates the constructive feedback from the ABEST21 Peer Review Team (PRT) on strengthening the link between evaluation results and improvement initiatives. The faculty acknowledges the importance of systematic, evidence-based decision-making to sustain programme quality and continuous enhancement.

• Use of Evaluation Results for Continuous Improvement
  The faculty recognizes that evaluation outcomes—such as student feedback, alumni surveys, employer evaluations, and external examiner reports—provide valuable insights for improvement.
• Data-Driven Indicators for Quality Assurance and Decision-Making
  To strengthen evidence-based management, the faculty is enhancing the use of quantitative indicators within its quality assurance framework.
• Documentation and Monitoring of Improvement Actions
  The faculty acknowledges the need to make documentation of follow-up measures more explicit.
• Training and Capacity Building in Quality Assurance
  Continuous training is being provided to academic and administrative staff on quality assurance processes, data interpretation, and impact assessment.
  In summary, the faculty is committed to strengthening the linkage between evaluation results and improvement actions through structured documentation, data-driven quality assurance indicators, and enhanced staff capacity in evaluation analysis. These initiatives ensure that decision-making processes are transparent, evidence-based, and aligned with ABEST21’s principles of continuous quality enhancement.

PRT Response:

The School will continue to strengthen their improvement initiatives. Documentation and explanation of how feedback and evaluation results are used to develop improvement initiatives will be necessary to demonstrate that the improvement plans are data-driven. The School also plans to enhance the academic and administrative staff’s understanding of quality assurance processes, emphasizing the participation of all elements in upholding quality assurance.

Chapter 2: Mission Statement

• Standard 5: Mission Statement
• Standard 6: Financial Strategies

The School shows how it aligns its mission with the University’s and the Faculty’s. The mission has also been disseminated through various channels. It can be said that it follows ABEST21 standard.

• The School’s mission statement is aligned with the University’s and the Faculty’s, and reflects how the School aims to nurture future global leaders.
• Well-aligned with university mission and ABEST21 standards.
• The School’s mission statement is clearly defined and aligned with the university’s vision and objectives. It reflects a strong commitment to producing competent, ethical, and industry-relevant graduates while supporting continuous learning, research, and societal contribution. The mission is disseminated through official documents, websites, and stakeholder engagements, and serves as a foundation for curriculum design, quality assurance, and strategic planning. Overall, it is compatible with ABEST21 standards, demonstrating coherence between mission, goals, and program implementation.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty acknowledges and appreciates the Peer Review Team’s constructive feedback.

PRT Response:

The School ‘s mission statements are aligned with the university’s, with a strong commitment to nurturing ethical global leaders. It aligns with ABEST21’s standards.

Issues to be improved:

The mission of the School is its distinctiveness, and thus, the School needs to communicate this through various channels to attract potential students. The School needs always to review and update the mission to keep relevant with the industry and the external environment.

• The mission can be the School’s distinctiveness and attraction for potential students. Thus, the School needs to socialise this and the explanation through various communication channels.
• Expand stakeholder engagement in mission reviews.
• The School may further strengthen the mission review process to ensure continued relevance in response to changing industry trends and global developments. Greater engagement of external stakeholders, including alumni and industry partners, in reviewing and validating the mission would also enhance inclusiveness and alignment with market needs.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty appreciates the insightful comments and recommendations from the ABEST21 Peer Review Team (PRT) regarding the school’s mission. The faculty recognizes that a clearly articulated and well-communicated mission serves as a key differentiator in positioning the MBA programme and in guiding continuous improvement efforts.

• Expanded Stakeholder Engagement in Mission Review

The faculty is taking steps to enhance stakeholder inclusiveness in mission review and validation:

• Alumni, industry advisors, and external examiners are included in periodic consultations to provide feedback on how effectively the mission aligns with market expectations and professional realities.
• Student and staff input is also gathered through surveys, meeting and discussion sessions to promote shared ownership of the school’s mission and vision.
• This participatory approach reinforces transparency and strengthens the link between institutional purpose, curriculum direction, and stakeholder needs.

In summary, the faculty is committed to promoting greater visibility and understanding of its mission, ensuring its continued relevance through periodic review, and deepening stakeholder engagement in the process. These actions will reinforce the school’s distinctiveness and alignment with ABEST21’s principles of mission-driven quality enhancement.

PRT Response:

The School will continue to promote and disseminate its mission statement to attract more potential students. They also attempt to keep the mission statements up to date through regular feedback from various stakeholders.

Chapter 3: Curriculum

• Standard 7: Learning Goals
• Standard 8: Curriculum Policy and Management of Curriculum
• Standard 9: Quality Improvement of Curriculum
• Standard 10: Online Education
• Standard 11: Diploma Policy and Learning Outcomes
• Standard 12: Globalization of Curriculum

The School has complied with the national accreditation requirements and ABEST21. It also applies the feedback mechanism to review and update its curriculum.

• The School has a feedback mechanism from internal and external stakeholders, which enables them to review and update the curriculum while still complying with the curriculum policies of Malaysia and the University.
• Curriculum design is sound with practical focus.
• The curriculum design complies with national accreditation requirements and ABEST21 standards, ensuring coverage of core management areas and enhancing analytical and ethical competencies among students.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty acknowledges and appreciates the Peer Review Team’s constructive feedback.

PRT Response:

The School has designed sound curriculum for the students, complied with bothe Malaysian and ABEST21’s standards.

Issues to be improved:

The School needs to continually update its curriculum to reflect emerging themes, such as sustainability, ESG, and digital transformation. The Schools needs to incorporate international perspectives as well as industry-based projects to provide students a first-hand experience. Furthermore, the School needs to develop clear measurements on the achievement of the PEOs and PLOs.

• The School need to have clear measurements on the achievements of the PEOs and PLOs.
• Integrate emerging global business trends more actively.
• The School is encouraged to enrich the curriculum with emerging themes such as sustainability, ESG, and digital transformation. Greater incorporation of international perspectives, experiential learning, and industry-based projects would further enhance relevance. Regular review involving industry advisors, alumni, and students should continue to ensure responsiveness to the current business trends.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty appreciates the Peer Review Team’s (PRT) constructive comments and recommendations regarding curriculum enhancement, the integration of emerging global business themes, and the establishment of clear measurement mechanisms for Programme Educational Objectives (PEOs) and Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs). The faculty remains committed to ensuring that the MBA curriculum remains relevant, forward-looking, and aligned with global standards.

PRT Response:

The School will continue to update its curriculum regularly and systematically to meet the changes and advancements in the external environment, such as technological developments and ESG issues. They will also strengthen the measurement of PEO and PLO outcomes and enhance the use of stakeholders’ feedback.

Chapter 4: Students

• Standard 13: Admission Policy and Student Selection
• Standard 14: Student Encouragement and Support
• Standard 15: Student Body Diversity

The School has a huge issue with student enrollment. A systematic and comprehensive strategy to attract potential students should be in place. Furthermore, the Schools need to manage students to better align with the ABEST21 standards, particularly in terms of admission policies and transparent selection criteria to ensure fairness and consistency. If the School has already implemented such mechanism, it would be good to explain this clearly.

• The number of student enrollments is a huge issue that the School really needs to resolve. Strategies to attract students should be thoroughly developed and implemented.
• Admission and support systems meet standards.
• The School manages student matters effectively in accordance with ABEST21 standards. Clear admission policies and transparent selection criteria ensure fairness and consistency. Academic guidance, counselling, financial assistance, and career support services are available through dedicated university units. Student performance is monitored systematically, and support mechanisms are in place to assist those facing academic or financial challenges.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty acknowledges and appreciates the Peer Review Team’s constructive feedback and will take appropriate action plan to improve enrollments challenges.

PRT Response:

The School has developed clear admission policies. They have also provided support for the students. The focus will be on enhancing the number of student enrollments.

Issues to be improved:

The School needs to improve and leverage its branding. It has several strengths valued by students and alumni, which the School should utilize to attract potential students. Furthermore, the School needs to increase student diversity through attracting international students and an inbound mobility program. The School can also recognize students’ social contributions through recognition awards or in their transcripts.

• The School needs to strengthen its ‘branding’. The students and alumni stated that affordability, flexibility and the quality of the faculty members are the value added of the School.
• Enhance career and international mobility support.
• The School should intensify efforts to increase student diversity, particularly by attracting more international students and promoting outbound mobility through exchange and internship programs. Recognition of students’ social contributions could be enhanced, for example, through community engagement awards, service-learning projects, or volunteerism recognition in graduation transcripts and the link between student feedback and program improvement should be more clearly documented.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty acknowledges with appreciation the Peer Review Team’s (PRT) constructive comments on the importance of strengthening branding, enhancing student diversity, and recognizing student social engagement. The faculty views these areas as essential to maintaining the MBA programme’s competitiveness, visibility, and alignment with ABEST21 standards.

• Career Development and Stakeholder Feedback Integration
  The faculty continues to expand career support and professional mobility programmes, including industry networking sessions, mentoring by alumni, and internship placements. Furthermore, a more structured system is being developed to document and utilize student and alumni feedback to inform programme improvement, ensuring responsiveness to stakeholder needs and expectations.

In summary, the faculty is actively strengthening its branding strategy, fostering international student diversity, and formalizing recognition of student contributions. These initiatives are part of an integrated plan to enhance programme visibility, inclusivity, and societal impact in alignment with ABEST21’s continuous quality improvement philosophy.

PRT Response:

The School has identified four themes for further improvement: branding, internationalization enhancement, students’ social contributions, and career development.

Chapter 5: Faculty

• Standard 16: Faculty Structure
• Standard 17: Faculty Qualifications
• Standard 18: Maintenance of Education and Research Environment
• Standard 19: Faculty Development
• Standard 20: Faculty Diversity

Faculty members are the School’s strengths: they are qualified, have industry experience and are very knowledgeable. The School implements performance evaluations for faculty to provide them with feedback for improvement. The teaching load is manageable, which allows the faculty to conduct research. However, the School should ensure that the diversity of the faculty body is preserved.

• The diversity of the faculty is an issue, particularly in terms of nationality, ethnicity and age.
• Faculty qualifications and development are adequate.
• The School has a sufficient number of qualified full-time faculty members with strong academic credentials and relevant industry experience, ensuring comprehensive coverage of all major areas in the MBA program. Recruitment and promotion follow transparent university guidelines, and faculty performance is periodically evaluated. The faculty structure supports both academic and practical learning, and the teaching load is manageable to allow research engagement.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty acknowledges and appreciates the Peer Review Team’s constructive feedback and will take appropriate action plan to improve faculty diversity.

PRT Response:

The expertise of the faculty members is one of the school’s strengths, and the school has provided great support for the faculty members. The school will continue to improve faculty diversity.

Issues to be improved:

The School needs to increase faculty diversity by recruiting more international and young scholars. The School needs to ensure that the faculty’s teaching skills are updated to reflect the current digital-based pedagogy approach. Additionally, the School should establish a formal review of practice-based courses to ensure alignment between faculty expertise and course content.

• The School needs to attract faculty members with diverse backgrounds.
• Increase research visibility and international faculty diversity.
• The School is encouraged to increase faculty diversity, particularly by recruiting more international and younger academics to strengthen global perspectives and succession planning. A more structured faculty development program should be introduced to enhance teaching skills and digital pedagogy. Additionally, the School should establish a formal review of practice-based courses to ensure alignment between faculty expertise and course content.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty appreciates the constructive comments from the ABEST21 Peer Review Team (PRT) concerning faculty diversity, teaching capability enhancement, and the review of practice-based courses. The faculty recognizes these as strategic priorities to strengthen academic excellence and global competitiveness.

• Faculty Diversity and Recruitment Strategy
  The faculty acknowledges the need to enhance diversity among academic staff and has begun implementing a Faculty Diversification Plan that prioritizes the recruitment of international and young scholars. This initiative aims to broaden global perspectives, support succession planning, and promote cross-cultural academic exchange. The faculty is collaborating with the University’s Human Resource Department to identify strategic recruitment channels and improve the visibility of vacancies through international academic platforms and professional networks.
• Enhancement of Teaching and Digital Pedagogy Skills
  In alignment with the University’s digital transformation agenda, the faculty will focus on digital-based pedagogy, case-based learning, and technology-enhanced teaching methods. Regular workshops and peer-sharing sessions are being conducted to ensure faculty members remain proficient in emerging teaching tools and online engagement strategies. Academic staff are also encouraged to obtain digital teaching certifications and participate in continuous professional learning supported by the University.
• Review and Alignment of Practice-Based Courses
  The faculty recognizes the importance of ensuring that practice-oriented courses align with both industry needs and faculty expertise. A formal course review mechanism has been established under the Faculty’s Curriculum Committee to periodically evaluate course content, learning outcomes, and teaching assignments. This ensures alignment between faculty qualifications, practical experience, and course relevance. Inputs from industry practitioners and alumni are also incorporated to maintain the applied focus of the MBA curriculum.
• Research Visibility and International Collaboration
  To complement efforts in diversity and academic enhancement, the faculty is also working to increase research visibility and international collaboration. Initiatives include joint publications with global partners, participation in international conferences, and collaboration on applied research projects with industry and academia.

In summary, the faculty is committed to advancing faculty diversity, professional development, and curriculum alignment through structured initiatives. These measures will not only strengthen the academic quality of the MBA programme but also enhance its global standing and responsiveness to digital-era business education.

PRT Response:

The School has well identified further areas for improvement, which include enhancing faculty diversity and continuously updating faculty pedagogical and teaching skills.