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 demonstrated a strong, consistent commitment to quality, fully practicing and fulfilling all ABEST21 Accreditation Standards (1, 2, 3, and 4). This consistency is evident across its operations, including Academic Unit Management, Governance, Self-Check/Self-Evaluation, and Staff Development. Specifically, the School maintains an appropriate management system with clear and transparent decision-making, which is supported by periodic external evaluations and systematic self-checks embedded within the PDCA cycle. Furthermore, the School ensures continuous improvement and accountability by disclosing results to stakeholders for feedback and heavily emphasizing staff development through training, performance evaluation, and initiatives designed to foster diversity and global communication, ultimately reflecting a robust internal quality assurance and management framework.

• The School has consistently practiced the ABEST21 Accreditation Standards for Standards 1, 2, 3, and 4.
• FAM has been found to be fully compatible with ABEST21 Accreditation Standards 1, 2, 3, and 4.
• The School has consistently fulfilled the ABEST21 Standards on Academic Unit Management, Governance, Self-Check/Self-Evaluation, and Staff Development. The School has an appropriate management system with clear decision-making processes, supported by periodic external evaluations to ensure accountability and continuous improvement. Its governance structure promotes fairness and transparency, while systematic self-checks and self-evaluations are embedded in the PDCA cycle, with results disclosed to stakeholders for feedback. In addition, the School places emphasis on staff development through periodic training, performance evaluation, and initiatives that foster diversity and global communication. Overall, the School’s practices are consistent with the ABEST21 criteria, reflecting a strong internal quality assurance and management framework.

The School’s Feedback:

The program appreciates the panel’s positive feedback on this aspect.

PRT Response:

Thank you for acknowledging the review findings. As this area shows high compliance with no deficiencies, the focus shifts to sustaining and documenting this excellence. We encourage the School to:

• Maintain Rigor: Continue the systematic application of the PDCA cycle and transparent disclosure of results to all stakeholders.
• Document Impact: Focus on systematically tracking and documenting the direct, positive impact of the staff development initiatives, external evaluations, and self-check outcomes on student learning and program quality.

Issues to be improved:

The School has no major issues and fully complies with Chapter 1 standards. The institution’s strong performance in quality assurance and management is characterized by numerous good practices that should be sustained and further strengthened. These areas are not considered targets for improvement but rather foundational strengths, demonstrating the School’s commitment to long-term consistency and sustainability.

• No Issue.
• These are not areas identified for improvement but rather good practices that should be sustained and further strengthened.
• The School shows no major issues in Chapter 1, but it should continue strengthening its commitment to quality assurance and management to ensure consistency and sustainability in the long term.

The School’s Feedback:

The program appreciates the panel’s positive feedback. The faculty will continue to review and refine to ensure ongoing relevance and quality.

PRT Response:

Thank you for acknowledging the review findings. Since these areas are foundational strengths and not targets for improvement, the PRT encourages the School to focus your action on reinforcing long-term consistency and sustainability:

• Systematic Documentation: Continue to rigorously document the evidence of impact from your current management and quality processes (e.g., how PDCA outcomes drive improvement).
• Transparency: Maintain and enhance the transparency of decision-making and feedback disclosure to all stakeholders.

Chapter 2: Mission Statement

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

The School operates successfully, fully meeting the ABEST21 Standards for both its Mission Statement and Financial Strategies. Its mission is clear, aligns with the parent university’s goals, and prioritizes professional competence and character development for the global economy. This mission is openly communicated, regularly updated with stakeholder feedback, and strongly supported by sound financial resources and detailed long- and short-term planning. While the program is entirely compliant with accreditation standards and is recognized as impactful, its direct benefits are not yet widespread.

• The School is operating successfully because its mission is clear and aligned with the university, emphasizing professional development and character. This mission is openly shared and regularly updated using feedback from stakeholders. Critically, the School also has strong financial resources and detailed planning in place to support its goals. All practices are fully consistent with ABEST21 Accreditation Standards.
• While the program is compatible with accreditation standards and is recognized as impactful, its direct benefits are not yet widespread.
• The School has consistently met the ABEST21 Standards on Mission Statement and Financial Strategies. The School’s mission statement is clear, aligned with the parent university’s mission, and emphasizes both professional competence and character-building to meet the needs of a globalized economy. It is made publicly available through multiple media and reviewed periodically with stakeholder input. In addition, the School demonstrates sound financial capacity, with yearly, short-term, and long-term strategies in place to ensure sufficient resources are secured to achieve its mission. Overall, the School’s practices are consistent with the ABEST21 criteria, reflecting strong alignment between mission, stakeholder engagement, and financial planning.

The School’s Feedback:

The program appreciates the panel’s positive feedback.

PRT Response:

Thank you for acknowledging the review findings. Since your mission and finances are fully compliant, the necessary action is strategic outreach to broaden the program’s reach and impact. We urge the School to focus on:

• Targeted Outreach: Systematically identifying and engaging with new stakeholder groups (e.g., specific industry sectors, international partners) who currently may not be benefiting from the program.
• Quantifying Impact: Developing clear metrics to measure the program’s benefits (e.g., graduate career progression, research dissemination) to demonstrate that the impact is, in fact, becoming widespread.

We commend your strong foundational compliance and urge you to focus on extending the program’s benefits across a wider audience.

Issues to be improved:

Although the program remains a highly impactful, unique offering that benefits stakeholders and is currently subsidized, its long-term sustainability is severely threatened by critically low enrollment, having admitted only four students annually for two years. This low intake means the program is currently unable to reach its Break-Even Point (BEP). To secure its future, two immediate actions are required: first, the program must identify a precise market segment, and second, the program’s delivery method must be tailored to perfectly serve that segment’s needs. This effort must be supported by more aggressive promotion strategies, both locally and internationally, to strengthen public awareness and attract prospective students. Additionally, the School must ensure the mission statement is clearly included in the MBA (Corporate Governance) program brochure for easy access by all stakeholders.

• Even though the program is subsidized, its sustainability is in doubt due to enrolling only four students annually for two years. The solution requires two immediate steps: first, identify a fitting market segment, and second, tailor the program’s delivery method to perfectly serve that segment.
• Unfortunately, it is anticipated that the MBA in Corporate Governance may not be able to achieve its Break-Even Point (BEP) at present, as the current student enrolment stands at only four. Nevertheless, the program remains highly impactful to society and is considered a unique offering that brings significant benefits to various stakeholders. As a mitigation measure, there is a need for more aggressive promotion strategies, both locally and internationally, to strengthen awareness, attract prospective students, and ensure program sustainability.
• The School should ensure that the mission statement is clearly included in the MBA (Corporate Governance) programme brochure so that it is easily accessible to all stakeholders.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty acknowledges the concern regarding the program’s low enrollment and financial sustainability. While the MBA (Corporate Governance) remains a distinctive and socially impactful offering, efforts are underway to identify suitable market segments and adapt the program delivery accordingly. In addition, enhanced local and international promotional activities will be implemented to boost visibility and attract prospective students.

PRT Response:

Thank you for acknowledging the critical concerns regarding the MBA-CG program’s low enrollment and long-term sustainability. We urge the School to focus immediate efforts on the following two action steps to ensure successful execution:

• Define and Quantify: Clearly define the precise target market segment (e.g., SME compliance officers, specific international regions) and immediately establish the BEP enrollment target and annual recruitment KPIs for the next cycle.
• Mission Transparency: Confirm that the MBA (Corporate Governance) mission statement will be explicitly and clearly included in the program brochure for easy access by all stakeholders, addressing the specific structural recommendation.

We look forward to reviewing the detailed plan outlining the newly identified market segment and the adapted delivery method.

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 MBA-CG FAM UTAR curriculum management is highly effective and fully compliant with all ABEST21 Standards, covering everything from Learning Goals and Quality Improvement to Online Education and Globalization. The curriculum is well-guided and systematically balances theory with practice, with its major strength being the excellent preparation for corporate secretary careers, driven by a strong practical focus and its valuable partnership with MAICSA. Continuous review mechanisms and the effective use of the Web-Based Learning Environment (WBLE) ensure quality, but while core subjects like Corporate Governance, Risk Management, and CRM are solid, students and alumni recommend modernizing the content by adding more emphasis on AI, Technology, and creativity in the workplace.

• The program’s major strength lies in its excellent preparation for Corporate Secretary careers, driven by a strong practical focus and its unique partnership with MAICSA. Although core subjects like Corporate Governance, Risk Management, and CRM are solid, students and alumni suggest adding more emphasis on AI, Technology, and creativity in the workplace. Overall, the MBA-CG FAM UTAR is compliant, as its curriculum management meets ABEST21 standards.
• The curriculum is well guided and has been verified in alignment with Standards 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. In addition, the effective implementation of the Web-Based Learning Environment (WBLE) is recognized as a commendable practice that adds further value.
• The School has consistently met the ABEST21 Standards on Learning Goals, Curriculum Policy and Management, Quality Improvement of Curriculum, Online Education, Diploma Policy and Learning Outcomes, and Globalization of Curriculum. The learning goals are clearly defined, aligned with the mission, and regularly reviewed with stakeholder input, while the curriculum is systematically designed to balance theory and practice, integrate governance and global perspectives, and equip students with both technical and professional competencies. Mechanisms for continuous curriculum review, academic guidance, grading standards, and syllabus alignment are well-established and implemented in line with quality assurance practices. Online education is supported with appropriate infrastructure and student/faculty assistance, while diploma policies and outcome assessments are transparent and periodically examined for improvement. The School also demonstrates strong efforts in globalization through double degree arrangements, international seminars, and support for foreign students. In addition, the collaboration with MAICSA is excellent, as it enhances the MBA (Corporate Governance) programme by providing strong industry relevance, professional recognition, and valuable linkages between academic learning and the corporate governance profession. Overall, the School’s practices are consistent with the ABEST21 criteria, reflecting a comprehensive and well-managed curriculum framework.

The School’s Feedback:

The program appreciates the panel’s positive feedback. The faculty will continue to review and refine the curriculum to ensure ongoing relevance and quality.

PRT Response:

Thank you for your response. The Peer Review Team confirms that the MBA-CG program’s curriculum management is highly effective and fully compliant with all ABEST21 Standards (7-12). This is a significant strength, driven by excellent academic guidance and the valuable MAICSA collaboration.
The key area for improvement identified by students and alumni is the need for curriculum modernization. Action Required: Prioritize increasing emphasis on AI, Technology, and creativity in the workplace to ensure ongoing relevance.
We urge the faculty to integrate these specific, modern topics into the curriculum structure to sustain its excellence.

Issues to be improved:

The MBA-CG FAM UTAR curriculum management is strong and consistently meets ABEST21 standards across design, organization, and evaluation. While this performance reflects sustained good practice, a recent review highlighted clear opportunities for enhancement. To improve the curriculum further, the program must more closely involve alumni as partners in its evaluation and refinement. Furthermore, to strengthen globalization, the School is encouraged to move beyond traditional exchange programs—which are difficult for working students—by organizing dialogue sessions with international practitioners. To ensure continued relevance, the curriculum should be better balanced by shifting focus towards business case studies over excessive theory, and by integrating content on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digitalization, which are essential for modern corporate governance.

• While the MBA-CG FAM UTAR curriculum is already well-managed—having been properly designed, organized, and evaluated to meet ABEST21 standards—a recent visit highlighted a key opportunity: the program should more closely involve alumni as partners to further evaluate and improve the curriculum.
• These are not areas identified for improvement but rather good practices that should be sustained and further strengthened.
• While Chapter 3 is consistent with ABEST21 standards, there is room for improvement in strengthening the globalization aspect of the MBA (Corporate Governance) programme. Since most students are working professionals who cannot participate in exchange programmes, the School is encouraged to organize dialogue sessions with international practitioners to expose students to global best practices. In addition, feedback from PRT interviews suggests that students would prefer greater emphasis on business case studies rather than focusing too heavily on theories and facts, ensuring a better balance between theory and practice. The curriculum could also be enhanced by integrating more content on artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization, which are increasingly relevant to corporate governance and modern business environments.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty appreciates the valuable feedback and acknowledges the importance of alumni involvement in continuous curriculum improvement. Steps will be taken to engage alumni as active partners in the program’s evaluation and enhancement processes. Additionally, the faculty will explore incorporating more business case studies and content related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digitalization to strengthen the program’s relevance and global outlook.

PRT Response:

Thank you for your highly focused and positive response. The reviews confirmed that your curriculum management is strong and fully compliant with ABEST21 standards. The need for enhancement centered on increasing relevance and globalization.
Your commitment to the following is excellent and directly addresses all major recommendations:

• Engage Alumni as active partners in evaluation and enhancement.
• Incorporate more business case studies (shifting focus from excessive theory).
• Integrate content on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digitalization.

The only remaining structural need for the School is to explicitly commit to establishing dialogue sessions with international practitioners to ensure working professionals gain the necessary globalization exposure, as traditional exchanges are unsuitable for this cohort.
We urge you to formally add this specific action and then establish clear timelines for integrating these enhancements into the curriculum cycle.

Chapter 4: Students

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

The School demonstrates strong compliance with ABEST21 standards for student matters, including Admission Policy, Student Support, and Student Body Diversity. The systems for clear, objective admission, providing academic and financial support, and rewarding excellence are all consistently met. However, the current situation is not ideal because the program suffers from a critically small student intake, despite these robust policies. Therefore, the School must urgently strengthen its efforts to increase enrollment, both locally and internationally, with a specific focus on aggressive promotion to raise awareness of the MBA (Corporate Governance) program’s value, industry relevance, and career pathways to attract a larger and more diverse pool of prospective students.

• Although the program satisfies the ABEST21 standards for students, the current situation is not ideal because very few students are actually enrolled.
• FAM student matters are fully compatible with ABEST21 Standards 13, 14, and 15. The diversity of the MBA Corporate Governance student body is also identified as one of the School’s key strengths.
• The School is mostly consistent with ABEST21 Standards on Admission Policy and Student Selection, Student Encouragement and Support, and Student Body Diversity. The admission policy is clear, objective, and periodically reviewed, while systems are in place to provide academic, financial, and career support to both local and international students. Measures for rewarding academic excellence, offering special support where needed, and ensuring diversity within the student body are also evident. However, the School needs to strengthen efforts to increase student intake, both locally and internationally. In particular, greater promotion of the MBA (Corporate Governance) programme is recommended, with a focus on raising awareness of its value, industry relevance, and career pathways to attract a larger and more diverse pool of students.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty will strengthen its promotional and branding efforts for the MBA (Corporate Governance) programme. A more strategic and targeted marketing approach is recommended, emphasizing the programme’s distinct value, career relevance, and contribution to governance excellence. This can be achieved through stronger industry collaborations with professional bodies such as MAICSA and CIMA, engagement with alumni as brand ambassadors, and the use of digital platforms for global outreach. Additionally, flexible delivery options, including modular or micro credential pathways, will be highlighted to attract working professionals seeking career advancement in corporate governance.

PRT Response:

Thank you for your decisive and strategic response. The reviews confirm your compliance with ABEST21 Standards 13-15 (Admission, Support, Diversity) is strong, and your support systems are robust. However, the core issue is the critically low actual student intake despite these strong policies.
Your action plan is highly commendable and directly addresses the need for aggressive promotion by committing to:

• Strategic Marketing: Emphasizing the program’s distinct value, career relevance, and governance excellence.
• Strong Outreach: Utilizing MAICSA/CIMA collaborations, alumni ambassadors, and digital platforms.
• Flexible Delivery: Highlighting modular or micro-credential pathways for working professionals.

This multi-pronged strategy is excellent. We urge the School to now establish specific, measurable enrollment targets (KPIs) for the next academic cycle (local and international) and ensure the marketing materials clearly and aggressively communicate the value proposition and career pathways to effectively counter the current low-intake situation.

Issues to be improved:

While the School maintains many good practices that should be sustained, the MBA-CG FAM UTAR urgently needs to address its low student enrollment. This low intake stems from multiple factors: the remote campus location, a niche market image, UTAR’s perceived Chinese-exclusive identity, and weak promotional efforts. To rectify this, the program must immediately implement a comprehensive marketing strategy. This strategy should focus on clarifying its target market, repositioning the brand, optimizing distribution, and revising promotions, while also enhancing its overall course delivery flexibility. These efforts are essential for actively promoting the program’s value, career prospects, and professional pathways to increase both local and international student intake.

• The MBA-CG FAM UTAR urgently needs to boost its student numbers, which are low due to its remote location, a niche market image, UTAR’s perceived exclusivity, and weak promotional efforts. To fix this, the program must immediately focus on a comprehensive marketing strategy: clarifying its market, repositioning the brand, optimizing distribution, and revising promotions, alongside making its overall course delivery more flexible.
• These are not areas identified for improvement but rather good practices that should be sustained and further strengthened
• The School should enhance its efforts to increase both local and international student intake by actively promoting the MBA (Corporate Governance) programme and raising awareness of its career prospects and professional pathways.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty will rebrand the MBA (CG) as a specialized leadership pathway for professionals aspiring to boardroom and governance roles. Partner with professional bodies such as MAICSA, CIMA, and CGMA for co-branding and joint promotions. Leverage existing MoUs with universities or industry associations abroad to promote international enrolment. Engage alumni as ambassadors to share their experiences through LinkedIn posts, webinars, and networking events.

PRT Response:

Thank you for your decisive and strategic response to the critical issue of low student enrollment. The reviews confirmed the urgent need to address systemic barriers like remote location, niche image, and weak promotion.
Your action plan is excellent as it strategically addresses the need for a comprehensive overhaul by committing to:

• Repositioning/Rebranding: Branding the MBA-CG as a specialized leadership pathway for boardroom/governance roles (directly countering the niche image).
• Optimizing Promotion/Partnerships: Partnering for co-branding with MAICSA, CIMA, and CGMA; leveraging international MoUs; and engaging alumni ambassadors (directly addressing weak promotion and low international intake).

This strategy targets the core problems through branding, partnerships, and digital outreach. We urge the School to now focus on the immediate implementation and measurement of these steps:

• Finalize Market Segmentation: Clearly define the revised target market.
• Enhance Flexibility: Confirm specific steps to make course delivery more flexible (e.g., modularization, online components) to mitigate the remote location barrier.
• Set KPIs: Establish specific, aggressive enrollment targets (local and international) for the next academic cycle to track the success of this renewed strategy.

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

The faculty structure at the School is currently adequate and demonstrates broad consistency with ABEST21 Standards (covering Faculty Structure, Qualifications, Development, and Maintenance of the Research/Education Environment). The School successfully maintains an appropriate team with a balanced number of full-time and part-time members across academic ranks (Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors). Systems are fully established for fair recruitment, promotion, and continuous faculty development, which includes supporting research, rewarding achievements, and enhancing teaching expertise. However, while the existing provisions fulfill the requirements of Standards 16 through 20, the overall diversity of the faculty is an area where improvement is still needed.

• All the ABEST criteria in faculty is running well, except the diversity.
• The faculty structure is found to be adequate, with a qualified teaching team comprising a balanced number of professors, associate professors, and assistant professors. In addition, an appropriate ratio and diversity between full-time and part-time faculty members is well maintained. These provisions fulfil the requirements of standard 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20.
• The School is largely consistent with ABEST21 Standards on Faculty Structure, Faculty Qualifications, Maintenance of Education and Research Environment, Faculty Development, and Faculty Diversity. The School maintains an adequate number of qualified full-time and part-time faculty members, with diversity in age, gender, and background, and ensures fair and transparent recruitment and promotion processes. Systems are in place to support research, sabbaticals, faculty rewards, and development programmes, while achievements in teaching and research are periodically reviewed and integrated into the curriculum. Faculty development opportunities are also systematically conducted to enhance teaching skills and professional expertise.

The School’s Feedback:

The program appreciates the panel’s positive feedback. The faculty will continue to review and refine to ensure ongoing relevance and quality.

PRT Response:

Thank you for acknowledging the review findings. The Peer Review Team confirms that the MBA-CG program’s faculty structure is highly compliant and fully fulfills ABEST21 Standards 16–20 (Structure, Qualifications, Development, Research/Education Environment). This robust framework—including balanced staffing, fair systems for development/rewards, and adequate resources—is a significant strength.
The sole area identified for continued improvement is Faculty Diversity. Thus, We urge the School to focus its action plan on systematically enhancing faculty diversity, specifically by:

• Setting clear targets for increasing international faculty representation.
• Actively recruiting from varied cultural and professional backgrounds to further enrich the program’s global outlook.

This focus will solidify your already strong compliance with the Faculty Standards.

Issues to be improved:

While the School maintains many good practices that should be sustained, MBA-CG FAM UTAR must proactively strengthen its faculty profile to meet current demands. Specifically, the following actions are recommended: increase the proportion of faculty holding doctoral degrees and those who are Professionally Qualified. The School must also boost the count of Professors and Associate Professors and hire more specialists in OIS (Operations & MIS). Additionally, the School should ensure existing faculty members possess the necessary knowledge and practical experience in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digitalization, as these are critical areas for modern governance and business education.

• The following actions are recommended for MBA-CG FAM UTAR: increase the number of faculty holding doctoral degrees and those who are Professionally Qualified, while also boosting the count of Professors and Associate Professors and hiring more specialists in OIS (Operations & MIS).
• These are not areas identified for improvement but rather good practices that should be sustained and further strengthened.
• The School should continue to strengthen its faculty profile by ensuring that more faculty members possess the necessary knowledge and practical experience in artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization, as these areas are increasingly important for governance and business education.

The School’s Feedback:

The faculty acknowledges the recommendation and will continue strengthening faculty qualifications through targeted recruitment and development initiatives. Efforts will focus on increasing the number of doctoral and professionally qualified staff, expanding expertise in OIS, AI, digitalization and enhancing academic leadership through the appointment of more Professors and Associate Professors.

PRT Response:

Thank you for your decisive and comprehensive response. The reviews confirm the urgent need to proactively strengthen the faculty profile to meet modern demands. Your action plan is excellent as it directly commits to all five key recommendations:

• Increasing doctoral and professionally qualified staff.
• Expanding expertise in OIS, AI, and digitalization.
• Enhancing academic leadership by appointing more Professors and Associate Professors.

This holistic commitment addresses all identified gaps. We urge the School to immediately establish specific, measurable KPIs and firm deadlines for recruitment and professional development in these priority areas to ensure the successful and timely upgrade of the faculty profile.