Young minds intrigued by Corporate Social Responsibility

Students of Sunway University College successfully hosted the Undergraduate Business Student Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) attended by over 400 students from various institutions. This first-of-its-kind conference was co-organised by students and opened to all their undergraduate peers studying in universities in Malaysia.

The conference with the theme ‘Business with a Heart’, attracted students from local, private and public universities who were shown valuable insights into CSR as a sustainable business practice in Malaysia. The student initiative was jointly organised by Sunway University College and their business partners CPA Australia and KPMG in Malaysia, who also presented their best practices at the conference.

“Through this conference, we hope to infuse the CSR mindset amongst undergraduate students by profiling organisations that do not only practice profit maximization, but also behave responsibly towards their community at large, “says Dr. Foo Yin Fah, Head of the Australian University Programme at Sunway University College.

The day was filled with interesting presentations on CSR initiatives by the Sunway Group, The Body Shop, HSBC, DiGi, WWF, Malaysia Nature Society and Environmental Protection Society of Malaysia. The crowd was also entertained by various drama, dance and choral speaking performances, and drawing the day to a close was a special forum entitled “Environmental Conservation : Can Corporations Do More?”, jointly chaired by Dr. Foo along with WWF, Malaysia Nature Society and the Environment Protection Society of Malaysia.

Through their long-standing partnership in advancing business education, Sunway University College, CPA Australia and KPMG in Malaysia have observed that CSR concepts are incorporated in theory to differing degrees in university business curricula. Through the conference, they hope to inspire students to start a CSR movement of their own, by exposing them to actual best practices of well-recognised corporations and organisations in Malaysia.

All three organisations are strong advocates of CSR integration into their respective businesses.

Sunway University College runs on a non-profit basis and is completely funded by the Sunway Education Trust Fund, setup by the Sunway Group in line with their CSR objective of developing human capital through excellence in education. To date, the trust has also awarded up to RM40 million in scholarships since its inception in 1997. In the field of accounting and finance, CPA Australia’s CSR strategy leverages on their craft; from influencing the development of sustainable regulatory policies to assisting corporations in responding effectively to ever-growing CSR demands from shareholders, governments and society. As a leading audit, tax and advisory services firm, KPMG conducts itself as a responsible corporate citizen to clients and colleagues, and is also a positive force in the community through a myriad of activities such as the KPMG Community Day, reef conservation and its Education Trust Fund which assists needy students to pursue their studies in Accounting and Finance.

Dr. Foo adds, “We are truly excited about the good turnout and to see this initiative materialise. We realise that we are at the point of promoting awareness, since CSR education and practice is still nascent in the minds of our young. However, we are confident that this is a great start in inspiring students to become true advocates for community well-being, who will then become the next generation of CSR leaders of our future corporate Malaysia. We hope to sustain this conference and make it the interlude for all students to undergo as part of an education in CSR”

The one-day conference helped to raise RM5,580 in donations and student participation fees, which was donated to the SMK Bandar Sunway’s special class for students with learning disabilities.

Proud to be Malaysian

Dr Lee Su Kim spoke on championing our Malaysianness in a pre-Merdeka talk entitled “Celebrating being Malaysian: A Peranakan Woman Writer’s Perspective” at Sunway University College.

Speaking to Morals and Malaysian Studies students who packed the auditorium, Dr Lee gave amusing examples of how English has developed into its own with phrases and words which would sound completely strange to native English speakers. Words like ‘cousin brother, ‘send you’, ‘gostan’, ‘heaty’ and ‘cooling’. Awkward though they may be, these examples show how our spoken English has evolved into a Malaysian type of English popularly known as “Manglish”.

It was during her four years in Texas pursuing her doctorate that Dr Lee came to write her latest book, ‘A Nyonya in Texas: Insights of a Straits Chinese Woman in the Lone Star State’, which is a hilarious narrative of cross-cultural encounters. “It is only when you leave this country that you find out that you are Malaysian” shared Dr Lee.

Dr Lee’s parents are both Peranakan but from different states. She enjoys the Melaka Peranakan influence from her paternal side and the Penang Peranakan heritage from her maternal side. Pointing out how Peranakan culture is unique in the world and is a beautiful synthesis of two cultures, Chinese and Malay, Dr Lee explained that the culture was at its height of glory during British colonial rule, from the mid-19th to the 20th century. After Malaysia obtained its Independence in 1957, the Peranakan found themselves caught in an identity crisis as their culture is a culture of hybridity, and they claimed Chinese identity. Since World War II, the Peranakan culture has gradually become diluted and lost its lustre. However, the Peranakan culture today is undergoing a great revival and has attracted a lot of interest worldwide, particularly in its material culture.

As a teenager, Dr Lee was not sure of “who” she was but now she has come to accept her Peranakan ancestry with great pride and confidence. She encouraged everyone to celebrate the multiracial harmony that has taken root deeply in Malaysia. “Malaysia is a wonderful meeting place of cultures. This idea of multiple identities helps us to be more open-minded and less ethnocentric. We are who we are, Malaysians and we should appreciate our commonalities, enjoy being multi-cultural, speak out for our rights and dare to be different” said Dr Lee.

About Dr Lee Su Kim
Dr. Lee Su Kim was a guest speaker invited by the Language and Compulsory Subject Centre, Sunway University College. Lee is the author of ‘Malaysian Flavours: Insights into Things Malaysian’, ‘Manglish: Malaysian English at its Wackiest’ and ‘A Nyonya in Texas’. She is an Associate Professor in English at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi. Dr. Lee has a Doctorate in Education from the University of Houston and her research interests are in the area of Language, Culture and Identity and World Englishes.

She is also the President of the newly-formed Peranakan Association of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

An Explosion of Culture at the International Student Carnival

“One Global Village” was the theme of this year’s International Student Carnival, hosted by Sunway University College and co-organised together with the Ministry of Higher Education. The 2-day event held recently was a combined effort of 36 public and private institutions of higher learning and saw 2,500 international students participating in an Inter-Varsity Sports Carnival, a Student Forum and a Cultural Night.

Some 100 international students created a kaleidoscope of colour at the Cultural Night. Sunway University College students dazzled with an Indian folk dance originating from Rajesthan and an enchanting Chinese umbrella dance. Other institutions showcased Bollywood, Saman, Kuda Kepang, Mamri and Jaipongan dances. The Guest-of-Honour was Yang Berhormat Dr Hou Kok Chung, Deputy Minister of Higher Education who was welcomed by the Chancellor of Sunway University College, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah. Vice-Chancellors and Executive Directors from higher institutions around the country, Ambassadors and High Commissioners were also present.

The sports carnival saw students competing in futsal, basketball, captain’s ball and tug-of-war. The forum provided a platform for international students to share their views and explored what could be done to cater to the needs of the international student community in Malaysia. Five international students spoke on issues such as cross-cultural communication, stress, expectations and adjusting to a new cultural environment.

The Ministry of Higher Education is committed to helping international students have a positive, pleasant and enriching experience here. Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director of Sunway University College said “The activities of the Carnival are intended to facilitate goodwill, cross-cultural understanding and unity among the international students which we hope will continue long after the carnival is over”.