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Murray Hunter
MANY Malaysian students pursue some form of management studies at universities. These include BBAs, MBAs, DBAs, and qualifications regarding entrepreneurship.
The problem with such degrees is that they don’t necessarily lead to employment, where many graduates remain unemployed for longer periods than graduates in science-related courses.
There are a number of weaknesses within management qualifications in Malaysia. These problems range from the materials contained within the courses offered, the methods of teaching, and the experience of those who teach these qualifications.
Curriculum
Traditionally, a university faculty would spend a great deal of effort on developing a new curriculum. Most often, the process would take a year or more and cost the salaries of one or two senior academics.
However, in Malaysia, many, if not most, universities take shortcuts by ‘cutting and pasting’ bits and pieces of other university curricula with similar courses.
Sometimes, Malaysian academic staff recycle material from another university that is serving a market in a different culture and economy.
For example, curricula developed in the urban United States, UK, or Australia will be post-industrial rather than those of a developing economy like Malaysia. This will have a great effect on material content and may not be suitable for Malaysian cohorts.
In an overseas university, a new curriculum might be developed by very senior and experienced academics. In Malaysia, junior academics will be requested to undertake the task.
Within the entrepreneurship domain, there is more teaching about what entrepreneurship is rather than how to become an entrepreneur. Many of these courses will include standard management subjects to fill in the course.
Method of teaching
Business subjects tend to be taught in Malaysia through textbooks. A particular textbook is usually set for a course subject. So, students will most likely be obligated to buy many textbooks throughout their course of studies.
Exam questions are most often taken from textbook content, which restricts the scope of studies, discouraging students from seeking information further afield.
Management subjects tend to be restricted to classrooms where the educational support structure is minimal.
Facilities like management behavioural laboratories are absent, thus students tend to rely upon textbook-based structured teaching.
In entrepreneurship, start-up labs may exist. However, virtually none of them are connected to any group of practademics who can guide students to a start-up.
Those who teach management
In Malaysia, those who teach management subjects at universities tend to be full-time academics with no working business experience.
Making nasi lemak at home for sale at the pasar malam is excluded. In addition, there are many staff teaching changes within faculties, so lecturers are hindered from becoming experts in any field. One semester, a lecturer may teach human resources and the next semester transfer to marketing.
Coupled with textbook-based approaches to teaching led by inexperienced staff, a business subject may just become a chapter-by-chapter reading session based on textbook PowerPoint slides.
Other impediments
Staff have little time to immerse themselves in the depth of the subjects they teach. An academic is smothered by writing up things like staff attendance, confirmation of what was covered within the class,
Outcome-Based Education (OBE) requirements are based upon Bloom’s Taxonomy, which is not an evidence-based theory and may be outdated in online societies. Academics may also have to follow ISO guidelines if their faculty has accreditation.
Given the faculty requirements for academic staff to meet the above requirements, there is no room left for staff to prepare innovative classroom activities.
Such is the plight of Malaysian business education, where it needs to follow textbook theories, excluding useful local business theories.
Management education in Malaysia lacks the passion that academics need to exhibit and pass on to students in their classes. There is very little to inspire students today in business courses.
Business degrees tend to be an afterthought within many universities and are seen as a cash cow, due to low start-up and operating costs. Students today are the victims of this. – May 6, 2026