At MBA Centre, Xiamen University Malaysia, students balance their careers with academic pursuits. By day, they excel in the workplace; by night and on weekends, they focus on learning, shaping their dual lives through effort and perseverance.
This article shares the stories of three students, showcasing how they balance time, overcome challenges, and unlock new opportunities through their MBA experience.
Chin Jing Yi, born in 1997, is the second-generation heir to his family's lighting business, which serves global brands like Skechers and Nike. As one of the first MBA students at Xiamen University Malaysia, Jing Yi pursued his MBA to gain a competitive edge in a market where few students pursue further education after their undergraduate degrees.
This decision became a turning point in his career. Jing Yi met many outstanding alumni during his studies, including Karen, a senior who became both a mentor and a business partner. They frequently discussed e-commerce issues, and recently, Jing Yi partnered with her as a supplier. The MBA programme also provided him with valuable opportunities, such as visiting companies like Alibaba and Geely, broadening his perspective and building his professional network.
Jing Yi credits the MBA programme with teaching him valuable tools, like SWOT analysis, which helped him understand business situations and identify opportunities. More importantly, it reshaped his approach to management, encouraging him to consider human factors and various operational costs beyond just financial outcomes.
"Besides that, I also learned practical management tools, such as the business scoring system, which helps my company choose the optimal solution when resources are limited," Jing Yi explained.
Karen, the founder of Vision Healthcare, an internet healthcare service provider, started to pursue her MBA in 2020 during the pandemic. After 17 years in the industry, Karen recognized the need to update her management knowledge and prepare for future international collaborations. She found the diverse academic environment and specialized courses at Xiamen University Malaysia appealing.
As a business manager, Karen noticed that many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lacked structured business planning and decision-making skills. She hoped the MBA would fill this gap, especially in understanding the management system in the Chinese market.
Among the courses, Karen was particularly drawn to strategic management and human resources management. "Before, we set employee goals casually. But after learning about HR mechanisms, I began to quantify and specify these goals, even including them in contracts. Young people need to know their direction and promotion standards," she explained. By using performance management systems, Karen improved employee motivation and established a more transparent and systematic operational framework. She also designed long-term strategic plans, changing her company's management approach from ad hoc to more structured.
Karen also faced challenges with technical skills like Excel, but overcame them through continuous learning and incorporated these skills into her company's processes. "My greatest reward was meeting young people from the 90s and 00s, whose dynamic thinking was very inspiring," she said.
Esam, 24, from Yemen, joined the MBA programme in 2020 after graduating from Multimedia University Malaysia. At a crossroads in his life, Esam chose to pursue further education to enhance his skills, particularly as his family business had strong ties with Chinese partners. Through a recommendation from a friend, Esam enrolled in Xiamen University Malaysia's MBA programme.
For Esam, MBA was not just about theoretical knowledge but about applying that knowledge to real-world issues. During his master's project, Esam focused on human resource management in his family business. He discovered that external factors like poverty and conflict deeply affected employees' performance. This insight led him to design strategies that improved HR management, employee efficiency, and overall performance.
"Although I was the youngest in my class, I had the opportunity to learn from classmates with decades of experience. Even though we didn't work directly together after graduation, their guidance has been invaluable," Esam shared.
Today, Esam continues to apply the knowledge gained in his MBA programme to drive his family business forward. Confident in his ability to tackle future challenges, he is ready to continue growing as a leader.
(Contributed by Lin Shujin, Liu Chenlu, Xie Mengqi)