accounting

Professor Dr Nafis Alam, Head, School of Accounting and Finance of Asia Pacific University of Technology and Invitation (APU), has been appointed to the accreditation panel of the Finance Accreditation Agency (FAA). FAA is a global and independent quality assurance and accreditation body for the Financial Services Industry (FSI) under the guidance of Bank Negara Malaysia and Securities Commission Malaysia and executed by a committee of technical experts, industry professionals and leading academics from the international financial services industry.

FAA deploys its FAA Quality Framework (FQF) as the foundation for quality assurance and accreditation of adult learning as well as the point of reference for the criteria and requirements for qualifications in the FSI. FAA is responsible for raising the learning standards and quality of professional learning and development in the FSI within the region and globally.

The FAA Accreditation Panel (FAP) consists of subject matter experts in their respective sectors, namely Banking and Finance, Islamic Finance, Insurance, Capital Markets, and Corporate Programmes. Dr Alam brings to the accreditation panel his expertise in Finance, FinTech and Islamic Banking & Finance. As a FAP member, Professor Alam will be part of a team that will assess learning programmes submitted for accreditation to ensure their compliance with the FAA Learning Criteria. He will also approve and accredit learning programmes, institutions or individuals and report the findings to the FAA Accreditation Committee (FAC).

The appointment is a testament for the School of Accounting and Finance and our commitment towards providing quality Accounting, Finance and FinTech education, through providing industry-relevant curriculum.

The School of Accounting, Finance & Quantitative Studies (SAFIQS) recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Rimbun Forensic Advisory Sdn Bhd, in which our undergraduate and postgraduate students will have opportunities to enhanced learning experiences in future.

As part of the MOA, students who are under Forensic Accounting-related programmes will have access to the Forestpin Analytics software, an analytics software that is able to pick up discrepancies in data, which aids in better and simpler forensic investigations. This software will provide an experiential learning experience for the students, and they will better understand the basic operations of the Forensic Accounting industry and they will be able to possess knowledge in using industry-compatible tools and software to apply their skills in the relevant field. In addition, under the MOA, Rimbun Forensic Advisory will explore further areas of collaboration, including research in the forensic computing field.

Recently, 21 students from the School of Accounting, Finance and Quantitative Studies (SAFIQS) visited Cerebos Malaysia Sdn Bhd (BRAND'S® Essence of Chicken Manufacturing Factory) as part of their out-of-classroom experience.

This industrial visit, arranged by Ms Lai Siew Fong, was aimed to enhance the students’ knowledge and understanding regarding the manufacturing processes, operations and the costing methods, as part of their Cost and Management Accounting module. It was a useful session as students who attended gained the first-hand experience in applying accounting principles in real-life. Through the visits, students were able to understand that cost and management accounting principles applies across every industry, including the manufacturing line.

In order to expose our students to real-life fraud and corruption case studies, the APU School of Accounting, Finance and Quantitative Studies (SAFIQS) recently invited Mr Raymon Ram, Assistant Secretary General of the Malaysian Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and Leader of Forensic Division at RIMBUN Group to conduct a talk titled “The State of Fraud and Corruption in Asia Pacific” at the Faculty of Business & Management located in Mines Waterfront Business Park.

The one-hour session was well attended by undergraduate and postgraduate students, who were enthusiastic and interested in exploring more on fraud and corruption prevention. Throughout the talk, an interactive response was seen from the audience, as they actively participated in the Question and Answer (QnA) session. The case studies discussed provided the audience with various corruptions ranking index available, possible impact of fraud and corruption, as well as the control mechanisms that could assist to prevent fraudulent activities.

The talk was held with success under the coordination and management of Ms. Geetha A. Rubasundram, lecturer from APU SAFIQS. We look forward to seeing more talking like this, so that our students are able to be equipped with industry-ready skills and knowledge upon graduation.