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Behind the Scenes, In the Control Room

25 Oct 2018 7:23pm

As we board an airplane, little do we know that a vast amount of resources are involved at an airline’s operations control centre to ensure the smooth operations of flights, 24/7.

20 students from our BA (Hons) in Tourism Management programme, accompanied by 4 lecturers, recently had the opportunity to visit the Malaysia Airlines Operations Control Centre, located at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). 

At the trip, they met Capt. Reza Abd Rahim of Flight Operations and Ms. Serina Hor, Senior Executive of Emergency Management Operations on-site, as they were briefed on the standard operating procedures (SOP) and day-to-day challenges faced by the operations staff. Apart from an exclusive tour to highly-sensitive areas at the OCC, the students also met Capt. Hamdan Che Ismail, the Director of Flight Operations at Malaysia Airlines who shared briefly on his valuable experiences gained from the industry.

 

The visit was an eye opener for both lecturers and students who participated; through the trip, the students gained an overview of the concepts and implementation of airlines management and operations, in which these can be translated into useful domain knowledge that will benefit them in their future tourism careers. We look forward to seeing visits like this, that expose students towards the practical experiences that are relevant to their future careers.

An Adventerous Experience

18 Jul 2018 7:03pm

The Tourism Management students from School of Marketing and Management (UC2F1801TRM) successfully conducted another “Adventure and Extreme Sports Tour” to Ulu Slim for White Water Rafting, in which the planning, execution and management of the tour were done by the students as part of their out-of-classroom training for the Retail Travel Operations module.

Through the exhilarating trip, students acquired the retailing skills in travel operations; upon the completion of the tour, they now have knowledge in arranging attractive tour packages and grasping the real notion of adventure and extreme sports tourism, while understanding the overall landscape of the retail tourism industry. A total of 32 students were their “customers” this round, where the organizing committee learnt how to deal with customer expectations, purchasing and selling of tickets, reservation of seats – all these provided them with a practical learning experience that is required for successful tour operators in their careers.

The White Water Rafting site is located only 1 hour 30 minutes from Kuala Lumpur near Ulu Slim village. Along the journey, the participants enjoyed and relaxed their mind with the beautiful hills and the serene environment of the aborigine’s village. This tour boasted many exciting features and activities and perfect for those who want to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. Moreover, it provided a truly remarkable experience and the best extreme exposure for the participants.

   

Overall, this trip allowed participants to gain great experience and invaluable practical knowledge. The participants for the tour were APU students from various countries such as Seychelles, China, Brunei, Japan, Nigeria and Yemen, who came together and made this tour lively and successful.

We Are the First Malaysian University to Establish Partnership with MRSM!

28 Feb 2018 7:34pm
We are pleased to share with you that APU has recently became the FIRST university in Malaysia to establish a partnership with the Market Research Society of Malaysia (MRSM).
 
An MoU Signing Ceremony was held earlier this month, in which Datin Kalavalli Sethu, President of MRSM exchanged documents with Prof. Ron Edwards, our Vice Chancellor. Under this partnership, APU students who are undertaking modules related to the market research industry will be entitled to a joint MRSM-APU Research Professional Certificate, which is recognized locally and internationally.
 
In addition, MRSM will also support our academic team in embedding necessary course content into existing APU courses, in order to reflect the joint priorities of academia and industry. Students who have completed and passed relevant modules will also be eligible for MRSM membership.
 
This marks a new milestone for APU, as we took another step forward to ensure that our graduates possess the ability and competency to excel in the market research profession, that has an annual revenue of around RM500 million in Malaysia. The significance of this MoU was also highlighted on various media channels, including The Star newspaper. For Star Online version, visit: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/education/2018/02/25/producing-job-ready-grads/ 
 

Visit to the 'Syria, Yemen, Iraq: The Risk of Forever Being Lost' Photo Exhibition

02 Mar 2018 7:15pm
"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures." -  John F. Kennedy
 
We are pleased to share that a total of 24 students and 3 lecturers from the International Relations and Media programmes attended the ‘Syria, Yemen, Iraq:  The Risk of Forever Being Lost' photo exhibition recently, which was organised by the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The visit was an initiative to allow participants to have an out-of-classroom experience with regards to the subject matter of peace, war and conflict.
 
The exhibition illustrates the degree of destruction resulted from the armed conflicts taking place in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The display was divided into four sections: Religious Edifices, Commercial Structures, Social Dwellings and Historical Monuments. The exhibition is an attempt by IAMM and ICRC to record the before and after destruction and recollect the memories of world shared heritage.
 
Throughout the visit, the IR and Media students were exposed to the enormity of the on-going crisis and to ponder upon what the world have lost. The students learned how cultural heritage sites and historical properties have been destroyed due to the civil war and armed conflict in the Middle East and the Levant. The display also benefited the students as they are now able to understand that armed conflicts within and between states not only results in devastating reports of deaths and increase of asylum seekers but also demolishes cultural heritage and identity.
 
Often time during conflict, we see the enduring power of heritage to heal and build peace. In 2011, during the Arab Spring protests in Egypt, a group of young men from different background formed a human chain outside the main gates on Tahrir Square in an attempt to protect the National Museum from looters. The event showed how heritage could be a powerful tool for peace, and must be protected. Hence, we appreciate this opportunity created for the students by the lecturers and hope that in the future, APU’s IR and Media students will uphold the value of heritage as the symbol of peace and participate in the efforts to save and protect cultural heritage in every corner of the world.

Cultural Learning Experience

15 Jan 2018 12:09pm
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” - Marcus Garvey.

As part of their experiential learning process to learn and understand about the importance of cultural preservation, the Diploma and Degree students from School of Marketing and Media visited the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the CIMB Foundation, that showcased the Mah Meri aborigines from the Mah Meri Cultural Village, Pulau Carey. As part of the event, they also contributed to the effort of completing the 8,888 pieces of Nipah Leave origamis - Bunga moyang, displayed on a Mah Meri Busut. This has set a new record in the Malaysian Book of Records, for the most number of Nipah Leaves origamis produced within the event.

  

Mah Mehri is a sub group of the Senoi people (aborigines)  who live along the coast of Selangor. The Mah Meri are renowned for their masterful woodcarving and expressive masks worn during dance rituals to represent ancestral spirits. Being extremely skilled in woodcarvings, their carvings also gained recognition from the UNESCO.  It was an eye opener for our students as they also had the opportunity to watch the traditional dance performed by the Mah Meri people.

Kudos to the School of Marketing and Media (SOMM) for offering such an unforgettable experience to our students; such experiences enhance students’ practical knowledge, in which they gain better understanding of a subject matter via participation and observation.

Embracing Nature

25 Jan 2018 11:24am
The best way to learn something is to experience it. In view of this, International Students & Tourism students from the APU School of Marketing & Media (SoMM) embarked on a field trip to Dark Caves and Royal Selangor, to discover nature, learn about geography and experience real-life tour centre management recently.

The students had a wonderful and enlightening experience, as they discovered something new; for instance, at Royal Selangor, they discovered the tin mining history and they were thrilled to know that Malaya was the largest producer of tin. Besides, the ecological significance of Dark Caves, that houses an ancient animal community of 100 million years old, including 200,000 bats of different species, amused the students and enhanced their awareness of nature preservation.
 

 

As the students walked through the magnificent cave formations – stalactite, stalagmite, flowstone, cave pearls, cave curtains, column and gour pools as well as witnessing the pewter making process, each of them returned with their own amazing story to tell.

Field trips like this that enables students to experience and learn at the same time is one of the most effective way to enhance knowledge discovery and application. At the end of this trip, we sincerely hoped that the knowledge gained are able to lead to open mindsets and better general knowledge among our students.