IBA Malaysia Study Tour 2014 The IBA Study Tour to Malaysia was spread over a period of January 25 to February 1, 2014. It provided the students with an opportunity to broaden the scope of their thinking beyond the boundaries of university settings. Malaysia was an ideal place for giving international exposure to students as it is a country that has rich cultural diversity and heritage. Its recent progress and development can also be used as a model by developing Islamic countries like Pakistan. As soon as the students landed in Kuala Lumpur, they went to visit a local Dhaba style road-side restaurant for breakfast, where they were introduced to menu items such as Milo parathas and Tissue Parathas. They mingled with the owners to find out more about Malaysian dining habits and roadside etiquettes. Retail outlets were subsequently visited at the Low Yat and Times malls where students observed (and participated in!) the interesting bargaining and negotiation techniques that were ingrained in the local sensibilities. In the evening, everyone visited the enchanting Saloma Restaurant and Cultural Centre for dinner where Malaysian buffet-style food was served and the rich heritage of Malaysian culture was portrayed through cultural skits of major communities living in Malaysia including Malays, Chinese and Indians. It was fascinating to discover the beautiful cultural heritage of Malaysia. One general observation by every student by the end of the evening was that even though Pakistan was in no way culturally less rich, it had not succeeded in marketing its culture to promote tourism. Tourism management and promotion were on every students mind that evening! Salomas administration also involved the audience in the cultural show by asking them to actively participate on-stage with the local artists. This increased the positive perception of the audience about the show and made this a memorable experience for them. Again, students practically observed the theoretical concept they learnt in marketing about the importance of customer engagement, especially in the services businesses. Day 2 started with a visit to the University of Malaya. It was heartening to hear the positive remarks from their faculty about the IBA students who had gone to study there under the Student Exchange Program. Students were excited to learn about PhD and Exchange opportunities with UoM, and also invited UoM representatives to visit IBA. UoM were kind enough to let the IBA student delegation visit their museum and art galleries. It proved to be an engrossing experience for the students to see the collection of articles dating back many centuries. The students were also enthralled to find an article from Pakistan displayed in the museum! A refreshing lunch was served afterwards. Next in line was a visit to F&N Beverages. It was very inspiring for the students to know that the Managing Director of F&N Beverages, Mr. Khalid Alvi, was at the head of a company that was Malaysia’s largest soft drinks manufacturer and distributor. Mr. Alvi is a Pakistani and an IBA graduate. The students learnt a lot from his experience and had a very fruitful Q&A session. They were also provided an opportunity to see the entire manufacturing and production process during the plant visit. It is the largest beverage plant in Malaysia, so it was a great learning experience for the students. Students were also highly appreciative of the samples provided by F&N! In the evening, students visited further retail malls such as the KLCC and Pavilion and experienced local cuisine. The next day, sightseeing visits to tourist attractions including visits to a beautiful mosque, KL Observation Tower, Petronas Twin Towers, The Chinese Temple, and The King’s Palace had been arranged. The students not only thoroughly enjoyed these visits but also learned how these tourist attractions were used to promote local businesses like sales of monuments, gift items, souvenirs, restaurants, etc. and how they were proving to be very helpful in providing employment and improving the economy of Malaysia. Another corporate visit was made to Philips. The MD of Philips, Mr.Ali Jaleel, is another success story of expatriate Pakistanis. His sparkling career includes management and leadership roles with organizations such as Microsoft and Apple; he was an inspiration for students. He briefed students on how marketing in Malaysia is different from markets like Pakistan due to difference in purchasing power and priorities of customers. This led students to understand the dynamics of different markets in a better way. Having recently moved to head Philips in Malaysia after heading Apple in Malaysia, he also provided interesting comparisons on how each type of product required a different marketing strategy and mindset with its own set of challenges. The evening was spent in exploring China Town. The next day, students left by road for Penang, a seaside resort. With beautiful scenery along the way, students made many stops to admire the views. They also went across one of the longest bridges built on water in the world. Once in Penang, students experienced two delights: the local cuisine and the local water sports. In fact, one of the most interesting experiences for students was to haggle over the price of coconut water and water sports at the beaches of Penang. In the evening, students visited a Pakistani restaurant and experienced Lahori cuisine, Malaysian style! The students were also grateful to Mr. Jawad Allawala, Founder of Trade Pulse Sdn. Bhd., who had arranged the dinner for them. The next day, students visited Penang Hills which involved an incredible uphill tram journey with breathtaking views It was also thought provoking for students that while Malaysia had developed sites like Penang Hills, Pakistan lagged behind despite having abundant natural beauty. Then, students visited a Buddhist Temple. The rest of the day was spent touring Batu Ferringhi and Georgetown, both in relatively close proximity to one another but with quite different ambience. The very same evening, students witnessed lavish Chinese New Year celebrations and were ecstatic as their visit had coincided with the beginning of the Year of the Horse! The next day, the students left for Kuala Lumpur by road and upon arriving, they went straight to the Central Mosque to offer Friday prayers with the congregation. After this, they went to visit the last remaining unvisited malls and cultural landmarks. Early morning the very next day, the tour departed for Karachi. All in all, the tour provided the students with a great learning experience in a fun-filled way. The trip broadened the horizons of students thinking and gave them international exposure that will help them in their professional lives and also made them more confident in handling new situations.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 06:09:12 +0000
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