A group of final year students of Management,Commerce, Economics & Psychology, accompanied by 2 faculty members, has landed in Malaysia to participate in an international immersion program at Taylor’s University, enhancing their “cultural and academic experiences.”
Coordinators from Taylor’s University warmly welcomed the students at the airport.
Day 1: Global Immersion Programme
Dr. Sharmi Iyer warmly welcomed us to the programme and introduced the schedule, workshops, and key organizers. She then handed over to Dr. Zalena Muhammad, who led the session on “Sustainability Marketing in Cross-Cultures.”
Session 1: Product Ideation
Students divided into 5 teams;
-
Task: Choose an Indian product to introduce in Malaysia
- Brainstorming and presentations
Session 2: Business Model Canvas
Dr. Chong WY guided students in creating a business model canvas for their chosen product.
Team presentations through illustrated canvases
Session 3: Pitch Deck Presentation
Dr. Jessi Chang taught pitch deck preparation and types.
Video illustrations of good and bad pitch decks. Teams prepared and presented their pitch decks.Group 1 was voted as best pitch and awarded a Star bucks voucher of RK 50.
Finally Start-up Success Stories by inspiring talks from current and former Taylor’s University students who successfully founded their own start-ups, sharing experiences and insights.
Day 2: Global immersion programme covered
Design thinking
Family Business and
Critical Thinking,reported by Mageswaran, III BBA IB
We learned today on Design thinking conducted by Dr. SHARMINI where she gave an activity on design thinking ( You need to go and interact with a student of taylor and create a flow chart type where it has the problem, your opinion and a solution. Each member of a team have to write 8 ideas for the problem for timer of 8 minutes. With all the ideas the best and valuable idea will be chosen and presented.
Session on Family Business
The faculty stated us on how a family business works and problems affecting it. He also explained how a family business can go down through generational. How money/ share/ position plays a major role in this. He gave examples of famous family business in Malaysia and showed us different companies who are successfull in family business.
Critical Thinking/ Entrepreunership
Ms. Varshini and Ms. Dhanuja explained on entrepreunership’s mindset and gave a activity based on this and this leads to critical thinking. ( showed us an image of simple products and told to tell innovation of that product & gave us odd business ideas and asked to pitch that on how will the business will be started, how will it promoted, how will it be priced, how will it be serviced.. etc. The odd business ideas include *Desserts from Insects*, *Haunted house Cleaning Service* , *park for Senior Citizen* and so on. Overall the day 2 was about learning Design thinking.
Day 3:
Industrial Visit Report :
Today, we had the privilege of visiting Gelotomania, an Italian ice cream-making company in Malaysia. We learned about the intricate process of making gelato, including the selection of ingredients and specific recipes, and explored the overall business services the company provides. Two students volunteered to make gelato,( Ms.Meghashree and Ms.Smrithi Bohra, III BBA IB) and we had the chance to taste various flavours of ice cream. In the afternoon, we headed to Genting Highlands, where we had a lot of fun enjoying the activities and the beautiful surroundings. Reported by R.Sowjanya III BBA IB.
Day 4:
Report by Ms. Sanju Vikashini., III BBA IB ( Entrepreneurial Talks )
Session 1:There was an Entrepreneurial talk on Digital Solutions by Aqtech by MDEC.
Aqtech specializes in providing innovative digital solutions tailored to diverse business needs, helping organizations optimize operations through technology. Their services include AI-driven applications, cloud solutions, and data analytics, enhancing business efficiency and competitiveness in the digital era. The Q& A session and an Entrepreneurial talk by Mr. Navin Chinnathambi, Head of Department, Digital Agriculture technology Eco system on Malaysia’s Digital Economy.
Session 2:Malaysia’s Strategic Position by Dr. Padmanabhan
Malaysia’s geographic location offers access to key international trade routes, making it a strategic hub for businesses. The country’s economic foundation is strengthened by favorable tax incentives and supportive policies for industrial growth, particularly in technology and manufacturing sectors. Malaysia’s emphasis on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) is transforming industries, fostering innovation, and attracting foreign investments. During the end of the sessions, Taylor’s University- PG programmes were oriented to the students and the day was closed with entrepreneurial Spirit.
Campus Tour
A campus tour was arranged by the organisers and the students have explored the Taylor’s University, Malaysia Campus. The students were taken to the Library and the digital system of the library was explained by the Librarian. The digital machines for entry, borrowing and returning of books, quiet place for reading, a MAC Lab, Venue for Group discussion were witnessed by the students.
Also to note that, there was a Board on “HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY” has grabbed our interest.
ENTREPRENEURIAL EVENTS AT THE CAMPUS
The students of Taylor’s University campus have a Market by students /alumnis and outsiders to sell their products made on their own. This market is functioning everyday to display variety of products like, Women accessories, Mobile pouches, stickers, Fruits, Food items etc., The university is also involved in educating underprivileged women on entrepreneurship and allocating space / venue for 3 months to sell their products after the course. They sell Indian food items, Paani Poori, Fruits, snacks and many more.
Knowledge Sharing Sessions :
Opportunity to address the Students of International Business by KCLAS Faculty
Insights on India’s geographical significance, trade policies, and internationalization strategies was presented by Dr. Jayanthi. India, with key neighboring countries like China and Pakistan, leverages its location to build strong trade ties. Its Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) enable Indian companies to thrive globally. The Uppsala Theory explains how firms gradually internationalize, a process particularly relevant for India’s SMEs. I have shared the components of Transnational corporations’ strategies adopted by Asian Paints, Infosys, Tata Group, and Dr. Reddy’s exemplify global success through adaptability. This session has explored how these dynamics influence India’s global economic standing and transnational growth strategies. The students were interested to listen to the Cultural aspects and Transnational strategies from Indian perspective. Dr. Sharmini Gopinath had arranged the session with Dr Christina Rathi, a professor of International Business.
Final Day
Dinner with the VC of Taylor’s University
The students were invited to join a dinner with the Vice Chancellor, Dr. Lee, and the Dean of the University. A variety of food was arranged, and the students thoroughly enjoyed the campus and the warm hosting by Dr. Sharmini Gopinath, Coordinator for the GIP. The students were impressed by the delightful campus experience, the delicious dinner, and Dr. Sharmini’s gracious hosting and guidance, before bidding good bye to the University.