Through our collaboration with International Islamic University, Century Software (M) Sdn Bhd took part in the Asia Business Leader Initiative. Mr. Satoshi Matsubara a researcher under this programme was accepted as an intern for six month. We are extremely proud of this collaboration and for being recognised as company with innovative and progressive approach.
The Asia Business Leadership (ABL) project was founded at the Kyoto Business Research Centre (KBRC) of Kyoto University, Japan. It is a professional development, education and training programme supported by a group of reputable Japanese multinational corporations aimed at enhancing leadership development and professional networking relationships of their future leaders (selected mid-level executives) with potential business leaders in the ASEAN region. Organised by Professor Kiyoshi Kobayashi and a team of KBRC members in 2012, this one-year programme has been functioning very effectively. It has three components: English language proficiency training for six weeks, followed by lectures in Tokyo offered by selected scholars and professionals from several countries (including Malaysia), and six months of an internship programme at various countries of Asia.
Since 2013, a group of Japanese executives are brought to Malaysia for six months and are assigned to several local organisations. To date, more than 27 mid-level Japanese executives from various companies have selected Malaysia as their internship country. A team of IIUM academic staff are selected based on their areas of expertise to supervise these executives (interns) by considering their fields of interests. After completing the internships, each of the Japanese executives are required to prepare a Business Report which is evaluated by their supervisors and then presented at the yearly seminar held in Kyoto University Japan, where selected academics from host countries and the CEOs or senior executives of the sponsoring organisations are invited to evaluate the presentations. Through various professional activities of the ABL project as well as through informal interactions of current and future business leaders of Japan with their counterparts of Malaysia have been very fruitful in developing professional networking relationships that would be very useful for mutual benefits.
The ABL conducts mid- and long-term internship at the major enterprises in the Asian country, which enables the interns to build close relationship with enterprises, governmental organizations, etc. on site, and which dramatically improves their ability to develop business in the country. Thus, the course provides an unprecedented educational program and implements human resources development together with the ABL participant enterprises.
