Imparting soft skills or promoting direct sales?


A final-year student from the Faculty of Arts and Social Science, University of Malaya complained that a workshop purportedly to impart soft skills was actually a direct-sales commercial programme.

This is the email:

I’m a final year student from Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Unversity of Malaya. I had a disappointment and felt been cheated with what had happened yesterday (17th March 2007) and I would like to tell you here.

Yesterday, all the final year students from the Faculty of Arts and Social Science were told to attend a workshop called ‘Bengkel Pendedahan dan Penilaian Kemahiran Keusahawan’. It is a soft skill program which is set by the government to improve our presentation skill in the future.

At first, from the workshop title, I thought it was an entrepreneur course that gives us some guide line on what entreprise is all about. There were 2 talks in the morning session, and some programmes and activities in the evening. Pertaining to the talk, they invited a company called ‘Aznita Mgt (M) Sdn. Bhd. to talk about financial industry perspective. To me, it was only a DIRECT SALES program. During their talks, they had told us it is pointless and useless to study so hard, no use to be a teacher, doctor or lawyer, as the money earn is much lesser if compare to them. They can live in a big house and drive luxury cars.

In the second part of the speech, actually the person who gave the talk is the husband to the first person who gave speech. They are from the same company. In this session, he told us about his product, Amcash. It is related with the insurance product. He talked about how good the product is. For instant, if we invest in Amcash, we can obtain scholarship every 3 years, the payer will get insurance benefit and so on. We had a very bad impression about those speech.

In the evening session, all the final year students have to do a project. Actually they wanted us to pursuade people to get involve in their business. They wanted us to plan some activities to promote the AmCash. We have to collect and record the information for those who are interested. We were told that if we failed to do so, we were not able to graduate from our course. So, I feel that we are their ‘free’ employees to help them to promote their products and we cannot get any things.

Furthermore, I do not think this is sufficient to evaluate our soft skills by putting us going through this kind of activity.

Do government really want local university students attend such compulsory and “beneficial activity”?

From,
A very sad, disappointed, frustrated UM student.
(sorry, i don’t want to expose myself)

Anyone else to verify the above complaint and what is the response from the University of Malaya Vice Chancellor or the Higher Education Minister?

  1. #1 by k1980 on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 12:44 pm

    Looks like Aznita Mgt (M) Sdn. Bhd. is using UM undergrads as free part-time field promoters for its ‘AmCash’ insurance product. Is its financial status so bad now until it has no money to employ field promoters?

  2. #2 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 1:32 pm

    “…//…it is pointless and useless to study so hard, no use to be a teacher, doctor or lawyer, as the money earn is much lesser if compare to them. They can live in a big house and drive luxury cars….//..”

    This part is to teach the undergraduates that being ‘streetwise’ is the faster route to success defined by material criteria of money big mansions and luxury cars

    Being ‘streetwise’ is taught, as what K1980 says, the use of UM undergrads as free part-time field promoters for its ‘AmCash’ insurance products of Aznita Mgt (M) Sdn. Bhd.

    First of all, there is no outlay and costs involved in getting, in this instance, undergrads to “persuade people to get involved in their business…plan some activities to promote the AmCash and collect and record the information for those who are interested” for the company.

    The part that is bad is that “we were told that if we failed to do so, we were not able to graduate from our course”.

    It has all the elements of threat and coercion.

    That is the quite of soft entrepreneurial skill that they want to impart to our undergraduates?

    They are teaching them all the wrong things that make our society sick and enmeshed in corruption and abuse of power.

    It reminds me of people making money from the awarding of contracts under the National Service Training programme with RM2 billion fund where the ‘market’ made up of youngsters are threatened by legal punishment under the National Service Training Act 2003 if they don’t enlist; Malaysians forced to apply fir Mykad benefiting the company that made it; the highway users forced to use the tolls and pay the increased toll rates, etc.

    The business model is the same. Get connected with some influential politician, and work out a cut for him for an idea that ostensibly is for the good of the public, the nation and so on so that nobody can or dare expose.

    Then force it down the throat of a captive market by threat of law, combination of incentives or disincentives or other methods. This is an exercise of power to rob legally – the way of our political cum capitalistic system of which the ruling parties are standard flag bearers.

    They’re teaching our undergraduates on the reality of the world outside where hypocrisy, corruption, deception and exercise of power are the prerequisites of success – not education, skills, integrity, honesty and hard work.

    Probably somebody from the faculty also got a cut from allowing the organizer of the workshop conduct it and make use of undergraduates as marketing field agents.

    Rightly so, the University of Malaya Vice Chancellor or the Higher Education Minister has to answer whether this is the kind of entrepreneurial skill and values that they intend to impart to our undergraduates!

  3. #3 by Pengajar on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 1:56 pm

    I like to put soft skill and kasarism aka aggressiveness together. Soft skill counteracts kasarism. People would accept soft skill rather than kasarism. Used in its’ proper way, soft skill produces wonders. In this present age, Malaysians generally would feel disgusted with kasarism.

    Both soft skills and kasarism takes on many forms. For example the choice of words, the tone of voice, the body language, the sound of voice, the expression, stressing on some particular words and so on and so forth determine if it is a soft skill or if it is kasarism.

    The impression that this final year student of the University of Malaya gives me concerning the Bengkel Pendedahan dan Penilaian Kemahiran Keusahawan is kasar because like the student put it, he felt he is cheated and cheating is a form of kasarism. Translated it means exposure and evaluation of business skill workshop. Business skill. NOT presentation skill. If it is just about presentation skill, I think U.M. should just get hold of a lecturer who can teach well or even some prestigious government institution which teaches officers on how to be skillful in carrying out their presentation. The students can also teach themselves by giving critique each time their peer gives a presentation. That is what is called peer learning.

  4. #4 by shortie kiasu on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 2:07 pm

    Amcash and Aznita Mgt (M) Sdn Bhd may just be a fictitious entity for the purpose of teaching of soft skill and entrepreneurship in the course in the university, so as to make the teaching and workshop more real and genuine.

    The student who complained, “A very sad, disappointed, frustrated UM student”, should not be overly sensitive about whether the company is conducting direct sales or not, but he or she sould be concerned as to whether he or she had indeed learned something useful from the workshop conducted.

    If he or she does not learn anything from the “Bengkel Pendedahan dan Penilaian Kemahiran Keusahawan”, then he or she should raise the concern with the university authorities or the minister of higher education in order to address the issues effectively.

    The readers here have no way to ascertain whether the the objectives of the workshop, “Bengkel Pendedahan dan Penilaian Kemahiran Keusahawan” had been achieved, irrespective whether the case studies were real or fictitious.

  5. #5 by raven77 on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 2:15 pm

    The part about “no use to be a teacher, doctor or lawyer” in Malaysia is beginning to sound true as the pay is bad and the country doesnt really seem to value the professional sector . The economy also cannot support these sectors. We are becoming like India where graduates are thinking of an overseas job when they graduate. It may be in fact better to sell Amway or plant bananas if you are planning a career in Malaysia.

  6. #6 by Jin on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 2:20 pm

    “During their talks, they had told us it is pointless and useless to study so hard, no use to be a teacher, doctor or lawyer, as the money earn is much lesser if compare to them. They can live in a big house and drive luxury cars.”

    This is how Direct Sale company to show people how much they can earn. Money is the GOD to them. Money can buy everything.

    I’m really sick to this kind of attitude in Malaysia. To them, why worry about country, why worry about the policies in the country? why care so much about the society problems?

    And now you see, penetrate into local university(ies) and make WORKSHOP for final year undergraduate students!

    This is not the right way or professional method to provide the so-called soft skill to undergraduate! What university management doing there!? Sleeping!?

  7. #7 by pwcheng on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 3:32 pm

    This is simply unethical for a university to do this.

    shortie kiasu Says: “The student who complained, “A very sad, disappointed, frustrated UM student”, should not be overly sensitive about whether the company is conducting direct sales or not, but he or she should be concerned as to whether he or she had indeed learned something useful from the workshop conducted”.

    I think he got the notion wrong as the learning or unlearning part is not important here but doing the right thing in the right place is important. Getting the thieves to come and give some lectures, we are certain that we will also learn something similarly in this case, a university giving the green lights for such unethical endeavors are simply distasteful and disgraceful. It is a shame that our administrators of that university had gone down to such low levels.

  8. #8 by firstMalaysian on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 3:53 pm

    The practice of ‘excellence’ is missing in the things done in our beloved land. Things are organised without the ‘end’ in mind.

    The university courses, the standard of teaching by the lecturers and professors, the relevance of the courses in today’s ever changing business environment are the essential ingredients to ensure our young hopefuls can get a job in Malaysia.

    This after thought programme, I believe is done in a haste without much thoughts, in desperation, and maybe some ‘favour’ to some people.

    You do not need this type of workshop here. You can get it from the newspaper, head hunters or even you write in to some financial institutions…and you can get a sales job very easily where on the job training is provided with comprehensive training.

    THis is how we do things in this beloved land…mediocracy.

  9. #9 by WFH on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 4:54 pm

    That was 1 email from “A very sad, disappointed, frustrated UM student”.

    I’m believe that YB’s blog has reaches into and outside the Uni, including Uni students living off campus. Until some other student(s) writes to YB or post comments here to either confirm of reject the writer’s contention, I think it’d be premature to assume this is a private investment or MLM recruitment talk disguised as a formal course requirement. That occassion mentioned can also, on the other hand, be interpreted by some as a positive development, i.e. inviting the corporate/private sector to share real-world industry experiences with soon-to-be graduates so that they do not get shell-shocked when thrust into employment in the big-bad-world of industry. As described by the writer, I see the content, as described, as not much different from presenters of finance industry background, esp banking and insurance.

    As to the evening exercises of gathering names, it is not unknown for presenters of seminars (workshop in this case) to get the involvement of attendees to attempt simulation, practice, role-play, form discussion groups amongst themselves etc.. as an essential component of their presentation to engage their audience (well, keeps them from falling asleep, at least).

    “…. We were told that if we failed to do so, we were not able to graduate from our course…”
    If that statement of the speaker was attributable correctly to him and taken as a coercion of sorts, why weren’t the students asking the necessary questions of the speaker? Is that a result of the decline in thinking, and inquisitiveness, of our students in tertiary institutions? That is the important question – our students do not ask/are not asking pertinent questions. Now THAT is what we need to know – WHY wasn’t that/those questions asked?

    Learning entrepreneurial skills require that the learner be open-minded, be willing to subject himself to learning experiences, some good and enjoyable, some painful especially where financial outlay is concerned.

    Apart from his “disappointment”, if the writer had learnt something (even “disappointment”) from his attendance, he would have come out a little bit more prepared to venture into the world of commerce and industry after he graduates, that is, if he doesn’t join the other 60,000 – 80,000 still unemployed.

    As with most “recruitment” programs by private sector groups and organisations, the choice is always still with the individual himself – if he feels it is a scam or that he is being unfairly or dishonestly taken advantage of, he can just decline any invitation to join up. If on the other hand, he is so motivated to chase after “…a big house and drive luxury cars….” then he could decide join their bandwagon. If he subsequently succeeds, well and good. If he fails, the one to live with the painful lessons will be none other than himself.

    I think until there is greater clarity of the workshop and its stated objectives, it may be jumping the gun to condemn the workshop based on just the above writer’s complaint.

  10. #10 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 5:43 pm

    What I am concerned is the type of values by the speakers/organizers of this workshop to young impressionable minds.

    To say that “it is pointless and useless to study so hard, no use to be a teacher, doctor or lawyer, as the money earn is much lesser if compare to them” is to put the end of making money more important than anything else. If that were so, who is going to teach their children if there were no teachers, alleviate their ailments if there were no doctors, protect their rights if there were no lawyers?

    Wealth is defined here as money to be ostentatiously displayed by big house and luxury cars. There seems no room for other definitions of wealth – the wealth of character, of knowledge, of wisdom and generosity for others have all been relegated to inconsequence and insignificance.

    Entrepreneurial success is not pinned against hard work, commitment and providing value added in service or product but by cornering the market by deceptive means.

    I say ‘deceptive’ because here Aznita Mgt (M) Sdn. Bhd. seeks to sell its financial product (Amcash) – probably a multi-level selling scheme – via the undergraduates, who are not only themselves being given a hard sell to invest in or purchase this product on the incentive that they can “obtain scholarship every 3 years” with “insurance benefit and so on” but also they are also used as unpaid labour to “persuade other people to get involved in their business”….”to plan some activities to promote the AmCash”….”to collect and record the information for those who are interested” – all in the guise, pretence and pretext of a workshop improving the undergraduates’ presentation, selling and entrepreneurial skills.

    It is totally unacceptable to me that the undergraduates were told “that if we failed to do so, we were not able to graduate from our course”. This is arm twisting : like forcing the product unto the market by extraneous means and leverage of power, reminiscent of the way the UMNOputras make their money.

    I reiterate that YB should not let them off and should step up the demand on the University of Malaya Vice Chancellor or the Higher Education Minister to give an explanation why such a thing is foisted upon the undergraduates and what kind of values is the government trying to impart by these messages given in the workshop.

  11. #11 by MY VIEW on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 5:44 pm

    The question now is who will be punished? The whistle blower or the university authorities. To the Education Minister it will be – not me, not me.

  12. #12 by Pengajar on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 5:56 pm

    Quote ” It is a shame that our administrators of that university had gone down to such low levels.”

    Yes. It has gone down to such low levels. Not just University of Malaya, in fact, just about any ‘ education institution ‘.

    I hope people with influencing power do read Lim Kit Siang for Malaysia’s blog.

  13. #13 by mwt on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 5:56 pm

    It was a pure “sales & marketing gimmick” making use of these final year U students as the potential target audience.
    Amcash is offered by the Arab-Malaysia Bank Group for the students and there have also an AmCash Guarantee 21 , in which you may enjoy…
    protection against death, critical illness and total
    and permanent disability
    guaranteed cash payouts at regular 3-year intervals
    a sizeable lump sum benefit upon maturity
    money to fulfill your commitments and realize your dream
    Aznita Management (M) Sdn Bhd is a Management Consulting Services Outfit located at:
    No. 10-2, 1alan Cempaka SD 12/1 Bandar Sri Damansara, Kuala Lumpur
    Check them out what were they bullshitting at : * Tel: 03-6275 5676 * Fax: 03-6277 5424

  14. #14 by japankiller on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 7:20 pm

    why don’t the speaker just have a plan well then go to robbed a bank cause it is so pointless is doing so hard and yet he just see the money slower than rob from a bank?

  15. #15 by japankiller on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 7:27 pm

    is this another knd of skim cepat kaya, it just that because being introduce by Arab Bank then it is assume a legal pyramid shceme?

    Why so much so goverment has pump in a huge money to help his own nation to develop skill and education but yet it seens failure, because they always thaught that “mengapa study susah susah , tak payah kerja pun boleh kaya, join la scheme cepat kaya” so what you see the result at the end, i can see in 2057 that they are still maintain at the same level while other Asian country has already ahcieve thier 2020.

    Just to share an information, the average income for the people in Shanghai currently has reach rm5500 per month. Please compare this amount with people from KL, what do you have?

  16. #16 by smeagroo on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 8:53 pm

    I think the students should tell those 2 dugongs that it is much more lucrative being a govt servant with the rite connections. They dont even hv to work and the money will fall from the sky.

    This is basically what the whole system is telling our younger generation ie dont hv to work /study hard. It is a waste of time and money. WHy bother going to Oxford Uni or Cambridge. Even those who came back from Oxford didnt apply what they hv learnt in their course of work…. all u need is the rite connection like i said. HEck, one neednt even work!

  17. #17 by zack on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 9:26 pm

    PKR may field Tian Chua in by-election

    MALACCA: Parti Keadilan Rakyat is likely to field the party’s information chief, Tian Chua, in the upcoming Machap by-election.

    The party is the first to indicate its prospective candidate for the seat which fell vacant following the death of incumbent state assemblyman Datuk Wira Poh Ah Tiam on Thursday.

    The Election Commission has announced that it will meet on Wednesday to fix a date for the polls.

    In the 2004 general election, Poh obtained 5,487 votes to defeat the DAP’s Liou Chen Kuang, who polled only 1,285 votes.

    The MCA, of which the late politician was the Malacca chairman, and the DAP have kept mum on the matter until Poh’s funeral on Wednesday.

    Umno and Gerakan, component partners of Barisan Nasional, have pledged that they will give their full support but will not nominate any candidate.

    Tian Chua said he had heard that many Parti Keadilan Rakyat members at the grassroots want him to contest in Machap.

  18. #18 by sheriff singh on Sunday, 18 March 2007 - 10:59 pm

    “Workshop : An educational seminar or series of meetings emphasizing interaction and exchange of information among a usually small number of participants.”

    In days of old when UM was a little more respectable, there used to be graduation exercises where undergraduates had to carry out research and projects, write theses and actively participate in seminars and workshops in order to graduate. It was rigorous but students then did participate actively and remain proud of it.

    My impression of the above-mentioned bengkel are as follows. On the part of the organisers the Faculty, this appears to be a very bad show on all fronts and has ethical and moral implications as well. The organisers should be brought to book for this outrage if proven. It would also not speak well of the University’s administration overall if they condone these sort of embarassments.

    I am also surprised too that the whole graduating class had remained silent and docile, content to accept these sorts of abuses and insults to their intelligence. Perhaps we should blame once again our laws and policies for this retardation of education and civil liberties for our young ones.

    Perhaps in the coming days we will get a clearer picture from the usual suspects. Maybe the University is trying out its version of “The Apprentice” and is merely challenging its spoilt undergrad2s to wake up and be ready to face the cruel world outside where there are already reports of 70,000 unemployable graduates. Perhaps it may even a carefully disguised and maybe misguided case study and each student is left to his or her own devises to react to and manage the case; so the students should not groan and complain but to pass through this rite of passage.

    In any case, you have had a good experience with a representative of the real big world outside. Are you impressed? You will meet alot of these crackpots, ah longs and goonies very soon. Be prepared. Be brave.

    My final comment is that we rarely, very rarely get a glimpse of the standard of English as is written and spoken in our Universities. This student from the Arts and Social Science (sic) Faculty has given us an invaluable insight and we would certainly not want him to unduly ‘expose’ himself when he does not want to, and get himself into hot water.

    Appreciating your existing difficult circumstances, its commendable, and a C+ to you. But catch up with Zorro-unmasked at:

    http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/2007/03/letter-from-rectum.html

    Peace bro, take it easy, life is short. Hope your University graduates you and your cohort in due course.

  19. #19 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Monday, 19 March 2007 - 12:33 am

    YB, instead of University lecturers signing pledges to ‘obey the government’ and ‘not criticise’ the government (which makes our universities a breeding ground for graduates with mosquito intellect), the authorities should begin by getting lecturers to desist from engaging in businesses on the side to supplement their income such as ‘direct selling’ (whether AMWAY, AMCAsh or dozens of other names in the market!)

    I suspect that this ARts Seminar, on the pretext of soft skills development, has come about because of the possible conflict of interests of some lecturers or administration staff or even the Dean! I know that several university lecturers in public universities use their positions as a point of contact with students to reach out to establish downlines!

    The reasons for such a phenomena are many! I only want to say that the systems in our government and public institutions are just so very sick. AAB doesn’t know. Even if he does, so what – it’s just going to be ‘Alhamdulilah!)

  20. #20 by dawsheng on Monday, 19 March 2007 - 1:52 am

    But why “Sorry, I don’t want to expose myself”? So he or she thinks he or she is getting shits from the faculty, but then he or she feels like dumb enough to even enrolled in local uni in the first place but felt the disappointment after going through this shit then wrote this letter that published in this blog. Scared to expose yourself? Why? Izit because you scared the you can’t graduate from this university which rank a few thousand mile from the others (Have you check out any course in Singapore’s Poly?) What is there to be afraid or ashame of?

  21. #21 by lucia on Monday, 19 March 2007 - 12:41 pm

    yesterday someone – a malaysian diaspora – also posted in my blog comment box a heart-rending story. i had highlighted it in my blog post here:

    http://lucialai.org/2007/03/19/tale-of-a-malaysian-diaspora-discrimination-abound/

    perhaps mr lim could highlight it here since your blog is much more read than mine.

  22. #22 by otyew on Monday, 19 March 2007 - 1:57 pm

    through the insider of the ‘so-called’ university, they got a new ‘resources’ for their own business.

    i am not surprise that a lot of this so called seminars at these U’s. no wonder all the studies drop…….we are killing ourself from the inside.

  23. #23 by shortie kiasu on Monday, 19 March 2007 - 4:24 pm

    Among all the comments posted I would definitely like to associate with what WFH said, which, in essence was what was posted earlier by this same writer.

  24. #24 by unsatisfied on Monday, 19 March 2007 - 4:36 pm

    it is not the first time i heard about it since i’m studying in local uni. More companies based on the pyramid system to recruit people rather than selling products are targeting the uni or college students. Their strategy is always the same; drive an expensive car, get a good watch, handphones and anything that can shows how rich he is to convince the students.

  25. #25 by Godamn Singh on Monday, 19 March 2007 - 10:33 pm

    “From,
    A very sad, disappointed, frustrated UM student.
    (sorry, i don’t want to expose myself)”

    Too bad. I was hoping that you would. It’d make my job easier.

  26. #26 by TommyBoy on Monday, 19 March 2007 - 10:43 pm

    I thing this A.M. Sdn. Bhd.’s 2 dugongs must be a relative, member of family of the dean or someone high in the university or professor.
    So …. its no surprise. Typical Malaysian culture.

  27. #27 by accountability on Tuesday, 20 March 2007 - 2:15 pm

    whoever organized this ridiculous workshop and the speakers themselves should be brought to task – how dare they abuse students for their own economic gain.

    even more repulsive is their threat to students that this free-labour recruitment con job is mandatory for them to pass their course!

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