Talk with President of CPA Australia - Malaysia Division

The CPA Talk was successfully held on 18^th October 2007 (Thursday) at Lecture Theatre 1, Sunway University College. The conference recorded an attendance of approximately 35 participants include members and non members participants which are mainly from Victoria University, Sunway University College. The aim of this talk was to provide students with the knowledge needed to prepare for a career in the field of accounting.

Before the event started, SCSC club was prepared the equipments that needed in Lecture Theatre 1. The equipments are PowerPoint slides, tables and sofa for interview sections and also token appreciation that will give to Christina Foo at the end of the event. As well as in registration part, the committee members must make sure whether the participants attend the event. As the time goes by, both committee members and all participants are waiting for the Christina Foo arrival.

The event started at 3.20pm with a welcome message from the Host, Diana. The event started with describes Christina Foo background, continued by her experience after she graduated, work in Coca Cola Company, Atlanta and also work in London. Most importantly, she also provided tips on how to work in accounting field for real life.

Christina Foo also shares with us about her working life. An accountant especially woman, must be confidence; discipline also must have good communication skills, although some perceptions may appears that woman is very arrogant.

Different workplace will face different personality of people and also the accounting method. As her advice to the participants, “Be good friends to others; do not say anything that would do anything to you. One day, it can come back to you”. The talk was closed by Mr Foo and ended at 4.30pm. Evana, President of SCSC, represent all of the members to receive the CPA’s certificate. The club members also give some token appreciation to Christina Foo which represent by Ms. Lim Tiew Ming.

At the end of the event, the refreshment also provided for all the participants. The refreshment, provided by Sunway University College Cafeteria was sponsored by SCSC club. All the participant was enjoyed the food. Besides, participants can also have a conversation with Christina Foo during the refreshment. The event was ended at 5.00pm.

Audience's Response

This was the first time she has attended this event. Yen Sin found the event is very helpful in the future accounting fields by sharing of working experiences. The most important part is Christina Foo also gives some tips to us for our future prospects. Yen Sin hoped to see more events like this in concerning the real life experiences of accountants. This would be useful for students to understand the reality of the accounting profession rather than listening rumours and myths.
Goo Yen Sim (Victoria University (Sunway Campus), Bachelor of Business, final year student)

Generally, the event met her expectations. By sharing the real experience to us and know the real things that we will face it in future. Khometi also hoped to have this kind of event like improving our personality or how to exploit our leadership.
Khometi (Victoria University (Sunway Campus), Bachelor of Business, final year student)

5th CPA Passport Undergraduate Business Conference

The CPA Passport 5^th Undergraduate Business Conference – Kick Start Your Career, was successfully held on 22 September 2007 (Saturday) at Sunway University College. The conference recorded an attendance of approximately 200 participants from different universities and colleges. The aim of this conference was to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to prepare for a career in the field of accounting.

Opening ceremony. (from left) Ms. Elizabeth Lee, Encik Rusman Amir Zaihan


Audience of the conference

The event started at 9.00am with a welcome message by the Deputy President of CPA Australia Malaysia Division, En. Rusman Amir Zaihan. This was followed by a speech from Ms. Elizabeth Lee, the Executive Director of Sunway University College. En. Rusman and Ms. Lee then officially opened the undergraduate business conference. A dance performance by a group from Sunway University College completed the opening ceremony.

Mr. Daniel Liew, who gave the talk of communication skills to audiences

The first session of the conference, “Communicate with Power and Confidence”, was presented by Mr. Daniel Liew. He shared the ten commandments of communicating with power and confidence. He also provided examples of how a person should communicate effectively. Mr. Liew’s humour and confidence inspired the audience. Morning tea was served in the cafeteria after this session.


Shelia Wong (second from right) was demonstrating the professional grooming to audiences

The next session, “Professional Grooming for Success”, was facilitated by Ms. Sheila Wong. She provided the participants with tips on how they should package their image with good grooming sense. Ms. Wong also taught the participants how to present a professional image with demonstrations by a few volunteers from the audience.

The speaker panel of the accounting profession. (from left) Raymond Cheong, Terence Tan Chee Sze, Mustafha Haji Abdul Razak

This was followed by a panel discussion on “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Accounting Profession”. The panel comprised Mr. Raymond Cheong, En. Mustafa Haji Abdul Razak and Mr. Terence Tan Chee Sze. The panel members shared their experiences of working in the accounting profession with the audience. Lunch was then served at the cafeteria.

Participants enjoying their lunch


The performance which presented by The Stompers

The afternoon session began with a fantastic performance by The Stompers. The group played music using household items such as pails, bottles, and a ladder. The performance included participation by members of the audience including the advisor of the Sunway CPA Student Charter, Mr. Foo Yin Fah. Everyone enjoyed the fun performance.

Samiaa from JobStreet.com was presenting the job interview and resume skills

The final presentation after The Stompers’ performance was by Ms. Samiaa Retra Pillai from JobStreet.com. Ms. Pillai provided an overview of JobStreet.com and the current job market. Most importantly, she also provided tips on attending interviews and resume writing. This session included a video presentation of what should and should not be done during an interview. The conference ended at 4.00pm.

Audience's Response

“This was the first time he has attended this conference. He was satisfied with the conference as it has met his expectations of obtaining some tips on how to get an edge when hunting for his first job. Ying Howe found the session on professional grooming for success to be the best. This was because the interactive activities conducted by the speaker had caught his attention. He hoped that future conferences can bring more employers to talk about specific business industries, employment trends, and expectations of employers. This can provide students with a better understanding about the culture and trends in the workplace.”
Ho Ying Howe (Monash University (Malaysia Campus), Bachelor of Business and Commerce majoring in Accounting/ Banking & Finance, 2nd year student)

“This was also the first time she has attended this conference. Yeh Ling found the conference helpful in her personal development as well as her preparation for future job hunting. She also found the sharing of working experiences by the accountants useful. The practical and informative sessions have met her expectations. The best part of the conference for her was also the professional grooming session. She found the session very useful as many people were not aware that colours do indicate one’s personality. In future conferences, Yeh Ling hoped to see more coverage of topics concerning the real life experiences of accountants. This would be useful for students to understand the reality of the accounting profession rather than listening rumours and myths.”
Wee Yeh Ling (Monash University (Malaysia Campus), Bachelor of Business and Commerce majoring in Accounting/ Banking & Finance, 2nd year student)

“She attended this conference for the first time. Generally, the conference met her expectations. However, some sessions were too long and boring such as the panel session on The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Accounting Profession. She expected a longer Q&A session. Diana also found the session on professional grooming the best of the conference. This was because the session was interactive, fun and beneficial. Diana hoped that in future conferences, there would be more coverage of interview and resume writing skills.”
Diana Lim Yar Sze (Victoria University (Sunway Campus), Bachelor of Business, 2nd year student)

“Meyke is also a second year Bachelor of Business student from Victoria University. This was also the first time she has attended this conference. According to Meyke, the conference has met her expectations of learning more about career opportunities in the field of accounting and acquiring relevant job seeking skills. The best session for her was the JobStreet session with the interesting video on interview skills. She would like to see more grooming and interview technique sessions in future conferences. There should also be more information about internship and career opportunities in the accounting firm.”
Meyke Sharen (Victoria University (Sunway Campus), Bachelor of Business, 2nd year student)

Club Fundraising

In process

Educational Visit to KPMG

Friday, 3 August 2007, Sunway Student Service Department organised a company trip to KPMG, one of the Big Four Accounting Firms. This trip was organised together with Sunway CPA Australia Student Charter (SCSC), an accounting club dedicated in order to promote CPA Australia.

There are 38 students, one lecturer and one SSD staff who were participating in this trip. All registered participants were encouraged to gather at the main foyer of Sunway University College at 12.30 pm., and they were asked to wear office attire. Three registered students could not follow the trip due to medical problems. At 1.15 pm, the group departed from Sunway University College, and arrived at Wisma KPMG at 2.00 pm. The group directly registered themselves in the Boardroom, 12^th floor and waited for the preparation of KPMG presentation. The group had a brief presentation about the KPMG and a sharing experience from KPMG staffs. After the presentation, a coffee break session was held in Bistro, Café Uno, 3^rd floor.

The group left for Sunway University College at 5.30 pm and arrived at 7.00 pm. The group was given an evaluation questionnaire when they were inside the bus.

Questionnaire Report

After distributing the evaluation questionnaire to 38 participants of KPMG Visit, excluding 1 lecturer and 1 SSD staff, there are 32 students giving responses through the questionnaire. Some comments about the usefulness of the KPMG visit, 3^rd August 2007:

“I have learnt that the real life experience of an accounting firm. The people are friendly and willing to help us. It resolved some of my ‘myth’ of working of accounting firm. The trip is really fun and brings me knowledge. Hopefully next time we will have more knowledgeable trips like this that will enhance our knowledge which is unreachable outside textbook. Great job!”
Lee Pei Xuan

“Through this visit, I have a better understanding about the background and the environment of KPMG. The people there build up my confidence toward my future. In addition, the sharing of experience from those stuffs in KPMG, I have a belief that to be successful is not a tough job unless I put effort on my work.”
Ng Jia Lerd

“After the visiting of KPMG, I had better knowledge on the background about the environment and the cultural of the company. The KPMG staffs were friendly and helpful, so probable working with them should be very happy and having funs everyday J.”
Michelle Lim Shui Yeng

“This trip can provide me the clearer picture of what the public practice is. Some more, I can know accountant is not just only doing accounts, but still have lots of funs in outdoor activities. This is a very useful visit and hope that this kind of trip will be organized continuously.”
Lo Yiing Wen

Official Club Launch

On Thursday May 17, Sunway CPA Student Charter organised an official club launch. The event was attended by around sixty people including member and non member students, VIP guests, and committees. Mr. Rusman Amir Zaihan as deputy president and Ms. Audrey as director of Malaysia division were invited to talk at the launch. Another VIP from CPA such as Mr. Gerald Fernandez and Mr. Peter Wong were also attended the launch. Mrs. Lim Tiew Ming head of AUP office was come to support this event. VU accounting lecturer such as Mr. Foo leader of SCSC, Mr. Teoh, and Ms. Jamuna were also attended the launch. In addition, two persons from Sunway Prepare came to support.

At half past five, the launch was started by CPA video show, continued with speech by Evana president of SCSC and followed by Ms. Audrey talk. Ms. Audrey said that every university which are accredited by CPA Australia going to have student charter. The student charter is support by CPA Australia. Ms. Audrey said that she would support SCSC as well as CPA Australia did support SCSC. She hopes that SCSC will come out with more activities for students. Lastly, Ms. Audrey encouraged students to be the CPA passport student. After that, another video brought by Mr. Peter was being run.

On the top, the launch had Mr. Rusman, who was talked about his self story. After he has graduated from Australia, he did auditing and also did CPA course. Now he is doing strategic business. He told student that accounting is not all about debit and credit. He encouraged students to be accountant and explained on wide field for accountant. Mr. Rusman said that CPA course is important for adding value to accounting degree. In addition, he talked about salaries and answered question from students.

Lastly, Faz vice president of SCSC has prepared video to run at the talk. This video showed about SCSC previous activities such as membership run, Westport trip, and career fair. The purpose of this video is to show that SCCS is an active club, and to encourage people to join SCSC. At the end of the event, refreshment was served and guests were pleased to enjoy it.

Career Fair - CPA Australia

In process

Membership Drive

In process

Educational Visit to Westport Malaysia Sdn Bhd

On 9th April 2007, Sunway CPA Student Charter (SCSC) organised a field trip to Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd located in Pulau Indah, Port Klang, Malaysia. Port Klang has become a free commercial zone, handling 55 % of the container trade in Malaysia with three gateways of NorthPort, West Port and South Port (http://allmalaysia.info/msiacommerce). 39 Victoria University students together with Mr. Teoh Cheng San, Ms. Jamuna Moorthy and Ms. Lee Phaik , departed from Sunway University College at 9.03 am. Taking 45 minutes on road to Port Klang, the group was warmly welcomed to Westports Sdn Bhd.

In the 16th floor of the Pulau Indah office, Mr.Martin, a representative from Westports Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., gave a brief presentation about company’s profile and the port industry. Westports has proven itself in terms of efficiency and reliability with its cargo handeling capabilities. In its brief 13-years history, Westport has been voted among the top 10 ports in Asia. Its waterfront reliability, distinctive stevedoring capabilities and versatility in handling of cargo, has won it awards from near to far (www.westportsmalaysia.com).

After the 40 minutes presentation, the group was invited to have light refreshment prepared by the company in the 9th floor. At 11.15 am students were taken to the port side where they were able to see the cargo handling and cargo ships up close. At 11:45 the trip was ended and students were transferred back Sunway University College.

2007 SCSC Pro Tem Committee Board

Advisors
Mr. Foo Yin Fah
Lecturer, VU Business Degree Programme

Mr. Peter Wong
CPA Recruitment Executive

Ms. Jamuna Moortaj
Lecturer, VU Business Degree Programme

President
Evana

Vice President
Abolfazl Sadeghian Firouzabadi

Secretary
Wang Sin-Yen, Samantha

Vice Secretary
Debby Ariani

Treasure
Diyana Syazwani Noor

Public Relation & Communication Director
Adrian Hew Weng Choong

Other Exco Members
Leong Shui Xian, Kim
Lee Ewe Keong
Lee Han Foong
Natalia Onggodinata
Ong Sheau Ruh
Thor Sze Ching
Lee Pei Xuan, Yuwi