Malaysians Enriched by Fujitsu Scholarship for East-West Knowledge Leaders Program at JAIMS, Hawaii

Cyberjaya, August 06, 2010

Fujitsu, a leading provider of ICT-based business solutions for the global marketplace commemorated its 25th Anniversary of the Fujitsu Scholarship program at the Japan-America Institute of Management Science (JAIMS) for business professionals in Malaysia in a simple ceremony here today.

Fujitsu in Malaysia, a MSC-status company that uniquely combines Fujitsu systems, solutions and services to offer clients with integrated business solutions, through its headquarters in Japan has been at the forefront in developing business leaders for the marketplace in the last 25 years in a collaboration between Fujitsu and industry partner JAIMS, a non-profit organization.

To date, 380 working graduates all over the world have completed Fujitsu scholarship programs at JAIMS and 32 Malaysians have benefited from other courses at this post graduate institute.

Of the 32 Malaysians, seven of them have participated in the three-month intensive East-West Knowledge Leaders Program’s (EWKLP) advanced management studies which was introduced in 2008.

“This is part of our corporate social responsibility education program towards enhancing knowledge leadership and management skills of professionals within a multi-cultural learning environment,” said Mr Charles Lew, President of Fujitsu Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Fujitsu Malaysia is pleased to contribute towards a knowledge society in line with Malaysia’s nation building and transforming it into a new global economy, he added.

Since 1985, Fujitsu Limited in Japan has been providing scholarships to business professionals in the Asia-Pacific region to study at JAIMS which has todate educated and trained about 23,000 participants in other programs and seminars from 54 countries.

The EWKLP is a “hybrid” management curriculum that focuses on global best practices of the East and West, where students develop knowledge-based leadership competencies.

Knowledge leaders have been defined by JAIMS as those who harness and leverage personal and organizational knowledge and creativity for high performance and achievement of goals.

The unique feature of EWKLP is its participants of various backgrounds and value systems from all over the world, who meet in Hawaii to work out problems and issues using different approaches to management from a multi-cultural perspective.

“More importantly, they have reported the successful application of the knowledge and management gained during their management studies at JAIMS, as well as the having been given the opportunity to fulfill their personal and organizational goals in their respective countries,” said Mr Chris Ng, Program Lead for the Fujitsu Scholarship Program in Malaysia.

The EWKLP scholarship is worth about USD12,000 to USD14,000 per student and covers tuition, fees, living expenses, airfares, insurance and includes a week-long field trip to Japan.

Mr Ng added that the value of the program is far greater than the expenditure in terms of the value gained in networking, the luxurious setting and hospitality in Hawaii, multi-cultural experience, rigorous curriculum and becoming a member of a vibrant, global alumni community. The EWKLP draws professors and faculty members from premium business schools from the East and West.

Dr Ikujiro Nonaka, JAIMS President and Professor Emeritus, Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, is an eminent scholar in Knowledge Management who helms JAIMS and is supported by a diversified faculty and business executives from around the world. He was nominated by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most influential business thinkers in May 2008.

HR Consultant Kok Wah Moi, 47, of Axiata Group Berhad, a JAIMS Alumni member in 2009, recalled how he “blended both efficient Western management techniques with timeless Eastern philosophy, and learned new ways to learn. The exceptional learning environment must be credited to the dedicated staff at JAIMS.”

Alumni member, G Rajasoorian, 37, sales manager of Thai NOK Co. Ltd., said the EWKLP provided him the global best practices in a practice based learning environment with a diverse range of participants from the East and West. “Even my management has noticed my abilities as a leader have sharpened, and they have now entrusted me to lead the business in ASEAN,” he added.

The closing date for the Fujitsu Scholarship EWKLP intake for working professionals is 30 September 2010. For details, visit www.fujitsu.com/scholarship