An Expedition to Remember

It was not the usual Saturday for a group of 40 AUSMAT students as they had a learning experience beyond the classroom. These students had the opportunity to participate in an excursion to visit a wildlife sanctuary. Through the initiative of their lecturer Ms. Sangeetha Muniandy, the main purpose of this outing was to understand Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and how it affects the environment.

AUSMAT students with their lecturers at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary

Ms Sangeetha highlighted that CSR is a main component of their Business Management & Enterprise syllabus as the subject is aimed of not only to develop successful entrepreneurship skills among the students but to also nurture their responsibility to protect the environment. “Business is not just to make profit but to also have accountability that the company gives back to society” she said. The excited students assembled in the wee hours of a Saturday morning and headed to the Krau Wildlife Reserve. Located in Pahang, it is the oldest wildlife reserve in Peninsular Malaysia. All the AUSMAT Business Management lecturers accompanied them in this expedition as well as a representative of WWF Malaysia, Mr. Lasal. The excursion began with the students having a general introduction to the sanctuary and this was followed with a guided tour into the nature museum. It was here the students were exposed to wildlife extinction and the causes, mainly linked to human activities such as uncontrolled land clearing and poaching.

Students learning on wildlife species at the Nature Museum, Krau Wildlife Reserve

This informative session was followed with a jungle trail escorted by a forest ranger. Students had a chance to be a scientist here as they carried out water quality testing from a stream in the jungle. The analysis was important as it made them realise potential water pollution in the environment. This is good practice for corporate organizations to ensure that their business is run ethically. The day continued with a visit to the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. This fun experience enlightened the students on the importance of conservation of bioresources as they learnt the purpose of the sanctuary in the community. One of the students, Sahadev was thrilled to be given this opportunity. To him, the trip was educational as the hands on experiences benefited students to gain knowledge beyond books.

All business students who joined the trip were very pleased with this excursion. They realised AUSMAT indeed provided a holistic learning experience that will be an invaluable asset to their future.

Article by Diana Ann, Senior Lecturer, AUSMAT Programme