ABOUT THE FACULTY
For over a quarter of a century, the Faculty of Management (FOM) has stood at the forefront of business and management education in Malaysia — shaping industry-ready graduates, advancing impactful research, and earning the trust of leading professional bodies across the globe.
Our Beginnings
The Faculty of Management (FOM) was established in April 1997 at the Melaka campus with a team of ten academics. It initially offered four degree programmes — the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Management (Hons.), BBA Marketing (Hons.), BBA Finance (Hons.), and Bachelor of Accounting — together with its first distance education programme, the Bachelor of Management. In 1999, FOM relocated to the newly built Cyberjaya campus. To support the rapid growth in student numbers and programmes, the Faculty has since expanded to more than 110 academics, comprising six Professors, eight Associate Professors, and a teaching body of which more than two-thirds hold doctorate degrees. Today, FOM offers a foundation programme, eight undergraduate programmes, and four postgraduate programmes, two of which are delivered through online and distance learning.
Embracing the New Millennium
FOM marked several important milestones as it embraced the new millennium. In 2000, the Faculty became a market leader nationally by introducing niche degree programmes in high demand by industry, beginning with the Bachelor of Financial Engineering (Hons.). Its flagship professional degree, the Bachelor of Accounting, has earned accreditation and recognition from numerous local and international professional bodies, including LAN (now MQA), JPA, MACPA, CIMA (UK), ACCA (UK), CPA Australia, ICAEW, and MICPA. These recognitions have placed Bachelor of Accounting graduates in high demand among both local and international firms — a distinctive achievement for MMU.
The Faculty’s growth was further accelerated by the introduction of additional postgraduate programmes, including the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Online MBA, Master of Philosophy, Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Transformation and Growth
Significant restructuring took place across 2012 and 2013 as the University realigned itself with MMU’s aspiration to rank among the top universities in Asia. The Graduate School of Management (GSM) was established in 2012 to strengthen postgraduate provision, leading to the launch of the highly sought-after Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) programme the following year. During this period, the Foundation in Management was transferred from LIFE (Learning Institute for Empowerment) to the Faculty, and distance education was expanded to include the Bachelor of Management (Hons.) in Human Resource Management and the Bachelor of Management (Hons.) in Marketing Management.
To keep pace with industry demand, FOM has continually revised its undergraduate curricula to reflect current trends and needs. The Faculty presently offers seven undergraduate programmes: the Bachelor of Accounting (Hons.), Bachelor of Financial Engineering (Hons.), Bachelor of Finance (Hons.), Bachelor of Business Management (Hons.), Bachelor of Marketing, Bachelor of Analytical Economics (Hons.), and Bachelor of Enterprise Management System (Hons.). The Bachelor of Enterprise Management System (Hons.) (BEMS), first offered in April 2018, gives students a foundation in the key functional areas of business — finance, management, and marketing — while developing their understanding of IT fundamentals such as software development and databases, and culminating in hands-on experience with industry-standard Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. In short, BEMS equips graduates to be both business- and IT-savvy, addressing the critical shortage of professionals skilled in both domains.
A Commitment to Research
Beyond teaching and learning, FOM places strong emphasis on research. Three research centres have been established to support vertical research areas spanning marketing, finance, management, accounting, and economics. The Centre of Knowledge Innovation and Management (CEKIM) focuses on innovative human resource and technology management practices. The Centre of Consumer Research and Education (CECORE) actively pursues research in consumer behaviour and behavioural economics. The Centre of Business Excellence drives the research agenda in accounting, finance, governance, business process engineering, and business performance. This research capacity is further enhanced by access to data from the Department of Statistics and a range of statistical databases, including Bloomberg, EuroMoney Investor, and the IMF eLibrary.
Engaging the Wider Community
FOM has also distinguished itself by successfully organising regional and international scientific conferences. In September 2002, the Faculty hosted the International Conference on Internet Economy and Business in Kuala Lumpur, accompanied by a professional development seminar on e-procurement. In February 2007, FOM co-organised the International Conference on Internet Business: Business Trends, Systems, and Education (iBiZ2007) in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, together with the Graduate School of International Management (GSIM) of Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan, and the School of Information Systems (SIS) of Singapore Management University. The following year, FOM hosted the Regional Development International Conference and Exhibition (REDICE’08) in Cyberjaya, Selangor. In July 2012, the Faculty — in collaboration with the Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT) through its AKEPT Young Researchers Circle (AYRC) — organised the Regional Entrepreneurship Development Symposium 2012 (REDS 2012) under the theme “Towards an East Asia Regional Entrepreneurship Development Framework.” The symposium convened leading academics from the Majlis Profesor Negara (MPN), research students, and industry practitioners to discuss the development of a regional entrepreneurship framework for East Asia.
In 2017, the Entrepreneur Development Centre (EDP) and the Centre of Business Performance (CeBP) co-hosted the Fifth International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ICIE), alongside a postgraduate research exhibition spanning accounting, finance, management, economics, marketing, IT management, and law. The exhibition gave FOM postgraduate students a platform to present their research and receive constructive feedback from experienced researchers and peers. In March 2018, MMU — in collaboration with Telekom Malaysia Berhad and Innermetrix International UK — organised the MMU International Forum 2018 under the theme “A New Era of Workforce Management,” an FOM initiative addressing the challenges of managing a multigenerational workforce with differing expectations around work culture, rewards, recognition, and work-life balance. FOM continues to host scientific conferences as a platform for engaging and collaborating with the academic, industry, government, and wider communities.
Leadership Through the Years
Reflecting on its journey, FOM has grown exponentially in both the size and quality of its academic staff, with a growing number of PhD holders forming the backbone of the Faculty’s strength. These achievements have been made possible by the strong team spirit and camaraderie of the FOM family, guided by the dedicated leadership of its successive deans.
The Faculty has had the privilege of being led by a succession of respected senior academics. The founding dean, Prof. Dr. Stanley Richardson, a professor in ergonomics, served from 1997 to 1999. He was succeeded by Prof. Dr. Ismail Ahmad, the second dean, who steered FOM to its next stage of growth from 1999 to 2006. Assoc. Prof. Dr. A. Seetharaman of the Accounting Unit then led the Faculty from 2006 to 2008, followed by Prof. Dr. Wan Fadzillah Wan Yusoff, also from an accounting background, who served from 2008 to 2011. Prof. Dr. Mazlina Mat Zain, likewise a professor in accounting, led from 2011 to 2013, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yeap Peik Foong of the Management Unit held the position from 2013 to 2014. Prof. Dr. Murali Raman of the IT Management Unit then led from 2014 to 2015, followed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nahariah Jaffar of the Accounting Unit from 2015 to 2019, and Dr. Mohd Fairuz Abdul Rahim of the Management Unit from 2020 to 2023. Today, FOM is under the esteemed leadership of its current dean, Prof. Dr. Tan Booi Chen of the Marketing Unit.