Lee Chew Ging is the Deputy Chief Academic Officer of INTI International University & Colleges. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the higher education industry. He was the Dean for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Business School at the Malaysia Campus of the University of Nottingham. He led the Business School at the Malaysia Campus of the University of Nottingham to secure its AMBA and 5-year EQUIS accreditations. Furthermore, he was one of the panel members who developed the first edition of the MQA’s Programme Standards for Business Studies.
Lee Chew Ging, INTI’s Deputy Chief Academic Officer (3rd from right) with Tan Lin Nah, CEO (4th from right) and INTI’s Teaching & Learning team.
Chew Ging was appointed as Professor of Quantitative Methods in 2011, an area which he actively taught for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the University of Nottingham. In the same year, he was appointed as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and in 2014 was appointed as a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.
Because of his senior academic leadership experience, he brings new insights and processes to every role he serves in at INTI International University & Colleges.
Leading a dedicated team of Teaching & Learning professionals whose role is the development of 21st learning methodologies – particularly the expansion of online learning – and the training of INTI’s close to 700 plus academicians across Malaysia, Chew Ging strongly believes that while academicians may and should progress towards management and policy-making roles as part of their career development, they should find the means to remain grounded in their work in enhancing knowledge and learning.
“Research and teaching are the core of who we are as academicians. The pursuit and sharing of knowledge should remain the inspiration behind all the rest of our work – whether in managing the operations and daily workings of our institutions, or in the decisions and policies we put in place to facilitate measurable and high standards in learning outcomes. When we continue to research and teach, we maintain our connections with the essence of education – inspiring the next generation in the pursuit of their knowledge and aspirations,” Chew Ging shared.
Specialising in research focusing on the Economics of Development, the Economics of Sports and the Economics of Tourism, Chew Ging holds an impressive Google Scholar H-index of 19, a Scopus H-index 13, and a Publon H-index of 12. While he began his research journey in the Economics of Sports, the Perak native has published in Tourism Management, which is ranked first; the International Journal of Hospitality Management which is ranked third; and Current Issues in Tourism, which is ranked fifth by the 2019 CiteScore for Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management, respectively.
Tourism Management and International Journal Hospitality Management are also ranked A* by 2019 Australian Business Deans Council Journal Quality List. His works also appear in the International Journal of Tourism Research, Tourism Analysis and Tourism Economics which are ranked A by 2019 Australian Business Deans Council Journal Quality List.
Lee Chew Ging believes teaching and research should remain the core focus for academicians.
“I shifted my research focus to the Economics of Development and Economics of Tourism because these areas have a direct impact on the wellbeing of the residents of a country,” he shared.
Expanding on the value of research in the present climate, he said: “In the last year, we have seen global economies being thrown for a real loop, and the reality is that it may take us at least a good two to five years to recover our markets to pre-Covid conditions. Tourism has taken one of the biggest hits from the pandemic, and if it is to evolve to meet the new normal, there is a need for careful study and innovation. This is where research can play its part, by pulling ideas and studies to assess what can be done differently to bolster this industry, leveraging learning to help turn these realities around.”
Touting more than 50 published papers in similar high ranking journals, and having co-authored a chapter for the book Determinants of Singapore’s Outward FDI, a project with the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, Chew Ging has presented his research and insights throughout the world including:
• the 31st Australian Conference of Economists in Adelaide;
• the Australia and New Zealand International Business Academy Annual Conference in Dunedin;
• the International Business Research Conference in Melbourne;
• the All China Economics (ACE) International Conference, Inaugural, Conference, Hong Kong; and
• the Western Economic Association International Pacific Rim Conference in Kyoto, among others.
On top of his role in management, policy making and his own research, the Master of Social Sciences (Economics) graduate from the National University of Singapore, continues to work closely with students, having supervised 19 Masters’ students and co-supervised a PhD graduate on tourism in Tanzania.
“Working with students and experiencing their insights as they discover the world of research still very much motivates me as an academician. It also keeps me grounded in the issues facing both the world and the realm of academia and reminds me that while other industries are looking to quick solutions and fixes, academicians have a part to play in the knowledge, theories and ideas we can bring to the table through proper methodologies and thought processes that we gain through research,” he explains.
Serving in further capacities with the Malaysian government, Chew Ging also actively lends his insights and expertise as:
• a member of the Board of Examiners for the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers;
• an assessor for Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning for Entry into Qualifications recognised by Malaysian Qualifications Framework at Level 7;
• an auditor to assist the MQA to assess the suitability of a higher education institution in becoming an assessment centre for Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning;
• a member of panel to review current Programme Standards for Business Studies of MQA;
• a member of the Editorial Board for Journal of Economic and Social Studies.
He concludes, “As academicians we are tasked with the development of future generations. To do this effectively, we cannot neglect our own skills and knowledge development, especially in a world where knowledge can be acquired at the click of a button. Research is one of the means to actively keep up with our own development and to be able to draw meaningful and evidence based ideas that can inform changes around us. Whatever expertise we develop – classroom teaching, management, or policy development – it’s important to come back to this core area that started us off and is unique to the world of academia.”