Australian academic shares how social media is not only changing the way businesses communicate with their customers but also how people live their lives
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 Associate Professor Gary Noble shared his expertise in social media at INTI. |
The way social media is impacting communication in modern society is nothing short of revolutionary, and business leaders of the future will need to not only be comfortable with this form of communication, but also know and understand how it plays out in every aspect of their business from internal communication to communication with suppliers, shareholders, stakeholders and customers, according to Associate Professor Gary Noble of the University of Wollongong (UOW), Australia.
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Associate Professor Gary Noble shared his expertise in social media at INTI. |
Noble, Associate Dean International in the Faculty of Business at UOW, an institution placed in the top 2% of universities in the world*, was speaking in INTI’s Meet the Expert series, which brings international guest speakers to share their knowledge and experience in the business world with INTI’s students in Kuala Lumpur. The series is one of the many initiatives by INTI to provide education that empowers students, by preparing them with knowledge and abilities to meet the challenges of the global workplace.
“Malaysia is ranked number 17 in the world in terms of Facebook users. That gives you a glimpse of what the penetration of social media is within Malaysia and so no company, big or small can ignore the importance of social media and that is the main reason why understanding and working with social media is so important for Malaysian students,” said Noble who has published widely in leading marketing and management journals and is author of several books on international marketing.
Based on the feedback that he received after his presentation entitled Social Media and Advertising: Revolution or Fad? as well as on the questions that were raised during his talk, Nobel, who has extensive experience in advertising and marketing prior to entering academia, believed many of those in the audience were familiar with social media but were probably thinking ‘how can I make this work for my business?’
“This is good as they realise that in addition to the need to understand and make social media a mainstream function in an organization, they would have to implement an effective social media strategy to boost the chances of success,” he said.
Students’ exposure to the latest thinking on issues and topics that are facing large and small businesses not only in Malaysia but around the world is the objective of Meet the Experts. The series complements the University of Wollongong – Sydney Business School MBA, offered at INTI International College Kuala Lumpur, which is designed to develop students’ core competencies ranging from strategic analysis and decision making to an appreciation of global business challenges, complemented by people, financial, marketing and system analysis skills.
Conducted in a stimulating learning environment afforded by the new KL campus, the MBA programme comprises 11 core units and one elective unit as well as six master classes focusing on contemporary Australian, Asian and global issues via the topics Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Business Risk, Adapting to Change, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability. Half the programme modules are taught by the University of Wollongong – Sydney Business School’s very own MBA professors and lecturers from abroad.
For more information on the Meet the Expert series and the University of Wollongong – Sydney Business School MBA at INTI International College Kuala Lumpur, call 03-2052 2888.
* QS World University Rankings 2013/2014 / Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2012/2013 / Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2013