Versatility across the board
THE role that effective and strategic public relations (PR) plays in the 21st century marketplace cannot be denied. It is with this in mind that Berjaya University College (Berjaya UC) developed its Diploma in Public Relations programme.
This diploma was designed to complement the institution’s culinary arts and hospitality management programmes.
“PR practitioners do more than just craft press releases and cultivate relationships with key media representatives,” says Dr Wong Kok Keong, head of the Berjaya School of Communication & Media Arts.
“They must also keep up with consumer attitudes and concerns, government policies, organisational behaviour, public interest groups and the community at large to establish and sustain cooperative working relationships for their companies or clients.”
In addition to the traditional role of getting a company’s key messages out to its various stakeholders, Dr Wong highlights that PR practitioners also create, manage and ensure the lines of communication are open between a company’s representatives and its targeted audience.
This may consist of activities such as scheduling corporate social responsibility engagements, organising strategic alliances, arranging speaking gigs for key company staff and speech writing.
According to Dr Wong, PR is centred on a common truth that people typically act based on their perception of facts. As an academician who has taught for more than 20 years in the United States before returning to Malaysia, he says, “When PR successfully creates, changes or reinforces a preferred perception through the art of persuasion, its main objective is achieved.”
Steven K.C. Poh, senior lecturer with the Berjaya School of Communications & Media Arts, points out that because everything is about perception, knowing and acquiring the necessary skills to persuade effectively is critical when students go out into the dog-eatdog corporate world.
“Effective persuasion affects people’s perceptions and is able to generate a positive and favourable image of an individual, organisation or even nation,” says Poh, who was a journalist and PR practitioner for more than 25 years before joining academia.
The complexity of globalisation coupled with developments in communication technology has transformed the business, political and media landscapes – resulting in high demand for graduates with problem-solving skills.
“Complexity brings about risks,” Wong explains. “The risk to reputation is one of the leading drivers behind remarkable growth in international PR. Thus, people capable of coping with risk and complexity are much needed.”
In view of this, Wong is convinced that Berjaya UC’s PR education and training – with its progressive problem-solving approach and strong emphasis on English language competency and proficiency – provides a solid foundation to prepare students well for future employment.
Alongside rigorous coursework guided by experienced lecturers with contemporary industry skills and cutting-edge academic knowledge, Berjaya UC’s PR students undergo a semester of industry training through their internship.
The programme’s internship portion is designed to give students intensive hands-on learning experience in a challenging work environment and opportunities to work with award-winning industry practitioners.
Prof Dr Eileen Lee, dean of Faculty of Liberal Arts at Berjaya UC, says that it makes sense to ensure that one will be employable at the end of one’s studies.
“Berjaya UC’s PR programme offers good prospects for its graduates. As a practical course, the programme offers precious work experience and life skills that make a PR graduate employable across industries. That’s how versatile the PR graduate is,” says Dr Lee.
Having made its mark in the culinary arts and hospitality fields, Berjaya UC is now expanding with new faculties and schools. As part of the expansion, the Berjaya School of Communication & Media Arts is planning to offer a degree programme in communications with four exciting areas of specialisation.
“Prospective students interested in communications and media should check us out and speak to our academic staff about interesting specialisations in this field,” says Dr Lee.
Berjaya UC is working to make higher education more accessible, affordable and attainable for everyone. National Higher Education Fund loans and Berjaya Business School scholarships are available for eligible Malaysian students.
The institution’s affiliation with the Berjaya Corporation Berhad group of companies also allows it to offer the Tan Sri Vincent Tan International Scholarship and Bursary, which is available to both local and international students.
About the institution
Berjaya UC is Malaysia’s premier institution that offers excellent programmes in hospitality and culinary arts. The institution also offers business, communications, tourism, event management and hospitality management programmes.
Situated in the Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur, the campus is located on the 11th and 14th floors of Berjaya Times Square. Conceptually designed with a fivestar hotel ambience, it is equipped with comprehensive facilities that mirror real-world settings.