Creating e-entrepreneurs
OFTEN mistaken as a simple process of buying and selling online, there is much more to e-commerce than meets the eye.
E-commerce is the driver of online sales growth in Southeast Asia prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, which is why those who pursue e-entrepreneurship in Malaysia have a bright future to look forward to.
To ensure students’ future in the sector, INTI International University’s Faculty of Business, Communications and Law senior lecturer Liew Heong Shya said the institution has incorporated the Alibaba GET (Global eCommerce Talent) curriculum into its Diploma in Business programme.
With a curriculum designed by Alibaba GET embedded in the syllabus, students are introduced to the basics before they are exposed to a real e-commerce environment.
“We want to prepare our students for current market needs. Through our programme, students will master e-commerce through capstone projects that require them to develop and manage a real online business.
“After students complete the modules, they will realise that e-commerce includes other elements such as logistics, finance, data, and more. And all these elements are needed to complete one single e-commerce process,” said Liew.
After successfully completing all units of the GET programme, students will be awarded the Alibaba GET Membership which they can use to apply for the tech giant’s GET Practitioner Certificate and gain access to the Alibaba GET Network.
Another initiative carried out by Alibaba GET includes the GET Digital Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition.
The inaugural event held last year in Guizhou, China, is a platform for young entrepreneurs to pitch their business ideas to industry experts.
INTI’s Diploma in Business students Ainaa Radhiah Nur Azam and Le Yi Chen were one of the competition’s 11 finalist teams from eight universities.
Their product, the well-loved choco jar, though simple, stood out as they roped in the Orang Asli community to provide handmade woven straw baskets which encased the jars.
While there was limited time to perfect the product due to looming final exams, Ainaa Radhiah said lecturers kept her and Le Yi on their toes, providing constant constructive feedback on how to improve their presentation for the competition.
She added that the support and motivation given by her lecturers have inspired her to one day become an educator too, though she would like to pursue e-commerce to generate a side income.
Making it to the competition’s final round, said Le Yi, gave her an opportunity to travel abroad for the first time.
She added that the subjects taken at INTI allowed her and Ainaa to run an online business.
“We also learnt what to do when a problem or challenge arises, and what opportunities to grab,” she said.
Le Yi, an aspiring e-entrepreneur, added that she realised the importance of market analysis and usage of real data in gaining people’s trust towards a product after witnessing presentations of other participants.