Knowledge sharing and networking at 2nd ICBER in Pulau Langkawi

Written by T. H. Loh, Lecturer, School of Business and Social Sciences.

Think of an occasion where like-minded people gather from all parts of the world to exchange research knowledge and you would probably have grasped the objective of the 2nd International Conference on Business and Economic Research (ICBER).

Held recently in Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, from 14th to 15th March, 2011, the ICBER certainly lived up to its 'international' calling. There were presenters from many parts of the world – Canada, Japan, India, Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, Turkey, Myanmar and Uzbekistan amongst others.

The papers presented ranged from all the key disciplines in business: business law, marketing, management, economics, information technology, accounts, finance, operations management, entrepreneurship, human resource, organisational behavior and Islamic transaction.


It was with some pride that I noted, among the many private universities and university colleges that were present ( excluding the Government-linked private universities), only KDU University College and Taylor's University presented papers. Our sister KDU College, Penang, also sent a representative. All the other private universities and university colleges were, to me, conspicuously absent.

It had been a heavy but very productive two days at the conference. I presented a section of my PhD dissertation at one of the many marketing sessions. There were usually 15 to 20 participants per seating. My objectives were three fold: peer review of my dissertation and to obtain some feed back on my research work from the many professors and doctors present, share knowledge with the other researchers and, finally, networking.


My presentation went really well, I thought. I went in with a little apprehension initially. I attended several sessions the day before, many were cross disciplines, and some were really grueling for the presenters. Their methodologies were questioned and the presenters became too nervous after that to even give a sensible reply. It only proves that preparation is still the best policy. Overconfidence can be a weakness and one should not underestimate the audience.

That night I reviewed and reorganised my slides to anticipate such queries. All in all, I had a good chair person and audience. There were good suggestions made to enhance the robustness of my dissertation. I felt more confident now than ever before to proceed to the next stage: the field work.


What souvenirs did I get from this trip? Business cards with possible research collaborators in the near future. And, yes, some chocolates for my fellow lecturers. This is really my fourth trip to Pulau Langkawi in the last ten years and I am a little immune to its many charms by now.


All said, I am thankful to KDU University College for sponsoring my trip to the conference. It has inspired me to forge ahead with my dissertation. Hopefully, the next conference I go to will be to present the empirical findings of my research.