Dissertation

In this subject, it is aimed to develop awareness of the current local and global issues in the construction industry. It is also intended to explore the approaches to research. The third goal is to demonstrate a systematic and orderly mind to produce a viable academic research. This is an interesting subject that I can try something new that I have never tried in my university life. My supervisor is Ms Normah Sulaiman who was my Research Methodology's tutor. She is very helpful and she always be there when I need help on my research study. She also motivated me when I faced some hardships in the preparation of dissertation. 

In this semester, I was required to complete the research study done in previous semester. Research methodology, data analysis and conclusion were done in this semester. This subject is more challenging compared to the previous semester because we are required to complete 3 chapters in short period. We were also required to create new and original things because this is our product. I think this is the most difficult part because I used to study research done by others but I never tried to create something new for others to study. 

My research title is "Project Management of Adaptive Reuse in Kuala Lumpur". The main constraint that I have encountered was difficulty in looking for case study and interviewee. The cruel fact is that I have been rejected by countless times for conducting interview. I was giving up in approaching the interviewees but Ms Normah encouraged and motivated me. Fortunately, there were two interviewees replied me and said yes. I was extremely excited because I can complete the research without changing the topic and start over again.

After complete writing the dissertation, I was required to present my dissertation in a VIVA presentation. It was stressful because the panels would question much about the research where we have paid effort on it. Besides, I was also required to write a research paper based on my own dissertation. It was basically a summary of dissertation in 6 to 8 pages. 

This subject was fun as I really learned a lot. I became interviewer first in my life time and also produced something new that I have never thought that I will. I wish that the dissertation can make contribution to the society. 

Development Economics

The main objective of this subject is to understand the basic principles of economics and its link to the real world of construction and to develop an understanding of the whole process of property development. Besides, it is aimed to enhance the understanding of the contribution of feasibility study in property development. The third objective is to understand the overall mechanism of the finance system in the construction industry.

There are two lecturers in this subject who are Ms Tay Shir Men and Sr. Soon Lam Tat. They are passionate in teaching and also spent much time on explaining the parts that we do not understand. They also shared a lot on property development to enhance our knowledge. They are great lecturers. In this subject, there were 20% for mid term test, 30% for assignment and 50% for final exam.

For the assignment, it was merged with the Project Management's assignment. We have to do a report for the proposed development. The report included cash inflow, cash outflow, quarterly cash flow, net present value and more. It was a difficult task because there are so many requirements and we need to follow in order to get an accurate answer. It also enable us to analyse the cash flow of the project and whether is the project bringing positive cash flow. This can improve my critical thinking and enable me to make decision based on analysis.

Construction Law

In my very last semester, construction law plays an important role to widen my knowledge before I work in the construction industry. It provides an understanding of principles of construction laws and its application. The main objective of this subject is to understand the general principles of contract law and formation of a contract and remedies in the event of breach. We can learn about case law which supports the general principle of contract law. Secondly, it can help us to understand the roles and liabilities of parties involved in the contract. It also used to appreciate the laws relating to suspension and determination, payments, contractual claims and so on. In short, it covers most of the legal issue for whole construction process.

The lecturer of this subject is Mr. Wong Chong Wei. He is knowledgeable and full of experience in this field. He always share the real life example which he encountered in the lecture class which makes us to understand the principle of law easier. In the tutorial class, we are required to present the topic that Mr Wong lectured in the previous week. In the seminar, 2 person would form a group and present the topic based on our understanding and findings and also prepare 2 questions each presenter to ask the audience after the presentation. I could learn a lot in the seminar no matter being a speaker or audience. The presentation topic of my group was law relating to payment. I was required to have a role play session with my group mate which I found it interesting. It was interesting to be an audience as well because Mr Wong would ask some challenging questions which required critical thinking and he encourages audience involvement. 

Besides, this module required us to prepare a report as the only assignment. Lecturer has selected the group members for us randomly. Each group has different topic for the preparation of the report. The topic of my group was regarding Time at Large. I had to find and research from many law books and online resources. It was good that I can learn a lot from doing research by myself and also try to think whether the principle is applicable. This assignment helped me to improve my communication skills in order to work with different people.