my first editorial works

a colleague of mine had applied for a British Council scholarship to further his studies in the UK. his application was approved by the company on a fully paid study leave. one of the conditions in the application to the British Council was to submit a personal statement on his choice. he requested my help to look at his grammar only.... but me being the perfectionist did more than just that.

he came to my work station and sat by me...ooohhhed and aaaahhhhed while i did the editing. hehehheeh made me feel like an expert. it is a good feeling though.

here is the rushed work completed in 2 hours. i didn't do a final proof-read as time was of essence. the final word count 985...i gave my best and i hope he would get the scholarship. this is the first piece of work that i edited (other than work) and put my whole heart into it..... thus, attaching a sentimental value to it...

PART I: PERSONAL STATEMENT
Please state in no more than 1,000 words:

a) Why you wish to study in the UK?

UK is known to be one of the popular destinations for higher learning around the world. The main reason for my burning desire to study in the UK is the traditions of excellence dating back to hundreds of years and the world class quality in terms of international education.

The universities in the UK offer degrees with worldwide recognition that magnetize me towards this opportunity to further pursue my studies there hence, giving me an international recognition. This is also an opportunity to enhance and sophisticate my leadership proficiency through this opportunity to associate myself with the scholars and expertise from the top universities in UK which would in turn be beneficial to my company and country

Studying in the UK would also provide me with the best experience of living in the UK, providing me with a vibrant, energetic educational system and at the same time enabling me to enjoy charismatic surrounding and a traditional British culture. With a racial, ethnic and religious jumble, the UK is very open to new traditions and cultures which gives me an opportunity to master the English Language, the international language of business, science and technology. Thus, I will be able to immerse myself in the language, giving me the linguistic mastery I would need in the future.

b) Why you wish to obtain the qualification listed as your first choice on this form.

The LLM qualification in Good Governance/Corporate Governance and Law is my first choice as it would be of much relevance to my current nature of work.

As the employee of the biggest utility company and government linked company (GLC) in Malaysia, and being an Enforcement Manager with the Contract Management Unit, Shared Purchasing Department of Procurement Division, this is an opportunity for me to explore and absorb the bounty of Good Governance in depth.

My core task is to uphold the rules of law in enforcing numerous contracts throughout Peninsular Malaysia within three main Divisions i.e. Generation, Transmission and Distribution, generally dealing with contract management issues such as bond management, termination issues, imposing penalty against the contractors/vendors. Therefore, it directly revolves around the characteristic of good governance such as accountable, efficient and effective, responsive, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law.

It is also in line with the GLC Transformation Program introduced by Malaysian Government to drive development and grow the economy which is run on the main principle relating to good governance whereby the program take cognizance of matters relating to governance, shareholder value and stakeholder management.

Realizing the significance of good governance in a company, I choose this subject as my first priority as good governance implicates the performance and encourage sustainability in my company and country. Obtaining this qualification in the UK would be the opportunity to absorb the advanced knowledge and understanding of UK companies towards the good governance.


c) How you think you will benefit in terms of career and personal development
from obtaining this qualification once you have returned to you home country.

Being accepted to be one of the prestigious families of ‘Chevening Scholarship’ and obtaining this qualification would shed limelight to my career and personal development in my company, through which I hope to serve the nation through the application of the knowledge I gained. Thus, with the acquired knowledge, I will be able to contribute to my company in terms of propagating and achieving good governance in its totality based on the best practices by the UK’s government and companies in general.

As I visualize myself as the Chief Procurement Officer TNB in 10 years time and the Chief Executive Officer TNB in 15 years time, applying and executing the conceptual definition, advanced knowledge and understanding of UK company and securities law rules concerning the structure of corporate decision-making and the control of directors and officers would then be very relevant. Providing more reliable and quality supply of electricity to the nation by having an accountable, responsive and transparent decision making process to the public and to TNB’s institutional stakeholder will be how I will directly impact the nation.

I strongly belief that my career and personal development will benefit directly with the process of applying the knowledge, bringing my company and country to the highest performance quality and to produce results that meet the need of the society to sustain the use of natural resources by implementing good/corporate governance in its totality. The existence of a positive and significant relationship between corporate governance practices and company performance is an evident. Furthermore, good corporate governance enhances a company’s access to capital, contributing towards its financial performance and encourages sustainability.

I’m very optimistic that my company will position me with a good career path upon return to the country as they have strongly recommended and approved my application with fully paid salary. It would nonetheless be their expectation that I will serve the company better towards building an excellent nation.

Please also give details of any particular areas on which you would like to concentrate whilst in the UK as part of your course of study or research. (Please continue on a separate sheet if necessary)

I would like to pursue this qualification in LLM specifically on Good Governance/Corporate Governance and Law. The scope of studies will be from the theoretical of Corporate Governance to the Legal Issues regarding in Corporate Governance including the roles, duties and responsibilities of Directors in Corporations, beyond compliance, Institutionalizing Ethical Change.
The area I wish to concentrate will also include the fundamental understanding of the legal rules that determine the balance of decision-making power within UK and US public companies and the area on wider social and political issues arising out of corporate governance including corporate responsibility, worker democracy and critical perspectives on the shareholder primacy norm.