A PhD on Wheels

If a person is paralysed after a car accident, there is a good chance he will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair and require assistance for the normal tasks of daily living. Although there are exceptions, most people are unable to work again or must find employment in a different field.

This was not totally the case with Dr Mohd Amran Md Arif, 43.

In 2013, a road accident upended his life, transforming him from an able-bodied individual into a paraplegic in a wheelchair. At the time, he was working as an accounts manager at a leading integrated service provider in the oil, gas and petrochemical industry. After the accident, he not only kept his job, but also went further and rose to the position of accounts and finance senior manager. However, while previously he had travelled a lot for work, he now exerts his energies at the office.

Two years after the accident, Dr Amran felt a calling to teach. “I started out as an auditor before becoming an accountant. The experience I have accumulated over the years could benefit others who are interested in the same line of work. I believe that if we teach others and they benefit from it, the blessings we receive will continue even after we are gone.”

To facilitate his goal, he enrolled in the Doctor of Philosophy (Business Administration) programme. “OUM’s learning approach suited me as a full-time employee and a paraplegic. Through online learning, I could study without jeopardising my work. It also saved a lot of travel time. The less time I spent travelling to classes, the more time I had to read articles, collect data, and prepare write-ups. I also communicated with my supervisor, Dr Zahir Osman, mostly online.”

Interest in the financial scandals engulfing some stock exchange companies in Malaysia drove Dr Amran to the subject of his final-year thesis, “The Influence of Corporate Governance Mechanism on Financial Performance of Malaysian Public-Listed Companies.”

He adds, “It also interested me as I had taken a course on forensic accounting and financial criminology at the master’s level. I would say OUM developed my knowledge in my field. It made me see that accounting goes way beyond numbers.”

In May last year, he obtained the right to be called “Dr”. His long-term plan is to become a lecturer leveraging upon his vast experience as a financial auditor and commercial accountant. “There are many lecturers in the market but not many have actual commercial work experience, so I think I have an edge.”