The University Transformation Programme was announced by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE), through the launching of the Malaysia Education Blueprint (MEB) 2015-2025 (Higher Education). The MEB (HE) outlines 10 Shifts. Out of the ten shifts, Shift#5: Financial Sustainability aims to ensure long term financial sustainability of the higher education system. To achieve this goal, a relevant governance structures is needed. Simultaneously, the income generation activities at the universities is expected to be strengthened, while staying focused on their core education mission. As public universities are given greater autonomy, universities can create any strategies to generate income successfully. Thus, this case study will attempt to address the needs for USIM to seek for potential alternative income generation. Besides, relying on tuition fees imposed to the students which is the main contributor to USIM in generating income, there is another possible income generating channel that could contribute to USIM’s strategy for getting revenue. The possibility of offering Premium Student Accommodation targeting International Students as tenants will be the research topic of this case study. This case study is of great significance as it will identify an alternative source of income that can be benefited by the university. This case study will explore the requirement and expectation of its international student in terms of accommodation. It will assist the University’s Management to make use of the current asset and turn them into a potential source of income.

The purpose of this case study is to look at how “Lean Techniques and Principles” can be successfully introduce and implement in the higher education institution or university context. In the last two decades, Lean techniques and principle has been applied to improve production system in manufacturing processes. Lean was introduced in the 1950s by Womack and Jones known as the Toyota Production System (TPS) by the legendary car manufacturer Toyota, the world’s most profitable automaker and have spent decades perfecting lean practices in the production. The method used was to produce more productivity while using fewer resources and identifying activities which creates value for customers, activities which do not create value but are required and actions which do not create value and can be eliminated. This case study demonstrates how “Lean Principles” can be adopted to the administration services particularly in the registration process for new student intake in USIM. The objective of this case study includes : to identify the needs of improving the registration process by eliminating the waste (Muda) such as time wastage, human resource wastage, to introduce the apparatus required to reduce and eliminate waste, to redesign the process using the lean techniques and principles to eliminate waste and to continually improve the process with the goal to achieve perfection for customer satisfaction and university’s reputation. How Lean Principles can transform the work process in the registration procedure, process efficiency, the reasons for implementing Lean in the process, minimize the lead time, minimize the financial cost and the role of management. This paper contains a comprehensive discussion and findings of the development of Lean principles and management through one of the models, namely; Value Stream Mapping (VSM) process which can enhance the operational process in the university environment to improve the process, particularly in the new student registration process.