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Dr Wee Chan Au

Lecturer in Management Practice

Background

Dr Wee Chan Au is a Lecturer in Management Practice at Newcastle University Business School (NUBS). She received her PhD in Human Resource Management from Monash University.

Wee Chan is interested in supporting young people to engage in social innovation and social entrepreneurship activities. She is a certified trainer of the Active Citizens Social Enterprise (ACSE) programme and an active member of the East Asia Region ACSE Facilitators Network by the British Council. She engages young people to take active roles in sustainability and addressing social issues through various educational endeavours, which led her to receive the 2021 Dean’s PRME Education Excellence Award at Monash Business School. In addition, wee Chan collaborates with support organisations, including British Council, Impact Hub and Social Innovation Movement, to bridge research and practice. Her research work supporting the wellbeing of young social entrepreneurs was nominated for the PRME Faculty Recognition Award for excellence in SDG integration in 2021.

Before joining NUBS, Wee Chan was a Senior Lecturer in Management at Monash University Malaysia. She was the Program Co-lead of the International Study Program, Ambassadors for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub, PRME, and Coordinator for Master in International Business (Research Pathway). While at Monash University, Wee Chan received the Engagement and Impact Excellence Award in 2018 and 2020; she also received the Supervisor of the Year Award for her PhD supervision by the Monash University Postgraduate Association in 2020. She is a senior fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

 


Research

Wee Chan’s research interest lies in work, health and wellbeing, especially the challenges in attaining work-life balance in today’s fast-paced economy and rapid technological advancement. She explores the manner and extent to which organisational and HR practices impact work and wellbeing. Fundamentally, she is interested in people and the development of human capital – what motivates employees and entrepreneurs, how do they respond to personal or structural constraints, setbacks and challenges? She is also interested in using research to shed light on groups less represented in the mainstream research, including migrant live-in domestic workers, young social entrepreneurs in Southeast and East Asia, and refugee entrepreneurs in Malaysia.

 

She has published her work in edited books and in leading scholarly journals, such as Journal of Business Ethics, Career Development International, Human Resource Development International, Journal of Social Entrepreneurship and Personnel Review. Her work has also been featured in media, such as The Pioneers Post, The Star (Malaysia), and The National Tribune (Australia).

 

She sits on the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Managerial Psychology and the International Editorial Board for Community, Work and Family.

In addition, she has received funding (Approx. USD 1.15 million) from the British Council, Certified Practising Accountants (CPA) Australia, Academy of Science Malaysia, Economic Planning Unit (Malaysia Prime Minister’s office), the Ministry of Higher education, Malaysia and various industry bodies in Malaysia and Asia-Pacific region.

 

Selected External Funding:

06/2023 – 05/2025, BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants funded research project on “Women Entrepreneurs for Climate Resilience: Challenging Norms and Gaining Support” (PI, £9,771)

01/2023 – 01/2024, British Council Going Global Partnerships – Gender Equality Partnerships funded research project on “Promoting gender equality in Pakistan Higher Education: How to break the ceiling while having caring responsibilities” (Co-I, GBP £24,379.79, GEP26-22 UK-Pakistan)

01/2019 - 09/2022, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia’s Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) funded research project on “Work, Health and Well- Being: An In-Depth Study of the Healthcare Sector in Malaysia” (PI; £12,990) FRGS/1/2018/SS03/MUSM/03/1

10/2019 - 06/2021, Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) & Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) international project entitled “Changing the Story: Building Inclusive Civil Societies with, and for, Young People in Post-Conflict Settings” led by the University of Leeds funded research project on “Building Inclusive and Sustainable Civil Society: A Social Entrepreneurship Toolkit Created by and for Young People” (Co-I; £99,380.20) AH/R005354/1

01/2019 - 01/2020, Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) & Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) international project entitled “Changing The Story: Building Inclusive Civil Societies with, and for, Young People in Post-Conflict Settings” led by the University of Leeds funded research project on “Youth-led social enterprises in Malaysia: Shaping civil society by and for young people” (Co-I; £25,993) RG.MODL.114343.011

11/2017 – 10/2020, Certified Practising Accountants (CPA) Australia funded research project on “Business Sentiment Study” (Co-I; £16,804)

12/2017 – 01/2019, The Newton Fund British Council Grants (Newton Ungku-Omar Fund) for UK-Malaysia Researcher Links Workshop, “Advancing work, health and well-being in rural and urban Malaysia”, (PI; £45,200) 2017-RLWK8-10364

06/2014 – 12/2016, Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister's Department, Malaysia on “Knowledge Content in Key Economic Sectors in Malaysia: Phase 3 (MYKE III)”, (Co-I; £364,916)

12/2013 – 11/2015, Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia’s Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) funded research project on “Unleashing the Potential of Women Entrepreneurs: A Study of Malaysian SMEs”, (PI; £12,067) FRGS/2/2013/SS05/MUSM/03/2

Research Awards:

2021 - Best paper award - The Careers Division, Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management

Paper: Keep Calm and Work from Home: Strategies Used by Dual-Earner Households with School-Age Children

The paper was also nominated for the 2021 Carolyn B. Dexter Award (To papers that best meets the objective of internationalizing the Academy)

               

2016 - Best paper award - Social Issues in Management Track, Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management

Paper: Corporate social responsibility in Indian Family Firms: A socioemotional wealth perspective   

  

2013 - Best paper award - International Journal of Manpower Track, The International Network of Business and Management Journals Conference

Paper: Exploring the effects of two types of workplace support on work-life balance

 

Completed Research Supervision

PhD

  1. 01/2018 – 05/2022, PhD, Main-supervisor, “Maternal healthcare in Kenya – An institutional perspective of women’s agency”, Monash University.
  2. 12/2017 – 11/2021, PhD, Main-supervisor, “Investigating a within-organization sustainable career: An empirical study in Malaysia”, Monash University.
  3. 12/2013 – 11/2017, PhD, Co-supervisor, “Pathways for career success: A study of Muslim women in Malaysia”, Monash University.
  4. 01/2014 – 09/2017, PhD, Main-supervisor, “Human resource management in the Bangladesh garment industry: An exploratory investigation”, Monash University.

Master

  1. 06/2020 – July 2022, Master in International Business, Sole-supervisor, “Pursuing of career success - An investigation of pharmacy career”, Monash University.
  2. 01/2016 – 12/2016, Master in International Business, Main-supervisor, “Parental orientation influence on work-life balance and protean career decisions of early career employees”, Monash University.
  3. 01/2015 – 12/2015, Master in International Business, Main-supervisor, “The work-life balance of domestic workers in Malaysia: A Qualitative Study”, Monash University.
  4. 01/2014 – 12/2014, Master in International Business, Main-supervisor, “Social entrepreneurship: An empirical investigation of social entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Singapore”, Monash University. 

Honours and Postgraduate Diploma

  1. 01/2021 – 12/2021, Postgraduate Diploma, Sole-supervisor, Family-supportive supervisor behaviour: An exploratory study in Sri Lanka, Monash University.
  2. 03/2017 – 06/2018, Bachelor of Business and Commerce (Honours), Co-Supervisor, “Disability in Singapore: An exploration of institutional roles & responsibilities”, Monash University.
  3. 08/2016 – 11/2017, Postgraduate Diploma, Main-supervisor, “An exploratory study of women entrepreneurship in Bangladesh, Monash University.
  4. 07/2016 – 06/2017, Postgraduate Diploma, Co-supervisor, “An exploratory study of social entrepreneurship in Kenya, A developing country context. Monash University.
  5. 01/2015 – 12/2015, Postgraduate Diploma, Co-supervisor, “Corporate social responsibility in family business: Insight from India”, Monash University.
  6. 01/2014 – 12/2014, Bachelor of Business and Commerce (Honours), Main-supervisor, “Social entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe: The role of social entrepreneurs as change agents”, Monash University.

 

 

 

 

Teaching

Teaching Qualifications:

2022 – Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (UK)

2016 – Graduate Certificate in Higher Education, Monash University

Undergraduate

BUS1015              Management and Organisation

BUS1016              Academic and Professional Skill Development

BUS3053              Management Consultancy Project

 

Postgraduate

NBS8490              Business in Action (MBA)

NBS8491              Personal and Professional Transformation (MBA)

NBS8600              Practice-based Dissertation in International Business Management

NBS8993              Academic Mentoring for MSc International Business Management

 

Modules taught in previous HE institution:

Undergraduate

MGW3234 Social Entrepreneurship

MGW1010 Introduction to Management 

MGW3681 International Management

 

Postgraduate:

MGX5890 International Study Program in International Business

MGX5000 Introduction to Management Research Method

MGX5901 Research Report (Introduction)

MGX5900 Research Report (Final)

 

 

Publications