B-Schools

Business Dean Calls for Adaptive MBA Programs

CIEC Author

Source: University Business via Academica

MBA programs must capitalize on innovative educational technologies and rethink their traditional student bodies if they wish to keep pace with the changing demands of the international business world, writes Judy Bullock, University Dean of Business at American InterContinental University. For Bullock, a major part of this new shift will be for MBA programs to use part-time and online learning models to open their offerings to a broader range of students. These efforts will help MBA programs get past the paradigm in which they are reserved for “the elite, accessible only to those of a certain academic or professional pedigree who could dedicate themselves to a traditional, full-time program.” To this end, MBA programs need to “recognize the different learning styles, needs, and experiences” of those who can bring value to the business community.

BCIT School of Business Receives Initial ACBSP Accreditation

CIEC Author

Source: BCIT News Release via Academica

The British Columbia Institute of Technology’s School of Business has been granted initial accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). The accreditation includes a number of notes and conditions that must be met, and ACBSP will review BCIT programs every two years to ensure that the terms of the accreditation are being followed. “The accreditation process … served to validate BCIT’s unique model that focuses on industry alignment as a means of delivering high quality professional business education,” said Robin Hemmingsen, Dean of the BCIT School of Business. The accreditation applies to more than 15 programs offered at BCIT [CIEC Academic Member].

RBC President says Canadian Businesses Must Help Expand Co-op Education

CIEC Author

Source: Globe & Mail via Academica

RBC President David McKay has contributed an op-ed to the Globe and Mail highlighting the benefits of co-op education for students and employers. McKay says that co-op education “has become a proven way to prepare students for a world in which change is accelerating and challenges are growing ever more complex.” He says that co-op exposes students to new ideas, experiences, and ways of working, while helping to create a critical bridge between employers and PSE. McKay argues that Canada is falling behind other nations when it comes to blending work and learning. He calls on employers to take the lead in stressing the importance of co-op education and increasing the depth and quality of placements.

Business Grads Entering Workforce with Global Mindset

CIEC Author

Source: KPMG via Academica

According to a recent KPMG survey of over 300 business students from 27 different countries, students today enter the workforce with an increasingly “global mindset.” 89% of students said that they were prepared to relocate regularly for the right job, and 78% expected to work in 3 to 4 different countries during their careers. Still, concern remains about global instability. 46% of students said that they believe economic instability will make it harder to find a job, and 60% said that they were worried about another financial crisis. “This generation understands that the global economic outlook remains challenging,” said Rachel Campbell, Global Head of People for KPMG, “and is looking globally for the right career opportunities to match their ambition and abilities.”

PSE Should Exercise Caution When Importing Ideas From The Business World

CIEC Author

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education via Academica

In an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education, Mark Burstein, President of Wisconsin’s Lawrence University, examines the often unanticipated drawbacks of importing ideas from the business world to PSE. Burstein says that while business tools and strategies can help colleges and universities address a number of key challenges, it is critical to consider whether or not they truly improve student learning. He argues that campus leaders must be wary that business philosophies and concepts do not undermine institutions’ educational missions. Burstein says that in the US, many institutions have been forced to rely on business advice due to government regulation; this has contributed, he argues, to a growing compensation gap between front-line staff members and senior administration, with a negative impact on the academic community. Burstein also warns against treating students like customers. He says that the service industry’s mission is to delight its customers, but that PSE institutions should be prepared to challenge students in ways that are not always delightful. He further warns that some business models risk disenfranchising members of campus communities, undermining the learning environment. “If business concepts dominate our thinking about the future, we will have lost our way,” he concludes.

Business Schools Offering International, Aboriginal Programs to Meet Diversity Needs

CIEC Author

Source: Financial Post via Academica | Sept. 26, 2014

The Financial Post has published a report on how business schools are adjusting to meet the needs of International and Indigenous students in the face of a diversifying student body. Murali Chandrashekaran, Associate Dean of UBC’s Sauder School of Business, says that there is a broad need for a more diverse approach to business education. Diversity, he said, is critical for long-term sustainability of global business. 76% of Sauder’s business instructors have international backgrounds, up from approximately 40% 10 years ago. The school uses a team-teaching approach to provide a variety of perspectives to its students, who last year represented 32 different countries. [CIEC Academic Member] Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business has introduced an EMBA program in Aboriginal Business and Leadership to promote Aboriginal leaders’ business education as well as to help managers working with First Nations communities build stronger relationships. The program relies on guest speakers from Aboriginal communities and counts chiefs and counsellors among its student body. “There’s a lot of expertise in that room,” said Program Director Mark Selman, “and the best faculty members are the ones who learn to take advantage of that and use it as an asset in the classroom.”

Canadian Business Schools Focus on Female Applicants

CIEC Author

Source: Globe and Mail via Academica | May 23, 2014

Several Canadian business schools have developed recruitment strategies designed to attract a demographic that has been historically underrepresented in MBA programs: women. Queen’s University, Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business [CIEC Academic Member], and the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business are among those who have made female students a priority. Sauder says that it wants to lead “Canada’s globally ranked business schools in female MBA enrolment within 5 years.” Dean Robert Helsley said, “There is no sense in which this is affirmative action. We are just trying to make sure that qualified applicants from all populations want to come here and have the opportunities we can provide them to be successful.” To encourage female applicants, business schools are collaborating with female leadership organizations as well as offering scholarships and one-on-one recruitment sessions. Jennifer Berdahl, an incoming professor at Sauder, says that while there is much more work to be done, such efforts stand to benefit male as well as female students.

TCS Insights: Canada represents a welcome home for female students working towads earning their MBA. Numerous Canadian institutions are working to further this reputation and provide a worthwhile academic experience for students, regardless of gender.

Canadian Business Schools Make Executive Education Rankings

CIEC Author

Source: Globe & Mail via Academica | May, 16, 2014

The Financial Times has released its 2014 ranking of executive education programs at business schools, with 6 Canadian institutions making the list in the open enrolment category (top 70), and 4 in the customized programs (top 80) category. In the open enrolment category, University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management tied for 20th spot, followed by Ivey Business School at Western University (22); Queen’s University’s School of Business (28); York University’s Schulich School of Business (39); Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia (49); and the University of Alberta’s School of Business (66). In the customized programs category, Rotman placed 42nd followed by Ivey (45), Schulich (57), and Alberta (77). uAlberta was a newcomer to both lists this year.

TCS Insights: Canadian institutions are continuing to see their reputations rise in 2014 as another ranking system has validated what Leiden, Times Higher Education and others have said. International students would do well to consider pursuing higher education in Canada.

225 B-schools, 52 engineering colleges close in two years

Canada India Education Council (CIEC)

Source: The Times of India via PwC – EdLive

In the early part of the last decade, hundreds of new institutes came up and thousands of aspirants queued up to join them. A decade later, the picture is one of stark contrast in technical professional colleges. Since 2011, 225 B-schools and over 50 engineering colleges across India have closed down. Many more colleges have trimmed programmes, branches of engineering or streams in the management course.

Similarly, the Master of Business Administration programme was once the most sought after. Now, for the first time, the overall growth of MBA education is negative in the books of the AICTE. In 2011-12, 146 new B-schools came up and 124 that were already running closed down. This year so far, 101 management colleges have closed down, while only 82 have started. Similar is the story with the Master of Computer Application (MCA) course—84 colleges stopped offering the programme this year; only 27 started MCA courses. As a result, the AICTE has decided to allow colleges to offer a five-year dual degree programme and also permit graduates of science, BSc (computer science) and BSc (information technology) to jump to the second year of the MCA course. Yet, the small positive growth in the sector is from the engineering colleges where new institutes are coming up faster than closures taking place, largely in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan.

S S Mantha, AICTE Chairman, said, “This is a turning phase for the professional education sector. Colleges in remote India and institutes of poor quality are not getting students. And for colleges, there is just one key to attracting students: institutes need to be top-of-the-line colleges. There is no pay-off in running a bad college.” “The problem is also linked to the slowdown,” said IIM-Ahmedabad Director Samir Barua and added, “The job market has been tight for a couple of years. Earlier, many would give up a job to get an MBA and then re-enter the job market after pumping up their CV. They are hesitant to take such a risk now. The pressure is being felt and applications for MBA are falling. But undergraduate programmes such as engineering will not feel the same tension as everyone wants their first college degree.”