Appendix B

N. Venkatraman (Boston University Questrom School of Business Boston, Massachusetts, USA)

Reimagining Business Education

ISBN: 978-1-78635-368-9, eISBN: 978-1-78635-367-2

Publication date: 3 December 2016

Citation

Carlile, P.R., Davidson, S.H., Freeman, K.W., Thomas, H. and Venkatraman, N. (2016), "Appendix B", Reimagining Business Education, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 103-112. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78635-368-920161022

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016 Emerald Group Publishing Limited


The 10 Forums of the Business Education Jam

Discussion Forum Label 1 Supporting 21st Century Competencies
Tagline Educating a global workforce
Key question How can academia and industry collaborate to identify and support the development of critical competencies?
Short description Today’s global economy requires a changing array of knowledge, skills, and competencies. Which competencies are needed by industry and how will academia respond to these new requirements? How will academia maintain relevance by co-innovating with industry (instead of being independent)?
Long description When asked in the 2014 Gallup/Lumina Foundation poll, only 11% of business leaders strongly agreed that higher education institutions in the United States are graduating students with the skills and competencies that businesses need. Business schools need to collaborate more closely with industry to understand what companies are looking for in their next hires. In the classroom and in the world, business education must arm students with the knowledge and experience that will translate seamlessly to their careers. Not all training happens on the job. It happens during college, too.
Discussion Forum Label 2 Increasing the Value of Management Education
Tagline Opportunities across all levels of learning
Key question How can management education programs enhance value for students, employers, and industry?
Short description Challenges to value are rising across all levels of education. What is the role of management education as a first or second degree? How will the emergence of specialized programs impact the MBA? How will management education change to provide increased value to stakeholders?
Long description The amount of applicants to MBA programs is dropping. As is the percentage of MBAs who considered their graduate education a “good to outstanding value,” according to GMAC’s 2014 Alumni Perspectives Survey. With the job market still struggling to make a comeback, recent graduates are questioning whether their first degree was even worth it. Business education needs a boost. It needs the input of all stakeholders to increase its relevance and discover how to better prepare students to be efficient, effective, and successful in the workforce. Business schools must be a place where students gain a competitive edge that lands them a job – and keeps them ahead of the pack.
Discussion Forum Label 3 Engaging New-Generation Students and Employees
Tagline Challenges and opportunities of a millennial generation
Key question How will industry and business education tap the unlimited potential of millennials?
Short description Today’s innovative generation will change industry and education. How will industry attract the brightest employees and graduates to management professions? How will schools educate the millennials (born digital and living/learning social), and how will industry cultivate and retain them?
Long description According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2013, there were more 22-year-olds in the United States than any other age. The millennials have overtaken the baby boomers and are positioned to overtake the economy as well. Business schools must evolve to fit the needs of this dynamic generation to prepare them for their rising prominence. More experiential learning and a stronger global focus are a just two of the areas that require greater innovation in business education so that students are graduating with the skills they need to impact our shifting world.
Discussion Forum Label 4 Cultivating Research Relevance and Rigor
Tagline Collaborative research across industry and academia
Key question How will management research drive insights for industry best practices?
Short description The research landscape is changing. How can management research be better aligned to shape and influence management practice? How can research relevance be enhanced while maintaining rigor? How can academia engage thought leaders in industry as research collaborators using digital technologies?
Long description Future best practices will not be “best” if academics simply talk to academics. Their conversations must break out of silos and engage all stakeholders affected by their work. Through greater collaboration with industry, business schools will tap into the kind of studies, numbers, and data that have the ability to shape how management functions. Thought leaders can better grasp what direction in which to focus their research – and how best to distribute it – for increased relevance and reach. Improved business research leads to improved business performance. To achieve this, uniting both sides is critical.
Discussion Forum Label 5 Fostering Ethical Leadership
Tagline Advancing ethics, character, and integrity
Key question How can ethical leadership be fostered across business education and industry?
Short description There is an increased focus on ethics from industry and the academy. What role should management schools and universities play in teaching ethics? What is the role of life-long learning in fostering ethical leadership? How can academia work with industry to broaden the understanding of ethical dilemmas in a global context? What is the next-generation frontier of research on ethics within management schools?
Long description Corporate social responsibility stems from personal social responsibility. Business schools must find a way to instill a sense of duty and conviction in their students so that when a decision arises that could affect the culture or fate of a company, they are prepared to make the right one. With collaborations from those on the frontlines of industry – those who have been faced with real moral dilemmas – we can gain a better understanding of what should be taught in the classroom to support ethical leaders. Students should be armed with an outward perspective, considering their impact on the people around them, before they enter their careers. If they are focused only inward, they cannot truly make a difference.
Discussion Forum Label 6 Cultivating Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Tagline Industry and academia collaboratively building an innovation engine
Key question How will future entrepreneurial leaders be developed?
Short description Innovation drives growth. What is the collective role of industry and academic in innovation and entrepreneurship? How can the next-generation of global business innovations come from industry and the academia working jointly? Could next-generation entrepreneurs emerge from management schools rather than in “garages?” What facets of entrepreneurship can be taught? Which are learned?
Long description According to a GMAC’s 2014 Alumni Perspectives Survey, almost half (45%) of self-employed respondents who graduated from 2010 to 2013 started their business immediately after graduation, compared to 24% of self-employed MBAs who graduated between 2000 and 2009. More than ever, small business concepts and startup ideas are on the minds of up-and-coming management leaders. Nurturing students’ unique ideas in the classroom – and offering them experiential learning opportunities to further their knowledge and skills to carry these ideas out – is essential. Hearing from businesspeople who have taken the entrepreneurial path about what they wish they had known at the start, as well as what they learned along the way, can have a direct influence on how business schools shape their curriculum and ultimately shape the next great innovators.
Discussion Forum Label 7 Driving Learning Experiences
Tagline Impactful learning across industry and education
Key question How can business education and industry collaboratively impact student learning?
Short description Learning today comes in many forms. How can schools enhance student engagement and their educational experiences? How can schools better collaborate to enhance student engagement with industry? How can new models of experiential learning complement traditional modes of learning in classrooms? What innovative learning experiences are occurring within industry?
Long description According to the 2014 Gallup/Lumina Foundation poll, only 9% of business leaders say that a candidate’s alma mater is a major factor, and just 28% say the candidate’s college major is a very important factor, while 84% say that knowledge in the field is critical in the hiring process. Employers need better graduates, ones who are ready to tackle a complex and demanding economy. This means more field seminars, internships, and hands-on opportunities for students. Together, academia and industry can construct a better approach to student learning so that graduates are getting experience in the real world – before they enter it.
Discussion Forum Label 8 Harnessing Digital Technology
Tagline Enhancing industry, education, and research
Key question How will management education and research reflect the digital age?
Short description Digital technology impacts everything. How can we research and teach with digital technologies? How will academia design management education and research activities for the digital age? How will academia work with industry to bring updated context and data to classrooms and learning/teaching methods?
Long description When San Jose State University ran a test course online in electrical engineering, students who worked with online content passed at a higher rate than classroom-only students, 91 to 60%. MOOCs and other online learning opportunities are making waves and forcing higher education to rethink its place in a digital world. Perhaps it’s about teaching students better coding and social media skills. Or maybe it’s about offering more access to online education. Either way, adapting to continually evolving technology is crucial for business schools and their #1 customers – students. In order for graduates to become successful leaders in today’s economy, they can no longer simply be marketers or consultants; they have to be technologists as well. Business schools must effectively prepare them to speak a digital language. To do so, business education must be fluent, too, updating their approaches to teaching and research, and embracing the MOOC model.
Discussion Forum Label 9 Challenging the Business Model of Education
Tagline Responding to new demands
Key question How will management education be positioned and funded in the future?
Short description There exists tremendous pressure on existing business models. What is the business model for management institutions in the future? How should management institutions be funded and operated? How will institutions maintain academic independence while enhancing value for industry through relevant research? How should academia work with other stakeholders going forward (funding agencies, governments, consulting organizations, for-profit universities, online educational models, etc.)?
Long description A Wall Street Journal article reports that since 1990, the cost of attending college has increased at four times the rate of inflation. Meanwhile, student loan debt is approaching $1 trillion. And half of recent college graduates don’t have jobs or don’t use their degree in the jobs they find. Academia needs to remedy this situation – and fast. To stay relevant and valuable, higher education must look at itself like a business and enhance its relationship with its customers: offer MOOCs and other online learning opportunities, develop programs for different markets, reduce overhead, and more. How can higher education begin to look at itself as a business? By collaborating with businesspeople themselves.
Discussion Forum Label 10 Advancing Policy and Governance
Tagline Focusing on regulation and rankings
Key question How will policy and accreditation influence the development of business education and business?
Short description Business, and concurrently the education of business leaders, impacts most aspects of life for people across the globe. Policy, accreditation and governance shape the direction and perception of schools and businesses and touch a myriad of areas from ethical leadership to cost/benefit relationships. A thorough understanding of the challenges and triumphs of business education and the partnerships between academia and industry will inform policy decisions that have the power to shape the future leaders of our global economy.
Long description From price tag to access to global impact, policymaking has a far-reaching effect on business schools. Consider the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to promoting access to and success in higher education for all students. IHEP develops innovative policy- and practice-oriented research that guides education leaders and informs public policy decisions. The Jam shares the same vision, aiming to unite academia and industry to evaluate the business education model and generate relevant research that prompts solutions to issues that need improvement, such as cost, access, and sustainability.