ROUNDTABLE REVIEW AMBA & BGA GLOBAL CONFERENCE 2023
For example, while Central South University Business School chose the word ‘innovation’, Lanzhou University School of Management opted for ‘local’ and highlighted the importance it places in showing a commitment and responsibility towards to its home community and region. Some common themes did emerge, however. One example of this was the unifying mindset of the School of Business Administration at South China University of Technology and the BGA-accredited School of Management at Guangdong University of Technology. They chose the words ‘connection’ and ‘integration’ respectively. Business schools in attendance from outside China were then invited to participate in the same task. While this did then produce some repeated words, notably ‘innovation’ and ‘innovative’, there were plenty of new perspectives still on offer. St Gallen opted for ‘impact’, Essec Business School for ‘resilience’, Ieem Business School at the University of Montevideo for ‘internationalisation’ and UCL School of Management for ‘insight’, to name just a few. The conversation then moved on to the topic of international partnerships. International advisor for Latin America at AMBA & BGA Carlos Ramos spoke of the opportunities in the region and how global conferences such as this facilitate new connections. When pushed to give his opinion of individual countries within Latin America, Ramos remarked on Uruguay’s relative stability in the region and Chile’s “sustained growth over many years”. However, he also underlined the need to understand the great level of diversity within the region. “As with China, you cannot consider Latin America as just one entity,” he cautioned. Representing the South African Business Schools Association (SABSA), meanwhile, was general manager Anne Wilson. Wilson outlined SABSA’s membership base and offered to “act as conduit for faculty exchange and relationship building” for institutions interested in forming new partnerships in one of Africa’s largest and most technologically advanced economies. Global EDI perspectives Chaired by University of Edinburgh Business School dean Wendy Loretto, a panel session entitled Advancing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) across all learning formats highlighted the experiences of institutions in Japan, Slovenia, India and the US. Interim dean at the University of Miami Herbert Business School Ann Olazábal talked about the importance of giving everyone “a voice in the classroom”. This, she explained, entails boosting inclusivity for culturally quiet groups. While it helps to have smaller classes, Olazábal also said that making sure students understand that “their grade is based on class participation” has been “somewhat successful”.
Leila Guerra (seated) and Alain Goudey spoke about the transformative power of AI
up on the theme of AI’s forthcoming ubiquity: “This is a transformative force; it is not a trend. We’re talking about how it will influence a business school model in its entirety.” Guerra then outlined how we can expect to see its prominence creep into the areas of research, teaching and experiential learning, in addition to assessments. In the realm of teaching, for example, she explained how AI tutors and real-time translation for non-first-language speakers could help schools adapt to each student’s needs and provide “precision education”. When asked if schools should be worried about AI’s impending impact, the Imperial vice-dean said “yes”, but added that the industry should remain focused on the opportunities technology presents. “It has the potential to [bring about] change for good and attract new students and learners,” she concluded. Defining a mission statement A mission statement is one thing, but can you sum up your institution’s outlook and unique selling point in a single word? This was the challenge put forward during a showcasing session led by Zhongming Wang, director of the Global Entrepreneurship Research Centre at Zhejiang University School of Management and AMBA & BGA accreditation and China director George Iliev. The aim of the task and session was to help business schools in China think about how they can leverage their individual strengths and develop their positioning for collaboration with overseas institutions. Of course, standing out in a crowded marketplace is not a challenge that is limited to China, but rather one that remains a concern for the global management education industry. So, it was noteworthy that the words put forward by the 25-plus business schools that attended this session, entitled Chinese business schools’ distinctiveness as a foundation for international strategic partnerships , did not contain a single repeat.
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