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CEO'S COLUMN
Business education in a post-Covid-19 world: part two
In the second and final part on the subject of post-Covid-19 business education, Andrew Main Wilson shares his thoughts on the impact of technology and climate change
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s I suggested in my column for AMBITION last month, I believe the higher education market will polarise into two types of learning.
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refresher learning will be delivered online. We are encouraging all our Schools to create post-graduation lifelong learning modules, particularly in areas like IT and marketing. We are in the midst of a digital revolution. We are seeing the rise of automation, AI, and big data. These trends are disrupting workplaces, education, and the way we do business. A good MBA programme already includes modules on AI, big data, and digital marketing. The key focus of an MBA is to develop talented business executives, by preparing them for future leadership roles. Once an MBA graduate reaches a senior leadership position, their role is to lead the organisation and recruit specialist experts in the fields above. The human, emotional intelligence skills and the ability to charm and persuade people are not impacted by technology. Employers expect a good Business School to teach students the essentials of finance, strategy, marketing, operations, IT, and big data – but they are also looking for evidence that the graduate can lead their organisation through inspiration, persuasion, and innovative strategic foresight. IT is enabling the organisation, but it will be humans that are leading it.
One of the other major topics of the day is climate change and sustainability. As such, we recently launched a research project to look at Business School responses to climate change. Virtually every School in the AMBA network is trying to incorporate some or all of the UN SDGs in the modules that comprise their MBA, or other related programmes. It is important that students of both business and science work together to create environmentally friendly, sustainable products, which are no more expensive for consumers than existing products to curb current reluctance to switch to environmentally friendly products when there is a price premium to pay. Most students feel passionate about trying to make a difference to society, but can feel overwhelmed when they look at all 17 SDGs. I recommend to students that they should choose two or three of the SDGs – those where they feel they can make the biggest contribution towards improving life on earth. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic has inevitably distracted people in the short term. However, this makes it all the more vital that, once the pandemic is over, we all refocus and redouble our efforts on sustainability and responsible management.
University undergraduate degrees and postgraduate master's degrees will again be delivered face to face on campuses. There will be more blended learning than ever before, but I don't see those degrees turning into 100% online learning degrees overnight. Right now, many students are missing their first experience of time away from home by not being on campus. They don't want to stay with their families or sit in rented accommodation on their own, doing a three-year degree course. Social networking and face-to-face tuition is a key part of an undergraduate degree experience. That's also true, for slightly different reasons, for master's degrees, where the social networking to build business contacts, is vital. What I think will change significantly, is post- university ‘rest-of-life’ learning – especially for MBA students, with a 30-40 year career ahead of them. Much of that annual, ‘just-in-time’
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