AMBA & BGA ASIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE
T he rapidly changing nature of business was the topic of the first session at this year’s AMBA & BGA Asia Pacific conference, presented by Professor leaders for business sectors that do not even exist yet. The traditional 10-year plan is “no longer viable”, cautioned Gudmundsson, noting that schools need “to think short term and be purpose-led”. She outlined a number of mega-trends that are currently having an impact on society, including holistic well-being, a restorative economy, ecological reconstruction and a fairer digital world. “We must harness the full potential of the talent available so that organisations can thrive in a VUCA scenario”, she urged. The QUT dean declared herself a big fan of positive psychology, noting that future leaders “need to be more resilient and assess situations without giving up hope”. This is something that is a greater mental health challenge since Covid, given that, in Gudmundsson’s opinion, “students can easily become disheartened”. She also called for “a more significant level of authenticity” as well as “a heightened emphasis on communication – not just top-down but collaborative and community-focused”. Surviving & thriving in constantly changing times Bhaskar Chakrabarti, academic dean at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, talked delegates through the critical juncture at which the country’s business education landscape finds itself. On the one hand, the Reserve Bank of India is projecting a robust 7.2 per cent growth rate and business schools are riding high on this wave of optimism. Yet, challenges loom large: the arrival of international business schools setting up campuses in India is intensifying competition, threatening to lure away potential students. In addition, retaining top-tier faculty has become more difficult than ever and the struggle for work placements is intensifying as an increasing number of graduates vie for coveted roles. Amanda Gudmundsson, executive dean at Queensland University of Technology Business School. She commented on how job titles such as ‘prompt engineer’ are coming to the fore, adding that educators are trying to prepare new So, how can schools thrive in an era where change is the only constant, asked Chakrabarti, commenting wryly that this was akin to the “Netflix model of education”. This is when students seek programmes “as flexible as their yoga schedule” and undertake interdisciplinary courses, something he likened to a pizza with a paneer tikka topping. Schools are having to adjust by introducing innovations to their curriculum, offering credit accumulation and modularity. Interdisciplinary courses and collaborative ventures are also increasingly popular; there has been a fusion of different disciplines, as he pointed out, for instance finance merging with psychology, or marketing with AI. Moreover, schools are embarking on collaborations with other institutions to create more innovative programmes. “Bringing the outside in” is another response to the need to keep MBA courses fresh remarked Chakrabarti, by which he meant simulations and live projects for practical learning, as well as building resilience and adaptability through experiential education. In terms of addressing placement challenges, modular courses offer tailored learning, while holistic preparation combines interdisciplinarity with practical skills.
IN KL
Ambition • ISSUE 1 • 2025 17
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