Much attention has been given to how business schools in emerging economies can develop the quality and relevance of their teaching and research programmes, acknowledging the huge potential such development would unlock for those economies and the world. Some of this attention has, understandably, focused on researchers and the need for them to improve the scope and quality of their publications so that they ‘rank’ alongside those from developed economies.
Six months ago I joined the Global Business School Network (GBSN) for what I call the three P’s—the purpose, the potential, and the people. So you might ask, have I found what was looking for? Is the purpose everything I thought it was? What is GBSN’s potential? Have I connected with new and interesting people? It seems like a good time to reflect on my experience and share thoughts about the journey.
Simon Linacre, Director of International Marketing & Development, Cabells Simon is Director of International Marketing & Development at Cabells having spent 15 years in publishing at Emerald, where he had direct experience in journal acquisitions, open access and business development. His background is in journalism and he has been published in academic journals on… Read more >
GBSN promotes the expertise and interests of our members by providing a platform to communicate news and open opportunities to global audiences and share how they are innovating in management education to the benefit of their colleagues around the world. The New Member Spotlight series serves as a way for new member schools to introduce themselves to the network.
My recent trip to South Africa saw my personal and professional worlds collide in a way I had not intended. After much indecisiveness, I determined at the eleventh hour to make the forty-eight-hour roundtrip from Washington D.C. to Cape Town. I was headed home for the first time in over six months to first, hug… Read more >
Network Engagement SKOLKOVO has the Institute for Emerging Market Studies established to connect with Emerging Market initiatives in China, India, Central Asia and other markets. The institute’s objective is to develop insights and research into these markets and share with policy-makers, business leaders and capital markets. The school’s team is ready to be fully engaged… Read more >
What if we took a group of high performing managers from Canadian paper mills and placed them in the Hawassa Industrial Park in Ethiopia. Would they succeed? Regardless of whether you answered yes, no, or maybe, your responses to questions like this one can reveal a lot about the work we’re doing at the Global Business School Network (GBSN). Since we were created by the World Bank 17 years ago, our vision has been for the developing world to have the management talent it needs to generate prosperity. We want to achieve that vision by “improving access to quality, locally relevant management and entrepreneurship education for the developing world.” As my experience grows with GBSN, so does my respect for the local relevance part of our mission. Here are three ways that we are prioritizing local relevance in our work.
The present-day business community calls for digital-savvy, problem-solving graduates. Today’s digital generation of learners and busy working professionals desire flexibility, convenience and real-world relevance. Business schools have had to adapt to meet these needs. GBSN member, The Open University is dedicated to offering a flexible higher education, accessible to students anywhere in the world. Since its beginnings over forty years ago, The OU has pioneered distance learning – and now its pioneering all over again with use of digital technology.
For a third year GBSN Member, The Open University Business School hosted two faculty fellows from Strathmore University and the Narxoz Business School. Dr. Ainura Kaldarova from Narxoz Business School in Kazakhstan recently visited the OU after successfully applying through the Global Business School Network (GBSN) faculty fellowship. This offers academics from institutions in developing countries the opportunity to learn about the OU’s approach to distance and online learning. Here Ainura recalls her month-long stay in Milton Keynes as an International Fellow.
