Santiago Iñiguez, Dean of Instituto de Empresa.
Business schools are a very dynamic segment of education and in 2006 they will continue to transform management practices through the creation and diffusion of knowledge and the preparation of executives and entrepreneurs. Indeed, management education is changing more quickly than ever before and, although there is a high degree of uncertainty about the forms of its future evolution, it is still possible to anticipate some of the facts and trends that may shape its development in 2006.
I will mention some of them:
Tags(clickable): Bologna Accord, 2006, Education, Business School, Technology, Management Education
· Competition will increase, as a consequence of globalisation and the entrance of new players. The major driver of globalisation will continue to be the worldwide demand for cross-border international education, which is forecast to increase exponentially. There are likely to be in excess of 5.8 million international students in 2010, according to information of Institute of International Education.
· The development of information technologies will have a deeper impact in forms of delivery and learning methodologies than in the past. Some b-schools are already adapting the potential of Web 2.0 into their learning activities, but there is still ample room for development. The progress here is unstoppable, and the potential to enhance the learning process is evidenced by an increasing number of docents who are improving their teaching methodologies with blogs, podcasts, clickers or digital cameras. Why restrict the potential of learning to the traditional face-to-face class when it can be transformed into a truly global experience through the net? I recommend a look at the provoking presentation “Education for the 3rd Millennium” by Tom Peters, delivered in September 2004 but still valid, available in his blog .
· Many b-schools will probably expand their portfolio of educational offerings, in order to diversify their activities and risk, as well as to reach new customers and markets. MBA programmes seem to have a revival after some years of slowdown but the opportunities for higher growth probably lie in the field of masters of science in management, with diverse specialisations (e.g. finance, marketing). According to some estimates, for example, the Bologna Accord will make spring over 12,000 new masters degree titles in Europe, and the volume of candidates for those Bologna-type masters degree programmes will probably exceed half a million.
· Management education’s geographical centre of gravity will probably shift from the Western World to Asia. Will this shift prompt a further number of business schools to open new campuses or offices in China or India?
· 2006 will also see a significant rotation of deans at some of the top b-schools in Europe and the US. Some analysts expect that the newly appointed deans will adjust more to the profile of managers than that of academics. That is the case, for example, of the next Dean at Insead, Mr. Frank Brown. I take this opportunity to extend to him my best wishes for his mandate.
· I also expect that 2006 will bring the opportunity to foster corporate social responsibility in management education. Two initiatives launched by EFMD and AACSB seem promising and deserve support from its members. For now, I will leave you with an interesting article on the effects of Global Warming , a severe wake-up call at the turn of the year.
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