AABS Newsletter #2
October 2006

1. Proposals
2. Events
3. International meetings for 2007
4. Conferences and Seminars
5. Newsclips

1.    Proposals

CALL FOR PROPOSAL: TrustAfrica & the International Development Research Center (IDRC)  together with the Investment Climate and Business Environment Research fund (ICBE)

An official call for proposals for the Investment Climate and Business Environment Research Fund has been made. This fund will make available up to US$2.8 million for researchers in private sector development based in African universities, business schools and independent research institutions. This would particularly concern researchers in management, business, economics or entrepreneurship. The Deadline for submission is October 16th 2006.
For more information visit:
http://www.trustafrica.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=72&Itemid=82&lang=en

2.    Events

AABS Governing Board meeting
The next AABS Governing Board meeting will be taking place at Strathmore Business School in Nairobi, Kenya on 14 October. Prof Nick Binedell, Prof Erasmus Kaijage, Idrissa Mbengue, George Njenga and Prof Franklyn Manu will be meeting to discuss various issues around AABS.

SABSA Business School Exhibition
The second South African Business Schools exhibition was held in Johannesburg, South Africa on 19 September. Seventeen of the top MBA-accredited institutions in South Africa participated and over 570 visitors attended. The expo provided business school faculty and admissions officers with an excellent opportunity for face-to-face interaction with prospective students.

SABSA Colloquia
All AABS members have been invited by SABSA to attend the next two faculty colloquia.
Marketing colloquium: UKZN GSB, Durban, South Africa, 26 & 27 October 2006
Art of Supervision Research Colloquium: University of Stellenbosch Business School, Bellville Park Campus, South Africa, 20 & 21 November.
For more information, contact Marion Leurs onmjl@belpark.sun.ac.za

3.    International Meetings in 2007

Future Annual Meetings of the Academy of Management

2008 Anaheim, California
August 8-13

2009 Chicago, Illinois
August 7-12

2010 Montreal, Canada
August 6-11

4.    Conferences and Seminars

4.1. AACSB World Class Practices in Management Education
 Critical Issues. Collective Solutions

October 15 - 17, 2006, The Westin Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. Hosted byHHL - Leipzig Graduate School of Management

Who Should Attend: Deans, associate deans, department chairs, academic directors, program directors, international relations directors, and faculty.

Eastern Europe meets Western Europe amid the challenges of global competition, transitioning economies, and escalating stakes as business schools seek to achieve and maintain world-class status. This conference brings together the collective knowledge of more than 500 of the world's best business schools to address critical regional issues, such as accreditation, the Bologna Accord, strategic alliances, and more.

A key element of excellence is active engagement between a business school and one of its key stakeholders—the business community. Join us at HHL - Leipzig Graduate School of Management, where speakers from the academic and business communities will cover a wide range of topics, including the role of business education and accreditation in today's global society; the competitive landscape of business education; the assurance that management educators identify and meet the needs of global business; and the development of effective strategic alliances.

Management educators around the world know that the best place to stay current with management education trends and developments is a World Class Practices conference. Hear an engaging lineup of speakers that will provoke thought, prompt discussion, and spur you to action.

For more information visit:http://www.aacsb.edu/conferences/events/conferences/wcp06-oct-fees.asp

4.2.    EFMD CEIBS International Conference in Shanghai 26 – 28 November 2006

The EFMD and the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) invite you to attend "Leading China's Future - Future Chinese Leaders" an international conference in Shanghai (26th-28th November 2006), where leading scholars, academia, business leaders and administrators from around the globe will discuss and debate what kind of leaders and leadership China needs for its further development.

Some of the questions that will be debated are How will China balance ambitious growth objectives with socio-economic transformation and how will Chinese companies gear themselves for the challenges of the global market? What kind of leaders does this development require? Who will be involved in shaping this new generation of leaders? What is the role of business education?

For more information visit:http://www.efmd.org/html/Conferences/conf_detail.asp?id=060213wuoy&aid=060213ywqb&tid=2&ref=ind

5.    Cases

The North American Case Research Association (NACRA) is a nonprofit, voluntary professional association whose mission is to promote excellence in case research, writing, and teaching in business and other academic disciplines. Please refer to the following website for more information.http://nacra.net/nacra/president.htm

6.    Newsclips

Excerpt from BUSINESS REPORT (National) 25 Aug 2006 Page 8, South Africa....As the business environment has evolved enormously over the past two decades, so has the focus of the MBA. In a fast-globalising economy, that typically means being both globally-accredited, and globally relevant.
According to Dr Barry van der Westhuizen, general manager of Milpark Business School: Holding an accredited MBA serves to leverage ones career in the highly competitive business environment and improves an individuals marketability in todays global economy. This is because studying for an MBA degree exposes one to current business practices and teaches successful business management skills and techniques. In addition, the skills-set obtained through a relevant MBA curriculum is crucial to South Africas economic growth and development. He claims a proven correlation between higher salaries and higher education. In fact, an MBA degree from an accredited institution is fast becoming an important factor in many organisations hiring and career advancement decisions. Professor Mike Ward, director of the Graduate School of Management, University of Pretoria, says: The key strengths of the MBA are that it is generalist, and offers practical application. The MBA essentially broadens as opposed to deepens - understanding about all of business management. especially the interactions between people, resources, government and the environment. For those already in a job and 95 percent of post-graduate business students are already in employment -~ the practical implementation of theory to work situations is vital. We get people who come with questions they want answered. Their experience has brought them into contact with real issues and they are aware that textbook answers are insufficient, says Ward.
The MBA is not just about improving ones work performance any number of skills development programmes can achieve that. Shireen Chengadu, director, MBA programme, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), describes the MBA as the premier career-enhancing qualification in business education. It wifi give mastery to all the areas of business that a manager will engage in during his/her career. Its an accelerated path of development which helps learners realise their potential to make a significant contribution to business in South Africa. An assignment is a key component of the MBA programme, and goes a long way to getting students to see beyond the confines of their own job.
Dr Vash Mungal, director of the MI3A programme at the UCT Graduate School of Business, says their programme is capped by a practical research project where students work in teams that consult to real businesses on a fee-paying basis.
Students deliver very solid reports back to these companies with many saying that the insights provided by students has had a significantly positive impact on their business. A good MBA teaches learners how to be innovative and flexible in their approach to solving problems, and making decisions. In summary an effective curriculum will transform the way students think and work, she says.