Action steps for African Business Schools
2011-05-24 13:56:36 UTC
This paragraph was written by Guy Pfeffermann. As African Business Schools - what are our thoughts on this?
Some top business schools are opening up branches in Africa. What is their likely impact on business education on the Continent ?
CEIBS, the China Europe International Business School, the highest-rated in China, established a branch in Accra, Ghana (see:http://www.economist.com/whichmba/ceibs-in-ghana). Other international business schools have established beachheads on the Continent or are looking into Africa's market potential. This new trend was a major subject of discussion at a joint conference of the European Foundation for Management Development and the Association of African Business Schools (Building a Business School in the XXI st Century - the Africa Case - http://www.efmd.org/index.php/conferences-learning-groups/1424-efmd-joint-africa)
One set of issues has to do with quality assurance, as some of the foreign schools turn out to be "fly-by-night". The more interesting discussion revolved around the following questions: do foreign schools contribute to strengthening local management education capacity ? What is the likely impact of these schools, which tend to target the "top of the market", on the local business schools, many of which are still in their early years of development ? How might branches of foreign schools contribute most effectively to the development of local management education talent ?
GBSN, AABS, CEIBS, Business Schools, Management Education, EFMD,
1 response to Foreign Business Schools opening branches in Africa - What is their impact?
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Phares B.O. Ochola says:
04/22/11 at 14:51:57
In Kenya, one need not look far in order to see the magnitude of the scramble for the African Market by top International Business School. Yes, the number of potential students are mouth wetting! Granted, this scramble has brought with it a substantial reduction in the cost of the programmes they offer. But this reduction is obviously out matched by the negative effect of poor quality of and in delivery. Let me illustrate:
It is a fact that the international Business Schools do not accompany the opening of such off shore Schools with recruitment of requisite quality staff. It is also a fact that faculty in our local Universities, which are the same ones used by the off-shore International Schools on part-time basis, are an overworked lot given the uncontrolled "branches" our Universities (both local and private) have opened across our countries.
Truth be told. Both the local and their international counterparts are giving the students a raw deal.
Wouldn't it be incumbent on such international business schools to deliberately undertake to recruit and train their core staff faculty to PhD level before even considering opening up a "branch" in the continent?
AS AABS, is it not for the benefit of the continent that we undertake a critical audit of our staffing profile at both the local Schools of Business and their international Branches to avoid pitfalls of poor programme delivery?