INDIA SPECIAL CONFERENCE > Deans' Conclave > Discussion Themes
Discussion Themes
Sunday Dec 14, 2008
SCHOLARSHIP: Redefining scholarship in response to the rise of emerging markets
- Given the quantum shift in the locus of economic growth, what redirections in scholarship, if any, are required? How do we ensure that research issues relevant to the emerging markets are identified and pursued?
- Given the early stage of most emerging phenomena, how do we encourage scholars to pursue bold research agendas that can generate new theories out of weak signals? How do we balance the rigor vs. relevance? What would it take for faculty to remain at the cutting edge of theory and practice?
- How relevant are the theories taught in western business schools? How relevant is extant empiricism? To what extent are the issues we teach context-independent, so that their study and dissemination can occur seamlessly without regard to borders?
- How can we more aggressively look for synergies between research, teaching and practice in the quest to identify the key issues in emerging markets?
INTERNATIONALIZATION: Internationalizing the business faculty
- How do we expose more faculty members at western business schools to relevant issues in emerging markets? How do we create opportunities for faculty in emerging markets to experience the teaching and research environment at western business schools?
- How can we enhance faculty exchanges for the mutual benefit of both western and emerging markets’ schools? What are some resource constraints in enabling such exchanges? What are some creative ways to overcome these constraints?
- Can we create a global labor market for business faculty? What are some of the issues? What are the core challenges? What actions need to be taken by institutional leaders (aka deans)?
INSTITUTION BUILDING: Building emerging market business schools as successful institutions
- What can we learn about institution building from the histories of business schools in North America and Western Europe, and those that have already embarked on their institution-building journeys across Asia?
- In turn, what institution-building challenges are unique to business schools in emerging markets?
- How do we create minimum standards of teaching and research proficiency among faculty in environments where some of the supporting structures for exemplary research are lacking?
- How do we institutionalize a link between research and practice, relevance and rigor?
- What is the mechanism through which each school can, over time, scale its offerings?
- What is the business model for the business school?
MANAGEMENT EDUCATION: Novel delivery of management education content
- How do we respond to the demand of educating large numbers in the business skills needed in developing countries? More generally, other than sheer numbers in some countries, are there salient differences in the nature of relevant content?
- How do we create tools to develop management talent required at different levels and tiers of the economy?
- To what extent can we leverage technology in disseminating management content, especially in areas where it is otherwise costly or infeasible to do so?
- How do we create effective partnerships between western business schools and those in emerging markets? How can there be convergence of interest?
KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS: Institutional mechanisms for knowledge sharing among business schools
- Are associations such as AOM, SMS, and AIB adequate to the task at hand, or do other entities need to be created, or these modified?
- What is best way to do this to include emerging market perspectives/ international perspectives to create a two-way knowledge flow?
- Are there adequate publishing outlets that can accommodate the increasing numbers of faculty in emerging markets? How do we motivate and support these new scholars? How do we socialize them in the art of publishing in international journals?
- How useful would a national research network across schools be for leveraging resources and capabilities?