Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/269179
21 BizEd March/April 2014 has moved into Singapore and Hong Kong. Nottingham University Busi- ness School and Edinburgh Busi- ness School in the United Kingdom have opened campuses in Malaysia. Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and the Uni- versity of North Carolina's Kenan- Flagler Business School have part- nered with local schools in Thailand; the University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business is in Hong Kong. Then there's the China European International Business School, a nearly 20-year-old institu- tion formed through an agreement between the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China and the European Commission. On top of this, a great number of schools offer "hop-to-X-city" global EMBAs throughout the region, at full Western pricing. In this climate, Asian schools stay competitive by charging lower tuitions—from US$10,000 to $40,000 for a degree compared to $60,000 to $120,000 for a branded Western degree. Without such pric- ing, the global brand names would clearly dominate. Variations in the quality of MBA education. With so many schools, it's not surprising that programs range widely in quality. For example, India officially has 411 schools that offer post gradu- ate programmes in business, their equivalent to an MBA. The unof- ficial number of such programs— from both legitimate and ersatz business schools—could be much greater. Yet of that large number, only two Indian schools have been accredited by AACSB to date. Mar- ket forces eventually will weed out poor performers, but while there is high demand and money to be made, the market will attract poor- quality providers. The China factor. China is the gorilla in the room, the belle of the ball. Because its economy is grow- ing at 11 percent—double or triple that of any other nation—corpo- rations and academic institutions must focus on China. This means that schools will drive funds, research, marketing, and collabo- rations China's way. As a dean in the Philippines, I am envious, but China deserves it: It simply does things faster and better. But if we focus too singularly on China, we risk missing nuances in other Asian markets, which could produce many untold stories. We could miss what's happening in many countries now providing out- sourced manufacturing and knowl- edge services to other parts of the world. Or the fact that Australia and New Zealand are becoming melting pots of Asian culture. Or that Japan has seen a resurgence of "Abenomics," the economic policies of its Prime Minister Shinz Abe who is calling for significant increases in government spending to stimulate the country's economy. New accreditation standards. AACSB's new standards have introduced another change to our market. Their emphasis on impact, innovation, and engagement paints clear directions for Asian schools. Even so, there is work to do. Some schools fear that their local reali- ties may stunt their prospects for accreditation—especially in the requirements related to academic qualifications, now divided into Scholarly Practitioner, Scholarly Academic, and Practice Academic AAPBS's Role, Then and Now The Association of Asia-Pacific Business Schools was formed in 2004 as a way for accredited Asian business schools to help non-accredited schools prepare for the task. At the time, only ten member schools were AACSB- accredited. We met twice a year in revolving locations around Asia to share best accreditation practices. At one point, we even considered conferring a pre-AACSB-accreditation designation to recognize intermediate achievement from members. That changed when AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA began to approach schools directly, rather than talk to members through us. Organizations such as GMAC also came to Asia full-time with a smorgasbord of support products. Although these events nullified the original intent of AAPBS, these organizations were better positioned to deliver what our members needed, in a more efficient way. So, AAPBS has had to transform. Today, as an association of about 110 Asian business schools (a third of which are accredited by AACSB or other bodies), we now encourage greater collaboration among our members and their faculty. We have created a directory that lists the faculty at each member school, along with their areas of expertise and research interests—one day, we may use our directory as a basis for future joint DBA or doctoral programs. We have opened a case center that is based in Hong Kong and roves to various locations to provide case writing and teaching expertise and engage with cor- porate sponsors. We also hold semiannual conferences around the region. It is not easy to mobilize AAPBS members. We have to compete for their attention with the AACSBs and GMACs of the world. The association's regional concerns will always ride pillion to local issues such as fundraising, talent man- agement, and recruitment. But we will continue to catalyze conversations on Asian management thought and open doors for productive collaboration. For more information about the AAPBS and its member schools, visit www.aapbs.org/main.html.