Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/269179
46 March/April 2014 BizEd Four New Approaches I believe that recent attempts to redress these skill gaps have fallen short for four reasons: The solu- tions look West instead of East; they ignore government and soci- ety; they emphasize bicultural rather than multicultural business education; and they ignore the importance of science, technol- ogy, engineering, and math (com- monly known as STEM). There- fore, I would propose four new approaches to erasing skills gaps in today's business graduates: Look East: The last decade has witnessed an unprecedented growth in collaborations between Western business schools and their counter- parts in Asia, particularly China. However, U.S. schools have been exporting their knowledge to China since the 1980s. For example, the University of Buffalo established an MBA program in Dalian in the late '80s, and EMBA programs have sprouted throughout China since the 1990s. The U.S. and other Western universities have been slower to cre- ate partnerships with Indian schools over the past decade and a half, but more of these have been launched in recent years. For instance, Har- vard recently established a center for executive education in Mumbai. What's common to most of these programs is an emphasis on training Asian business students to work in Asia, sometimes within multinational Western corporations that have loca- tions in China or India. But that's not what is really needed for economic success in the 21st century. Business schools also need to prepare Western students to work in multinational Asian corpora- tions, whether these corporations are located in Asia or the West. That's where many new jobs are being cre- ated—and will be for the rest of the century. I think a school such as the Singapore Management University is poised to capitalize on this reality bet- ter than many others as it positions itself to become a business education hub for the world. (See "Why Singa- pore?" on next page.) Pay attention to government and society: In China, business education is only relevant if it is accompanied by a thorough understanding of the government. There are two reasons: The large and growing public enterprises that dominate certain sectors are often key sources of employment for business graduates, and the government maintains relatively high levels of regulatory oversight. Similarly, businesspeople operating in India must understand the local population's religious beliefs and caste system, because both perme- ate the business system. Western business students must become familiar with what might seem like alien subjects if they are to gain a comprehensive understanding of Eastern business practices. One example of such an approach is at the Fletcher School at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. The program nur- tures young global leaders by first giving them a foundation in inter- national affairs and diplomacy. Think multicultural rather than bicultural: The recent talks between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have emphasized educational cooperation, as have the Obama-Singh treaties between the U.S. and India. (See "A Treaty for Education" on page 48.) In fact, since the inception of bilateral treaties, they have included com- mitments to education—but the key point is that these partnerships have been bilateral. Treaties between universi- ties on different continents also have tended to be bilateral. For instance, every major university in India has established a partner- ship with a school in the West, and most Indian business schools have recently signed MOUs with Chi- nese universities. Because they're bilateral, they're designed to enhance bicultural communication in the workplace—but the fact is, most workplaces are or soon will be multicultural. Therefore, busi- Business schools need to prepare Western students to work in multinational Asian corporations. Govind Hariharan