Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/57462
schools, could be a crucial complement to the Latin Ameri- can school system. As Latin American universities push to expand their Ph.D. programs, a few institutions could play key roles: n The media. Despite the flaws inherent in media rankings, deans always list them among their top three concerns—and Ph.D. rankings could have a powerful and immediate impact on Latin American institutions. MBA rankings already have helped certain Latin American schools gain regional reputa- tions for excellence. We believe rankings also can create pres- sure for continuous improvement, which could be achieved in part by hiring doctorally trained faculty. Because many of those faculty would be hired from outside the region, they would raise awareness of Latin American schools and increase the opportunities for collaboration. n Accreditation agencies. Organizations like AACSB and the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) could promote doctoral education, providing guidance on quality design and management processes. One approach would be to link a requirement for a Ph.D. pro- gram to the MBA program. Another approach would be for accrediting agencies to develop explicit, separate standards and requirements for Ph.D. programs. Equally important, accrediting agencies could take a more active role in gathering and analyzing information about doctoral programs, since these tasks are beyond the scope of regional universities. Current information on Ph.D. programs in Latin America is hard to find and often inaccu- rate. A much bigger sample of schools is required to extract more meaning than our initial study—but this deeper data pool probably will not be created unless an outside agency includes aspects of Ph.D. programs in its indices. n Regulatory bodies. Ministries of education could make philanthropic donations to universities much more attrac- tive—and regulate such donations so they are made hon- estly—which would greatly increase the funding from pri- vate sources. They also could promote collaboration among schools to create critical mass. In addition, they could pro- mote joint ventures and collaboration among universities to overcome problems of small scale. Offering seed funds for such consortia would promote their rapid growth. Ph.D. education in Latin America has the potential to be vibrant, high-quality, and widespread. Establishing solid programs across a range of universities will require the ded- ication and determination of many individuals and institu- tions. Yet we believe such cooperation is essential for the continued economic success of the region—and we believe the time is now. n z Scott Tiffin is a Fellow at the Centre for Innovation Studies at the Uni- versity of Calgary in Canada. Martin H. Kunc is assistant professor of strategic management at the School of Business of Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Santiago, Chile. BizEd JULY/AUGUST 2008 53