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You can see a lot just by observing. Yogi Berra us to six fundamental projections about the future of management education. 1. One World Corporate globalization is galvanizing the demand for quality management education around the globe. Increasingly aggressive and business-savvy developing economies, the actualization of the European Union, the transitioning markets of the former communist states, and other international developments will spur busi- ness school expansion, global coalitions, and fierce competition. The value of proven man- agement strategies and principles will become even more entrenched, as business leaders around the world stake their claims and demand their share of the returns. As the realities of "one world" become a given, the borderless marketplace will drive management education toward a global core curriculum that will incorporate regional and country- specific approaches and varying norms and practices within the business world. Ethical values and challenges will be addressed along with varying market behaviors and human resources man- agement. Business schools will become even more closely attuned to the needs and expectations of their customers—the corporations that employ their graduates. One of the benefits of AACSB International membership cen- Just as business school leaders must see their organizations from the fully informed perspective of one world, those who aim for baseball glory—even fantasy style baseball glory—can't afford a micro view of the game. broad context of what everybody else in the league is doing. view their teams as a unit and within the sis and assessments of players and their skills; but managers must also ters around our sense of community and mutuality. In some sense business schools are competitors, but business school lead- ers fully understand and appreciate the value of networking; exchanges of information, ideas, and best practices; and profes- sional development. Opportunities abound for members repre- senting all types of organizations to reach out to each other through AACSB International. AACSB International's commitment to globalization is not new, but it is now an even more important dimension of the organization—and it's even reflected in our new name. In the near term, our efforts will focus on the expansion of internation- al accreditation, programs such as conferences and seminars at sites outside the U.S., and mechanisms that will make it easier for members to share innovative/effective practices and business school data/information across all borders. An International Advisory Council has been established and is helping to ensure global perspectives and opportunities for members. In baseball, the "playing field" is much bigger than the term sug- gests. Managers must make day-to-day, moment-by-moment analy- 50 BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2001 2. Consolidation Spiraling operating costs will compel consolidation among some institutions of higher education. At many schools, tough fiscal times have already descended. Remedies like large tuition increases, program cuts, and hiring freezes, unpleasant as they are, may still not be enough. Increased costs associated with fixed facilities, human resources, and other operating expenses will exert extreme financial pressures on institutions that rely on gov- ernmental subsidies and student tuition to conduct operations. Institutions that are unable to muster significant support from private sources may face insolvency or mergers with more finan- cially able providers. In some instances, schools are already acting to consolidate certain aspects of their operations. At the community college level, for example, eight Midwest community colleges in the U.S. have formed a nonprofit corporation, the Alliance of Community Colleges for Electronic Sharing. The consortium maintains stu- dent records and handles financial accounting, payroll, and other administrative systems. According to a Chronicle of Higher Education report, the consortium has saved the schools millions of dollars in hardware and software costs since 1995, when the alliance was formed. Although the process of joining forces may be far more complex for large institutions, it is a strategy that might be relevant in many different environments and areas. Depending on particular circumstances, the specter of consol- Alex Rodriguez Ken Griffey Jr. PHOTOS: ©AFP 2001