Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/499026
44 BizEd MAY | JUNE 2015 BY JULIE DZIEKAN FELKER ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHANIE DALTON COWAN THE ZAGREB SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS and Management (ZSEM) opened its doors after a time of great political, social, and economic upheaval in Croatia. From the beginning, ZSEM's mission was to help build the infrastructure that would allow Croatia to compete e•ectively in a globalized free market system. The school's founders believed they could achieve that goal only if ZSEM was recognized as a top business school in southeastern Europe—and they believed they would win that recognition only if they achieved AACSB accreditation. For those outside Croatia to understand how remarkable it was for the school to set this goal, it helps to have a little context. In the late 1980s and early '90s, Croatia was a country in transition. It was seeking sovereignty after spending nearly half a century as part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and this action led to the War for Independence. At the same time, Croatia was evolving from socialism to capital- ism. Not surprisingly, Croatian universities focused mainly on Marxist and socialist approaches to economics. Mainstream business education did not exist, and attempts to change the educational system were slow. If Croatian business students were to receive the educa- tion they needed to succeed in a globalized and constantly changing business world, they would need a di•erent kind of business school. A school in Croatia seeks to become a source of management knowledge for its entire country—and uses AACSB accreditation as its roadmap for continuous improvement. EXCELLEN RISING TO