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MarchApril2004

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that it looks only to the next quarterly report or the next bot- tom line. I think many businesses are becoming aware that they need to have a longer term strategy to succeed." Intellectual Warriors The military has long placed an emphasis on management training, say these educators. Only recently, however, has it begun to view itself as a business. As a result, military- oriented business degrees may become more prevalent. And the U.S. is not the only country where the military is placing greater emphasis on cultivating business-based management skills among its personnel. Singapore, for example, also is seeing its military call upon management education institu- tions for a greater proportion of its management training, saysHumSinHoon, an associate professor with theNational University of Singapore Business School's department of decision sciences. The department has conducted a series of logistics and supply chainmanagement courses for Singapore'sMinistry of Defense (MINDEF) for the past eight years. "We explicitly train military officers on business logistics, as opposed to mil- itary logistics, so that they gain an exposure to what is hap- pening in the commercial arena," says Hum. Other depart- ments within the school also provide courses toMINDEF. MINDEF's emphasis on management training has always risen in recent years. Brooks notes that military officers are spreading this message through the ranks. For instance, the keynote speaker at NPS' March graduation ceremony, Lt. Gen. Edward Hanlon, commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, spoke to the cadets about their role in amuch different world order. "He told the students that, inmodern warfare, it's important not only to be able to outfight the enemy, but also to outthink the enemy," says Brooks. "He said, 'We need intellectual warriors.'" As it would within any large governmental body, such been there, adds Hum. "But in our experience, the military has now approached business schools for the training. Why? With Singapore's small population base, we are optimizing its human resources," he says. "We have to build a thinking army that also includes effective managers." Indeed, the stakes in educating military personnel have with curriculum revisions, rationalized offerings, innovative teaching, team-based collaborative learning environments, wireless technology initia- tives, internship and placement emphases, study abroad opportunities, faculty-student research part- nerships, learning outcome assessments, diversity commitment, high-tech facilities, mission-driven/ reward-based annual review and promotion & ten- ure processes, and excellence in all that we do. The College of Business and Economics Dr. Len Jessup, Dean Entrepreneurship. Innovation. Leadership. www.cbe.wsu.edu transformation within the military most likely will happen very slowly. As military units turn more to the commercial sector for technology, personnel, and operational support, the link between the military and private sector management will become more crucial. Management educators can expect to play an important role in bringing that new type of business- minded intellectual warrior onto the worldwide stage.■ z BizEd MARCH/APRIL 2004 57 We are Raising the Bar

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