3 pillars of business education development in the modern world

11:15, July 13, 2022

GSEM UrFU held an international expert discussion on the development of business education

On July 6, 2022, GSEM organized an international panel discussion "Business Education And Human Well-Being In An Era Of Change" as part of the international industrial fair “INNOPROM”. Experts from Russia, China and Pakistan took part in the discussion. Despite different approaches to the development of business education in the countries, the experts agreed that in order to ensure the high quality of education in the field of economics, business and management, there are “3 pillars”: adaptability of business schools; the complexity of the developed competencies (based on the integration of the results of fundamental research, the practical experience of corporate partners, the development of critical thinking skills); following the principles of sustainable development, including digitalization and educational digital platforms.

The event began with a discussion of changes in the landscape of international business education based on the results of the annual study of the global visibility of business schools, presented by Dmitry Tolmachev, GSEM Director. The key results of the study were the identification of an increase in the activity of Russian business schools in the development of quality partnerships in Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa; the emergence of new opportunities for business schools in the CIS countries (in particular, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, etc.); development of international online programs. Dmitry Tolmachev noted that at GSEM, the focus on global criteria for quality and publication activity was the driver of many changes, so bachelor programme “International Economics and Business” became the first EFMD accredited program for 5 years in the CIS in 2021.

Larisa Bogdanova, Director of IBC Human Resources, President of ARAU (Russia), stressed that the demand for graduates of business schools with competencies such as a high level of internal motivation, critical thinking and creativity is growing in the labor market. international students and graduates of business schools, including those who do not speak Russian, have the greatest chances of finding employment in such areas as IT and education, as well as construction and utilities.

Prof. Kangjuan Lyu, dean of SILC Business School, Shaghai Univarsity (China), drew the attention of experts to the importance of integrating ESG principles into the development strategies of international business schools. Preparation for international accreditations, development within the framework of ESG, integration of these principles into curricula allow the SILC business School to integrate the most successful practices of modern business education, increase the loyalty of all stakeholder groups, strengthen its position in the international market and attractiveness for new students on an international scale

Elena Rybinskaya, Head of educational projects at SKB-Kontur, is sure that cooperation between the corporate partners and business schools is one of the key factors in preparing  graduates who are in demand on the labor market. Ms. Rybinskaya gave examples of programs that GSEM implements in partnership with SKB-Kontur, which allow students to master the competencies required by employers.

Dr. Ameer A. Basit, Dean School of Business, GIFT University (Pakistan), spoke about the most successful projects of his School in the field of internationalization development. An interesting experience is the implementation of virtual programs, mobility programs, short-term programs. One of the trends in the development of digitalization in Pakistan has been the development of courses in digital business, marketing, data analysis, bachelor's and master's programs of business schools in the field of data analytics, specialized short-term programs, as well as the formation of youth clubs and movements in the field of digital economy development.

Dr.  Qiang Liang, Vice Dean, School of Business, Shantou University (China), demonstrated the most successful practices of his business school in the field of integrating corporate partners into educational activities. Among them are the involvement of practitioners in teaching complex practice-oriented courses at programs of various levels of education, visits to enterprises to study their activities, the implementation of courses on the basis of partner enterprises, discussions and workshops with the participation of expert practitioners, and much more. Graduates of the business school are also actively involved in these events.

Ekaterina Fufaeva, director of MBA&Executive education at SkillBox (Russia), spoke about innovations in the development of program formats for business owners and top managers. In particular, the combination of online and full-time forms of education within one program, the availability of constant access to online materials, the availability of international accreditation for programs, and the integration of individual coaching sessions for participants have successfully proven themselves. Such programs are already being successfully implemented by SkillBox in cooperation with leading business schools in Russia and are of high interest from the market.

The moderator of the discussion, Zhanna Belyaeva, Academic Director of GSEM, summing up the discussion, emphasized: “The modern environment of business education, determined since 2020 by new factors in the development of international business, further emphasizes the priority of cooperation, digitalization as an element of the implementation of ESG principles, flexibility and adaptability business schools. Our meeting created the conditions for the development of new international partnerships and projects, which we hope will be implemented in the near future.”