GBSN 2007 Conference | Annual Conference | Members | Global Business School Network | Africa | Asia

2007 Conference

GBSN 2007 Conference

Summary

2^nd Annual GBSN Conference
April 26-27, 2007
INSEAD
Fontainbleau, France

Conference Summary

The second annual conference of the Global Business School Network (GBSN) was held on April 27, 2007. This year’s objective was to align commitments from top business schools with the needs of those in the developing world. Eighteen GBSN member schools sent representatives while deans and faculty of nine African business schools attended. Guests from foundations, corporations, and the media also participated.

The meeting was convened by the Global Business School Network (GBSN) in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Association of African Business Schools (AABS). INSEAD kindly hosted this event at their campus in Fountainebleau, France.

The objectives of the meeting were:

Discuss how Business schools contribute to national development
Identify Needs and priorities of African business schools
Understand how global business schools can nurture management education in Africa
Define tangible commitments of partner schools in both the developed and developing world
Clarify the future of GBSN and the roles of AABS and IFC.

Four working sessions were held during the meeting where attendees discussed the following:

How business schools can contribute to national development
Needs and priorities of African business schools
How leading b-schools can nurture management education in Africa
Moving forward: How to make it happen?

The meeting concluded with a discussion on the future of GBSN and the responsibilities of the IFC, and the AABS in ensuring continued success.

Agenda

Agenda Second Meeting of the Global Business School Network "Nurturing Business Education in Africa"
Thursday evening April 26
20.00	Welcome and buffet dinner on INSEAD campus (Le Cercle)
Friday April 27
08.45	Welcome and introduction by Landis Gabel and Guy Pfeffermann General welcome Thanks to sponsors Institutional update since 2006 Tuck Meeting Brief personal introductions
09.15-10.30	Working session #1 How can business schools contribute to national development? Moderator: Guy Pfefferman What markets do business schools serve best? Where does strategic advantage lie? What role should business school play in developing business and management skills outside the business sector?
10.30-11.00	Networking coffee break
11.00-12.30	Working session #2 Needs and priorities of African business schools Moderator: Professor Franklyn Manu Presentation of AABS Dean's visits; AABS projects in the pipeline What types of partnership work best? What are the resource constraints? How to spread good practice internally? AABS as a diffusion instrument (within AABS, beyond AABS) What role can schools play in lobbying for or mobilizing funding?
12.30-13.30	Buffet Lunch at INSEAD "Le Cercle"
13.30-15.00	Working session #3 How leading business schools can nurture management education in Africa? Moderator: Professor Javier Santoma Successful Projects: Individual faculty mentor (Professor Murray Low) Institutional partnership (IESE) Scaling up from pilot projects (CBS/LBS) Mentoring Schools: Internal mobilization: is there a potential for institutional support? Should schools specialized functionally or geographically? What role can schools play in financing programs and mobilizing funding? (Umea/SIDA case in point to launch the discussion) All Schools: How do schools deliver a consistent message to media?
15.00-15.30	Networking coffee break and group photo
15.30-16.30	Working session #4 Moving forward: How to make it happen? Moderator: Professor Robert Kennedy Potential avenues of involvement: Experimental fellowships Visits by mentors to teach in African schools Joint case-writing projects Creation of alumni advisory groups Pro bono consulting support to African schools Joint student projects Formal pairings/partnerships Other opportunities Concrete steps: GBSN commitments
16.30-17.30	GBSN coordination and funding: evolving roles M.E.R.C: Guy Pfefferman IFC: David Donaldson AABS: Nick Binedell Schools: Conference participants
19.30-20.15	Cocktails at INSEAD "Le Cercle"
20.30	Dinner at the Hotel Mercure with invited INSEAD guests: Lola Dare

Participants

Conference Participants

GBSN thanks the following schools, companies and organizations for their participation in the 2007 Conference:

Acoshed International
Addis Ababa University
African Institute of Management
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Columbia Business School
Copenhagen Business School
Duke University
EFMD
GIMPA Business School
Gordon Institute of Business Science
Haas School of Business
IESE Business School
IMD Business School
Indian Institute of Management
INSEAD
International Finance Corporation
ISM Dakar
Johnson & Johnson
Jomo Kenyatta Institute of Agriculture & Technology
Kellogg School of Management
Lagos Business School
London Business School
New York University
Norwegian School of Management
Strathmore Business School
Tuck School at Dartmouth
UCLA Anderson School of Management
Umea School of Business
University of Dar es Salaam
United States International University
William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Food for Thought

With very few exceptions, MBA programs in sub-Saharan Africa are unable to effectively compete with institutions in the West. As a result, MBA programs cannot attract the best local students or faculty and often lack the leadership prowess necessary to effectively position themselves within the market.

-"Assessment of Graduate Management Education", William Davidson Institute, University of Michigan Business School (2003)