THE ROLE OF BUSINESS SCHOOLS IN THE MENA REGION: A VITAL PARADIGM SHIFT

Transcription

1 DR MAJID KAISSAR EL GHAIB ESCA ECOLE DE MANAGEMENT (CASABLANCA, MOROCCO) 5TH PRME MENA FORUM NOVEMBER IN AMMAN, JORDAN THE ROLE OF BUSINESS SCHOOLS IN THE MENA REGION: A VITAL PARADIGM SHIFT

2 DR MAJID KAISSAR EL GHAIB ACADEMIC PROFIL 1 PROFESSIONNAL EXPERIENCE Academic profil Profesionnal experience Present activities

3 OUTLINE Foreword Challenges & Opportunities facing the MENA Region The traditional role of Business Schools: Pitfalls & relevance The necessary paradigm shift: The business case of ESCA School of Management Conclusion

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5 THE MENA REGION

6 CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES FACING THE MENA REGION Differences between countries (ME versus NA) Business language due to the former colonizer Oil producers and non-oil producers countries (Gulf countries versus others) Population & work-force Vulnerability to oil & food prices shocks Stagnation in the region's share of global non-oil exports which is an indication of missed opportunities for diversification and growth Slow integration into the global economy of the MENA region Very weak integration within the region Water scarsity

7 CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES FACING THE MENA REGION Inefficiencies of public sectors Population s high growth rate The proportion of young people ( 55% are less than 25 yrs in Morocco) Unemployment among young graduates in Morocco (27%) Low initiative, leadership and entrepreneurship spirit among the youth High rate of illiteracy 40 million jobs to be created in the MENA region in the next ten to fifteen years to maintain the current rate of unemployment (World Bank)

8 CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES FACING THE MENA REGION The Arab Spring and the popular demands: Most of the popular demands were linked to business ethics. Demands: Jobs, justice, transparency, accountability, fight against corruption, The response in Morocco was the revision of the constitution. When read closely, the text of the constitution is related in a way or another to Business ethics terminology.

9 Women are at the forefront

10 CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES FACING THE MENA REGION Economic & Governance challenges Human Development challenges Environmental challenges Youth employment Oil economy & diversification Globalization & integration Complexity & fast changing envir. Foreign investment attractiveness Education Health Women empowerment Inclusive growth Access to water Access to energy Urban pollution Sanitation Ethics & Fighting corruption Efficiency of public sectors How to transform these challenges into opportunities for the MENA region?

11 UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS VERSUS MENA REGION CHALLENGES

12 Amidst all the financial scandals in the world and in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, what should be the role of Business schools in the MENA region in implementing an ethical sustainable business environment and in educating leaders of tomorrow to be ethical and responsible?

13 THE PREVALING BUSINESS MODEL Excellent Faculty Endowment Quality Programs Companies New Knowledge Students

14 ACTUAL BUSINESS MODEL : THE POSITIVE IMPACT Strong role of in spreading management knowledge. Focal point for teaching, research and consultancy. Strong impact on people, companies and society through the development of generations of managers, and the general positive impact they have had on the welfare of society as a whole. In emerging countries and in the MENA region growth of companies, and even the development of a country, has gone hand in hand with growth in higher education and in the number of students graduating from Business schools. Global positive impact in producing good professionals and, through them, fostering job creation, investment and innovation.

15 ACTUAL BUSINESS MODEL : THE PITFALLS The last decade was marked by financial, economic and environmental crises. The dominant paradigm in many investment banks, public firms, and entrepreneurial ventures is still the financial view of the firm and the opportunistic approach to business leadership. To what extent Business schools can be held responsible for the financial crisis with the collapse of the banking systems, the market crash and also in the many corporate and auditing firms scandals. To what extent Business schools can be held responsible for the rising number of issues related to irresponsible production and negative environmental impact.

16 ACTUAL BUSINESS MODEL : PITFALLS & RELEVANCE IN THE MENA REGION In the MENA region, Business schools need to answer for questions regarding their responsibilities in the economic situation prevailing before the Arab spring. Not to be held directly responsible but may take some blame for their passive attitude vis-à-vis the spread of anti-economic practices such as corruption and anti-competitive practices, and also the wide contamination of unethical values such as lack of honesty and integrity. May also be blamed for being too passive in contributing to solutions to the main issues prevailing in the region, such as leadership development, good governance, good management practices and entrepreneurship development and innovation. Issue of Political leadership versus Business leadership in the region.

17 ACTUAL BUSINESS MODEL : PITFALLS & RELEVANCE OF RESEARCH IN THE MENA REGION The relevance of the academic program is linked to the quality of the faculty and the relevance of the research that they perform. Research should be focused on topics that are important not only to the business community but also to society as a whole. The relevance of the research topics is an issue that can, by itself, explain most of the problems facing our societies such as lack of entrepreneurship spirit in our youth, lack of innovation in our enterprises, weakness of regional integration and weakness of corporate participation to the sustainable development in the region. In our region, research can be part of the problem. The challenge today is to set research back as part of the solution to the challenges facing our MENA region.

18 The necessary paradigm shift Morocco & the business case of ESCA School of Management

19 WHAT IS THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO YOUR MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD MOROCCO?

20 IN FACT, THE COUNTRY IS FULL OF CONTRADICTIONS versus versus versus

21 GEOPOLITICS : WHAT SAVED MOROCCO DURING THE ARAB SPRING? Parliamentary system Multiparty system Constitutional Rights Constitutional Reforms - Women s rights - Ethnics rights, religious practice, language recognition - Role of the Parliament strengthened - Regionalization : power to local communities

22 GEOPOLITICS : MOROCCO, A GATEWAY TO EMERGING AFRICA AND MIDDLE-EAST

23 AN AGRESSIVE & AMBITIOUS STRATEGIC POSITIONING Emerging Economies Fast-growing Consumer Markets Changing Business Environments

24 WITH HARSH SOCIAL & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSTRAINTS Youth Human Development Environment 40% of global unemployment 3 times more vulnerable than adults 40 millions jobs / MENA region 55% under 25 years in Morocco. 27% unemployment among graduates HDI = 0,567 : 114th/169 countries Education system : 126th/177 countries Health system Pressure on resources Rapid urbanization Inadequate sanitation Industrial pollution

25 HOW CAN ESCA ECOLE DE MANAGEMENT PREPARE MOROCCO FOR EMERGENCE? 1100 Students & Participants 200 Professors &Corporate Lecturers 19 Nationalities On Campus 3300 Alumni 18 Key Programmes And a large catalog of customized training 1200 In-house Trained Executives 50 Partner Companies 73 International Academic Partners

26 A MISSION STATEMENT IN LINE WITH THE CHALLENGES AHEAD Based in Casablanca, the ESCA Ecole de Management s Mission is to contribute to the development of an emerging economy and its progress in a globalization context. To this end, ESCA Ecole de Management prepares entrepreneurial and socially responsible managers that are able to contribute to the performance of firms and their internationalization. In this perspective, the School also seeks, through its intellectual contribution, to foster innovative management practices that are specific to emerging countries. Ambition Innovation Sense of commitment

27 A MISSION STATEMENT IN LINE WITH THE CHALLENGES AHEAD ESCA Ecole de Management educates entrepreneurial managers, who are responsible and able to manage in a complex environment and to improve corporate performance in an emerging economy. ESCA Ecole de Management fosters intellectual production to contribute to the development of management science knowledge and to support change in managerial practices in a transient society. Independent and internationally oriented, ESCA Ecole de Management aims to prepare leaders carrying values for the modernization of society. Ambition Innovation Sense of commitment

28 CHALLENGES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESS IN MOROCCO & THE REGION Economic & Governance challenges Human Development challenges Environmental challenges Youth employment Emerging markets Globalization & integration Complexity & fast changing envir. Foreign investment attractiveness Education Health Women empowerment Inclusive growth Access to water Access to energy Urban pollution Sanitation Ethics & Fighting corruption

29 What are the skills and competencies that need to be fostered in our faculty and students in order to accompany Morocco towards emergence?

30 SKILLS & COMPETENCIES NEEDED Leadership Entrepreneurial spirit Ethics & ethical behavior Critical & interdisciplinary thinking Global perspective

31 FURTHERMORE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN FAST-CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS 31

32 We cannot predict what changes will come in the next decade but we can predict with certainty : Complexity is here to stay. Constant change will continue to accelerate Agility and Adaptability are the new competitive advantages.

33 FACED WITH CHALLENGES OF SOCIAL IMPACT AND RAPID CHANGES, THESE ARE 6 RECOMMENDATIONS ESCA FOLLOWS 1. Get ahead of the management change curve 2. Become a catalyst for management innovation 4. Develop student leadership competencies 3. Give student the source code of management 5. Encourage critical thinking 6. Serve the world

34 ON THE GROUND, ESCA ECOLE DE MANAGEMENT RELIES ON PRiME, and the accreditation system (AACSB, EPAS) as frameworks for academic excellence Research institutes as a base to develop new knowledge: Entrepreneurship & Leadership Institute (ELI) Social Innovation and Sustainability Institute (SI&SI) Institute for Research in Geopolitics and Geo-economy (IRGG) Case Studies Institute Experiential learning through extra-curricular activities Entrepreneurship pole Enactus : Social good, Social business, social innovation and entrepreneurship Corporate interactions and partnerships Dialogue and discussion with stakehoders.

35 CONCLUSION Following the numerous financial scandals of the first decade of this centry, the environmental crise in which the world is already in and the social divide between rich and poor, and between North and South, Business Schools need a paradigm shift in order to stay relevant. In the MENA region, with the Arab Spring and its political, economic and social impact, this paradigm shift is vital if our Business Schools want to have an important impact on society. PRiME can be a good framework for this renewal but need to be accompanied by a relevant research that takes into account local solutions to regional challenges, synergies and integration within the region, and the complexity and fast changing conditions of economic environment. Youth employment Women empowerment & Inclusive growth Complexity and fast changing economic conditions Environmental issues

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