حلب الجمهورية العربية السورية

. الملتقى العربي لتطوير أداء آليات الا دارة والتجارة في الجامعات العربية حلب الجمهورية العربية السورية 13-11 مارس (ا ذار) 2003 تجربة آلية الا دارة الصناعية بجامعة الملك فهد للبترول والمعادن : ربع قرن من التميز د. نصار محمد شيخ عميد آلية الا دارة الصناعية جامعة الملك فهد للبترول والمعادن المملكة العربية السعودية

ABSTRACT This working paper is a case study of The College of Industrial Management at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. The College has a 27-years history of high-quality in business and management education. The paper reviews the process through which the College obtained the accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International and how the accreditation helped enhance the quality system at the College. The aim of this paper is to share the experience of the College with other colleges of business administration. Introduction 1.0 Quality in education is becoming a requirement and a demand by the market. Employers are becoming more and more selective in their choices of new graduates. Educators are challenged by the strong and growing global economic forces, rapid developments in technology and its impact on products and processes, and conflicting values. Business and management educators have the obligation to prepare students to face these challenges and contribute to their organizations and community within the global business environment. The complexity of the situation requires a guiding framework for the academic institutions that will assist them in This paper undertakes a case study of a well known business school in the region and reviews the process it went through to get accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB). The paper also looks at the benefits gained by the stakeholders

from the accreditation. The purpose of the study is to share the experience of the College with other colleges of business & management education. An Overview of Higher Education in Saudi Arabia 2.0 For Saudi Arabia, education has been the primary focus for nearly half a century. In 1950 the first college, Shariah College, teaching Islamic studies was established in Mecca. It went through several transitions until it became Umm Al-Qura University around 1982. In 1954 Ministry of Education, which administers primary and secondary education, was established. The first university, Riyadh University, was established in 1957 (later renamed King Saud University). As of February 2003, there were eight government universities in Saudi Arabia with total enrollment exceeding 217,000 students. The Council of Higher Education governs these universities, but administratively they are attached to the Ministry of Higher Education, which was established in 1975. The Council of Higher Education is the highest educational authority in the Kingdom, which is chaired by the King, and the Minister of Higher Education serves as the deputy chair. Each university operates under the supervision of its Board, headed by the Minister of Higher Education. The Board assigns to the Rector of the University, the prime responsibility for policy implementation and administration of the institution. King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) 2.1 KFUPM was established in 1963 (then known as the College of Petroleum & Minerals) as a male-only university. It is acknowledged as one of the leading institutions of higher education in the Middle East and has a recognized global reputation for academic excellence and research.

Quality assurance and continuous improvement are part of KFUPM culture. The college of engineering is the largest college at KFUPM with enrollment exceeding 2400 students. The University enrollment in 2003 reached 8000 students with a faculty of around 785, almost two-thirds of which are non-saudis. The business school of KFUPM is known as the College of Industrial Management (CIM) with enrollment of around 1350. 3.0 The Case of The College of Industrial Management CIM is located in Dhahran on the east coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is one the six colleges of KFUPM. The College was established in 1975. Since its inception, it has benefited from the accumulated experience and the excellent reputation of its mother organization (KFUPM). CIM was fortunate to implement mature and well-tested processes by other colleges of KFUPM, such as, curriculum development and review process, faculty selection and evaluation process, faculty promotion process, and many more. In a few years time, it was able to gain the respect and recognition from industry and academic institutions. Its graduates became sought after by leading businesses and organizations. Some of its graduates successfully completed PhD programs abroad and are holding key positions in KFUPM and elsewhere. CIM has a 27-years history of high quality in business and management education. In 1976, it was offering Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management and the Master of Business Administration program. In response to the needs of the stakeholders, CIM underwent reorganization in 1990. Three departments were created: Accounting & MIS, Finance & Economics, Management & Marketing. Four majors were offered: Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing. The continuous improvement efforts continued, such as,

revision of the programs over the years, introduction of new programs responding to the stakeholders needs, and keeping current with the global developments. In 1991, an undergraduate degree program in MIS was introduced along with the Master of Accountancy and in 2002 Executive MBA program was launched. The faculty size at CIM as of January 2003, is about sixty-five, 50% of them are expatriates from various nationalities. Students are recruited on a merit basis from throughout the nation. There are about 130 MBA students, mostly part-timers. The unique feature of the undergraduate degree programs is that every student is required to undergo a 28-week Coop Work experience. The curriculum of these degree programs went through rigorous quality assurance, such as, internal and external reviews, benchmarking against leading business schools in the USA, and compliance with widely accepted quality curriculum models, such as, the IS2002 curriculum model. Through the practice of quality assurance and continuous improvement, CIM gained the reputation of a high quality center for management and business education. Even though the quality measures were in place at CIM, several motives were behind seeking international accreditation. Some of these include the mission of the university and the college; quest for excellence; desire for official world recognition; maintaining leadership position in the region as a premier Business School; desire to be part of the elite league of accredited business schools worldwide. CIM explored the various associations/agencies for accreditation and decided to go with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International (AACSB International), because of its worldwide reputation as the premier accrediting body for undergraduate and graduate business administration

and accounting programs, and having a rigorous and comprehensive peer review. 4.0 AACSB- An Overview * AACSB is a not-for-profit corporation of approximately 900 members representing colleges, universities, and business and professional organizations committed to excellence in management education. AACSB promotes continuous quality improvement of higher education for business administration and management. The AACSB accreditation process focuses on the quality of educational activities through self-evaluation and peer review. In the self-evaluation report, the school assesses its accomplishments in relation to its mission and objectives, as well as on the criteria in the accreditation standards. The peer review is an external analysis of a school s processes for achieving its mission, assessing educational outcomes, and planning for continuous improvement. From a review of the AACSB accreditation standards, it can be seen that it covers seven main areas, which are as follows: Preconditions: which deal with organization and governance Mission and Objectives: concerning College s view of the future, its planned evolution and its infrastructure and use of resources Faculty Composition and Development: which deals with recruitment and selection practices, qualification, diversity, intellectual contributions, faculty development, promotion, retention, and renewal 1. 2. 3. *This section of the paper has been written mainly based on information from AACSB publications & website

Curriculum Content and Evaluation: which looks at the planning and evaluation through which high quality curricula is created and delivered Instructional Resources and Responsibilities: which looks at the effectiveness of the instructional program and the availability of resources and the way it is managed Students: which is concerned among others with student selection processes, the assistance they receive for career planning and placement Intellectual Contributions: which looks at the various types of intellectual contributions of the faculty and their effectiveness in accomplishing the school s mission and in achieving quality and continuous improvement 4. 5. 6. 7. The AACSB standards and procedures are mission-linked. The essence of the quality system is based on setting a mission, developing objectives, developing a plan to fulfill the objectives, and assessing the outcomes to determine the extent to which mission and objectives are being accomplished and whether adjustments in the plan are needed. Based on the AACSB standards and the CIM Strategic Planning Framework, a general framework for quality of educational activities and continuous improvement has been specifically developed for this study. This is explained in Figure 1.

VISION MISSION & OBJECTIVES STRATEGIC PLANNING & PROCESSES Feedback/ & Revision OUTPUTS ASSESSMENT OF OUTPUTS AGAINST MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES Figure 1 General Framework for CIM Quality System (adapted from CIM Self Evaluation Report and modified for this study) 5.0 Enhancing the Quality at CIM for the Accreditation Process Having selected AACSB, CIM filed an application in year 2000 with AACSB seeking accreditation. A positive reply regarding the application was received. The first task for CIM was to prepare a self-evaluation report, for which a year s time was given by AACSB. In pursuance of this, a team of three senior faculty members was formed to study the AACSB requirements and develop an initial work-plan.

After obtaining necessary approvals and financial commitments, a faculty meeting was organized to make them aware of the accreditation and the AACSB requirements and the work-plan. Ten committees were formed as follows: CIM AACSB Steering Committee CIM Accreditation Committee CIM Strategic Planning and Assessment Committee Mission Statement and Objectives Committee Curriculum Content & Evaluation Committee Faculty Personnel Planning and Development Committee Student Selection, Retention, Career Planning and Placement Committee Instructional Resources and Responsibilities Instructional Resources: Physical Facilities, Instructional Equipment, and Computer Resources Committee 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. AACSB Readiness Committee10. Each of the committees was given the objectives, responsibilities, assignments, and deadlines. Almost all of the CIM faculty and staff were involved. Student representatives, Alumni representative, and the CIM Business Advisory Council (from industry) were also involved. CIM truly embarked on an internal review process of the quality and commitment to continuous improvements of its programs. The starting point was the revision of the Mission statement. A new vision statement and a new mission statement were developed with the consensus of all stakeholder

(faculty, students, University high level administration, alumni, and the Business Advisory Council). This process took four months. The output of this process is the following statements of vision and mission for the College. The New Vision Statement To be among the best in the world as a center for excellence in management education, research and community service that actively addresses the needs of stakeholders. The New Mission Statement To be a prominent provider of management education through high quality teaching reinforced by experiential learning for students who will play significant and productive role in the development of the Saudi economy within the global business environment. To actively contribute to Saudi business, industry, and community through relevant high-quality research, professional services, and dissemination of knowledge responsive to the evolving stakeholders needs. Along with this, CIM guiding values were also developed. During the self evaluation year mapping of existing processes with AACSB requirements were carried out. Gaps were identified and new processes were developed and put in place, areas of improvement were identified and action plans were put in place. On adopting the new mission, the objectives and the strategic plan were revised so as to tightly link with the new mission. Assessment tools that were already in place were revised and improved, and additional tools

were designed and activated. The results of the analyses of the surveys (exit-survey, employers-survey, alumni-survey, among others) were fed into different processes for necessary action/change. An example of this process is that, an analysis of one of the survey results indicated that students felt that they were learning Economics in general but they wanted to learn about Saudi Economy and Oil Economics as well. This was a very useful feedback that triggered design of an elective course meeting the student requirements. Since offering this course, it has proven to be a popular elective. The processes and procedures are very important part of the quality assurance in educational institutions. The processes governing CIM operations are mainly of four types: National-level processes set by the Council of Higher Education and the Ministry of Higher Education and these are applicable to all government universities in Saudi Arabia and these are like the guiding laws and regulations for higher education institutions. University-wide processes set by the university administration in consultations with all colleges and these are applicable to all colleges within the University. College-specific processes and these are applicable to the college and its departments. Departmental-specific processes and these are applicable to a specific department. 1. 2. 3. 4.

The university-wide processes include among others, student selection; student placement; faculty selection; faculty promotion; faculty development; faculty research support and conference attendance; faculty evaluation; faculty sabbatical leave; development of new degree programs; curriculum revisions; and registration. The college-specific processes include among others, faculty qualification; faculty orientation; student orientation; Coop fulfillment; and educational outcomes assessment. The student selection process is described hereafter as an example. The student selection is one of the most rigorous processes. Students go through three screening steps. Firstly, high school students applying to KFUPM must take the aptitude test (RAM-1). Secondly, students who pass RAM-1 are allowed to take the subject-knowledge test (RAM2). Only 15-20 % of the applicants make it through these exams. Thirdly, KFUPM then sorts the scores in descending order and takes the top 1200 students from the sorted list. Once a student is admitted, he has to attend one year in preparatory year, which is intensive in English and Math. After successful completion of the preparatory year, students with good grades can choose any major while students with lower grades in Math are not allowed to major in engineering. As can be seen by the previous example that the student selection is done at the university level. Towards the end of the self-evaluation year, the Self-Evaluation Report (SER) consisting of three volumes was submitted to the AACSB. Some clarifications were requested by AACSB to which CIM responded. This was followed by AACSB team visit to CIM campus to clarify & verify the contents of the SER against real existing processes and systems

at the University and CIM. In September 2002, CIM was awarded the accreditation. The CIM has benefited greatly from the accreditation and the selfevaluation process in which it has engaged in preparing the Self-Evaluation Report for the AACSB team visit. It is a much stronger institution as a result of this activity. This work has resulted in substantial strengthening of the College s processes and procedures in support of continuous improvement. Success of the effort is a direct result of team-work, commitment, and support from top management and other stakeholders. Some of the positive changes/improvements that took place during the selfevaluation year include: Criteria for faculty selection became more sensitive to intellectual contributions. Strict enforcement of this by all departments in all new recruiting More selectivity in assigning faculty to graduate courses More participation by CIM faculty in workshops dealing with faculty development Strengthening of the College s processes and procedures Filling the position of the Assistant Dean for the Graduate Programs at CIM: MBA, M. Acc, and Executive MBA Filling the position of the Director of Business Development Unit 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Formation of the College-wide Strategic Planning and Assessment Committee Formation of the College-wide Research Committee Formation of the College-wide Curriculum Committee 7. 8. 9. Creation of E-Business Lab 10. Smart classrooms initiative11. More facilities in CIM building for students12. Benefits of Accreditation6.0 AACSB accreditation has benefited CIM and various stakeholders. The benefits to CIM include affirming CIM s commitment to quality education & continuous improvement, peer review resulting in improvement of educational effectiveness, enhanced recruiting of new faculty, and improved image of CIM among schools of business worldwide. The benefits to employers include quality assurance that graduates come from a high standard business & management education institution, that the degree programs are current and relevant, and that the program prepares the graduates for understanding of today s complex business environment. The benefits to students include assurance of quality education that follows international standards and that is recognized by the international business community, enhanced opportunities for employment and higher education, and the self image of being a graduate of an internationally accredited school.

Another study was conducted on CIM students who were at CIM prior to and after the accreditation process. This study indicated that there was improvement in the quality of service in a number of areas after the accreditation process (Ref. 7). 7.0 Conclusion External evaluation of the in-house quality system is very useful and recommended. The success of the accreditation effort is dependent on involvement of stakeholders, teamwork, commitment, and support of the top management. The CIM has benefited greatly from the accreditation and the self-evaluation process in which it has engaged in preparing the Self- Evaluation Report for the AACSB team visit. It is a much stronger institution as a result of this activity. This work has resulted in substantial strengthening of the College s processes and procedures in support of continuous improvement.

References AACSB Standards for Business Accreditation Achieving Quality and Continuous Improvement through Self- Evaluation and Peer Review, AACSB Accreditation Policies and Procedures http://www.aacsb.eduaacsb website: www.mohe.gov.saministry of Higher Education website: Ministry of Planning, Saudi Arabia, Statistical Yearbook, 37 th issue, 2001 College of Industrial Management s Self-Evaluation Report For Initial Accreditation by AACSB International, 2000-2001, Volumes 1, 2 Sohail, M. and Shaikh, N., 2003, Service Quality in Higher Education: A Saudi Arabian Case Study, to be presented in April, 2003 at the 8 th International Conference on ISO 9000 & TQM., Montreal, Canada 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.