National MBA Supervisory Committee Nanjing Conference Japhet S. Law The Chinese University of Hong Kong Nanjing April 3, 2014
Accreditation : Triple Crown AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA, CAMEA, EPAS
Why bother with Accreditation? Signal/Information to the market on the basis of substance & credibility International recognition of excellence - international development/partnerships Mechanism for international benchmarking with best schools Sharing of good practice and mutual learning Self-awareness & Agenda for quality improvement and future development FT ranking (only AACSB and/or EQUIS)!!
AACSB International Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business Founded in 1916 by 17 U.S. top schools About 1350 members from 83 countries Started internationalization in mid-90 s 694 accredited members representing 45 countries (187 non-us) accounting accreditation to 182 programs
EFMD European Foundation for Management Development Founded 1972 in Brussels (EU) European partner of Shanghai JiaoTong in establishing CEIBS Over 800 members from 81 countries 4 Accreditation Marks : EQUIS, EPAS, CLIP-Corporate, CEL-Tech-enhanced 143 EQUIS accredited schools 84 EPAS accredited programs (63 schools)
THE STANDARDS EQUIS - AACSB
EQUIS STANDARDS 1 : Context, Governance & Strategy 2 : Programs 3 : Students 4 : Faculty 5 : Research & Development 6 : Executive Education (*) 7 : Contribution to the Community (*) 8 : Resources & Administration 9 : Internationalization (*) 10 : Corporate Connections (*)
EQUIS STANDARDS Assessment Criteria (Std. 1 Context, Governance, & Strategy) a) Environment b) Institutional Status c) Governance d) Mission, Vision and Values e) Strategic Positioning f) Strategic Direction and Objectives g) Strategic Planning h) Quality Assurance i) Internationalisation j) Corporate Connections
EQUIS STANDARDS Assessment Criteria (Std. 2 Programs) a) The Program portfolio b) Program design c) Program content d) Skills acquisition e) Program delivery f) Student assessment g) Program evaluation h) Internationalisation i) Corporate relevance j) Societal relevance
EQUIS STANDARDS Assessment Criteria (Std. 3 Students) a) Target profiles and criteria for selection b) Course preparation and progression c) Support and Counselling Services d) Personal and Professional Development e) Ethics and Values f) Career placement and support g) Alumni Relations h) Internationalisation i) Corporate links
EQUIS STANDARDS Assessment Criteria (Std. 4 Faculty) a) Faculty size, qualification and composition b) Faculty management c) Faculty development d) Internationalisation e) Corporate links
EQUIS STANDARDS Assessment Criteria (Std. 5 R & D) a) Research Activities b) Development & Innovaton c) International Features of R & D d) Links between R & D and the Corporate World
EQUIS STANDARDS Assessment Criteria (Std. 9 Internationalization) a) I Strategy & Policies b) I dimension in Mission, Governance, Strategy, Operations c) I level in Faculty and Student Body d) I Activities outside of Home Country e) Network of I Academic Relations f) Links to I Corporate World g) Relationship with I Organizations h) I dimension in R & D Activity i) Changes in I Operation in Past 5 Years
AACSB THE NEW STANDARDS 2013 Reduces number of standards from 21 to 15 Each is more relevant and less redundant All are holistically and equally important
Recognizing high-quality and continuous improvement through: Four Categories Strategic Management & Innovation Participants Learning and Teaching Academic & Professional Engagement
AACSB STANDARDS (I) Strategic Management & Innovation 1 : Mission, Impact, Innovation 2 : Intellectual Contributions, Impact, & Alignment with Mission 3 : Financial Strategies & Allocation of Resources
AACSB STANDARDS (II) Participants Students, Faculty, & Professional Staff : 4 : Student Admission, Progression, & Career Development 5 : Faculty Sufficiency (*) & Deployment 6 : Faculty Management & Support 7 : Professional Staff Sufficiency & Deployment
AACSB STANDARDS (III) Learning & Teaching : 8 : Curricular Management & Assurance of Learning (***) 9 : Curriculum Content 10 : Student-Faculty Interactions 11 : Degree program Educational Level, Structure, & Equivalence 12 : Teaching Effectiveness
AACSB STANDARDS (IV) Academic & Professional Engagement : 13 : Student Academic & Professional Engagement 14 : Executive Education 15 : Faculty Qualifications (*) & Engagement
AACSB STANDARDS Eligibility Requirement : 1 : Ethical Behaviour 2 : Collegiate Environment 3 : Commitment to CSR 4 : Accreditation Scope & Membership 5 : Oversight, Sustainability, & Continuous Improvement 6 : Continued Adherence to Standards and Integrity of Submission
Accreditation as an act of Internationalization International does not appear anywhere in the AACSB Standards document, except in the name of AACSB International. Global appears in : Std. 9 - Curriculum Content Std. 13 Student Academic & Professional Engagement Eligibility Criteria C Commitment to CSR (& Diversity)
International Profile AACSB Asia N. America Europe Others Total Accredited 53 510 63 23 649 Members 228 701 220 113 1262 % 23% 73% 29% 20% 51% EQUIS Asia N. America Europe Others Total Accredited 31 11 76 14 132 Members 106 43 322 69 540 % 29% 26% 24% 20% 24%
THE PROCESSES
AACSB PROCESS Eligibility Application to CAP (1-2 mo) Mentor - Std. Align. Plan (up to 2 yr) SAP accepted by IAC (Y or Z team) SAP Implementation (up to 3 yr) Initial Accreditation Application PRT Chair Self Eval. Report (up to 2 yr) PRT Site Visit Cont. Improvement Review - CIRC (5 yr)
EQUIS PROCESS Eligibility Application (2-4 mo) Briefing Visit (half day) by Expert EQUIS Committee Decision Self Assess Report (up to 2 yr) PRT Site Visit Re-Accreditation (3 or 5 yr)
My SUBJECTIVE analysis AACSB standards seems to be a bit theoretical/ 机 械 化, whereas EQUIS is more pragmatic and 人 性 化 EQUIS documentation and instructions seem to be easier to read, follow, and reference for both the school and PRT Many layers/options in navigating the AACSB website; EQUIS is simple 4 pdf files old deans friendly!)
My other analysis - Standards AACSB Exclusion issues for programs outside of the Business Unit now resolved AOL requires VERY serious efforts Impact can become another AOL Full-time/Part-time; AQ/PQ can be a chore in AACSB for some schools BUT, if you re weak on Corporate or Internationalization you have your work cut out in EQUIS
My other analysis - Process AACSB process can be loooong and more involved, EQUIS is lighter and compact More layers in AACSB process : Eligibility, Pre-Accreditation, Initial Accreditation; with more applications and reports Too many folks involved in AACSB process (Eligibility staff, CAP, mentor, liason/reader, IAC(X/Y), PRT Chair, PRT, ), but real decision made in committees (of deans!!)
My other analysis - Process Big saving grace for AACSB is the previous scenario is entirely reversed when it comes to Maintenance/Re-Accreditation
$$$ AACSB EQUIS Accreditation $20,400 $35,000 Annual Fee $8,400 $12,800 Maintenance $0 $35,000 Steady State Annual Cost* $8,400 $19,800 * Plus OTHERS (Very Significant PRT visits, staff cost and time, Conferences/seminars, staff development cost.)
Where to go from here??? Good School go for EQUIS (no need to prove oneself, cleaner process) Weak School don t go for AACSB (nowhere to hide) Do a good and serious job and make good use of the exercise/process for self-improvement, not just bragging-rights
CAMEA 中 国 高 质 量 MBA 认 证 Established in 2012 Organized by : 全 国 MBA 教 育 指 导 委 员 会 & 教 育 部 学 位 与 研 究 生 教 育 发 展 中 心 5 schools accredited, 5 schools currently in various stages of accreditation process, 7 schools in exploratory stage There is also interest from schools outside of China
CAMEA Chinese Advanced MBA Eligibility : Education Accreditation MBA/EMBA program approved by proper Chinese authority Passed MOE assessment over 2 years Strong desire for continuous improvement Good relationship with government and corporate Sustainable resources for improvement Innovation leading to good features
CAMEA Chinese Advanced MBA Education Accreditation CAMEA Standards : 1 : Mission and Strategy 2 : Quality of MBA/EMBA Program 3 : Innovation and Special Features 4 : Resources and Allocation 5 : Organization and Administration Capacity
CAMEA Chinese Advanced MBA Process : Education Accreditation 1 : More similar to that of EFMD simple and practical/useful processes 2 : Duration is approximately 1-year 3 : Accreditation validity : 3 or 5 years (similar to EFMD accreditation)
CAMEA in defense of Relevance of Internationalization to the 200+ schools? Emphasis about mission and strategy fitness Instead of Internationalization, emphasis about the contribution to the development of the locale/region and Country in Std. 1, 2, 3 Organizational and Admin. Capacity
CAMEA in praise of Relevant to China, high level vision : society, country, region/locale (The Way of the University!) Ethics and CSR, Environmental Protection, Innovation (new AACSB standards!) More of the very clean/concise standards, with streamline process like EQUIS, criteria assessment tables practical and effective! Includes much of the good features of the other systems, & most Cost Effective!!
The Triple Crown You really want the triple crown? Really? Which 3 out of : AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA, CAMEA, EPAS? Probably should include both AACSB and EQUIS Which of the remaining 3 program-level accreditation to include? Better question : which program-level accreditation one should go for?
Thank You!!! Q & A