The 6th Deans and Directors Annual Conference was organized by National Business Education Accreditation Council (NBEAC) of Higher Education Commission (HEC) on April 8-9, 2019. The conference was inaugurated with a call to all Business Schools in Pakistan to take a central role in public policy formulation especially policies related to the economy. The chief guest, Dr. Ishrat Husain (Advisor to PM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity), said; “Business Schools must take a leading role in finding solutions to the economic problems of this country. Faculty members should be the ones hosted on television and radio talk shows to highlight pertinent issues of the economy.”
Dr. Husain also advised Business Schools to emphasize experiential learning that can expose students to the real world issues instead of confining them to lecture theatres. He added that Schools must embrace the multidisciplinary approach in teaching saying that economics alone cannot solve all societal problems. He paid tribute to the late Dr. Hasan Sohaib Murad (the ex-chairman of NBEAC) for being a practical person and an exemplary leader. Dr. Murad passed away in a car accident last year and all national speakers started their speeches with a recall of his legacy.
In his welcome remarks, Dr. Farrukh Iqbal, Chairman NBEAC appreciated the contribution the late Dr. Murad and featured a short video footage of his contribution. He observed that with the rising number of Business Schools and Programmes to 142 nationwide, Deans and Directors must be concerned about the quality of teaching and other statutory standards. He revealed that out of 142, only 21 schools are accredited by NBEAC. On a positive note, Dr. Iqbal said Pakistani business graduates are easily accommodated in the economies of the Middle East. He called upon Business Schools to observe the new regional and global changes related to the business environment and forge a way forward.
While sharing the NBEAC’s 10 years in the dimensions of accreditation and development Dr. Sadia Nadeem (Dean, FAST-NU, Islamabad) observed that Business Schools are still performing poorly in research and development, external linkages and alumni networks. However, she noted that Schools have registered tremendous success in teaching and enrollment.
The conference themed “The Evolving Landscape of Business Education across the Globe” was officially started with remarks by the Conference Convener-Dr. Kumail Abbas Rizvi (Professor of Finance & Group Coordinator, Lahore School of Economics). Quoting from the works of Allam Iqbal, Dr. Rizvi highlighted the themes of the conference with emphasis on the need to embrace the current trends and overcoming the challenges on national, regional and international platforms through collaboration.A key note speaker on “The Evolving landscape of Business Education Across the Globe”, Dr. Daniel R. LeClair (Chief Executive Officer, Global Business School Networks, USA) said management education is progressive and faculty must move with the global trends. He called on Schools to embrace diversity, partnership and experiential learning. Mr. Ahtesham Ali Raja (Program Director, NBEAC) presented a thank you note to all the sponsors of the event. A token of appreciation was also provided to them.

Advancing Regional Collaborations

The plenary session on Advancing Regional Collaborations was moderated by Dr. Naveda Kitchlew (Associate Dean, School of Business & Economics at UMT Lahore).Business and Management Schools in Pakistan have been advised to build Centers of Excellence with capacity to attract both regional and international collaborations. In the plenary session Dr. Husain said; “Build your own niche and be known for it. Centers of Excellence once established will attract many partners in building sustainable collaboration”. Dr. Husain added that more tangible results of collaborations can better be realized through carrying out joint programmes and research with a comparative dimension. “There are still many opportunities of networking that Business Academic Institutions can exploit. Joint research projects combining three or five countries can help in comparing business situations in the region,” he said.
As a panelist, Dr. Shahid Amjad Chaudhry (Rector, Lahore School of Economics) challenged Business Schools to look for research grants that provide opportunities to faculty to collaborate with research experts from the developed countries. He cited his own School as one of the few institutions in Pakistan that have benefited from research grants from the west. Apart from academic collaborations, Dr. Chaudhry appealed to Business Training Institutions to explore partnerships with successful business companies and renown institutes that can enrich both faculty and student exposure. He applauded NBEAC’s efforts of training faculty and promoting networking of institutions through conferences like this.
Dr. Daniel R. LeClair (CEO, Global Business School Networks, USA) observed that Business Institutions need to look for potential partners who are far ahead in order to promote advanced knowledge transfer. He added that partnerships should also involve cultural exchanges that can bolster the business environment in the region.
Dr. Farrukh Iqbal, the Conference Chair and Chairman NBEAC, noted that the 6th Deans and Directors Conference is one of NBEAC’s efforts to promote alliances among Business Schools. Despite their fruits, Dr. Iqbal remarked that collaborations tend to be a challenge if they involve huge financial resources and absence of faculty from stations for a long time.
Ambassador (R) Syed Hasan Javed,(Director, Chinese Studies Centre, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, NUST Islamabad) advised Business Schools in Pakistan to incorporate China as a whole in their curricular. “China is so important to us. We don’t only need to teach Chinese as a language. We should go beyond that to teach China as a whole. We need to study the Chinese business values,” he added. He observed that Pakistan Business Education needs a paradigm shift that will enable them to tap into the Chinese market. CPEC plenary session was moderated by Dr. Aamir Khan, (Associate Professor Lahore School of Economics).
While sharing his take on CPEC, Dr. Farrukh Iqbal as Director, Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi said; “There is still little research done on CPEC. We have not had any joint research so far in our Consortium of nine Pakistani universities collaborating with Chinese institutions.” He added that Pakistani students need to study Chinese language and business methods and secure suitable internship placement with giant business companies.

Fostering business schools-industry partnerships

Deans and Directors of Business Schools have observed that there is need to attract business entities to the academic institutions through joint applied research, offering relevant courses and negotiating internship opportunities to the excellent students. They resolved to train faculty and make them more relevant to the industry. “The business industry does not have confidence in faculty members of our schools. We must make the Faculty excellent to be seen as resourceful. When the businesses begin to come to us for consultation, this must be seen as break through,” Dr. Irfan Hyder, from Institute of Business Management remarked.
NBEAC was established by Higher Education Commission (HEC) in 2007 to assure quality in business education degree programs. NBEAC’s Deans and Directors Conference annually brings together more than 100 deans and directors of business schools for strategic level discussions. This year’s conference has focus on the balance required between global paradigms versus the need to customize business education in Pakistan according to the local needs.

Disruptive technologies and pedagogical innovations

Business Education Experts at the second day of the 6th Deans and Directors Annual Conference urged Business Schools in Pakistan to take advantage of the new digital technologies to enhance teaching and learning of students. A panel of five experts chaired by Dr. Farrukh Iqbal (Chairman, NBEAC) deliberating on the session topic- “Disruptive technologies and pedagogical innovations” observed that universities must create digital platforms from which students can access professionally assorted learning resources with ease regardless of distance.
Dr. Farrah Arif (Founder & CEO-EdTech Worx), one of the panelists, pointed out that faculty members in all universities must reshape the way Master of Business Administration (MBA) is taught adding that some universities in Pakistan are already closing it down due to competition from the online MBA degree programs. “Since technology has changed all the sectors of society, employers today are looking for technologically compliant graduates with critical and practical skills,” she added.
The session was started with futuristic statistics from the Convener revealing that in 50 years to come, physical universities will cease to exist, more than 1,000 professors will lose their jobs and all exams will be internet based. While reacting to these statistics, Dr. Daniel R. LeClair, (CEO, Global Business School Networks, USA) expressed that Deans and Directors should not fear or hate technology but they should instead use it positively.
Dr. Naveed A. Malik (Rector, Virtual University, Lahore) an experienced educationist in online learning shared with the conference participants the success story of his university in embracing new digital technology saying: “Open education is the way to go and VU is already providing online content with ease. We provide online video, audio, and textual learning material and manage exams electronically. We hope other universities can also do it.” He observed that traditional universities will continue to exist but with adaptive mechanism to the new trends. “Our experience in using online resources reveals that faculty must tailor their lectures to short topics that are easy to grasp and this is only possible with new technologies,” he added.
Dr. Chirstophe Terasse (Director, International Projects EFMD, Brussels) advised Business Schools to re-invent the way teaching in done, saying that this will be the major competitive edge for all universities. He expressed concern over the quality of online engagements adding that technical mechanisms must be put in place by Information and Technology experts to ensure public credibility.
Participants also observed that new technologies must be adopted especially in distance learning without forgetting the cultural values of physical interactions.

Civic responsibilities of business schools and their graduates
The second session of the conference (day 2) was convened by Dr. Asfia Obaid (HOD, NUST Business School, Islamabad). The session panelists were Dr. Zaffar A Khan (Chairman Board of Directors PCP), Dr. Alnoor Bhimani (Dean, SDSB, LUMS) and Dr. Idrees Khawaja (Dean, Air University, Islamabad).
Dr. Zaffar Khan represented his personal experience of 50 years, his journey from engineering to corporate world. He said that Globalization is a powerful phenomenon that requires fresh and innovative thinking to deal with associated challenges and opportunities. Recognition in the business world is not acquired by the profit motivation only, but, we have to be involved in the CSR activities and train ourselves to be better versed with social responsibilities. CSR has major focus on compliance with applicable laws, support for national causes and donating a small part of profit as corporate philanthropy. It is also used to build a brand as well. And in order to inculcate this among our students, we have to involve them in small CSR projects.
Dr. Alnoor Bhimani presented macro level perspectives on how business schools graduates can contribute in the social responsibilities. According to the demographics, Pakistan’s population mainly consists of youth, so major responsibility towards the society lies on their shoulders. He suggested that, in order to deal with the globalization and create a big impact we need to bring changes in multiple sectors to transform the society.
Dr. Idrees Khawaja talked about the micro level. He was of the view that CSR and profit making work side by side. The CSR should be inculcated in society in such a way that the population practices it in domestic level in their micro level businesses.
Dr. Asfia Obaid has mentioned some ways to involve the students in CSR activities such as by introducing six-week internship programs at social sector organizations. The universities such as NUST, also bring their social indigenous ideas that involve students in various activities for societal benefits.
The conference also had several workshops, seminars and policy round tables that addressed topics such as Fusion of technology and simulation with case study, Leadership programs, NBEAC accreditation framework, Importance of accreditation and research impact- how to publish your journal with Emerald, Increasing global visibility for research output through ProQuest Dissertation and Thesis publishing Program, Why case study writing is an important component of Business School’s research?, Regulatory challenges faced by Pakistani business schools and national collaborations between business schools.
Designed to increase the effectiveness of business education in Pakistan, the conference brought together more than 100 deans and directors of national and international business schools to engage in strategic level discussions. The conference aimed at actualizing its anticipated outcomes that include developing policy and process recommendations for aligning business education with local and global needs; identifying actions to meet the emerging challenges in business education to make it more relevant for Pakistan; and, recommending policy framework and actions for quality improvements in different areas of business education.

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