The Future of Business Education
When I started as an instructor in the University of the Philippines College of Business Administration 44 years ago I thought I would end my career in the academe. Fate intervened as well as good intentioned mentors like Dr. Jaime C. Laya, Prof. J. Antonio Aquenza, Prof. Gus de Leon and “backers” like former UP President Ed Angara, former BSP Gov. Gabby Singson, Menardo Jimenez, former DTI Secretaries Roy Navarro and Titoy Pardo that took me to administrative positions in UP (director for Resource Generation and UPISSI director) to government positions (consultant in the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, governor, then managing head and vicechairman of the Board of Investments, undersecretary of trade and industry and finally member of the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas). After my government retirement in 2005 at the age of 56, Don Emilio Yap harnessed me in his group of companies, especially in the Manila Bulletin and respected companies invited me to serve as independent director in their boards. Now, in addition to all these, I am dean of the School of Accountancy and Management of the Centro Escolar University, fulfilling my own prophecy (according to my wife) that I would end my long years of work in the academe, not working (as Dean Laya told me decades ago – when you enjoy what you are doing, it is not work) but sharing the little I have learned in all those years in the academe, government and the private sector.
In the University of the Philippines in the 70’s, no one taught us how to teach. We just used what we experienced as students, shed the ones we thought ineffective and added what we believed would help make our own students not only be better businessmen and managers but also better persons. Besides the case studies which initially were US based, until the college launched case writing projects of which I remember that of Dr. Emanuel V. Soriano as I was his assistant then, we gave the students a lot of assignments to interface and interact with business and industry. Later on, I introduced not a project feasibility study but actually getting my students to form groups and start a business. This was after I realized how necessary entrepreneurship was for the country’s development as well as my students own transformation to become not just managers but even entrepreneurs in a corporate setting. In business policy, I got them to come up with a five-year personal plan and decade’s later students would approach me to thank me and tell me how those plans helped them at an early phase of their careers.
Today, I see the increasing tendency for the academe to adjust their program offerings and content to meet the requirements of business and industry. As the specific needs of the “real world” accumulate, we witness the lessening of General Education courses in favor of technical and professional subjects. I am not sure whether this is a welcome development. A rapidly changing world will always generate new ideas, con- cepts and knowledge. Fields of specialization will sprout and then diverse to even more sub classifications until an overload of data and information occurs. Is there a need to get the students to know more or is the ability to discriminate and to generate knowledge more important? Is knowledge acquisition the end all or is it the ability to think critically, analyze and decide that the students should be equipped? Do we want to have better managers or is our task to have total and holistic human beings who know how to manage?
The learning sessions in the business curriculum should focus on developing graduates who have a global and societal view but can act locally. They should be aware of critical environmental and moral issues and have the courage and the discernment to act for the greater good. They should have the strength of convictions that will allow them to steer organizations in the path of good governance, accountability and transparency. They should have the inner strength to disagree with bosses without being disagreeable.
I still will go for the use of case studies and for mentors who can help the students navigate the moral, economic and business aspects of a case. I will push for better coordination between GE faculty and business faculty to arrive at a common integrated curriculum which will develop functioning citizens who are excellent managers and entrepreneurs. I will emphasize the ability to plan and implement whatever future they will encounter as well as the capacity to innovate and determine the desired future for their organizations, community and society. This is the business education needed for the future.
melito.jr@gmail.com