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"TRYING TO FURTHER IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF BUSINESS
EDUCATION", TALIB KARIM
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Excerpts from an interview with Director Academics,
College of Business Management
By SHABBIR H. KAZMI
Aug 13 - 19, 2001
In a very short span of five years, College of
Business Management (CBM) has attained a position among the business
schools in Pakistan. It is not an expression but a reality evident
from the number of CBM graduates working in highly reputed local and
foreign companies in Pakistan, graduates joining overseas universities
for post graduate work and the award given by the Employers Federation
of Pakistan in recognition of CBM's contribution to the development of
human resources in Pakistan.
Research is top priority at CBM. The full fledged
research programme consist of : 1) every full time faculty member has
a contractual obligation to complete one major research study during a
year and 2) every optional course, in MBA programme, include a
research component. CBM also publishes business and policy analysis
journal, Pakistan Business Review. Strong emphasis on research and
establishment of Business Support Centre is based on its mission —
providing business leadership of the future. This is based on the
conviction that Pakistan's progress depends crucially upon the
contribution of professional managers by making 'Made in Pakistan'
products competitive in the global markets and developing its immense
domestic resource base.
One may say that the courses offered by CBM are not
substantively different from the courses taught at other business
schools. It is also a fact that some of the courses are taught only at
CBM. Its MBA-Health Services Administration programme is unique in
Pakistan. The programme is designed to develop technically competent
and socially sensitive managers for leadership roles in hospital,
health system management, pharmaceutical industry and population
programme. In this programme ten Business Core courses and four
Business Electives provide a sound management base as well as
specialization. The business base is complemented by four Core Health
Management courses and six Health Electives. A supervised Research
project of six credit hours provides students an opportunity to apply
curricular concepts and skills to problems in organizational setting.
CBM has extensive links with North American
universities. Professors from Arizona and Brock universities have
served as chief academic officers at CBM. Educators from the USA have
been invited to conduct courses and seminars in the areas of
marketing, MIS and human resource management.
CBM has already moved to its own campus and, at
present, its enrollment is over 900 students in wide range of graduate
and post graduate programmes. The programmes added recently are:
Masters in Computer Science (MCS), MBA in Marketing Communication and
MBA in Finance and MIS. We have ready launched the Centre for Economic
and Social Development (an intermediate college) to improve the
quality of students seeking admission at CBM for graduate studies.
This was based on our experience that students coming from different
colleges lack enough background and knowledge to pursue studies in
Business Management and IT.
Yet another addition is the establishment of a
Business Support Centre to provide services to small and medium
enterprises and government agencies in Sindh province. The services
being offered by the Centre include: providing accountancy, financial,
marketing and information management and consultancy services. The
Centre also undertakes research and policy analysis, organizes short
term tailor-made training programmes and conducts widely popular
testing services. The Centre has organized many seminars and
workshops. The recently provided services include: consultancy service
to Doha Bank on assets/liabilities management, recruitment test of
approximately 3,500 candidates for the posts of Assistant Divisional
Engineers in PTCL and recruitment test for approximately 50,000
candidates for primary school teachers for Education Department,
Government of Sindh.
In my personal capacity, and on behalf of
Foundation for Higher Education endorse the proposal for accreditation
of business schools in Pakistan. I strongly believe that the students
need the best possible education to make Pakistan a prosperous
country. In my views any one who wishes to establish an educational
institution must meet the basic criteria. These include: quality and
number of permanent faculty members, students faculty ratio, library
and research material, computer terminals and conducive environment
for learning. Students definitely need better environment to
concentrate on their studies. Quality of outgoing graduates is
directly dependent on the above mentioned parameters.
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