THE ALLIANCE ON BUSINESS EDUCATION AND SCHOLARSHIP FOR TOMORROW, a 21st century organization (ABEST21)

The first of a series of Occasional Letters from the President's Desk


Greetings to all members of ABEST21!

I got back last week from chairing a most fruitful series of meetings in Shanghai attended by representatives of 15 MBA programs from 9 countries. The School of Management at Fudan University acted as splendid hosts and all of us who attended I am sure join me in thanking Dean Lu Xiongwen, Honorary Dean Zheng Zukang, Associate Dean Yin Zhiwen, Director of International Exchange Stephanie Xu and other members of the Fudan faculty and staff who worked so hard to make our stay in Shanghai enjoyable and productive.

ABEST21 News Letter No.1 (Dec. 1, 2007)
1. Approving two new members.
We have two new members:
School member: JAIMS, Shidler College of Business, University of Hawaii, USA
Affiliate member: .NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.


2. Establishing an official Business Accreditation Agency in Japan.
ABEST21's application as an official Business Accreditation Agency in Japan was approved on October 12, 2007 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of the Japanese Government ("MEXT"). ABEST21 had applied to MEXT based on ABEST21's decision approved at the ABEST21 Board Meeting on June 2, 2006 to seek formal status as an official Accreditation Agency in Japan.

3. Organizing Japan Division Accreditation Committee.
ABEST21 organized a Japan Division Accreditation Committee for Professional Business Schools in Japan under the direction of the ABEST21 Accreditation Committee.

4. Holding International Symposium on Joint Research Projects-1.
We decided to hold final results to be presented on "MBA Education and Quality Improvement System in Asian Countries" in Tokyo on March 7, 2008.

5. Implementing Joint Research Projects-2.
ABEST21 decided to implement Joint Research Projects beginning with "Comparative Analysis on Company Needs for Management Education in Business Schools in Asian-Pacific Countries." Vice President Oleg Vikhanskiy of Moscow State University was appointed as the person in charge of this ABEST21 Research Project. Preliminary results will be presented in Tokyo on March 7, 2008.

6. Implementing Joint Research Projects-3.
ABEST21 decided to implement "Comparative Analysis on Self-Evaluation in Management Education based on ABEST21 Business Standards in Asian-Pacific region" in order to deepen our mutual understanding on management education and improve our management education quality in our business schools. Preliminary results will be presented in Tokyo on March 7, 2008.

7. Establishing an ABEST21 Research Award.
We have established an ABEST21 Research Award for Ph.D. student research papers. Vice President Lu Xiongwen, Dean of the School of Management of Fudan University, will be the person in charge of the Research Award. We will commend outstanding papers at the General Assembly 2008 in Seoul.

8. Holding the ABEST21 Seminar 2008
The ABEST21 Seminar 2008 will be kindly hosted by Al Akhawayn University in Morocco.


Dates to keep in mind !

1. Board Meeting and ABEST21 Accreditation Committee to be held in Tokyo on March 6, 2008.

2. International Symposium of ABEST21 Research Projects to be held in Tokyo on March ７, 2008.

3. The 2008 General Assembly will be held in Seoul on June 13-14, 2008.

As we begin to move into the end-of-the-year season, please accept my best wishes for the holidays and for a most productive 2008 for all ABEST21 members and affiliates.

Sincerely,

Fumio Itoh, President, ABEST21