Singapore, 10 April 2019 (Wednesday) – The complex needs of business, government, and society must be addressed through multidisciplinary, dynamic, and impactful partnerships. Today, AACSB International (AACSB)—the world's largest business education network—recognised SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business among 21 business school collaborations as highlights of its 2019 Innovations That Inspire challenge.
An annual initiative, the challenge recognises institutions from around the world who serve as champions of change in the business education landscape. This year's focus emphasized co-creation of knowledge—one of five opportunities identified in AACSB's Collective Vision for Business Education. With research and thought leadership as a foundation, the highlighted institutions are engaging in a wide range of collaborative partnerships to support new curriculum, establish new products or services, and impact industry and government policy.
SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business was recognised for promoting impactful research through a series of internal efforts to encourage faculty to re-envision their research agendas within a framework of "Meaningful Impact" on the university and its stakeholders. Implementing the societal impact concept at the business school level was the next step in the idea's evolution. At its core, the innovation aims to reimagine business research to have societal impact, and to redesign the resourcing process to support this initiative. By placing the faculty at the center of a coordinated institutional infrastructure, business research can indeed generate meaningful impact. For details, please click here.
"It's wonderful that our business research is recognised as among the most inspiring internationally. We are making targeted efforts to catalyse the exchange of knowledge across disciplines and promote cross-pollination of ideas to address societal challenges. As a university, SMU actively engages industry, government and society to promote research with impact," said Professor Gerard George, Dean of SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business, and Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
"Business schools that engage across disciplines and with industry, inside and outside the traditional bounds of business and management, exemplify AACSB's vision for the future of business education," said Thomas R. Robinson, president and CEO of AACSB. "We are honored to recognise SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business as they lead by example—emphasising their own areas of expertise and embracing collaborative approaches—all while addressing critical issues to drive social change."
Now in its fourth year, the Innovations That Inspire challenge has highlighted more than 100 business school efforts that exemplify forward-looking approaches to education, research, community engagement or outreach, and leadership. To date, members of AACSB's Business Education Alliance have shared more than 800 innovations, creating a robust repository in AACSB's DataDirect system to inform and inspire fellow members and the industry.
For an overview of all featured innovations, visit aacsb.edu/innovations-that-inspire.
