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The APMF has chronicled both through columns and our news items, the increasing rate of reform and opening up of China to business and the world. Concerns continue however, whether the educational sector, encompassing school, formal undergraduate and graduate education, continuing education and management and vocational development, is reflecting commercial trends. Certainly, Chinese education and research has emphasised science, engineering and technology. Yet at the same time "softer" but still key contributors to economic growth such as management education have suffered. The selection of article this week focus on China, but also include articles on education in East and South East Asia generally, and some international articles. There are some excellent articles on business education in China this week, as well as the first feature article that examines whether public sector reform is being left behind. Just as a reminder, you should note the Volume and Issue Number of the articles you are interested in before entering the database, as there is no search facility for the Journals of the Week - only browse facilities issue by issue are provided for the free download. Economic growth, institutional development and personal freedom: the educational needs of China Thomas Clarke Education + Training; 41: 6/7 1999; pp. 336-343, The transformation of the Chinese economy is underway, and the process of reform has facilitated a sustained increase in economic growth. However, the state-owned enterprise sector is being left behind by the dynamism of the other sectors of the economy. To sustain growth it is likely that further changes are necessary in the Chinese economy and society. The lessons of the Asian financial crisis are that economic progress can be halted without a commitment to the creation of independent institutions, and the individual freedoms necessary to promote entrepreneurship and innovation. The conservative social values of China, often promoted through the educational and training system, could act as a brake on the economic progress of the country.
Keywords: Economy, Growth, Innovation, Values
Management development in international companies in China A range of managerial styles are commonly found in foreign companies in China. Multiple factors influencing management development in China require attention owing to differences of management practices and cultural values across nations. This paper discusses the relationship between values systems and managerial styles among foreign and indigenous managers in China.
Keywords: Management styles, Cross-cultural management, Values, Management development,
China
To Change China Redux: a tale of two cities In the early 1980s, two ambitious projects were launched, with Western assistance, to bring the concepts of modern management, as it was known in the West, to Chinese managers. One of these initiatives was funded by the US Government, and was located in Dalian; the other was funded by the European Commission, and has evolved into China's leading business school in Shanghai. This paper describes the rationale behind these projects and compares and contrasts their experiences.
Keywords: China, Business schools, International business
The transfer of management knowledge to China: building learning communities rather than translating Western textbooks? The economic reforms in the People's Republic of China have begun to open up this very large market. However, a major impediment to quicker or more substantive growth has been the paucity of experienced Chinese managers. In response, there has been a very rapid growth in business and management education in China, especially in MBA education. Given that management as a discipline was not previously taught in China, much of the knowledge base for this education has been imported from the West. However, it is argued that the linear attempt to transfer explicit management knowledge from the West to China is based on false assumptions about the nature of knowledge and so is unlikely to be effective. Instead a community model of knowledge is presented, which suggests that there needs to be an interaction between Chinese and Western ideas, which will benefit all parties.
Keywords: Management, Management development, China, Education
The Chinese learner - a question of style This paper challenges any misconceptions that Westerners may have about Chinese learning styles by highlighting how the Chinese mind operates and why certain styles of learning are preferred by Chinese students. The author discusses some of the reasons for the over-emphasis on education for the Chinese overseas, how cultural values and beliefs have helped to shape Chinese thinking and how typical classroom behaviour has been developed over centuries of rote/repetitive learning. The problems that Western educators may face when teaching Chinese students is also considered, such as the lack of abstract thinking, constraints on behaviour caused by face, the over-emphasis on concrete examples, lack of creativity, and the need to compromise in group situations. The author suggests that further understanding is needed to unravel the mystery of the Chinese learner before Western educators can fully appreciate the different approaches to learning and design better educational programmes for Chinese students on management courses.
Keywords: China, National cultures, Learning styles, Students, Education
Towards integrated management decisions Recent textbook models for management decisions and our orientation of management education are still based on a reductionist, isolationist and linear paradigm. This paper, for stimulating a perception shift, introduces a systems-based approach. Drawing on a reconstruction of ancient Eastern wisdom, mainly Confucianism, the approach intends to integrate wuli (material-technical), shili (psycho-cognitive) and renli (social-political) elements, perspectives and patterns into a differentiated/interconnected whole, as the context, content and process of management decision. Decision making conducted as such may have the potential to facilitate complementary synergy among goal-seeking, cognitive-learning and relationship-maintaining approaches to management decision/education.
Keywords: Decision making, Management development, Goals, Learning, Integration,
Confucianism
Putting people at the heart of the learning process Describes IKEA's self-managed learning program. The company has a decentralized approach and its trading arm operates at national levels. The self-managed learning program was developed by the UK-based Roffrey Park Management Institute.
Keywords: Decentralization, Learning, Managers, Self-development, Self-managed learning
Small firms, big opportunities: the potential of careers for business graduates in SME's States that students graduating from US business schools need to be aware of the tremendous career opportunities being created by small and medium-sized firms. The modern business climate is enabling small firms to emerge and grow at a faster rate than large firms. Growing firms are important to the job market because they create advancement opportunities for their employees. Suggests that the business school graduate is wise to search for an employer who shows good prospects for growth and offers a working environment which satisfies his or her personal preferences. Students need to know the sources of job information relevant to small and medium-sized firms. They should also be cautioned to enter the job market with realistic expectations about how small firms will provide them with fulfilling work. Investigates recent career and small business research to profile the potential of careers in small firms.
Keywords: Business graduates, Careers, Small to medium-sized enterprises
The cost of vocational training Discusses the methodological issues in costing two common types of vocational training programmes: institutional vocational training and enterprise-based vocational training. Points out that the survey/interview approach should be used to collect data from institutions instead of from the government in costing institutional vocational training, and that more frequent use should be made of the case-study and survey methods in costing enterprise-based vocational training. Based on empirical studies on both developed and developing countries, analyses the costs of different types of vocational training programmes. Shows that training costs are influenced by such factors as the technology of training, teacher costs and their determinants, programme length, extent of wastage, extent of underutilization of training inputs and scale of operation. In general, vocational/technical education is more costly than academic programmes and pre-employment vocational training is more expensive than in-service training. Discusses the implications of these findings for training policies.
Keywords: Costing, Costs, Training costs, Vocational training
School effectiveness in East Asia: Concepts, origins and implications Identifies several features in East Asian schools which coincide with commonly recognized characteristics of effective schools in the Western literature: community support, teacher professionalism, attention to quality and high expectations. Attributes this to the East Asian culture and discusses three major dimensions of the East Asian culture: the individual-community dimension, the effort-ability dichotomy and the holistic-analytic tendency in analyses. Traces the origin of such cultural dimensions in the ancient literature and explores the implications of such cultural dimensions in school management. Briefly highlights two major challenges to the adoption of an effective schooling system in East Asia.
Keywords: Ability, East Asia, Effectiveness, Management, National cultures, Schools
Leadership and culture: Conceptual and methodological issues in
comparing models across cultural settings Notes that, while there have been periodic calls for comparative work in educational administration, few empirical studies have been designed specifically to compare principal leadership practices between contextual and cultural settings. Suggests that conducting such studies raises several conceptual and methodological problems with respect to underlying assumptions about knowledge, appropriate conceptualizations of principal leadership, and methods of inquiry. Proposes first to identify some of the salient conceptual and methodological issues involved in cross-cultural research, and then to explore and elaborate on these issues in greater detail by investigating principal leadership across two cultural settings.
Keywords: Education, Leadership, National cultures
Educational change in Southeast Asia: The challenge of creating learning systems Examines the rapidly changing context of educational change in Southeast Asia. In particular, it explores the impact of a changing global educational ideal, multiculturalism, and technological innovation on the purposes and practices of schooling in this region. Argues that the unprecedented pace and scope of change in the region require an approach to educational reform rather than simply the capacity to implement new reform policies. Discusses how the concept of a learning organization might inform the role of system leaders in fostering educational change in these rapidly developing nations.
Keywords: Education, Improvement, Leadership, Learning organizations, Redesign
Towards comparative educational administration: building the case for a cross-cultural school-based approach Promotes and justifies a stronger comparative emphasis in the study of educational administration and management. Addresses questions such as, why adopt a comparative approach to educational administration? Why ground a comparative approach in culture? and, why focus on school organisation, leadership and management as the baseline unit for comparison? In systematically addressing these questions, the paper begins by acknowledging that comparative educational administration has, at best, a weak knowledge base. It goes on to clarify the potential importance of a comparative dimension to the field, and in particular, a comparative approach reflecting a cross-cultural perspective. Finally, the paper briefly addresses a number of key issues which, it is argued, could inform initiatives to create a robust cross-cultural approach to comparative educational administration
Keywords: Cross-cultural management, National cultures, Schools
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