AAPBS

A call for greater collaboration amongst Asian business schools

In May 2001, deans from 17 business schools in Asia and Australia met at KAIST Graduate School of Management in Seoul to attend the "Workshop for Development and Collaboration of Asian Business Schools" where, with the foresight in recognizing the need for greater collaboration in business education amongst Asia-Pacific business schools, it was agreed that they would continue to meet regularly and on a more formal basis at the "Forum of Asian-Pacific Business Schools" (FoAPBS).

Developing "Global Managers, Global Leaders, Global Cooperation" in Asia-Pacific business schools

The Association of Asia-Pacific Business Schools (AAPBS) was formally established on October 17, 2004 when an inaugural committee of the Association Council was formed under the leadership of its founding president - Prof. Sung Joo Park (then Dean of Korea Advanced institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Graduate School of Management). The organizational infrastructure was carefully put in place, specifically the AAPBS Constitution, the backbone of the new entity.

Then, as today, the Association vowed to provide leadership and representation in order to advance the quality of business and management education in the Asia-Pacific region through collaboration in research and teaching, and working in partnership to improve business school standards and quality.

Taking the Lead

In the years that have followed, the AAPBS mission continues to be realized as Asia-Pacific has steadily grown in importance through the significant increase in population numbers, the share of global GDP and the portion of Asia-Pacific based global companies. At the same time the need for higher standards an increased level of cooperation from Asia-Pacific business and management education has grown.

In addition to its annual Academic Conference and Annual Meeting which are geared towards deans, AAPBS holds Case Workshops where faculty members from member business schools are encouraged to attend and share ideas, research and learn from each other. The Case Workshops underline the Association's emphasis on outreach and advocacy for regional collaboration around research and advancement of business education. Working Groups, consisting of AAPBS members, meet at least four times a year to deliver on such matters as Case Center, MBA Connection, Research, Cross-Cultural Leadership, Internship, Collaborative Curriculum and Membership. Working Group tasks and their resulting contributions are keys to the future growth and development of AAPBS.

In 2014, AAPBS proudly celebrated its successes and achievements at its 10th anniversary under the theme of the "Next decade of AAPBS: Asian values under globalization". The Association is looking forward to the exciting challenges and opportunities the next decade brings, as new directions are considered for the Association to follow, enhancing member value, increasing membership and generally looking at firmly establishing the Association not only in the Asia-Pacific but also globally.

With determination and dynamism, AAPBS will continue to lead the way in developing a solid paradigm for a regional business and management education model within a global context as its forges ahead into the future.