Best Business Schools In Europe, 2021 by The Knowledge Review

JULY 2021 | ISSUE - 03

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ALTIS is committed to developing new knowledge and contributing to the academic and policy

BEST BUSINESS

SCHOOLS IN

EUROPE

debate on a sustainable approach to entrepreneurship and management.

ALTIS

Università Cattolica School of Sustainable Management Shaping tomorrow’s Managers, Entrepreneurs, and Leaders

EDITOR’S NOTE

RISK, CARE, DREAM, AND EXPECT!

he word ‘business’ has become ubiquitous in this world. In the basest sense, business is the exchange of goods or services with a profit motive. Hence, a majority of our wants are satisfied only one or another form of business. M. J. Jucius and G. R. Terry in their ‘Introduction to Business’ say, “what is gained depends on one’s objectives, interests and curiosity.” “Business has the capacity to satisfy almost any ambition one may have. It is extensive, subject to man’s manipulation and is made up of many different types of work performed by many different types of people,” they added. Therefore, the comprehension of business serves a multitude of society’s interests. After all, this is how the wheel of economies revolves; this is the medium through which nations prosper; and not an evil force which exploits the consumers, as many would have you believe. But this is a new world. A world where a poorly worded tweet from a political leader can incite panic and threats of military action is the kind of uncertain dwelling we are living in today. And there are many more decisions made by people in authoritative roles, even if they don’t make it to the morning headlines, that bear great consequences. In this world

and in every other, the importance of good leadership is something that cannot be understated. It is a matter of utmost austerity. A leadership role in business requires expertise or comprehension of a vast array of disciplines and proﬁciency over a variety of competencies. The title of this editor’s note, which is a quote by Derek Davis- “Risk, care, dream, and expect”, encapsulates the role of business leadership splendidly. Business schools play an important role in developing responsible future leaders. In order to do so, ﬁrstly, they need to be innovative with what and how they teach, and how they govern. Secondly, they need to stay relevant to the current trends and practices when it comes to impactful teaching, research, and employability. Thirdly, they need to be mindful of accreditation from the right bodies and of accessibility. Lastly, their most important role is of developing the business acumen in the minds of young aspirants. In this edition of The Knowledge Review magazine - ‘Best Business Schools in Europe, 2021’, we are honoured to

showcase some of the inspiring business schools across Europe which are fulﬁlling the aforementioned duties of business schools whilst inﬂuencing the business trends of this great continent, if not, the world. It is an exciting time in the world right now. So have an exciting time reading through this edition. Happy Reading!

T R

e l a m U Aditya

Aditya Umale

adityaumale@insightssuccess.com

CoverStory

ALTIS Università Cattolica

School of Sustainable Management Shaping tomorrow’s Managers, Entrepreneurs, and Leaders

Rethinking Pedagogy

Has the emphasis on examination undermined natural learning?

Articles 22

European Insights

EdTech Sector in Europe

CXO Technology Vs Books “Let the window be open and let the light come”

C O N T E N T S

Department of Business Administration, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid The Unorthodox Training Grounds of Business Innovators

FOM University of Economics and Management Training the Next Generation of Technocrats

ISG - International Business School Facilitating International Business Programs Dynamically

JULY, 2021 sales@insightssuccess.com

People behind this edition

Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar

Managing Editor Aditya Umale

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Contributing Writers Abhishaj, Vinayak Assisting Editor Darshan, Sayali

Art & Design Head Priyanka Rajage

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BEST BUSINESS

SCHOOLS IN

EUROPE

URL

Brief

https://altis.unicatt.it/

ALTIS is a breeding ground for minds and innovative ideas, where academics, professionals, entrepreneurs and managers, as well as talented youths, meet and debate turning managerial culture for sustainable development and impact entrepreneurship into reality.

https://www.euruni.edu/

Established in 1973, EU Business School (EU) is an international, professionally accredited, highranking business school with campuses in Barcelona, Geneva, Montreux, Munich and online.

IEDC-Bled School of Management

https://www.iedc.si/

The IEDC–Bled School of Management, founded in 1986 as the rst business school of its type in Central and Eastern Europe, is one of the leading international management development institutions in Europe.

ISG Business School

https://www.isg.fr/ campus/paris

ISG Business School’s active didactics, ingrained in issues facing today’s companies, train students to become responsible, innovative and entreprising managers capable of advancing on an international level.

Leeds Business School, Leeds Metropolitan University

https://www.leedsbeckett.ac. uk/leeds-business-school/

Leeds Business School provides its students with excellent technical facilities and the opportunity to build important relationships with established businesses across the industry.

Stockholm Business School (SBS), Stockholm University

https://www.su.se/foretagse konomiska-institutionen/

Stockholm Business School offers undergraduate and advanced level education in two subjects, business administration and advertising and public relations.

Stockholm School of Economics

https://www.hhs.se/

The Stockholm School of Economics is an academic hub for ambitious students and researchers from all over the world. By working closely with corporate partners and society at large, SSE has been creating opportunities for its graduates for over 100 years.

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

https://www.uc3m.es/conocenos /campus/campus-getafe

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid is dedicated to its mission of contributing to the improvement of society through teaching of the highest quality and cutting-edge research.

University of Applied Sciences for Economics and Management

https://www.fom.de/hochschul zentren/studium-in-essen.html

FOM University of Applied Sciences offers prospective students numerous ways to gain a university degree while they continue to work.

https://www.univer.kharkov.ua/en

V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University is a leading Ukrainian research and educational institution with a 216-year history.

Name of the Institution ALTIS – Graduate School Business & Society

EU Business School, Barcelona

V.N. Karazin Kharkov National University Business School

C O V E R S T O R Y

ALTIS is committed to creating plenty of learning and networking opportunities aimed at associating two concepts: 'social and environmental sustainability' and ‘competitive advantage’

Università Cattolica School of Sustainable Management

he role of philosophy of education, for professional educators, is that they have to know all along the way the big picture or the end goal that the students have to work towards so that they can guide them through the process before turning them loose in the world. As educators, you would want the students to do particular things that make their lives meaningful and significant. As fellow humans, you would want the students to understand their lives in a philosophical way and how they fit into the big picture. ALTIS is the School of Sustainable Management of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, one of the most prestigious Italian universities – with five campuses across the country and a 100-year history – as well as the largest Catholic university in Europe. The Milan, Italy-based ALTIS Università Cattolica School of Sustainable Management was conceived by

ALTIS is committed to keep growing in accordance with its mission: promoting entrepreneurship and management for a sustainable development

Best Business Schools in Europe Professor Mario Molteni and the former Rector, Professor Lorenzo Ornaghi, with the philosophy that schools and institutions should take the charge in reshaping the society. The school stemmed from this historical institution in the early 2000s, focusing on responsible management and entrepreneurship. The values of sustainability, business ethics and social and environmental responsibility are disseminated through a combination of training programmes (Masters’ and short courses), avant-garde research activity and consultancy services. ALTIS is committed to developing new knowledge and contributing to the academic and policy debate on a sustainable approach to entrepreneurship and management. Its final goal is to promote the full integration of principles of shared value creation and impact measurement in the strategies, governance and management of profit and nonprofit organisations, as well as in the public sector. The notion of CSR (corporate social responsibility) dates back to the mid-20th century, but it recently became relevant to companies. The European Union acknowledged this concept in 1993, by publishing the “White Paper on growth, competitiveness, and employment”. The importance of sustainable development was also affirmed during Lisbon’s European Council in 2000, and shortly after it was included in the agenda of the EU Member States. One of the early adopters was Italy, which has actively implemented the EU’s guidelines on sustainability since 2003. The School was established in those very years when Italian companies still lacked a thorough understanding of what sustainability was and why it was essential for their business and the wellbeing of their territory and communities. For this reason, ALTIS is committed to creating plenty of learning and networking opportunities aimed at associating two concepts: then said ‘social and environmental sustainability’ and ‘competitive advantage’. It stressed the importance of measuring the impacts of a business as a way to better evaluate its outcomes and optimise the inner workings, focusing on the creation of shared value and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders (from the suppliers to the final customers or clients). That was the core concept of the first training programme ever designed by the School: the executive course Professione CSR (literally, “the profession of CSR”), which

later changed its name into Professione Sostenibilità. The recent shift onto the term “sustainability”, is due to the fact that what is associated with sustainable practices is gradually changing and expanding from the corporate world into other sectors and realms of meaning. Through this course, several hundreds of managers have been trained and taught how to integrate sustainability into their companies’ mission, vision and corporate strategies. Being the Trendsetters Looking back, resistance to change was one of the biggest challenges that the School had to face in its early days, and it still is in some regards. Traditional business thinking continues to prevail on innovation-oriented approaches in many Italian sectors of economic activity. However, more and more Italian companies have been integrating the principles of sustainability into their mission, vision and corporate strategies, and ALTIS contributed largely to this process. Over the years, thanks to the prestigious name of the Università Cattolica and the progressive creation of a solid team of professionals, ALTIS has been acknowledged as a reference point for those who want to learn about sustainability and receive qualified guidance on how to implement its principles. ALTIS’ areas of activity (Research - Education Consulting) are developed with an approach of crossfertilisation: researchers, lecturers and consultants collaborate to keep the content of papers, courses and consultancy projects up-to-date and close to the real needs of its beneficiaries and the markets. For example, the School has been one of the first academic institutions in Italy to focus on sustainable finance. ALTIS’ researchers have been monitoring the developments of this phenomenon that has been gaining interest in Europe, as confirmed by the steady growth of sustainable investments (green, climate, social and sustainability bonds) and the recent regulations passed by the institutions of the European Union, which are laying the foundations for a Green Bond Standard – a taxonomy for sustainable activities, and rules on sustainability-related disclosure. In response to this new trend, the School added to its curriculum some training programmes meant to provide new competencies for a changing world, such as an ‘executive course’ in sustainable finance for professionals and Italy’s first “Master’s in Finance” with a specific focus on sustainable finance.

Moreover, the consultancy team began offering services for financial institutions and investors that need guidance to effectively integrate ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) criteria in the investment choices and define impact investing strategies, as well as for big corporations and SMEs that need to measure and report social, environmental, and governance-related performances to improve their ESG rating and become more attractive to investors. The Academic Rollout Regarding the education area, ALTIS offers a growing number of post-graduate Masters, MBAs, and training programmes addressed to a variety of beneficiaries: executives from public administrations and non-profit organisations, companies, and schools. All of them impart to various extents valuable notions and practices of corporate responsibility, and economic, environmental and social sustainability. Some are more traditional, such as the Executive Course in Management Control or the Executive Master’s in Strategic Development of SMEs. However, they update their contents regularly in accordance with the latest trends and market needs and introduce

notions of sustainability in professions that are generally considered untouched by it, as in the case of controllers and auditors. Other programmes address the need for new professional figures, such as the aforementioned Executive Course Professione Sostenibilità, or the Executive MBA that combines managerial skills with a sustainability mindset, and the Master’s in Sustainable Business Administration or the above-mentioned Master’s in Sustainable Finance, both of which integrate sustainability principles in all teachings. The teaching language is Italian; however, the School’s curriculum includes an international programme that is taught entirely in English – the Master’s in Strategic Management for Global Business, which provides the students with the ability to identify the strategic drivers of long-term success of a company, recognize the challenges and opportunities of the international economy, and turn them into sound, innovative, and sustainable business opportunities. (altis.unicatt.it/smgb) Thanks to the synergy among the three areas of activity, the students also benefit from both a theoretical and practical perspective on their specific field of study. They may meet

The values of sustainability,

usiness ethics and social and

nvironmental responsibility are disseminated through a combination of training

programmes (Masters’ and

short courses), avant-garde research activity and consultancy services managers and experts from leading corporations, gain first-hand experience by working on tailor-made consultancy projects for real companies, as well as keep an eye on the avant-garde findings of national and foreign academicians, for example, by participating in seminars and events organised by the university, or even international conferences, such as the Internal Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC) that will be co-hosted by ALTIS in September 2021.

On the other hand, organisations may access a selected pool of talents, co-create projects and events, and support the realisation of customised researches with a practical application. Crafting a positive change environment As it creates a positive environment that encourages the exchange of best practices and nurtures the entrepreneurial spirit, over the years ALTIS has activated initiatives and projects that later became fully independent. An example is the E4Impact Foundation: it all started with a training programme for African impact entrepreneurs, that took place in Rome in 2005. To have an even greater impact on the African entrepreneurial ecosystem, in 2010, the programme was moved to Africa: the first MBA in ‘Impact Entrepreneurship’ was inaugurated at the Tangaza University College in Kenya. Over the following years, due to the success of the first on-site editions, similar MBAs were started in other countries of the continent, in partnership with local higher education institutions (https://e4impact.org/). In 2015, the project turned into an independent Foundation that organises MBAs in collaboration with universities located in 16 African countries, and also supports Italian companies that are looking into expanding their business in the continent. In 2018, the E4Impact Foundation launched a ‘business accelerator’ in Nairobi, through funding support

ALTIS offers a growing number of post-graduate Masters, MBAs, and training programmes addressed to a variety of beneficiaries: executives from public administrations and non-profit organisations, companies and schools

from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and ENI – the multinational oil and gas company. The accelerator provides new businesses in Africa with training, connections with local investors and international companies, seed funding, ICT and satellite communication services, and office space. Around 40 enterprises have been accelerated and five have started working with Italian or European companies. Overall, the programme has raised about 1.30 million euros of investments. Another instance of a successful initiative is the CSR Manager Network, the first community of sustainability managers in Italy that was kick-started with the students of the ALTIS’ long-running training programme addressed to sustainability professionals (Professione Sostenibilità), at a time when this was not a recognised profession and there was not an official framework regarding their duties, competencies and position in the company’s organizational chart. In continuity with this effort, in 2021 the Network along with ALTIS inaugurated a collaboration with the UNI Ente Italiano di Normazione – the Italian organisation for standardisation, to create a national standard on the requirements for the profession and thus achieve its institutionalisation.

strengthened with the creation of the “E4Impact Alliance”. Launched in 2019, it is an initiative aimed at creating the largest pan-African community of universities with a recognized brand that promotes impact entrepreneurship across the continent and beyond. Moreover, ALTIS enjoys the membership status in many renowned associations that promote research, training, and advocacy activities aimed at guiding people and businesses towards a model for a sustainable society. Some examples are: Association for Research on Non-profit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA), European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), Global Network for Corporate Citizenship (GNCC), International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR), Non-profit Academic Centers Council (N.A.C.C.), Principle For Responsible Management Education (PRME), Global Compact, The Academy of Business in Society (ABIS) and Social Value Italia - the association that promotes social impact measurement.

The Network is under ALTIS’ Scientific Direction and is strongly committed to raising awareness on the professions of sustainability and strengthening the ties among this category of professionals and other companies and organisations, through events, research and networking opportunities. Since 2005, the School has contributed to the dissemination of principles for a sustainability mindset within the current generation of Italian managers and professionals. UNI – Ente Italiano di Nomerazoine had recognized the training programme “Professione sostenibilità” as the Italian course which can adequately train sustainability managers. International partnerships ALTIS has also formed several partnerships based on mutual exchange of knowledge and best practices. Today, its extensive network counts numerous SMEs as well as multinational companies such as Allianz, AON, Danone, EY, KPMG, Medtronic, Randstad, Samsung, and Vodafone. It also collaborates with many higher education institutions, in Italy and abroad, which allowed its PhD candidates and researchers to access fellowships and new research opportunities. Through the E4Impact Foundation, it has built relationships within almost all African countries,

Endowing responsibility through education across the world ALTIS was born with an international vocation, and since its early days, launched international projects in other continents as well. It exported the Italian entrepreneurial model, and especially the best practices from its industrial clusters, to foreign countries, with the support of local organisations to reach out to entrepreneurs of SMEs. In the effort of facilitating knowledge transfer, it has designed and executed custom training programmes in America (Brazil, Mexico and Peru), Eastern Europe (Albania), the Middle East (notably Bethany, less than two miles from Jerusalem), and Asia (Myanmar, Pakistan and India). One of the longest-running collaborations is the one with the SEBRAE network, the main organisation promoting competitiveness and sustainable development among local SMEs in Brazil. It all started in 2005, with a small training programme on “Innovative policies for the development of industrial districts”, which paved the way to other courses for top and middle managers in the south of Brazil and annual visits to the top-tier companies of the industrial districts in the North of Italy. Empowering individuals and organisations Other than sustainable finance, the School’s collaborators hold academic and practical expertise in various areas of sustainability, such as strategic sustainable management,

social impact measurement and non-financial reporting, enterprise competitiveness, social innovation and impact entrepreneurship. The beneficiaries belong to different sectors, ranging from the public administration and large institutions to private companies, non-profit organisations and schools. The work is based on principles of continuous innovation and knowledge transfer: it is not limited to teaching notions and skills, but strives to empower those who embark on this journey, by making them fully autonomous and competent on the matter by the end of it. For these reasons, ALTIS generates a real impact on individuals and organisations, who, in turn, become ambassadors of the principles of corporate responsibility and sustainable management. The Indomitable Leader committed to Transformation The idea at the basis of ALTIS, a ‘school of sustainable management’, was conceived by Professor Mario Molteni in the early 2000s. At that time, CSR was just beginning to raise interest in Italy, in the wake of the international debate. “With ALTIS,” explains Molteni, “we made a bet on the fact that CSR represented a key challenge to foster the development of a fairer and more equitable society. Today, the growing attention and the economic and political actions towards sustainability prove that we had a good intuition.” Professor Molteni is a Full Professor of ‘corporate strategy’ at the Università Cattolica. He has dedicated his academic career to combine corporate strategy and sustainability. In the 1990s, he was the Director of ISVI (Institute for Business Values), which he led until 2008. In the meantime, within the academic environment, he laid the foundations of ALTIS and promoted the creation of the CSR Manager Network – the Italian Association for sustainability managers and professionals. In 2015, he handed over the role of ALTIS’ Director to Professor Vito Moramarco, in order to focus entirely on E4Impact, a project created inside ALTIS to foster impact entrepreneurship in Africa. The initiative later became a Foundation, acknowledged as an official spin-off of the Università Cattolica, and received the support of a group of primary Italian corporations.

Professor Mario Molteni’s commitment and his extensive list of publications on corporate strategy, entrepreneurship, and CSR have inspired many young academicians and students to further pursue the study of such topics

Professor Mario Molteni Founder

Because of his commitment to empowering African impact entrepreneurs through the training programmes developed by the E4Impact Foundation, he was nominated ‘Senior Ashoka Fellow’ in 2015. As stated in the reasons for the award, Professor Molteni launched this initiative because he realised that: “a dynamic entrepreneurial system is fundamental to sustain the economies of Africa, particularly due to the significant role that entrepreneurs play in the job creation process. Moreover, institutions of higher learning have a critical role to play in developing such entrepreneurial systems, particularly through training of local entrepreneurs,” as he explains. The ALTIS-E4Impact’s MBAs are full-fledged university degree programmes of the Università Cattolica offered in partnership with African universities. Through such partnerships, these local institutions become as competitive as their international counterparts and are able to attract the country’s brightest minds, thus reducing the ‘brain drain’ and training new entrepreneurs who may come up with businesses that address the most pressing issues, such as youth unemployment (https://e4impact.org/). Molteni’s commitment and his extensive list of publications on corporate strategy, entrepreneurship, and CSR have inspired many young academicians and students to further pursue the study of such topics. Adapting to uncertainty The School’s resilience and adaptability were of great relevance at the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a matter of days, academic tutors and professors rearranged their calendars and turned a part of their teachings into videos or live streaming lessons. Meanwhile, the Università Cattolica reinforced its digital tools, to guarantee access to a virtual classroom to all students. The first tool is Blackboard – the university’s Learning System Management (LMS) platform, which gives access to videos, study materials and a forum for discussions. The second is Collaborate, a tool for interactive lectures. Moreover, the students were warmly invited to regularly hold online study sessions and meetings to work on their group projects. Thanks to these tools, the university has created ‘a virtual classroom as wide as the country’, which keeps the students united, although at a distance. In the past months, they have been sharing on social media their everyday life and this strengthened their sense of belonging to the university’s community. ALTIS’ personnel quickly shifted to a fully

Vito Moramarco Current Director remote working style, and have been seamlessly managing the everyday activities. Since the start of the pandemic in February 2020, the School launched new online-only courses, welcomed incoming students remotely, celebrated digitally their graduations and inaugurated a series of webinars that have been giving access to its expertise and values to a larger public, reaching also those who could never attend on-site events before the lockdowns. At ALTIS, everyone is eagerly waiting to return to the campus and resume in-person attendance, which is still considered to be the best learning method. However, the past year represented a valuable opportunity to its people: it allowed them to reflect once more on the School’s role and improve the way they conduct researches, train students, and support companies and organisations, even remotely. A commitment to Sustainable Education ALTIS is committed to keeping growing in accordance with its mission: promoting entrepreneurship and management for sustainable development. In shaping tomorrow’s managers and entrepreneurs, it contributes to creating a generation of people that will bring forth this vision and integrate it into the organisations and societies in which they will operate. As for education, it will keep designing training programmes focused on sustainability, to promote its

integration in various economic sectors and provide its students with sound managerial skills enriched with a vision and approach that values social impact and social responsibility. In 2022, it will expand its offer for executives and launch new programmes on sustainable finance, sustainable business administration, and circular economy, as well as courses focused on the practical implementation of sustainable policies in a company. Regarding aspects of research, the researchers will develop new tools and methodologies to measure social impact, and will keep analysing the relationship between stakeholder engagement and business performance, and identifying the drivers of growth and the creation of value for a company. New partnerships will be created with national and international institutions, to provide novel research opportunities, exchange best practices and findings, and amplify the reach of its publications. Moreover, the ‘consulting area’ will keep expanding its expertise and hone the skills of its youngest consultants. The consultancy team plans to collaborate with more companies and organisations, with a specific focus on SMEs, thus reaching the entrepreneurs that constitute Italy’s economic backbone: more than 90% of Italian companies fit in this category. It most certainly will keep transferring tools and knowledge through consultancy projects, events or training programmes, with an open-minded approach and a drive for innovation, in Italy and abroad. A few years ago, the E4Impact Foundation announced that it will have created a portfolio of MBA entrepreneurship programmes in 20 African countries by 2023, leading an ever-greater impact on the continent in terms of

entrepreneurs trained, new enterprises launched, and new jobs created in the formal economy. Today, the Foundation works in 16 countries and its team is determined to reach the goal by the deadline, yet it might even exceed the expectations. Empowering learners with a bold vision In the future, sustainability is going to be an even greater priority than it is now: it is necessary for the development of a fairer and more responsible economy and a society. In this, the interaction and collaboration among different sectors are of paramount importance. Non-profit organisations have a clear understanding of the value of a development model that takes into consideration the wellbeing of an individual and the society during policymaking, as opposed to a model where such issues are considered only as a remedial action after impactful decisions were made. They generally have a strong purpose but lack the expertise and managerial skills of the corporate world. The new generation of entrepreneurs need to learn from both dimensions, up to the point of being able to balance economic success and social and environmental impact. Doing business cannot disregard anymore the needs of customers and clients, their claims for greater transparency or a more sustainable supply chain. The consequence is that even corporate innovation takes on a “social” perspective and is now aimed at developing solutions to today’s issues, through technological advancement, knowledge transfer, organisational reforms and empowerment of individuals. This is how companies can harmoniously coexist with a community and its territory, thus bringing forth benefits for both parts.

Alumni Testimonials From the Master’s in Strategic Management for Global Business

Through the Master’s in SMGB I have learned the technical aspects of finance and marketing and how to manage a business from every point of view. I also experienced what it means to work as a team in a multicultural, international environment. I would recommend it for the entrepreneurial perspective and focus, and also the multidisciplinary approach. -Riccardo, Italy I wanted to create a start-up in Turkey. At ALTIS, I learned how to write a business plan, manage risks and be a leader. By sharing this experience with students from other countries, I realised that localising products and services is vital, and that a business must take into consideration the distinctive characteristics of each country and region before stepping into -Can, Turkey

their markets.

I came to ALTIS because I wanted to add a cultural dimension to my educational journey. Milan is an amazing place to study and learn, because of its people, culture and food. The people that the Master brings together in one classroom is very rich and heterogeneous. The fact that out of 20 students we had 11 nationalities is an outstanding record on its own. -Vanida, Thailand Towards the end of the Masters, I did an internship in Ratti, Gruppo Marzotto, the biggest textile company in Europe. I was asked to do market research, focusing on South and Central America. I could get first-hand experience in a real company, and apply the teachings of marketing and project management. -Federico, Colombia

While attending the Master’s, I have had many ideas on improvements and changes that could be applied to my family business. For this reason, my final project was a new business plan for my family’s company. Among other things, I plan to implement an educational programme addressed to our employees -Aleksandra, Serbia

Rethinking Pedagogy

Has the

emphasis on

examination undermined natural learning?

aydream with me for a moment as I imagine my ideal classroom. A classroom ﬁtted with big windows and occupied by – not rows of crowded desks placed against the wall with just enough space in between for students to reach them – but upright chairs placed in a circle. An arrangement that announces that this is a room for the exchange of ideas and open discussion. The students enter and take their preferred seats, followed by the teacher who doesn’t bring out his big books of things to teach and sits in the circle with the students. With wonder

22 | July 2021

in his eyes, the teacher sparks a question: “Does language eﬀect the way we think?” Debate breaks out immediately! Students on both sides of the discussion lay their points out and others dissect them. The teacher interjects occasionally asking for clariﬁcation on some of the points or asks the class to put more thought or consideration to a point made by a student. After a lively discussion, things start to calm down a little and the teacher separates the essential and

www.theknowledgereview.com | 23

nonessential points. The teacher then asks students to read extracts from the works of Steven Pinker on the same topic. This stimulates further discussion and debate.

The need to strike a balance between examination-centred pedagogies and curiosity-driven learning is more prominent now than ever before.

The atmosphere of the class is relaxed, collaborative, engaging, and – most importantly – fun! Learning is driven by curiosity and personal interest. Students’ minds are engaged in the whole learning process, they have a stake in it. The teacher acts a just a purveyor of information and a curator of ideas.

A faculty representative of the Department of Business Administration, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M), stated: “Exams do not directly interfere with the natural learning. Our institution combines both successfully. The UC3M teaching model is based on continuous assessment, so it continuously assesses student’s eﬀort, active participation in cases and research paper discussions, teamwork projects, exercises, virtual simulation games, and other practices. In that way, the grade of continuous work accounts for a minimum of 40% in each course; and the ﬁnal exam no more than a 60% in any subject. This changes the way that students manage their learning process.”

This is what my ideal classroom would look like. But the dejecting reality is that most of the classrooms are shaped to serve a different goal entirely. For a multitude of teachers and students the classroom experience is designed, down to the very last detail, by the requirement to prepare for examinations. Many educators and stakeholders in the education sector have been raising concern about the exam-driven classroom practices. Klaus Dieter Braun, Founder and General Manager of FOM University of Economics and Management (FOM) voiced his disillusionment with the factory, rote-formulaic study pedagogies stating, “As long as the exams represent a mere snapshot of memorised knowledge, they are no guarantee of sustainable empowerment on the labour market. For this reason, the number of examinations at FOM have been reduced and replaced by other examination formats such as project work, homework, presentations, and transfer assessments in order to promote a deeper engagement with the learning material and a transfer to professional practice.” “The sustainability of learning is to be ensured, which is why FOM University works with the concept of transfer didactics and with the concept of ‘design thinking’, which enables students to find their own solutions,” Klaus Dieter Braun added. Examinations need not directly affect the learning process. The devil is in the detail you see. In some cases, it is the over obsession with standardised tests that interferes with the development of the learner’s psyche. In some cases, parents place more emphasis on marks and results than is warranted.

24 | July 2021

They say that work culture is a rat race. If that is the case then education, for many, is turning into a rat triathlon. Today students are mainly worried about pleasing their teachers and scoring high on tests that may prove to be irrelevant in a few years. This, many would agree, is not an inspiring vision for the future of the education sector. The time for change from within is now. The education sector needs to evolve into something approximating a version of it that the learners ﬁnd engaging, enthralling and challenging enough, rather than something that is mundane, repetitive, and out-of-sync of the modern world.

- Aditya Umale

Department of Business Administration

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid The Unorthodox Training Grounds of Business Innovators

usiness plays a crucial role in the development and economy of any country. Businesses drive employment, production of goods and services, and lay the foundation for alliances between nations. To run businesses, we need people with the right acumen and skillsets who can drive the growth of industries, and hence, the economies.

educational institutions that are committed to developing competent and knowledgeable business leaders whilst backing their studies with appropriate research and experience and understanding of current market dynamics. In a nutshell, we need institutions like the Department of Business Administration, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.

Business administrators are proving to be more and more important by the day. Engineers innovate, creators generate ideas and give birth to new products, but the job of ensuring that this product is the best possible ﬁt for the market requires people who understand how business processes and capturing markets work. And to train people who aspire to thrive in the everevolving business sphere, we need

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M, henceforth) is a public university, providing innovative teaching of the highest quality and focused primarily on research. It has been consistently ranked among the top institutions in Europe according to the several rankings: 35th worldwide and 16th in Europe, on QS Top 50 Under 50 2020 Ranking; and ranked third in economics and management,

26 | July 2021

ﬁelds in which it appears among the Top 200 universities in the world according to the 'Shanghai Ranking' 2020. Department of Business Administration, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Business-UC3M) is the largest department of the university and consists of four areas of knowledge (accounting, ﬁnance, management, and marketing). It is a research-oriented department that aims to compete at the international level with the best business departments and business schools in Europe. As a key reference, in the business school ranking of UT Dallas, only IESE and IE rank better than BusinessUC3M in Spain, and Business-UC3M ranks between the position 20 and 35

Best Business Schools in Europe for European institutions, depending on the year and the area. The university's faculty members have published in the leading journals in the four areas: The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting and Economics, Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Financial Economics, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science, Management Science, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research and Marketing Science. Business-UC3M is committed to diversity. Around half of the faculty members are women, around one third are not Spanish, and around one third hold PhDs from international institutions (some as prestigious as MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, Stanford, or NYU). Business-UC3M uses its excellence in research to excel as well in education (research-driven education), oﬀering a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs covering all functional business areas: Accounting, Finance, Management, and Marketing. Business-UC3M is the only public Spanish university that is AACSB, AMBA and ACCA accredited. Through excellence in research and education, the institute aims to contribute to society, educating thousands of undergraduate and graduate students.

The Academic Rollout UC3M-Business' USP is researchpremium education in all business domains at value prices, combined with social and cultural values that promote students' integration into society. It is also the most international university in Spain. The business department is traditionally very strong in quantitative research domains, developing research in ﬁnance, quantitative marketing, management (innovation and research policies, CSR, human resource management, marketing management, operations, entrepreneurship, family ﬁrms), and accounting. Additionally, the university also has a group of behavioural researchers publishing in the leading management and applied psychology journals. The department has grown internationally, balancing the development of all areas, and fostering cross-fertilization between its constituent areas. Most of the teaching (almost 80%) is in English, with degrees taught 100% in English, and others combining courses in Spanish and in English. The students

We see ourselves as one of the top business schools in Europe, producing cutting-edge research and transferring our research to society

Mission Statement: UC3M's mission is to contribute to the improvement of society through teaching of the highest quality and cutting-edge research in line with stringent international standards. The university aspires to excel in all its activities, with the aim of becoming one of the top universities in Europe.

www.theknowledgereview.com | 27

are highly international, especially in graduate programmes. The faculty has also developed innovative teaching tools, such as virtual business games. The Business-UC3M offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs covering all functional business areas: accounting, finance, management, and marketing. UC3M is widely recognized by society at large as the leading university in business administration in Spain. Three basic indicators show this: UC3M is among the 50 best European universities in teaching excellence, according to the 2019 The Teaching ranking; Ÿ Business-UC3M is #1 in the ranking in all the business degrees that they consider: business administration, finance and accounting, and the double degree in 'law and business administration'. Its degrees have the highest entry marks in the country; Ÿ Business-UC3M is the only Spanish public university that is AACSB accredited, and the only accredited by AMBA. Its degree in Finance and Accounting was the first (and among the very few) degrees in the country to be Ÿ

28 | July 2021

accredited by an international accounting body (ACCA).

UC3M's mission is to contribute to the improvement of society through teaching of the highest quality and cutting-edge research in line with stringent international standards

Training the Business Acumen The business faculty have fruitfully exploited collaboration opportunities with professors from their polytechnic school, through the Big Data Institute. The university offers other avenues, such as the UC3M Science Park to nurture start-ups. In the last few years, 34 spin‐offs have been created, most of them by university students and teaching staff. The university has a strategic business start‐up program in its technology‐based business incubator. From an educational point of view, the university also collaborates with technological areas. It has recently introduced a new bachelor's degree, Bachelor's in management and technology, to foster innovative

technological management. The institute also oﬀers a dual bachelor's in business administration and IT. Standing Apart The students generally describe it as a lifetime event. Madrid is a vibrant cosmopolitan city in Western Europe with nice Mediterranean weather, and well-connected to all relevant cities in the country and in Europe. The institute has a massive turnout of international exchange students, allowing students to exchange ideas with multiple cultures, mostly from central, south, and North America, and Europe, oﬀering unique networking opportunities. UC3M is also starting to attract students from Asia.

said one of the senior faculty members of UC3M. "Quantitative tools are a stronghold of the business faculty, and the business department degrees and masters oﬀer research-premium education in all business domains," he added. The EdTech Adaption The faculty traditionally used online

resources; they have a school providing professional education based on online systems, so they were naturally well equipped for the new context. As soon as the pandemic lockdowns started, all courses were moved to online systems and the teaching activity was quickly adapted to teach online in Spring 2020.

"Our students enjoy the interaction with faculty members who are carrying out cutting-edge research, and research-driven teaching/education,"

However, given the massive volume of online courses, the university acquired supplementary platforms (Blackboard Collaborate, Wooclap, Kaltura, and several digital blackboard applications), and invested in hardware resources to teach mixed online-oﬄine classes (Smart Podium digital boards, and classroom video systems allowing remote students to connect with the classroom) for the course 2020-2021. To Inﬁnity and Beyond… “We see ourselves as one of the top business schools in Europe, producing cutting-edge research and transferring our research to society,” concluded the proud faculty of Business-UC3M.

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FOM University of Economics and Management Training the Next Generation of Technocrats

topic that should not go amiss in conversations about the current work culture, is that there are many more non-traditional students (working students) pursuing degrees today than ever before. This means that the typical college experience looks a little diﬀerent now. Working your way through college certainly doesn’t make getting grades any easier.

Fortunately, though, there is a university in Essen, Northrine-Westfalia, Germany, which has made its mission to aide those hardworking individuals who aspire to pursue college degrees whilst continuing their work full-time. This university is one of the largest universities in Europe and holds the crème de la crème of credentials. It is the one and only - FOM Hochschule für Oekonomie & Management (Henceforth, FOM) or the ‘FOM University of Economics and Management’.

32 | July 2021

FOM was founded in 1991 as an initiative of the non-proﬁt foundation BildungsCentrum der Wirtschaft in Essen with the objective to oﬀer professionals the chance to gain a state-recognized university degree without having to give up work or restrict their professional activity. Alongside professionals from all sectors of industry and with varying functions, trainees wishing to combine incompany training with a Bachelor’s degree course as part of a dual-study programme also study at the internationallyoriented university. To enable the combination of study and work, lectures are held in the evenings and at weekends. With 57,000 students, FOM is Germany's largest private attendance university. Experienced lecturers from the academic world and industry give on-site lectures at 34 study centres throughout Germany and in Vienna/Austria.

Best Business Schools in Europe

The university is consequently under the supervision of the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of North Rhine-Westphalia. Responsibility for the academic organisation of FOM lies with the President, Vice-Presidents, regional Directors of Study and Deans. The Senate Advisory Board, the Boards of Trustees and the External Study Programme Evaluation Commission ensure that course content is linked to practice. The Futuristic Thinking FOM oﬀers on-site study programmes, including aﬀordable tuition fees, which are tailored to the special needs of students who work and study simultaneously. FOM ensures that the goals based upon this mission statement are achieved with a comprehensive quality management system that guarantees excellent standards in all aspects of its goals. FOM is committed to an equalityoriented university culture that nurtures all existing talents and potentials irrespective of sex, age, nationality, religion, and social background.

Prof. Dr Hermeier

The Academic Rollout

International students, for whom FOM offers full-time programmes in English, also benefit from the proximity to business and the practical orientation of the programme. They are supported by the International Office in all organisational matters to keep the hurdles of studying abroad low. To achieve optimal study success, FOM has developed a special learning concept with the focus on transferring competence to systematically link academic content with professional practice. By applying the concept, it should be achieved that knowledge is not only internalised through pure reproduction, but above all through concrete transfer, so that, in the sense of constructive alignment, a

“

With 57,000 students, FOM

is Germany's largest private attendance university. Experienced lecturers from the academic world and industry give on-site lectures at 34 study centres

throughout Germany and in Vienna/Austria

“

FOM was founded as a university of business and industry and gears its study programmes to the needs of companies. More than 1,000 renowned cooperation partners from all over Germany provide their employees with academic qualifications in 6 different fields (Business & Management, Business & Psychology, Economy & Law, IT-Management, Engineering, Health & Social Affairs) in 43 Bachelor's and Master's programmes at FOM.

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constructive orientation of the teaching, learning and examination formats towards the learning outcomes is realized.

“

Making them Tech-Savvy

To achieve optimal study success, FOM has

developed a special learning concept with the focus on transferring competence to systematically link academic content with

“

professional practice

34 | July 2021

The topic of digital transformation runs cross-sectionally through all degree programmes and semesters. In addition, the university’s IT and engineering departments work together on topics concerning Industry 4.0 (e.g. Machine Learning). Wherever possible, impulses from business are implemented and the demand reports from companies are taken over when updating the course content. University certificates (e.g. Legal Tech) are offered to deepen practicerelevant and subject-specific content during studies or for further academic training. FOM operates 26 competence centres and research institutes whose results are directly applied in teaching. Moreover, FOM supports its students in finding practicerelevant research topics and offers an elaborate research forum on current topics every year. The Visionary in Charge Klaus Dieter Braun laid the foundation for extensive educational initiatives already during his time as Managing

Director of the Essener Unternehmensverband (EUV) in the 1980s. He founded the BCW Foundation, which is an ardent supporter of FOM. More than 3,000 employees from 27 nations work in the BCW Group institutions. Braun was an early and tireless advocate of permeability in the education system, making it possible for anyone with the talent to study, regardless of the family or ﬁnancial situation. One of Braun's guiding principles is to provide opportunities for ambitious people and to oﬀer a contemporary and sustainable academic education at moderate tuition fees. He also holds numerous honorary positions (e.g. founding and board member of the Ruhr Research Centre Düsseldorf).

In June 2021, the Stifterverband - which presents innovative university projects on the topic of "Transitions in times of the pandemic" every month in 2021 and thus wants to make them visible beyond the region, has chosen the special programme "Study into the job" as "University Pearl of the Month June". The programme paves the way for young people to take up dual studies, even in the diﬃcult labour market situation caused by the pandemic: high school graduates can already start a Bachelor's degree at FOM, even if they have not yet found a suitable apprenticeship, traineeship, or internship. The university supports them in their job search during their studies, among other things with active networking and virtual job application training. Dynamic modes of knowledge delivery

The FOM Experience A unique characteristic of the learning experience in FOM is its part-time face-to-face study with lectures, based on the belief that personal contact between the lecturers and the students is at the core of ‘high motivational drive' to learn and study successfully. Digital learning materials can be accessed via the campus management system and organisational tasks (e.g., registering for exams) can be completed regardless of location and time. In this way, students are relieved of all organisational tasks as far as possible. Apart from the academic and practical experience, FOM lecturers need to have appropriate didactics in order to motivate and activate the students after work or on weekends after a 40-hour week. To provide optimal support for students and teachers, FOM maintains its own media development department. In addition, FOM is proud of the specially developed ‘FOM Transfer Didactics.’ A Household Name FOM was the first university in North Rhine-Westphalia to receive the quality seal of the German Council of Science and Humanities in 2004 which was confirmed in July 2016 with a reaccreditation. In 2012, FOM was also the first private university in Germany to be accredited as an institution by the FIBAA (Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation). This seal of approval from one of the world's most important higher education assessment agencies proves that FOM's quality management satisfies the highest international standards.

FOM identiﬁed a new target group for whom distance learning was not an option, but who nevertheless could not reach a nearby university centre. “Digital Live Study” was developed (initially for 4 Bachelor's programmes), in which lectures are broadcast in real-time from a FOM-owned studio. In addition, special teaching and learning materials, as well as additional communication concepts (e.g. counselling via video conference), are being developed. “Digital live study” is to be oﬀered as an additional alternative to physical face-to-face study, with the possibility of switching between physical and virtual presence on a semester-by-semester basis, so that students do not have to interrupt their studies even during business trips or longer (professional) stays abroad. Making a Mark on the Labour Market FOM is constantly adapting its curriculum to the needs of the labour market. The current revision of the Bachelor's degree programmes aims even more intensively than before at transfer-oriented learning (instead of rote learning). Students are to be enabled to make evidence-based decisions in the long term beyond the duration of their studies. FOM wants to remain not only the market leader but also the quality leader in part-time study.

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Let the WINDOW BE OPEN and let the LIGHT COME

his is an anonymous saying whose variations are adopted by many a poets and prose writers in their works. ‘Light’ is a metaphor for knowledge and ‘the window’, for the mind. If we keep our mind (window) open, the knowledge is sure to creep in. Whoever puts in efforts, will acquire knowledge. Knowledge is nobody’s privilege, not even of books. Having set the tone of the discussion, I may hasten to add that I myself am a voracious book reader. Reading a book certainly enhances one’s knowledge. The enhancement can be as big as showing up a new direction, a new way of thinking or fulfilling dreams, or understanding a new subject and can be as little as telling the reader that books by such and such author aren’t of ‘my type’, hence avoid. But, enhancements, it does give. Gutenberg, the first printing press, was a technological marvel. It allowed the knowledge to proliferate at an unprecedented rate by way of printed books. The earliest reference to the ‘pre book era’ is found in India’s Vedic period where the Sanskrit scriptures were written on the ‘Bhoj patras’- a tree bark. On the flattened bark, the sacred mantras were written. Then, there are stone inscriptions, but they can’t be compared to relatively handy Bhoj patra books. See, the portability was in vogue even in those times also and a suitable technology was also available. Bhoj Patras were difficult to preserve for longer time periods and hence, several Rishis depended on the ‘Shruti’- memorising by listening only, but this is a side stepping. Coming back to the main topic, do you remember the famous quote by Henry Ford, "Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants, so long as it is black." Similarly, so long as the intention is to acquire knowledge, the choice of medium is irrelevant. Yes, the printed books have all the wisdom of the world stored between the two covers for ages. Earliest scientists, writers, philosophers and thinkers ‘published’ their work in the form of some type of printed material and we are benefitting from these collections immensely. ‘Published’ was a synonym for ‘printing’. But that is no more the case. The difficulty in preserving these works, copying and distributing them in a given amount of time became a

36 | July 2021

Herculean task and soon, the help of the technology was sought. The first computers and even the mobiles had what is known as 5x7 matrix of dots which formed an alphabet when selectively some of them were highlighted. This was annoying to the eyes and very repulsive way of reading text on the screen or from a printout for any comfort. The printers were aptly named ‘Dot matrix printers’. The technology of display and printing progressed fast and now we have totally strain free reading, on the screen or on the paper. Once computers came into the mainstream for day-to-day use from their elite positions in the research laboratories, it was but natural that more people began reading from the screen. One thing led to another and the book reading Apps and devices like Kindle and other tablets were born. The large sized mobile phones nailed the proliferation of tablets like devices also. It is said that the mobile killed the camera, calendar, calculator, navigation, TV, and other such appliances. It also on its way to dominate the book industry, purposefully avoiding the word ‘kill’ to soothe the feelings of the purists. The advantages of reading E- books are too many to list. Apart from the convenience of holding several hundreds of them in our hands on a mobile, it also allows us to adjust the fonts, background colour, annotate and even find out the meaning of a word with an online dictionary. Online translation is the icing on the cake. Take just one of the advantages. If someone writes an article, he/she will have all the references, resources available with him in the device itself and will not have to rush to libraries to search some. Two recent technological developments have all the ingredients of changing the ‘reading’ scenario once again. Let’s talk about the first. Which in my view, is almost there, but not quite? In my student days, whenever exams were round the corner, the thought of reading those voluminous books always scared me. I always dreamt of a technique

Technology Vs Books

Kashyap Mankad Technical Director 3D EdTech (Saras-3D)

About the Author Kashyap Mankad is a Founding Member and Technical Director at 3D EdTech (Saras-3D) a dynamic ed-tech start-up that aims to elevate and transform the learning experience for K12 students through 3D technology. At Saras-3D, Kashyap oversees the overall operations and working of the various technical departments functioning in India ofﬁce. He drives the end-to-end development of content for all the four subjects.

where in keeping these books just below the pillow while sleeping will inductively transfer the book knowledge in my little brain! With Audio Books, the dream is a step nearer. With Audio Books, one can ‘read’ with eyes closed. Imagine the advantage of this. Like ‘hands free’ gadgets, this is ‘eyes free’ device. There is a choice of voices, male or female and also the pace. But why I said, ‘not quite?’ Ideally, the voice should be ours. When we read a novel, all the dialogues we read are actually spoken in our mind in our voice by us. This triggers thinking or imagining process. So, the technology should develop to allow our voice to be heard. The second development is the cloud computing or cloud storage. Cloud storage has diminished the need of very high memory requirement. With the advent of 4G and now 5G, one can access virtually any material from anywhere in the world in seconds. Books in physical form can never compete with this. And why we need books? To enhance knowledge? Then why not use ‘do it yourself’ type of virtual labs right from the school? Such stereoscopic 3D experiential learning systems are already available in the country. Ending on a lighter note. Earlier, the photographs of lawyers, attorneys, politicians and philosophers without the volumes on the Encyclopaedia Britannica in the background was deemed incomplete. Now such photos look like a fossil. That’s the power of technology. The author is Kashyap Mankad, Founding Member and Technical Director, Saras-3D, Inc

An electronics hobbyist turned electronics professional, Kashyap was previously Group Director - Electro Optical Systems Group, Space Applications Centre at ISRO, Ahmedabad where he developed electro optical payloads for the organization’s space program. He was also the Project Director for INSAT 3D/R/S and GISAT 1 & 2 Payloads and Committee Member on the Chandrayaan 2 mission, where he advised and evaluated various pre-launch calibration aspects of the payloads. He has represented India as a member of the Expert Team on Satellite Systems (ET-SAT), at World Meteorological Organisation, United Nations, Geneva. A ﬁrm believer in the concept of ‘pay it forward’ he provides voluntary services to the Space Exhibition attached to the Space Applications Centre on weekends where he regularly interacts with students and other visitors answering any queries they may have about the ﬁeld. Kashyap also serves as Technical Director at Neo Sense Vector Technology another start-up that seeks to Digitize, Disrupt and Democratize Healthcare and is a Resource Scientist at Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition, SAC, Ahmedabad. He holds an M.E. (Electronics) from Dharmsinh Desai Institute of Technology, Nadiad and B.E. (Electronics) from Lalbhai Dalpatbhai College of Engineering, Ahmedabad.

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EdTech

Europe

Sector in

38 | July 2021

European Insights

What is EdTech

EdTech refers to hardware and software designed to improve student learning outcomes by enhancing teacher-led learning in classrooms. EdTech is a perfect blend of education and technology, for example, smart classrooms and smart schools comprising computers, projectors for better understanding of students. EdTech should be a 50-50 blend of Education and Technology; but given the situation, it is safe to say that the education system has gone completely Tech savvy. Europe is now spreading its wings towards the EdTech sector. Europe trusts more on traditional learning rather than virtual learning but given the situation, it is trying to grow virtually in education. Europe has always believed that physical presence in a classroom is more impactful when it comes to education. Nevertheless, Europe is reaching out in the world now post Covid-19 crisis. The education system elsewhere is gelling fast with the changes but Europe had always believed in classroom education. It indeed creates a huge difference while learning online. Offline learning is more impactful and helpful. There is a difference when you sit in the class with the uniform on. Offline learning has taken away the lapse of a teacher scolding a student for talking in the class. Offline learning allows the teacher to pay attention to students, but online

learning does not allow the features that can able a teacher to keep an eye on the students. No doubt there is video calling feature available in every app used by schools and colleges, but it is not always appropriate. Europe’s education is also considered as one of the ﬁnest education systems, so, it is understandable when they do not want to compromise with their traditional ways of teaching. Ÿ

EdTech sector in Europe

EdTech sector has come into the public eye after the pandemic hit the world. Education has gone online completely. Be it private institutes, schoolings, government institutes, everything has gone virtual. Virtual education was a thing before the pandemic, but people were not well aware of it. After the Covid-19 outbreak, virtual education or the EdTech sector became a way of business too. Individuals in European countries decided to start up their own business and pass on their knowledge to others. The consequence of this was ﬁnancial stability in times of world facing economic instability. YouTube channels provided learning before pandemic too, but it became a hub after the once in a lifetime global health crisis. Even students are starting their own websites, channels, and apps for other students to learn from. It is mindboggling to see how education has shifted towards technology-oriented

platforms. The success rates for the start-ups and age-old businesses in education are astonishing. While business was changing their approach between the chaos caused by covid-19 EdTech was the only business sector which did not have to do take too many efforts. Other businesses faced challenges, and many lost their business because of the current situation. Having said that EdTech is the safe field to stake your efforts and money at. Online classes saved many students from year drops and backlogs. Also, because of the lockdown which lasted for almost a year not only students, but people got to learn different things. If we just look at it for just educational purposes, then many courses, languages, codding are doing good business. Hence, we can say that EdTech was a success during the pandemic and it is perhaps possible that it will do exceptionally well post covid-19.

- Sayali Sangewar

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“

We are

developing cross competences with the other schools of our group - IONIS, to teach technology and creativity.

ISG - International

Business School

Facilitating International Business Programs Dynamically

veryone values an educational institute that provides a qualitative learning experience to its students or learners. In these dynamic times, where the pandemic has pushed students to learn online and change their learning habits; it has become paramount for any educational institution to buckle up and cater to the changing requirements of students. An ideal educational institute is one that is driven by its core values and is using the ‘change’ as leverage to catapult itself to greater heights. One such dynamic institute is ISG – International Business School.

higher education and moulding them to ﬁt international needs.

ISG has been developing a unique learning model based upon its strong identity and core values: Entrepreneurship Spirit, Creativity, Open-mindedness, Responsibility and Personal Development. ISG has a long record of educational innovation, using Anglo-Saxon methods of

“Our students have a lot of practical exercises thanks to diﬀerent projects that they usually have to achieve as a team along with a competition with the students from all of our campus,” says the staﬀ at ISG. The list of such exercises includes Business Games, Challenge Innovation,

40 | July 2021

Since its foundation in 1967, ISG has been offering international business programs, Bachelor or MBA, and continuously innovating learning approaches and has since developed a unique educational model. ISG has over 20,000 graduates, including 3,000 from the international programs. Many of these graduates hold leadership positions in some of the largest multinational firms in over 60 countries while others are flourishing entrepreneurs.

Best Business Schools in Europe

François Baroin

Innovation Week, Challenge, Planète Solidaire, Parcours libre artistique, and Concours d’éloquence, etc. ISG is a reputed Business School oﬀering its students a strong alumni network, partnership with 160 international universities, and expertise in innovation and entrepreneurship. Dynamics of ISG ISG has some unique attributes that makes it, the go-to school for students. Some of which are mentioned below: Ÿ

Programme Grande Ecole: A Master’s degree program of ﬁve years delivering bac + 5. The excellence of the program makes it possible to target the key functions of the company. The ﬁrst cycle is an opportunity to forge a solid global and international, digital, and technological culture. The second cycle allows everyone to build and manage their project, to build and realize new business models.

Bachelor’s in International Management: The ISG Bachelor’s program is a three-year program taught 100% in English or in English/French.

Business & Management (3+2): The bachelor cycle is based on the acquisition of business and management fundamentals (years 1 and 2) as well as on strong international experience (year 3). Masters and MBA cycle students choose from 2 major courses opening onto a wide range of areas of expertise to specialize in management, international business, ﬁnance, communication, marketing, luxury, new technologies or entrepreneurship.

Martin Fayulu

Cyril Chiche

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Frank Tapiro

Ÿ International program BBA / IMBA: This three-year program of BBA is delivered to ISG by Middlesex University, one of the 1000 universities in the world included in the Shanghai ranking. The International MBA constitutes a one year program conducted in Paris. The education is based on a broad array of disciplines, which allows students to acquire a comprehensive range of management skills and an in-depth understanding of the global marketplace and its dynamics. It is taught entirely in English by a team of educators with top international academic and business credentials. Ÿ

Anne-sophie Pic

MSc & MBA:Focused on 3 objectives, the Master of Science develops the acquisition of technical skills and knowledge. ISG oﬀers MBAs to students as per their projects that combine the acquisition of knowledge with an entrepreneurial spirit. This provides students, the beneﬁt of personalised support and an open-minded approach.

It is a school that is connected to the world. Its Parisian campus of the Bachelor’s in Business and Administration of the ISG has many computer rooms. Like all the schools under the umbrella of IONIS Group, ISG has a dedicated high-speed digital network, equipped with optical ﬁbre (1.5 GB per second) with Wi-Fi connection throughout its campus. This helps students in having optimal learning conditions and a setup or connection that allows the school to have conferences simultaneously with other organizations in several sites. Also, the Bordeaux campus provides an environment that promotes cultural diversity, and it is conducive to exchange. The Bordeaux Bachelor’s in Business Administration campus is made up of two nearby buildings:

42 | July 2021

Inaugurated in 1986 by Alain Juppé, the Camille Godard campus consists of a 2,500 m² building. The building has been rehabilitated via a design architecture on 3 levels. Ÿ Inaugurated in 2011, the Jardin Public campus is part of a complex combining modernity and historical heritage with an area of 4000 m² and featuring the best computer, teaching, and living spaces for students. Ÿ

The Lyon campus of the ISG also brings together several other schools of the IONIS Group: EPITA and IPSA. This proximity and multidisciplinary is an asset for students who can develop joint projects combining complementary sectors (such as computer engineering and new technologies) thus facilitating business creation. The Bachelor’s in Business and Administration at ISG Nantes beneﬁts a student’s lifestyle by having joint associations with the other schools of the IONIS Group present in Nantes. During the lockdowns, students were taking classes at home with Microsoft Teams or Zoom. They still had workshops, conferences, and projects remotely. The most important one was: PLANETE SOLIDAIRE 2021. The school is a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), CLADEA (Consejo Latinoamericano de Escuelas de Administración), the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), the Conference des Grandes Ecoles (CGE), and the Union des Grandes Ecoles Indépendantes (UGEI). This makes ISG, one of the top B-Schools to choose from while studying in Europe.