Principles in Patterns (PiP) : Evaluation of Impact on Business Processes

The innovation and development work conducted under the auspices of the Principles in Patterns (PiP) project is intended to explore and develop new technology-supported approaches to curriculum design, approval and review. An integral component of this innovation is the use of business process analysis and process change techniques - and their instantiation within the C-CAP system (Class and Course Approval Pilot) - in order to improve the efficacy of curriculum approval processes. Improvements to approval process responsiveness and overall process efficacy can assist institutions in better reviewing or updating curriculum designs to enhance pedagogy. Such improvements also assume a greater significance in a globalised HE environment, in which institutions must adapt or create curricula quickly in order to better reflect rapidly changing academic contexts, as well as better responding to the demands of employment marketplaces and the expectations of professional bodies. This is increasingly an issue for disciplines within the sciences and engineering, where new skills or knowledge need to be rapidly embedded in curricula as a response to emerging technological or environmental developments. All of the aforementioned must also be achieved while simultaneously maintaining high standards of academic quality, thus adding a further layer of complexity to the way in which HE institutions engage in "responsive curriculum design" and approval. This strand of the PiP evaluation therefore entails an analysis of the business process techniques used by PiP, their efficacy, and the impact of process changes on the curriculum approval process, as instantiated by C-CAP. More generally the evaluation is a contribution towards a wider understanding of technology-supported process improvement initiatives within curriculum approval and their potential to render such processes more transparent, efficient and effective. Partly owing to limitations in the data required to facilitate comparative analyses, this evaluation adopts a mixed approach, making use of qualitative and quantitative methods as well as theoretical techniques. These approaches combined enable a comparative evaluation of the curriculum approval process under the "new state" (i.e. using C-CAP) and under the "previous state". This report summarises the methodology used to enable comparative evaluation and presents an analysis and discussion of the results. As the report will explain, the impact of C-CAP and its ability to support improvements in process and document management has resulted in the resolution of numerous process failings. C-CAP has also demonstrated potential for improvements in approval process cycle time, process reliability, process visibility, process automation, process parallelism and a reduction in transition delays within the approval process, thus contributing to considerable process efficiencies; although it is acknowledged that enhancements and redesign may be required to take advantage of C-CAP's potential. Other aspects pertaining to C-CAP's impact on process change, improvements to document management and the curation of curriculum designs will also be discussed

Incorporating the Common Body of Knowledge for Business Process Management Certification in the MSIS Model Curriculum

Business Process Management (BPM) certification is a relatively new area in the Business Schools and other similar academic units and it appeared in the curriculum about a decade ago. Industry stakeholders and a small number of higher education institutions have provided professional training and certification in this area since the 1990’s. As more colleges and professional organizations develop courses, certificates, and programs in the BPM area, we hope to continue the dialogue between the academic and professional organizations to look at similarities and differences that may exist among the proposed BPM Common Body of Knowledge and guidelines proposed by professional organizations and existing academic IS model curriculum. This paper examines incorporating the BPM Common Body of Knowledge developed by the Association of Business Process Management Professionals, a leading BPM professional organization, in the MSIS model curriculum. The paper also identifies the gaps that exist in the MSIS model curriculum to cover the BPM Common Body of Knowledge

RELEVANCE OF BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT (BPM) COURSE IN BUSINESS SCHOOL CURRICULUM & COURSE OUTLINE

As increasing number of organizations are embracing Business Process Management (BPM), the need for including it in business school curriculum is ever-growing. In particular IS (Information Systems) programs face this challenge even more because of potential new skill sets that its graduates require to compete in the changing job market. While some of the programs in business schools have stood up to take the challenge, there are many who are yet to follow suit. In this respect, we discuss how different aspects of BPM are relevant to various organizational functions, and their subsequent impact on business school curriculum; especially IS programs. We provide a brief assessment of the relevance of BPM with different IS courses and present a proposed course content that can possibly be included in a graduate/undergraduate BPM course

Mapping Industry Standards in Undergraduate Business Education

Industry standards have a significant impact on business as a means to eliminate waste, reduce costs, market products (e.g., for quality, safety, interoperability) and lessen liability (Thompson, 2011). Consequently, an understanding and the ability to use standards, agreed upon practices among interested or vested parties, is a critical workplace competency for those engaged in business and industry. To have a workforce competent in the use of standards, higher education curricula must be developed to integrate standards education at appropriate points within the curriculum. Despite the importance of standards, they are not universally integrated into the college and university curricula. Given the widespread use of standards in business and industry, a study was undertaken by four academic librarians to explore the use and potential integration of standards in undergraduate business management curricula. This was accomplished through curriculum mapping of two top-ranked undergraduate business management programs. Syllabi of the two undergraduate business management programs were examined for pre-established terms (e.g., ISO, standards, etc.), as well as potential opportunities for integration of standards in the future. Of the 62 courses examined only five (or 8%) specifically mentioned standards; however, half of the courses examined were found to have potential for the integration of standards across nine business curriculum areas: business and management strategy, business law, ethics and social responsibility, human resources, information systems, international/global, marketing, process/product development, and project management. This study found that few undergraduate business management courses specifically taught or used standards based on the syllabi, but considerable potential exists for the integration of standards into undergraduate business management courses

Decolonising the retail business management curriculum in the higher education sector

This article critiques the retail business management curriculum as currently offered in the Higher Education (HE) sector. The study used an exploratory qualitative approach, which involved conducting telephone interviews with a purposively selected sample of 25 participants conversant with the phenomenon studied, retail management practitioners, students and curriculum review experts. This was augmented by secondary literature. The study found out that by and large the retail business management (RBM) curriculum that is currently rolled out in the HE sector is largely based on Western epistemologies. The knowledge economy that is consumed by the recipients of the RBM curriculum in the HE sector is mainly from American and European academics and that is at the expense of the local or indigenous knowledge. It was found out, that the majority of the curriculum recipients do not identify with the current curriculum because it is divorced from their lived experiences that include their culture in particular their languages, beliefs and values. The study avers that indigenous knowledge systems were left out in the process of the RBM curriculum development and that partly explains its alienation from the lived realities of the local students and academic staff. The study therefore recommends that the current RBM curriculum needs to be effectively decolonised and the starting point for this decolonisation process is the involvement of all stakeholders in the curriculum development process. Secondly, the use of diverse educators to reflect the country’s racial mix is recommended. The study also recommends the convening of all stakeholder curriculum review engagements, the use of a local knowledge economy and local languages in teaching and learning of the RBM curriculum

Mapping industry standards and integration opportunities in business management curricula

Industry standards have a significant impact on business as a means to eliminate waste, reduce costs, market products (e.g., for quality, safety, interoperability) and lessen liability (Thompson, 2011). Consequently, an understanding and the ability to use standards, agreed upon practices among interested or vested parties, is a critical workplace competency for those engaged in business and industry. To have a workforce competent in the use of standards, higher education curricula must be developed to integrate standards education at appropriate points within the curriculum. Despite the importance of standards, they are not universally integrated into the college and university curricula. Given the widespread use of standards in business and industry, a study was undertaken by four academic librarians (two business librarians and two engineering librarians) to explore the use and potential integration of standards in undergraduate business management curricula. This was accomplished through curriculum mapping of two top-ranked undergraduate business management programs. Syllabi of the two undergraduate business management programs were examined for pre-established terms (e.g., ISO, standards), as well as potential opportunities for integration of standards in the future. Of the 62 courses examined only five (or 8%) specifically mentioned standards; however, half of the courses examined were found to have potential for the integration of standards across nine business curriculum areas: business and management strategy, business law, ethics and social responsibility, human resources, information systems, international/global, marketing, process/product development, and project management. This study found that few undergraduate business management courses specifically taught or used standards based on the syllabi, but considerable potential exists for the integration of standards into undergraduate business management courses

DESAIN PROSES BISNIS CAPAIAN SASARAN MUTU BIDANG KESISWAAN DAN KURIKULUM PADA PENERAPAN SISTEM MANAJEMEN MUTU ISO 9001 : 2008 DI SMK NEGERI 1 CIMAHI

Manajemen mutu terpadu diperlukan dalam penyelenggaraan tingkat satuan pendidikan sebagai inovasi yang diharapkan dapat memberikan perubahan yang lebih baik sesuai dengan perkembangan, tuntutan, dan dinamika masyarakat untuk menjawab permasalahan-permasalahan pengelolaan pendidikan pada tingkat satuan pendidikan. Manajemen mutu terpadu memfokuskan pada proses bisnis yang baik melalui pencegahan kecacatan dengan kontrol kualitas, dan melakukan peningkatan mutu berkelanjutan. Sehubungan dengan hal tersebut perlu adanya desain proses bisnis pada penerapan sistem manajemen mutu ISO 9001 : 2008 di Sekolah Menegah Kejuruan sebagai alat ukur dan identifikasi proses kegiatan yang harus dilakukan untuk mencapai tujuan organisasi yang digambarkan melalui sasaran mutu organisasi, untuk itu peneliti tertarik untuk mengindentifikasi mengenai “Desain Proses Bisnis Capaian Sasaran Mutu Bidang Kesiswaan dan Kurikulum pada Penerapan Sistem Manajemen Mutu ISO 9001 : 2008 di SMK Negeri 1 Cimahi” sebagai judul penelitian. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui bagaimana perencanaan capaian sasaran mutu, bagaimana proses bisnis capaian sasaran mutu, bagaimana hasil monitoring capaian sasaran mutu, dan bagaimana desain proses bisnis capaian sasaran mutu bidang kesiswaan dan kurikulum pada penerapan sistem manajemen mutu ISO 9001 : 2008 di SMKN 1 Cimahi? Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah (a) metode kualitatif, (b) lokasi penelitian dilaksanakan di SMK Negeri 1 Cimahi, (c) teknik penarikan sample menggunakan purposive sampling, (d) sumber data informan dan dokumentasi, (e) teknik pengumpulan data yang dilakukan adalah wawancara, observasi dan studi dokumentasi. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, (1) Perencanaan capaian sasaran mutu kurikulum dan kesiswaan tidak direncanakan berdasarkan struktur organisasi, namun berdasarkan fungsi dari kurikulum dan kesiswaan dalam proses penyelenggaraan pendidikan. (2) Proses bisnis dalam mencapai sasaran mutu bidang kurikulum dan kesiswaan di SMK Negeri 1 Cimahi telah memenuhi seluruh kriteria dalam menentukan proses bisnis. (3) Realisasi sasaran mutu kesiswaan dan kurikulum belum seluruhnya tercapai tercapai. (4) Desain proses bisnis capaian sasaran mutu bidang kesiswaan dan kurikulum digambarkan dalam bentuk diagram alir untuk mengidentifikasi secara jelas langkah-langkah yang dibutuhkan untuk menyelesaikan suatu proses. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa Ketercapaian sasaran mutu di SMK Negeri 1 Cimahi dapat ditingkatkan dengan melaksanakan seluruh langkah kegiatan serta mengoptimalkan kegiatan primer maupun sekunder yang terdapat pada desain proses bisnis capaian sasaran mutu kesiswaan dan kurikulum di SMK Negeri 1 Cimahi. Integrated quality management needs to be implemented in education level as an innovation which hopefully can give better changes, compatible with development, demands, and peoples dynamic which answer education management problems in level education. Integrated quality management focused on good business process trough flaws prevention with quality control, and doing continue quality upgrades. Related to those things, it necessary needs business design process in application system quality management ISO 9001:2008 in vocational high school as measurement tool and activity process identification which necessary applies to achieve goals as described trough organization quality targets, on this case, the researcher interested to identify about “Business Process design achieving quality targets students and curriculum fields in implementing system quality management ISO 9001:2008 in SMK Negeri 1 Cimahi” as a minithesis title. The research aims to know how achieve quality goals planning, how business process achieve quality goals, how monitoring results achieve quality goals, and how business process design achieving quality goals student and curriculum fields in implementing system quality management ISO 9001 : 2008 at SMKN 1 Cimahi. Method used in this research is (a) qualitative method, (b) SMKN 1 Cimahi as location research, (c) purpose sampling used for taking sample technique, (d) data source : informant and documentation, (e) gathering data technique : interview technique, observation, and documentation study, (f) analysis method. Based on research result, (1) achievement quality target curriculum and student field plan not planned based on organization structure, but based on function of curriculum and student field in implementating education process. (2) business process in achieving quality goals curriculum and student field in SMK Negeri 1 Cimahi has fulfill all requirements to determine business process. (3) realization of quality goals student and curriculum has not completely reached. (4) business process design achieving quality goals in student and curriculum field described in flowchart form to identify clearly necessary steps to complete process. Based on research result concluded that achievement quality goals at SMK Negeri 1 Cimahi can be enhanced with applicating all activity steps and optimizing primary and secondary activity that exist in process business design achieving quality goals student and curriculum field in SMK Negeri 1 Cimahi

An integrated teaching model to develop english proficiency of ESL management students

The gap between receptive and productive English language skills is perceived to be unusually large among ESL students in the culturally segregated states of India. While the students’ listening and reading comprehension skills strengthen with class lectures and reading assignments, their speaking and writing skills remain underdeveloped. The purpose of this study is to create an integrated teaching model to improve the English proficiency of management students in order to make them more employable. The model combines two models of curriculum design with two models of teaching methodology. Using the basic ESP model of curriculum design, the other models are incorporated into it to achieve three objectives, to reduce the unusually wide gap between receptive and productive language skills, to gain proficiency in business communication tasks and to improve identified language deficiencies. The model is applied to a sample of ESL management students. The business communication tasks required at the corporate level as well as the language deficiencies of the respondents are assessed and are used to create the course design. Their motivation and attitude levels are measured. Learner-centered assessment techniques and learning styles are analysed in order to incorporate these into the teaching learning process. Along with the teaching methodology suggested in the model, these inputs provide the entire framework for an intervention that aims to achieve the stated objectives

A Comparative Study of Entrepreneurship Curriculum Development and Review at the University of Zimbabwe and Botho University, Botswana

The purpose of this research was to make comparative study of the development and review process of the entrepreneurship curriculum at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) Faculty of Commerce and Botho University, (BU) Faculty of Business and Accounting in Gaborone, Botswana.  The study focused on the processes and influences of curriculum development and review as well as on what skills graduates of the programme are expected to have after successfully completing the programme. A sample of 16 staff members from the UZ and 23 staff members from BU participated in the study. Results of the study showed that lecturers at the two institutions are the main drivers of curricula development and review. Major factors considered in curriculum design included students, industry needs, legislation, competition as well as external examiners. The findings also recommended courses which should be taught from first year which include Small Business Management, Entrepreneurial Skills Development, Introduction to Finance and Economics. Keywords: entrepreneurship, curriculum, review process, critical skills, foundational course

Bringing Global Sourcing into the Classroom: Experiential Learning via Software Development Project

Global sourcing of software development has imposed new skill requirements on Information Technology (IT) personnel. In the U.S., this has resulted in a paradigm shift from technical to softer skills such as communications and virtual team management. Higher education institutions must, consequently, initiate innovative curriculum transformations to better prepare students for these emerging workforce needs. This paper describes one such venture between Marquette University (MU), U.S.A. and Management Development Institute (MDI), India, wherein IT students at MU collaborated with Management Information Systems (MIS) students at MDI on an offshore software development project. The class environment replicated an offshore client/vendor relationship in a fully virtual setting while integrating communications and virtual team management with traditional IT project management principles. Course measures indicated that students benefited from this project, gained first-hand experience in the process of software offshoring, and learned skills critical for conduct of global business. For faculty considering such initiatives, we describe the design and administration of this class over two semesters, lessons learned from our engagement, and factors critical to success of such initiatives and those detrimental to their sustenance