The general theme of the conference, “Business and Educational Challenges in Dynamically Changing Environments”, provided an excellent opportunity for a dialogue on the central issues that businesses, business schools, and societies at large are facing at a time when the whole world is rapidly changing.
More than 100 deans and directors from distinguished business schools and universities from 32 countries (Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa), as well as business and political leaders and representatives of management schools associations from transitional economies (RABE, CLADEA, BMDA, SABSA and others) had an opportunity to address and discuss the following questions from different points of view: What are the key challenges before our businesses, business schools, and societies at large? What are the opportunities in the specific context of Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and other emerging economies? What can we learn from each other? How can we collaborate and contribute to finding new solutions for the new challenges and opportunities in the rapidly changing world?
Before the conference in Cape Town, about 40 deans attended also a two day seminar at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)in Johannesburg “Leading through Adversity and in a Changing Socio-economic Landscape". It set the scene for further discussions in Cape Town, provided better understanding of the realities of South Africa and showcased some of the inspirational work that is done there. It also demonstrated how many things the transitional economies – be it in South Africa, CEE, Latin America or Asia – have in common, and how important such experience exchange is.
The 20th CEEMAN Annual Conference featured a number of prominent international speakers both from academia and business. Among them were two prominent public figures from South Africa: Mamphela Aletta Ramphele, the Founder of Citizens' Movement, and Sullivan O’Carroll, Chairman and Managing Director of Nestlé South Africa.
Dr Ramphele, Founder of the Citizens' Movement, said that there is great potential for Africa to harness the lessons from Central and Eastern Europe as well as Latin America to transform its social and political realities by leveraging its huge assets viz. mineral and natural resources and a youthful population, into a sustainable wealth-creating machine. Furthermore, she said that South Africa needs great leaders – in business, in public and private sector and in NGO’s that should be developed together in order to learn from each other. Innovative, well-educated and dedicated leaders, which have to be nurtured at business schools, could move the country into a better future.
“20th CEEMAN Annual conference brings the possibility to gain, share and create knowledge about central issues that businesses, business schools, and societies at large are facing in the world that is becoming increasingly complex, and at the same time increasingly inter-related and interdependent,” said Prof Danica Purg, President of CEEMAN and IEDC-Bled School of Management.
“I’m glad to see CEEMAN having an influence way outside its original area of concern. There are huge similarities between Central Europe, Southern Africa, India and South America, as well as strong learning potential in all of these regions. I am genuinely excited that CEEMAN has been stepping up to a role of representing business schools from the emerging economies. There is no other organization that does that on a world basis,” said Prof John Powell, Director of USB, SA
Conference proceedings and videos are now being prepared and will be published by the end of the year. In the meantime, you can view speaker presentations and materials from previous CEEMAN conferences.
The next CEEMAN Annual Conference is scheduled for 26-27 September 2013 in Bled, Slovenia.