AIM hosts AsPac meet on relevance of research to academic practice

MANILA, Philippines - Top faculty from leading business schools in the Asia-Pacific Region showcased their latest research at the mid-year conference of the Association of Asia-Pacific Business Schools (AAPBS) last May 27-28. The Conference was organized and hosted by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) for the AAPBS and AACSB International.

With the theme “Building Research Bridges: Networking Across Asia-Pacific,” the conference sought to build a collaborative network among top management schools in the region to share their innovations in research and teaching. Speakers included deans and senior faculty from AIM, National University of Singapore, KAIST Business School (Korea), Keio Business School (Japan), Fudan University (China), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and University of Queensland (Australia). In his keynote address, NUS dean Bernard Yeung, president of AAPBS, emphasized the importance of teaching with values and researching with a mission. He stated that academics should keep abreast of the latest issues, develop intellectual intensity, invest in faculty development, import models, create leverage to enhance capabilities, and utilize location advantages.  

Attending the conference were over a hundred deans, faculty, and academic personnel from more than 30 institutions in the Asia Pacific region, including AAPBS member schools and Philippine business schools. Graduate and doctoral students also took this rare opportunity to learn from leading management practitioners and researchers.

Established in 2004, AAPBS is an association founded by the 11 top business schools in the Asia Pacific region, with the primary purpose of advancing the quality of business and management education in the Asia-Pacific region. To date, there are nearly 100 business and management school members spread over 16 countries in the region. The Asian Institute of Management is a founding member of AAPBS, and this conference marks the second time that AIM hosted an event for AAPBS; the first time being in May 2007, when AIM hosted a workshop on the case method.