Transcript whew! we have come a long way in short time

The 6th International Business School Shanghai Conference (2016)
Engineering a Partnership
Ira Solomon
Dean and Debra and Rick Rees Professor of Business
A. B. Freeman School of Business
Tulane University, New Orleans
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WHEW! WE HAVE COME A LONG
WAY IN SHORT TIME
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Circa 3,500-4,000 BCE: Wheel is invented, probably in Asia
300: Romans develop crankshaft-driven device
600-900: Chinese develop the piston pump, gunpowder, cast iron, propeller
1794: Thomas Mead patents the gas engine
1879-1885: Karl Benz patents engine, develops first automobiles
1913: Henry Ford moves automobile production to an assembly line
1945: Dawn of atomic age; Cold War accelerates technology research
1969: First human lands on the moon
1981: IBM markets first personal computer for mass market the market
2001: Apple releases iTunes and iPod
2011: WeChat developed and released by Tencent
2016: Artificial intelligence:- driverless cars, medical robots, personal drones
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IN 1966, STAR TREK ENGINEERS
THE FUTURE
 Concept devised by screenwriter and producer Gene Roddenberry
 Central theme: A universe mostly in harmony
 Engineered technology serves mankind
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Propulsion
High-tech medical devices
Defense systems
Communications
Reliance on computers
 Social and cultural respect
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TECHIES & TREKKIES INSPIRED
ACROSS THE GLOBE
 Business and engineers responded to consumer demand,
increased interest in technology for industrial and personal
use
 Star Trek interest revived in late 1970s, leads to series of
thirteen movies, television series and plethora of
merchandising
 2016: Chinese businessman Liu Dejian builds 600 million
RMB USS Enterprise shaped headquarters for NetDragon
WebSoft Inc.
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FANTASY YESTERDAY,
BECOMES REALITY TODAY
 Cell phones and Bluetooth technology
 Hand-held medical monitoring devices
 Laser and Taser defense systems
 Stealth technology (Star Trek called it cloaking)
 Drones for military, industrial and personal use
 Computers an integral part of daily life for billions of people
 Robotics and artificial intelligence
 Biotech applications, devices
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TECHNOLOGY INNOAVTION
ACCELERATES
 China discussing moon base and spaceship to Mars by 2020
 Elon Musk, others privatizing space (Space X)
 Musk, NASA developing Mars colonization plan
 New approaches needed for building more durable roads,
bridges, airports, and cities
 Growing populations place increasing demands for food, water,
energy, health, and education
 Biotech accelerating as diseases (Zika) spread and genetic
research offers hope of extending lifespan, curing diseases
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THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE
 Faster technology diffusion and adoption rates
 Emergence of complex industry global value chains
 Rapidly evolving business models
 Technology drive M&A and corporate venturing
 Companies compete to recruit flexible and adaptable employees
and build a culture of innovation
 Global marketplaces for jobs
 Ongoing commoditization of knowledge
 Shorter company life expectancies – innovate or perish
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EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGE
 We tend to live/work in philosophical and organizational silos
where student exposure to partner disciplines is limited
 We must be forward-looking to anticipate markets, technologies,
complex global capital markets, regulatory hurdles
 We need up-to-date, comprehensive student preparation with a
focus on adaptation and integration skillsets
 Our target must outcomes evolve with need and must be
examined regularly
 Faculty/administration communication and collaboration between
colleges on our own campuses must broaden
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WE HAVE A STARTING POINT
Tulane focus
 Prepare students for immediate impact when they enter the
workforce
 Innovative, creative, systemic problem solvers and critical
thinkers
 Perspectives for success in global economy with cross
cultural capabilities
 Professionals who excel in a complex matrix of economic,
technological, environmental, social and ethical challenges
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CALLS TO ACTION
 Break down traditional barriers, get out of silos
 Become STEM fluent
 Analytics growing in importance for business management –
business programs are receiving STEM designations
 We need each other, collaboration across disciplines is required
inside academia just as it is on the outside
 Engineering schools should expand business exposure beyond
entrepreneurship to provide broader perspectives
 Business schools must engage engineering/science faculty to give
their students insights into the science and engineering of the
devices and procedures they will bring to market
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STEPS TO SUCCESS
 Interdisciplinary research (graduate and undergraduate)
 Integrate graduate teamwork among colleges & universities
 4 + 1 accelerated masters programs
 Engage corporate partners
 Rewards
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Students well-prepared for workplace success and future
adaption
Interdisciplinary faculty research improves approaches and
outcomes
University’s prestige as an enlightened center of learning is
enhanced
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IN SUMMARY
 Students must be adaptable, not simply knowledgeable and
possess integration skills
 Engineers must embrace business concepts
 Business students need to invest in understanding
technology, science, and engineering concepts
 Collaboration and partnership are key for business and
engineering schools
 Students need to be prepared for short runway opportunities
 Our mission: prepare them to meet challenges of a fast-evolving
and competitive global workforce
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IN CLOSING
Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages
of the starship Enterprise. It’s continuing
mission: to explore strange new worlds,
to seek out new life and new civilizations,
to boldly go where no one has gone before.
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THANK YOU
谢谢
creating global leaders today