Business and Management teaching in China: for teachers

1. Teaching
Problems
Opportunities
Methods
Robert Shaw PhD MRSNZ
School of Management
Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
17 October 2013, 2.30pm, Room 358

2. 2
Today
I hope we can talk together about our teaching.
1.Problems
2.Opportunities
3.The techniques Robert has been
experimenting with this semester
4.Robert’s teaching with Yuan Denghua

3. 3
Problems
1. Confusion about the goal
2. Confusion about the nature of management
3. Curriculum relates to pedagogy & evaluation

4. 4
Myths about our goals
1. The curriculum relates to jobs / employment
2. We teach students how to be managers
3. Management is about business
4. Western theory will apply anywhere
Myth = a story which is not true

5. 5
Global chaos has lead to radical
re-thinking in management
education
1. Business Schools are the
battlefield
a. New world
b. New priorities
2. Who do we serve
a. China
b. Government
c. Business
d. Students

6. 6

7. 7

8. 8

9. 9

10. 10
New topics in Management
Social justice –distribution of wealth
Capitalism & socialism
Limits of democracy & freedom
Corporate morality
Technology & society
Human rights – privacy, housing, indigenous peoples

11. New subjects in
management
Critical Management Theory
Philosophy of Management
Phenomenology of Management
Management Ethics
Philosophy of Science for Management Research
Global Leadership
11

12. The two worlds of management
1. The practical world
How to be a manager
2. The academic discipline
An intellectual discipline which relates to other
disciplines particularly ethics

13. From the academic discipline
students learn
1. About the history of (management) ideas
2. Thinking, communication & research skills
3. Attitudes, particularly to be
a. Open-minded
b. Critical-minded
c. Creative
d. Autonomous

14. Confusion about the nature of our
discipline
1. How are the thinking and research skills in
management different from the skills in science?
2. What is science about?
3. What is management about?
These are vital questions for teachers

15. 15
Problems
1. Confusion about the goal
2. Confusion about the nature of management
3. Curriculum relates to pedagogy & evaluation
Finally we get to the third problem. We now confront
the three evils of teaching

16. 16
Curriculum
What you teach
Evaluation
How you assess
Pedagogy
How you teach

17. 17
Textbook
What you teach
Student
perspective
Examination
How you assess
Teacher
How you teach

18. 18
The three evils of teaching
1. Curriculum
2. Evaluation
3. Pedagogy

19. 19
The three evils of teaching
1. Curriculum
Textbooks
2. Evaluation
Examinations
3. Pedagogy
Desks

20. The harm done by management
textbooks
20
1. Reinforce the idea that there is one truth
2. Limit the curriculum to facts or exercises with
correct answers
3. Entrench things that are wrong or pointless
4. Limit our teaching methods
5. Reduce the role of research in university education
6. Stops the teacher becoming the authority

21. 21
Artwork by Qiu Ying 仇英 c.1540
Civil service examination candidates
wait for officials to post their marks

22. 22

23. 23
The harm done by examinations
1. Narrow the curriculum
2. Do not test skills
3. Make learning miserable
4. Do not give accurate results
5. Waste student & teacher energy
6. Expensive burden for China

24. 24
Benjamin
Bloom

25. 25

26. 26

27. 27

28. 28
The harm done by desks
1. Reinforces the idea the teacher is the authority
2. Undermines student confidence
3. Make us teach classes & not individuals
4. Limit our teaching methods (tutorials)

29. 29
Opportunities
1. Student ability & attitudes
2. Strong lead from Government
3. New technology

30. 30
Strong lead from Government

31. Teachers’ Law of the People’s
Republic of China
Article 7 Teachers shall enjoy the following rights:
(1) to conduct educational and teaching activities and
carry out reform and experiment in education and
teaching;
(2) to engage in scientific research and academic
exchanges, join professional academic societies and
fully express their views in academic activities;
(3) to give guidance to students in their studies and
development and evaluate students’ conduct and
academic achievements

32. 32
Xi Jinping
1. Socialism with Chinese characteristics
2. The Chinese dream
3. Quality
4. Jar on their ears
Xi Jinping sets the goal for management education!

33. 33

34. 34
1. The State & the individual prosper
2. Ideas to be in school textbooks
3. This means we must focus on:
i. The needs of China AND
ii. The needs of the student

35. Academic freedom
Many countries have laws to protect academics.
“Critic and conscience of society” New Zealand Law
Xia Yeliang, professor of economics at Peking University faces
dismissal when his colleagues vote: he spoke against the Chinese
Dream concept & other things
What is in the best interests of China?
What is at issue for management education?

36. 36
This will make economic development driven
more by domestic demand, especially
consumer demand, by a modern service
industry and strategic emerging industries, by
scientific and technological progress, by a
workforce of higher quality and innovation in
management, by resource conservation and a
circular economy, and by coordinated and
mutually reinforcing urban-rural development
and development between regions.
Hu Jintao, 14 November 2012

37. Higher quality and innovation in
management
What this means for us
1.Academic standards (not
ratings)
2.Focus on the qualities of
our graduates

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39. 39
"The CPC should be able to put up with sharp criticism, correct
mistakes if it has committed them and avoid them if it has not.“
"Non-CPC personages should meanwhile have the courage to
tell the truth, speak words jarring on the ear, and truthfully reflect
public aspirations." .
Criticism from non-communist personages could help the CPC
to identify, analyze and solve problems, he pointed out.
Xi asked CPC committees at all levels to readily accept and
welcome supervision from non-communist parties and
personages so as to improve their work style and quality.
Xi urged them to offer more wise and practical suggestions and
consultations as pushing forward the country's development
requires extensive force.

40. 40
Hence, quality graduates will …
1. Care about genuine academic standards
(not manipulated ratings)
2. Have skills
3. Be:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Open-minded
Critical-minded
Creative
Autonomous

41. You want an example of our ideal
graduate?
41

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44. 44
My goals
1. Priorities in our School
a. China
b. Students
2. Future focus
Liberal education
3. Academic standards
4. In the West – oppose
neo-liberalism

45. 45
Opportunities
1. New technology
a. Internet keeps us current in our subjects
i. Email lists – industry & academic
ii. Lectures from other universities
b. Teaching videos plentiful
c. Massive online courses for students
d. Course delivery platforms - Blackboard
e. Research databases for student use
f. Bibliographic software – NoteExpress
g. Writing aids for students
h. Ability to select & highlight print materials

46. 46
Support from the Library
1. Teach database searching (Zheng Qingsheng 郑庆
胜)
2. Teach NoteExpress
3. Locate resources for me
4. Co-teaching with librarian (New Zealand)

47. 47

48. 48
PDF software - select & highlight
STUDY JUST THIS
PART

49. 49
Exercise 1
The management process
Planning
Definition from
Chuck Williams
Example:
Teaching your
course
Example: Being in
control of an army
unit
Organizing
Leading
Controlling

50. 50
Video & audio recordings
1. Place them on course website
2. Try to make the videos generic
3. Tests relate exactly to what was said in lectures
4. Helps with language learning
5. Helps advertise the university

51. 51
How to access BlackBoard

52. 52
Advantages
1. Everything in one place
2. Fast communications to individuals or everyone
3. Students teach each other
4. Enables continuous assessment
5. Tests & assignments
a. Easy to prepare
b. Automatic marking & online marking
c. Reuse test items

53. Assessment using Blackboard
1. Assessment drives the course – not content
2. Continuous assessment
3. Test higher level skills
4. Assessment components
a. Tests
b. Exercises
c. Glossary
d. Research paper (scientific or argumentative)

54. 54

55. Learning objectives - skills
1. Locate, assess and use information from
university and open source databases
2. Use bibliographic software (NoteExpress)
3. Use APA format for manuscripts & references
4. Demonstrate research skills, including the ability
to find a problem/hypothesis, produce original
ideas …

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57. 57
Task for the week
1.Tasks for the week are always due the day before the next
session (you have until mid-night).
2.Always submit tasks through the Discussion

58. 58
Discussion
Students
lodge their
work for
the week

59. 59

60. 60
Glossary (word list)
1. The purpose is to expand your vocabulary
2. For each word there shall be:
1. the definition
2. two sentences found in the academic literature that
use the word & the their in-text reference in APA
format
3. two original sentences that use the word
3. A Bibliography shall appear at the end of the document.
This will provide the references for the in-text references

61. 61
Co-teaching
1. Robert & Yuan Denghua
2. Managerial research methods
3. English & Chinese delivery
4. Resource base builds
5. Develop the curriculum

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Summary
1. New technology is the answer to many problems
2. But, we need to understand the goals if we are to make the
right decisions
3. Change the curriculum – pedagogy –evaluation together
4. Try teaching a course on Blackboard next semester
5. Start a teacher support group with your friends

63. Thank you.