Day One (18 March 2024, Monday, 9.00 AM – 6.00 PM)
The ABEST21 International Annual Meeting was held at the International Conference Hall, Aoyama Gakuin University, and officiated by President and CEO, Professor Emeritus Dr. Fumio Itoh. During this annual meeting, the financial records were presented and unanimously approved by all members. In addition, several activities were also conducted:
i) March 2024 Accreditation Award Ceremony
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A total of six universities and business schools were awarded ABEST21 International accreditation in March 2024.
ii) March 2024 KAIZEN Award Ceremony
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Three universities and business schools received the KAIZEN Achievement Award in March 2024.
iii) Presentations from ABEST21 Network Universities
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This session featured presentations from seven universities and business schools that were invited to share about their programs accredited by ABEST21 International and the benefits they gained from this recognition for the development of their programs.
The seven universities and business schools that shared their experiences were:
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Dr. Sherzod Khannaev, Vice Rector, Banking and Finance Academy of the Republic of Uzbekistan
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Professor Takamichi Hosoda, Dean, Graduate School of International Management, Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan
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Specially Appointed Associate Professor Catherine Sibala, School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University Business School, Hitotsubashi University, Japan
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Professor Caroline F. Benton, Ph.D., MBA Program in International Business, Graduate School of Business Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan
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Dr. Hedwigis Esti Riwayati, Dean, Faculty of Economics and Business, Perbanas Institute, Indonesia
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Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Asri Mohd Noor, Dean, Faculty of Management and Economics, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Malaysia
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Associate Professor Dodie Tricahyono, Ph.D., School of Economics and Business, Universitas Telkom, Indonesia
iv) Potential Collaborations with ABEST21 Network Universities
Through the ABEST21 International AGM, several universities were identified as having strong potential for collaborative activities with UMPSA, including initiatives such as Global Classroom, faculty exchange, mobility programs, and joint research. The universities identified were the School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University Business School, Hitotsubashi University, Japan; the Graduate School of Business Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan; and the Faculty of Economics and Business, Perbanas Institute, Indonesia.
In conclusion, the ABEST21 Annual Meeting successfully achieved all its objectives and provided the faculty with the latest insights and best practices from ABEST21 network universities to enhance future accreditation processes. Furthermore, the sharing of best practices from various universities has enabled the faculty to design new academic and research initiatives that will strengthen the implementation of the MBA program. Indirectly, this will also support the preparation of the ABEST21 KAIZEN report, which is scheduled to be submitted in June 2024.