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EFMD Deans Across Frontiers
An Evaluation and Mentoring System for International Business Schools
EDAF EVALUATION CRITERIA
!
EFMD DEANS ACROSS FRONTIERS
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Adding Value through Partnership
Document Version January 2014
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Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................... 4
Writing the Self-Assessment Report .................................................................... 7
Chapter 0: Environmental Context................................................................ 9
Introduction ............................................................................................................. 9
a) The Environment .............................................................................................. 9
b) Institutional Status .......................................................................................... 10
c) External Governance ...................................................................................... 10
Chapter 1: Strategy Development ............................................................... 12
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 12
The Evaluation Criteria......................................................................................... 12
a) Mission, Vision and Values ............................................................................. 12
b) Current Strategic Positioning .......................................................................... 13
c) Strategic Direction and Objectives .................................................................. 13
d) Strategic Planning .......................................................................................... 14
e) External Links: Internationalisation and Corporate ......................................... 15
f) Internal Management Systems ........................................................................ 15
g) Institutional Quality Assurance ....................................................................... 15
Chapter 2: Resources and Administration ................................................. 17
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 17
The Evaluation Criteria......................................................................................... 18
a) Physical Facilities and the Learning Environment .......................................... 18
b) Information and Library/Documentation Facilities .......................................... 18
c) IT Facilities ...................................................................................................... 19
d) Financial Resources ....................................................................................... 19
e) Financial Management Systems .................................................................... 20
f) Administrative Services and Staff .................................................................... 20
g) Human Resource Management ...................................................................... 20
h) Sufficiency of resources to meet current and future needs ............................ 21
Chapter 3: Programmes ............................................................................... 22
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 22
The Evaluation Criteria......................................................................................... 23
a) The Programme portfolio ................................................................................ 23
b) Programme design processes ........................................................................ 23
c) Programme content ........................................................................................ 24
d) Personal development and Skills acquisition ................................................. 25
e) Programme delivery ....................................................................................... 25
f) Student assessment ........................................................................................ 26
g) International, Corporate and Societal Relevance ........................................... 27
h) Programme quality assurance ........................................................................ 27
i) Sample or selected programme ....................................................................... 28
Chapter 4: Students...................................................................................... 31
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 31
The Evaluation Criteria......................................................................................... 32
a) Target profiles and criteria for selection ......................................................... 32
b) Preparation for study and progression ........................................................... 33
c) Support and counselling services ................................................................... 34
d) Personal and professional development ........................................................ 34
e) Graduate quality and Career placement/support ............................................ 34
f) Alumni Relations .............................................................................................. 35
h) Students on the Selected programme ............................................................ 35
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Chapter 5: Faculty ........................................................................................ 36
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 36
The Evaluation Criteria......................................................................................... 37
a) Faculty size, qualification, and composition ................................................... 37
b) Faculty management ...................................................................................... 38
c) External links .................................................................................................. 39
Chapter 6: Faculty’s Intellectual Activity.................................................... 42
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 42
1. Academic Research ........................................................................................ 42
2. Practice-oriented Research ............................................................................ 43
3. Pedagogic Development and Innovation ........................................................ 43
The Evaluation Criteria......................................................................................... 44
a) Expectations on intellectual activity ................................................................ 44
b) Academic and Applied Research activities ..................................................... 45
c) Pedagogical Development and Innovation ..................................................... 46
d) Consultancy and Links with the Corporate World ........................................... 46
e) Management of Intellectual Activity ................................................................ 46
f) Quantity and Quality of Intellectual Output ...................................................... 47
Chapter 7: Market Positioning ..................................................................... 51
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 51
The Evaluation Criteria......................................................................................... 51
a) Analysis of current market position ................................................................. 51
b) Marketing Organisation .................................................................................. 52
c) Marketing/Communication Strategy ................................................................ 52
d) Marketing/Communication Channels .............................................................. 52
e) Performance Measures .................................................................................. 52
Chapter 8: External Links ............................................................................ 54
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 54
The Evaluation Criteria......................................................................................... 54
a) Policies for developing external links .............................................................. 55
b) Community links and activities ....................................................................... 55
c) International links and activities ...................................................................... 56
d) Corporate links and activities .......................................................................... 56
e) Executive education ....................................................................................... 57
Chapter 9: Senior Management Team ........................................................ 59
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 59
The Evaluation Criteria......................................................................................... 59
a) Senior Management Team Structure and Operation ...................................... 59
b) Appointment processes .................................................................................. 60
c) Quality of senior management ........................................................................ 60
d) Management style and culture ....................................................................... 61
e) Leadership abilities ......................................................................................... 61
f) Strategic management .................................................................................... 61
g) Operational management ............................................................................... 62
h) Performance appraisal and development ....................................................... 62
Chapter 10: Concluding Overview .............................................................. 63
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 63
a) Summary of current position ........................................................................... 63
b) Key issues for future development ................................................................. 63
c) Areas for EDAF advice and assistance .......................................................... 64
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Introduction
EFMD Deans across Frontiers (EDAF) is designed as a mentoring system to help
business schools at any stage of their development to improve and to progress to the
highest level of quality that they could achieve, including the eventual possibility of
international accreditation. The system is based upon an initial evaluation of the
current position of the school and its activities by an international Peer Advisory Team
(PAT). The resulting Advisory Report then acts as the basis for a 3year mentoring
period normally carried out by a member of the PAT. The EDAF system is fully
described in the EDAF Process Manual.
The EDAF system is focussed on institutions and these are defined as the
organisational units which provide business and management education. The
organisational unit, whatever its name and status in its particular context, will be
referred to as ‘the School’ in all EDAF documents. This unit may, in some cases, be a
free-standing business school and, in others, the unit is part of a wider institution,
usually a university of which it is a faculty, school or department, depending on the
organisation of the parent institution.
EDAF has been designed as an international evaluation and mentoring system rather
than one rooted in any particular national system. It aims to take into account the
great diversity of national cultures and educational systems around the world. It is,
therefore, essential for the reviewing team and the mentor to have an understanding
of the local context. Furthermore it aims to form a partnership between the team and
mentor and the EDAF School. The essence is for all parties to work together in a
spirit of honesty and openness in pursuit of quality improvement. The visiting team
will also endeavour to open up partnerships with the wider world.
This document sets out the EDAF Evaluation Criteria which will be used to evaluate
the current position of the School. In preparation for the visit to the School by the PAT,
the School is expected to prepare a Self-Assessment Report (SAR) which should
address the evaluation criteria. The purpose of this document is therefore threefold:
a) to set an aspiration level of quality for schools to aim to achieve
b) to provide a comprehensive description of the evaluation criteria for EDAF
c) to give guidance to Schools in preparing their Self-Assessment Report.
The EFMD Deans across Frontiers model views the School as a wheel with a hub
containing the Senior Management Team (SMT) who coordinate a number of
interlinked activity spokes and together these are located within the rim which is the
environmental context.
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The Senior Management Team is the hub of the wheel while the rim represents the
environmental context. The School’s activity areas are the spokes of the wheel and
each must have an equally supportive role to ensure that the wheel is balanced. The
activity spokes must also be interactive and they make the practical link between the
senior management hub and the environmental rim. The diagonal axes are major
links but are also interdependent on the other axes:
Strategy
Faculty
Programmes
Market positioning
and
and
and
and
Resources
Intellectual activity/output
Students
External links
The environmental context may be taken as a given set of variables which should be
fully understood by the Senior Management Team but the context is not part of the
quality evaluation process. The eight spokes are aspects of the School’s activities
which can be influenced by senior management decision making and actions. The
quality status of these activities are assessable and link ultimately to the overall
perceived quality of the School.
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Each of the components of the wheel (the rim, the hub and the 8 spokes) is explained
in this document in their own chapters. Since the Environmental Context is not
evaluated but is necessary to understand the School’s context, it is explained in the
first chapter but labelled as Chapter 0. Chapters 1 to 8 cover the spokes of the wheel,
ie the controllable activities of the School which will be evaluated for quality. The
evaluation of the activities will be presented in the feedback Advisory Report in which
advice will be given on areas that could be developed further.
Chapter 9 covers the qualities and processes of the Senior Management Team. The
Senior Management Team at the hub will also be evaluated but, since EDAF is a
mentoring system, it would not be appropriate to make the findings on this aspect
public. Indeed Chapter 9 in the SAR may also be kept confidential to facilitate an
open approach.
Chapters 1 to 9 consider a wide range of aspects that should or could be present in a
good quality school, ie the aspirational purpose of the document. The chapters begin
with an Introduction setting out the rationale (or ‘philosophy’) of the EDAF approach in
order to help Schools to better understand the criteria that follow. The next section
entitled “The EDAF Evaluation Criteria” lists the evaluation criteria, which have been
grouped into a number of ‘key areas’. Within each key area, there are a number of
bullet points and questions which have been designed to help the School to consider
and evaluate their current stage of development.
A self-evaluation of the School is to be written in the Self-Assessment Report for the
external Peer Advisors to use as the basis for their visit to the School. Chapters 0 to 9
explain the information required for this self-evaluation. The School is also requested
to write a concluding Chapter 10 in which it identifies its current Strengths and
Weaknesses, its Opportunities and Threats, and the key questions and areas on
which it is particularly seeking advice from the Peer Advisory Team and the Mentor.
In summary, the SAR should address:
“What have we achieved so far, where are we now, what resources do we have
and how are we constrained, and finally what are our aspirations and so where
are we going and how are we going to get there?”
The main purpose of EDAF is to help schools to answer these questions and to
help them to achieve their goals.
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Writing the Self-Assessment Report
The School should write their SAR using the Contents list of this document and of the
Institutional Development Profile as a template. Although this EDAF document may
initially look daunting, the EDAF process is open to schools at any stage of their
development and therefore the EDAF Evaluation Criteria have been written to cover a
wide spectrum of schools.
For those schools that are near international accreditation, it is likely that the EDAF
Evaluation Criteria are relevant almost in their entirety. For those schools that are at a
much earlier stage in their development, it is accepted that many of these EDAF
Evaluation Criteria cannot yet be achieved but this document should be treated as
aspirational. Such schools should be able to assess where they are currently
positioned and then use these criteria as a basis for future development. Wherever
schools lie on the development spectrum, they should write their Self-Assessment
Report addressing those aspects that are currently relevant to them. In other words,
not all questions need to be answered. Naturally any gaps will tend to identify
themselves as areas in need of further development.
In writing the SAR, the School should use the square bullet points in each of the
criteria sections as a guide as to what to describe, explain, summarise, analyse,
assess and so on (sometimes also sub-bullets as lozenges). In addition a series of
supplementary questions (dot bullets and in italics) are included as part of that guide
but they should not be interpreted as all requiring a response. To aid in the
preparation of supporting documents and statistics, in each chapter there is a section
indicating the material (arrow bullets) that should be included in the Self-Assessment
Report and a section indicating the material that should be made available in the
Base Room during the Peer Advisory Visit (see EDAF Process Manual). In some
cases, there is a section entitled “Notes” in which definitions or explanations are
provided (square bullets). The length of the SAR is likely to be at least 50 pages but
should not exceed 150 pages.
It is recommended that Schools establish a project team to write the SAR such that
different chapters are delegated to the most appropriate people. Key sections will
probably need to be written by senior faculty but much of the required data should
normally be assembled by administrative staff. The final SAR document should have
been edited by one person to ensure a consistent style and approach. Since the
process of writing the SAR should entail considerable internal strategic discussion, it
is likely that the SAR process will take at least 6 months which implies a time frame of
about 9 months from the date of eligibility to join the EDAF process to the date of the
Peer Advisory Visit.
Since the EDAF process leads to mentoring and not accreditation, maximum value
will be obtained from the Self-Assessment Report and the Peer Advisory Visit by
being open and honest in writing each chapter. It is therefore not necessary or
desirable to write the SAR as a sales document or to hide any less good aspects of
the School. The aim is for the Advisors and Mentor to fully understand the School and
the issues on which it seeks advice. The quality of that advice will be directly linked to
the quality of information supplied by the School. It should be noted that, as a
condition of being an Advisor or Mentor, the individuals concerned have agreed
complete confidentially outside the School and the EDAF process. There is therefore
no reason not to be open with the PAT.
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Finally the EDAF Team is available to offer advice on completing the SAR. Please
contact the Team at:
edaf@efmdglobal.org
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Chapter 0: Environmental Context
Introduction
The purpose of this first chapter is to situate the School within the national and
international context within which it operates. The chapter is crucial for two reasons:
first of all, it should provide the Peer Advisors, who will not all be familiar with the
national environment, with a concise, but comprehensive summary of the School’s
position in its home country context. Secondly, the School should be able to
demonstrate that it has a full awareness of its operating environment as a basis for
developing a coherent strategy towards the national and international markets for its
programmes and services.
The report should provide a description of the national higher educational system with
an explanation of the norms, expectations and constraints under which universities
and business schools operate. It should include an analysis of the national market for
management education and of the interface with the employment market.
The School should define its identity and legitimacy within the national context as set
out above. This will require a brief history of the School from its founding and an
explanation of how its current mission has evolved from this historical experience.
Finally this chapter should explain the external governance structure for the School.
Most Schools are “owned” by a higher level body which exercises strategic control
over the School in terms of academic activities and resources. The degree of control
defines the extent of the autonomy available to the internal management of the
School and therefore their ability to manage the School strategically.
The key areas are:
a) Environment
b) Institutional Status
c) External Governance
a) The Environment
! Provide general information on the political, economic and social environment
which is pertinent to the School’s operations, eg
•
•
•
•
•
•
National political system (eg parliamentary democracy, executive presidential
system, etc.)
Nature of current national government
National economic situation (eg total GDP, GDP per capita, national debt as
% of GDP, growth rate, unemployment rate, welfare benefits, etc.)
Main trading partners
Religious and social cultures
National levels of education (eg participation rates at different levels)
! Provide general information on the higher educational environment in which the
School operates, eg
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•
•
•
•
•
•
The national educational system(s) within which it operates and grants
degrees
Programme features pre-determined by the national system and environment
Student selection criteria required by the national system
Regulatory frameworks
Degree certification procedures and the status of the degrees granted by the
School within the hierarchy of existing national degrees
What are the constraints which the national environment imposes on the
School’s activities, particularly in terms of:
o
the degree of freedom to innovate
o
access to resources and support (funding, faculty)
o
access to students
o
pricing of programmes
o
internationalisation
! Describe briefly the history of the School since its creation.
! Provide a description of the national market for higher education in business and
management and the nature of the competition within the national system:
•
•
•
Key stakeholders; funding agencies
The interface of the School with the job market for which it trains graduates
The School’s main competitors locally and at national level
! Describe the School’s regional and international markets and competition.
b) Institutional Status
! Provide a clear explanation of the School’s legal status and affiliation within its
national system:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Type of institution (public, private, regulated/non-regulated, profit/not-for-profit,
business school within a wider university framework)
Parent organisation (eg University, Association, Chamber of Commerce in the
case of French Grandes Ecoles)
Legal status and by-laws
Relation to the national or regional educational and accreditation bodies
Sources of funding which derive from the above
To what extent do the legal status and by-laws for the School allow it freedom
to pursue its mission without undue interference?
What constraints do the legal status and by-laws place on the activities of the
School?
! Identify, on the basis of the above information, the key factors which underpin the
School’s recognition and legitimacy within its own national context.
c) External Governance
! Describe the formal mechanisms through which the School is externally
governed, either by the governance system of the parent university, by a
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governing body in the case of a free-standing business school with no university
affiliation, or by the Government.
•
•
•
To whom is the Dean or Director of the School accountable?
How is the governance function exercised in terms of financial and strategic
surveillance?
How is external academic surveillance exercised?
! Identify the School’s principal stakeholders and assess their impact on major
issues such as strategic planning, autonomy and funding.
•
•
•
To what extent are external stakeholders such as companies, national
education authorities and government agencies involved in the governance of
the School?
Does the School have an Advisory Body providing input that is external both
to the School and the University and, if so, what is its membership and remit?
How are faculty and students involved in the School’s governance?
! Describe the interface between the external governance system and the School’s
internal management system.
•
•
How are decisions that require negotiation between the two levels taken?
Explain the extent of the School’s operational autonomy within this context.
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" History of the School: a one-page summary table illustrating the evolution and key
events in the development of the School, eg main events, creation of
programmes, creation of research centres, establishment of major partnerships,
opening new facilities and premises, etc.
" Organisation Chart showing reporting lines for external governance
" List of members in the School’s Governing Body and/or Advisory Board
(indicating name, position, organisation, nationality, year of appointment)
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Chapter 1: Strategy Development
Introduction
The School should explain its current strategic positioning as regards resources
available, programmes offered, ability to generate intellectual output, target markets
and populations, and employment markets served. The School should also explain
the international dimension of its activities and its links with the corporate world.
The School should describe its strategic vision for future development, with a realistic
appraisal of the steps to be taken to achieve its objectives (see Notes below). In this
section of the Self-Assessment Report, mention should also be made of the substrategies that derive from the overall strategy in areas such as teaching and
learning, programme development, research, external links, marketing and HR
processes. This is especially important in those areas where the achievements of the
School are still limited.
Of course, it is understood that not everything can be undertaken as part of a predefined strategic plan and that Schools will seize opportunities as they arise and then
integrate them later into their portfolio of activities.
Since EDAF evaluates the whole School and examines all its activities, the
effectiveness of the internal management and decision-making processes is an issue
of paramount importance. The School should operate with reasonable decisionmaking autonomy in setting its own strategy for future development, in establishing its
portfolio of programmes, and in the management of its resources. The SelfAssessment Report should provide a full description of the system of internal
management processes. This should include its policies and processes in the area of
quality assurance and performance measurement. It is expected that the School’s
major stakeholders, and in particular its students, should be involved in many of these
processes.
This chapter should be related to all subsequent chapters but, in particular, the
following chapter on Resources since resources often constrain strategic directions.
The Evaluation Criteria
The key areas are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
Mission, Vision and Values
Current Strategic Positioning
Strategic Direction and Objectives
Strategic Planning
External links: Internationalisation and Corporate
Internal Management Systems
Institutional Quality Assurance
a) Mission, Vision and Values
! Define the School’s mission and explain how it relates to its identity as described
in the previous chapter.
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•
•
•
Does the School have a clear sense of its own identity and is this expressed
in the mission? Does the mission of the School clearly define its role in
society, its activities and its markets?
Does the School have a mission statement that is published, periodically
reviewed and revised as needed?
Is the mission consistent with the parent organisation’s mission and
resources?
! Describe the School’s vision.
•
•
Is it clear and widely known what the School aspires to be in the future? How
challenging and realistic is this vision?
What evidence is there for progress towards meeting the vision? What steps
are taken to acquire key resources required by the vision?
! Describe the School’s values.
•
•
•
•
Does the School have a clear understanding of its core values?
Do the School’s core values include an explicit commitment to ethically and
socially responsible behaviour in the management profession?
Do the values embrace the idea that management should be for the good of
society as a whole and not just for the benefit of the employing organisation?
Are these values broadly accepted and adhered to across the School?
b) Current Strategic Positioning
! Provide a clear description of the School’s current strategic position in its national
and international markets.
•
Identify the strategic group to which it belongs and identify key competitors.
o
How does it differentiate itself from the other institutions in this
group?
•
Explain and analyse the School’s positioning relative to its available resources,
programmes offered, ability to generate intellectual output, target markets and
populations, and the employment markets it serves.
o
Has the School identified an appropriate set of measures to
accurately pinpoint its competitive position in the market and its
success in achieving the mission?
•
Explain its main strategic actions over the past five years and describe how its
strategic position has changed in terms of status and operational
effectiveness.
! Provide a brief analysis of the School’s strengths and weaknesses in maintaining
this strategic positioning and its perceived opportunities and threats for the future.
c) Strategic Direction and Objectives
! Demonstrate how the mission, vision and values have been translated into
strategic direction as shown by the School’s long term goals.
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•
How have the medium term strategic objectives been developed from the
broad long term strategic direction and how their achievement may be
assessed.
! Describe the relationship between the School’s strategic objectives and the
availability of resources. Identify the key constraints which limit future
performance and the planned actions to eliminate them, decrease their impact or
otherwise deal with them.
d) Strategic Planning
! Describe the internal process by which its mission, vision, values and strategic
objectives are converted into strategic and operational plans.
•
•
Who are the main stakeholders that the School serves? What is their relative
importance and how is this reflected in the development of strategy and the
allocation of resources?
How are the plans reviewed and updated and by whom?
! Give a broad description of the strategic plans for the coming years.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Does the overall strategic plan for the School reflect a keen awareness of the
strategic context?
Have sub strategies been developed for areas (these should be explained in
later chapters) such as:
o
Finance and resources
o
Teaching & Learning
o
Research & Development
o
Human resources
o
Marketing and communication
o
External links, eg corporate, international, societal, etc.
How will the plans for future development change the School’s current
strategic positioning? Are these plans realistic?
What changes will have to occur within the School and within its portfolio of
programmes and activities for the strategic objectives to be achieved?
Does the School have the financial and teaching resources that will be
necessary to achieve the objectives?
Are there shorter-term operational plans with appropriate metrics to measure
progress towards the achievement of the stated objectives?
Is the strategic plan clear and communicated effectively to all concerned?
How well does the School integrate its strategic planning processes into other
improvement activities?
! Explain how the School takes advantage of opportunities as they arise and how
or whether the activities that are then developed are eventually incorporated into
the strategy.
! Describe the principal strategic risks that the School faces or may face in the
future.
•
How clearly defined are these risks?
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•
What plans and actions have been taken to reduce or mitigate these risks?
e) External Links: Internationalisation and Corporate
! Describe the School’s overall approach to making connections to its external
community.
! Explain the School’s policy on incorporating an international perspective into its
activities, eg
•
•
•
•
To what extent do the Governing and Advisory Boards have international
representation?
Does the School have an explicit policy and strategy for international
development?
Are adequate resources allocated in support of this strategy?
What are the School’s main international linkages?
! Explain the School’s policy on incorporating the corporate dimension into its
activities, eg
•
•
•
Do business leaders from outside the School participate in its governance
structures?
Does the School have an explicit policy and strategy for managing its interface
with the corporate world?
What are the School’s main corporate linkages?
f) Internal Management Systems
! Describe the School’s internal organisational structures and decision-making
processes. Evaluate these in terms of their effectiveness in contributing to the
overall strategy.
•
•
•
How do the current organisational structure and job responsibilities for
individuals support the achievement of the School’s strategic objectives?
How are faculty and students represented in the School’s principal decisionmaking committees, either as voting or as non-voting members?
How does the School apply to itself the principles of ethically and socially
responsible governance?
g) Institutional Quality Assurance
! Provide a brief description of any existing formal mechanisms for internal quality
assurance at institutional (not programme) level.
•
•
How do the formal quality systems fit the context in which the School
operates?
What policies are there for periodic reviews of academic departments, subject
areas, research centres, programmes, etc.?
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! Explain the processes and indicators used to monitor overall performance.
•
•
What methods does the School use for tracking progress and completion of
individual objectives?
What are the key performance indicators?
! Describe the ways in which stakeholders are involved in quality assurance.
•
•
How do faculty and students participate in internal reviews or in the
preparation of material for external accreditation?
Describe the ways in which other key external and internal stakeholders are
involved in quality assurance processes
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" Internal Organisation Chart showing reporting lines
" Chart showing the internal Committee structure
Information and Documents to be provided in the Base Room during the Peer
Advisory Visit
" Documents describing the School’s strategic plans and related policies (if possible
in English).
" Any relevant policy and procedure documents that have been developed to
support the implementation of the strategic plans.
" Any current operational plans with associated timelines.
Notes
1.
Mission
EDAF defines ‘mission’ as the role for which the School was created or is currently
mandated to fulfil. It derives, for example, from its status as part of a public university
or as a private business school founded to serve a corporate market. The mission
answers the questions: ‘Why does the School exist? What is it for? What does it do?’
2.
Vision
EDAF defines the term ‘vision’ as the way the School would like to position itself in
the future (maybe in the next 5 to 10 years). The term encompasses the School’s
ambition as it projects itself into the future. It is a dynamic concept, expressing a
willingness to take up challenges. However, it is not expressed as a detailed set of
objectives, but rather as one or two simple, but powerful ideas.
3.
Strategy
It is the role of the strategy to plan out the route towards realising the vision but within
the scope of the mission. The School should have developed a formal strategy which
will include clear and measurable (medium term) objectives, an action plan for
achieving them and an estimate of the resources required (with sources) to
implement the plan.
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Chapter 2: Resources and Administration
Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to evaluate the adequacy of the School’s current
physical and financial resources for the range of existing activities, together with the
associated management systems and staff. In addition this chapter links to the
Strategy Development chapter (Chapter 1) in terms of identifying the sufficiency of
resources for implementing the strategy and also of identifying the requirements for,
and potential sources of, future resources.
The physical facilities should provide an appropriate learning environment for the
students and participants in the School’s various programmes. The requirements for
undergraduate students are normally very different from those for an MBA cohort or
for executive education participants. The basic principle is that the physical facilities
in terms of auditoriums, classrooms, breakout rooms, social space, etc. should be
sufficient to support the particular pedagogical approach in each programme. It is
usually the case that MBA programmes and executive education activities will require
dedicated facilities.
Appropriate office space and research facilities should be provided for the faculty in
support of their various roles within the School.
The School should be adequately equipped with library/documentation services
providing access to books, periodicals and electronic databases backed up by the
appropriate information systems. If possible, the School should have an e-learning
platform for internal and external communication and for interactive learning and it
should also provide a help service for students and faculty.
EDAF will review the sufficiency of the School’s financial resources and the
supporting budgetary and financial management systems. An essential criterion here
is the financial viability of the School and the adequacy of its resources in line with its
strategic ambitions.
The School should also demonstrate that its management accounting and reporting
processes contribute to operational effectiveness by providing transparent information
about revenues, costs and contribution of each programme or activity.
The overall sufficiency and quality of the School’s administrative services and staff
will be evaluated. Human Resource Management policies and processes should have
been developed as a framework for open and transparent management of faculty and
staff.
Finally the chapter should demonstrate whether and how all these resources meet
the needs of current activities, identify areas of shortfall and indicate whether and
how these gaps can be filled. The resources needs should be projected into the
future in line with the strategic plan for the School.
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The Evaluation Criteria
The key areas are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
Physical Facilities and the Learning Environment
Information and Library/Documentation Facilities
IT Facilities
Financial Resources
Financial Management Systems
Administrative Services and Staff
Human Resource Management
Sufficiency of resources to meet current and future needs
a) Physical Facilities and the Learning Environment
! Provide a summary of premises, including the identification of any premises
shared with other parts of the host Institution (if appropriate).
! Describe the educational facilities: auditoriums, classrooms, breakout rooms,
individual workstations, and social areas for students.
•
•
•
Are these appropriately equipped with educational support facilities: computer
access, projectors, microphone systems, etc.?
How are these facilities shared between the different programmes and/or
other departments?
How does this range of facilities contribute to the personal experience and
development of students evaluated?
! Describe the office and other facilities available to faculty, administrative and
other staff.
! Describe the processes for the management of physical resources within the
School.
b) Information and Library/Documentation Facilities
! Describe the library/documentation services provided on site (documentation
centre, library, databases, research facilities, etc.). Describe also any special
relationships with external libraries (including that of the parent institution /
university) and research institutions.
•
•
Are the library and research facilities adequate and are faculty and
participants provided with adequate access outside normal working hours?
How does the School evaluate the support provided to individuals by these
facilities, eg faculty and student feedback? What evidence is there that
feedback has been used to develop facilities for the benefit of individuals?
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c) IT Facilities
! Describe the facilities available: hardware, software, intranet, e-learning platforms,
open-access computer rooms, help services, Internet access, etc.
• Are the IT facilities sufficient and are participants provided with appropriate
access outside normal working hours?
• What e-learning platforms are available and how are they used by faculty
members in programme delivery?
• What, if any, specialist software is provided and how is it utilised?
• What support services are provided to students and staff?
• What processes are in place to identify and fulfil development needs for new
or updated IT facilities and systems?
d) Financial Resources
! Describe the current financial resources of the School with a breakdown by
source of funding. Indicate the degree of stability or vulnerability of these funding
sources. Public university Faculties/Schools should explain fully the budgetary
allocation system by which the national educational authority funding is
channelled through the central University to finance the School’s activities
(notably programme costs and the salaries of teaching staff).
•
•
•
•
What degree of financial autonomy does the School enjoy?
What are the regulations and constraints that limit the School’s financial
autonomy?
How much freedom does the School have to generate and retain additional
sources of funding?
What evidence is there that the financial provision made for the support and
development of programmes is adequate? How does this compare with the
provision made in the last five years?
! Explain the budget for the current year with an analysis of the major headings.
•
How is the School’s budget integrated into the budgeting system of the wider
university or parent institution?
! Summarise the financial performance of the School over the past 5 years.
! Describe the projected financial needs of the School and the plans to meet these
targets.
•
•
•
Is there a medium term business plan showing the acquisition and use of
financial and other resources necessary to achieve the strategic objectives?
How realistic is the plan to generate larger financial resources in the future?
What are the main areas of financial risk for the School? Is the level of risk
acceptable?
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e) Financial Management Systems
! Describe the School’s internal financial control and reporting systems.
•
•
•
•
What information is the system designed to provide to the School’s
managers?
How much budgetary autonomy is devolved to programme directors or
department heads?
Does the School use the data collected to monitor key performance
indicators?
To what extent is financial information reported to the School’s stakeholders?
f) Administrative Services and Staff
! Describe the organisation of the support services (programme support, finance
and accounting, human resource management, marketing, buildings and grounds,
documentation centre, computer service, etc.).
•
•
•
Does the School have sufficient administrative staff to provide adequate
service to participants and customers?
Is programme support sufficient especially for high-end programmes, eg MBA,
EMBA, executive education?
How is the effectiveness of general support and administration facilities
evaluated? What improvements to the quality of support have been achieved
or are proposed in the near future?
g) Human Resource Management
! Describe how the HRM function is structured and operates within the School.
•
•
Is HRM primarily the responsibility of the School or of the parent organisation?
If the latter, explain how the relationship operates, ie who is responsible for
what?
If HRM is located within the School, describe its organisational structure and
remit. To whom does it report?
! Describe the School’s HRM strategy and its policies for the management of both
faculty and other staff.
•
•
To what extent is the development of an HRM strategy an integral part of the
overall strategic planning process within the School?
Describe any formal processes for the recruitment, personal development,
performance appraisal and dismissal of all staff categories? Are these well
documented and available to all staff?
! Describe how relevant routine operations are organised.
•
Are appropriate staff records maintained and analysed to provide information
useful for staff recruitment and development?
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•
•
Is there a process for regular staff appraisal and, if so, how are outcomes from
staff appraisals followed through to the identification of development needs
and subsequent support?
To what extent does the reputation of the School influence the recruitment
and retention of staff? What are the perceived unique selling points (USP) for
recruiting staff and what are the perceived problem areas?
h) Sufficiency of resources to meet current and future needs
! Evaluate the overall adequacy of the above resources to meet the demands of
the School’s portfolio of activities.
•
•
Is the overall level of resources sufficient to fully support the current activities
of the School in terms of its mission and core processes?
What shortfalls in resources are expected relative to the School’s future
strategy? What steps are being taken to address these?
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" The budget for the current year and forecast budgets for coming years where
available
" The School’s financial accounts for the last 5 years broken down by main activity
area (income statements and balance sheets)
" Data related to the recruitment of faculty and administrative staff, eg:
• Advertising costs per appointment as % of salary on appointment
• Number of applicants per vacant position by broad category
• Number of offers made and subsequently rejected per final appointment
Information and Documents to be provided in the Base Room during the Peer
Advisory Visit
" Information distributed to students explaining the documentation facilities and
services available (eg texts and articles in the national language and in English).
" HR strategy and policies (eg Staff Handbook, New Employees’ Induction Pack)
Notes
1.
Confidentiality regarding financial information:
The Peer Advisors are informed that all information to which they have access in the
documents provided by the School is confidential. The School may, however,
withhold written information that it considers strategic although a verbal response will
be expected.
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Chapter 3: Programmes
Introduction
Given the cultural diversity that exists at an international level, the aim of the EDAF
process is not to establish a common norm for the design, content and delivery of
programmes. EDAF respects national and local diversity in an international context,
leaving responsibility for national issues to the appropriate local associations.
Nonetheless, the movement towards increased convergence of national systems and
greater compatibility between programmes is gathering speed around the world. For
all schools, the international positioning of their programmes has become more
important than in the past. EDAF therefore also aims to help schools to adapt their
programmes to make them internationally compatible so as to facilitate the
international “readability” of degrees and the mobility of students across academic
borders.
In order to help schools make sense of the proliferation of degrees, especially those
carrying the Master’s label, EQUAL1 has drawn up a series of guidelines that may be
useful in preparing the Self-Assessment Report (see Guidelines and Position Papers
document, sections A to F). In the case of the MBA for example, the guidelines are
intended to set certain limits regarding the use of the label, excluding its use for preexperience degrees. Where programmes do not conform to the EQUAL Guidelines,
schools should explain why this is the case.
The programme portfolio of the School should have developed in line with the needs
of its external environment as well as taking account of its internal faculty expertise.
The School should be able to demonstrate a rational balance between these two
aspects. The external needs will help define target markets and target graduate
profiles. Programmes should be designed so as to transform the expected student
intake into the desired graduate output and the School should be able to demonstrate
the processes which achieve this transformation.
In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme design, delivery and
assessment processes, EDAF not only takes an overview of the programme portfolio
and the management thereof but it also reviews one sample programme in depth as a
check on the effectiveness of the management of the overall programme portfolio.
The School should select one of its typical programmes in discussion with the EDAF
Office, eg an undergraduate (Bachelor), a pre-experience postgraduate (eg generalist
or specialist Master) and a post-experience postgraduate (MBA) programme. The
overall portfolio and the ‘selected programme’ should therefore be described in the
Self-Assessment Report and they will then be assessed during the Peer Advisory
Visit.
This chapter on Programmes should be related to the next chapter on Students and
vice versa.
1
EQUAL is the international association of quality assessment and accreditation agencies in
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Chapter 3: Programmes
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The Evaluation Criteria
The key areas are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
The Programme portfolio
Programme design processes
Programme content
Personal development and skills acquisition
Programme delivery
Student assessment
International, Corporate and Societal relevance
Programme quality assurance
Sample or selected programme
a) The Programme portfolio
! Describe the School’s teaching and learning developments and policies.
•
Describe the policies and processes used to develop the portfolio in line with
the School’s strategic objectives.
! Describe the overall portfolio of programmes that the School currently offers
(consistent with the latest Datasheet). Explain the School’s policy as regards the
balance between programme offerings at different levels (undergraduate,
Master’s, MBA, doctoral, executive education).
•
•
•
•
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the present portfolio and how are
these assessed?
What are the criteria for assessing the overall coherence of the portfolio?
How are decisions regarding the positioning of programmes made?
What constituencies and markets is the School serving?
! Explain how the programme portfolio has changed over the past five years and
summarise plans for future programme creation, repositioning or development.
! Describe the School’s systems for managing its programmes.
b) Programme design processes
! Describe the process for designing programmes. Explain how the School ensures
that programmes meet the needs of the market and of participants.
•
•
•
How does the development and review cycle ensure that the design, content,
delivery methods and materials for programmes are relevant, up-to-date and
of high quality?
How does the programme design process ensure that the School’s values are
embedded within the programmes?
How does the School decide on and what are the values, attitudes, knowledge,
skills and behaviours that it is seeking to instil in its students for all
programmes?
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•
•
•
•
In what ways are programmes and student profiles differentiated with respect
to similar programmes at other schools?
How does the School encourage innovation and creativity in programme
design?
Where the design of programmes is strongly modular, are participants
provided clear guidance as to the means by which the integration of individual
subjects is achieved?
How do programmes provide for interdisciplinary integration?
! Identify the key changes in programme design that have occurred in the last 5
years, together with an identification of key problems in the resourcing or design
of current programmes.
•
What steps does the School take to keep up to date with best practice, major
trends and significant innovation in similar programmes around the world?
c) Programme content
! For each programme (set):
# Describe the nature of the degree or qualification, its level of recognition in the
national and international context, together with details of equivalencies to
other qualifications (where appropriate).
# Provide a summary of the programme philosophy and rationale, key
programme objectives and intended learning outcomes (ILOs)2.
# Define the core content, options offered and the pedagogy adopted.
! In general:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Do the programmes have clearly stated objectives and learning outcomes?
Are staff and participants fully aware of these and do they explicitly explain to
participants what they are expected to know and be able to do at the end of
the programme?
How are the programme objectives and intended learning outcomes
translated into the practical aspects of programme content?
Are any programme requirements set by the nature of the employment
market? How are these taken into account?
Do the design and content of the programmes embrace a comprehensive
range of relevant business and management theory, which is firmly linked to
the practical world of management?
Does the School make clear the way in which it recognises and assesses
personal skills and qualities as well as the subject-specific knowledge and
skills being developed by each course? 3
Do the design and content of the programmes explicitly include aspects of
socially responsible management?
Does the School make available to its students full information about the
programmes, both in document form and on-line?
2
For a definition of Programme Sets, Programme Objectives and Intended Learning
Outcomes: see Notes at the end of this Chapter.
3
For a definition on the difference between Programme and Course and/or module: see Notes
at the end of this Chapter.
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d) Personal development and Skills acquisition
! Describe the means by which transferable intellectual skills appropriate to
higher education are integrated into the curricula. Schools should explain how the
various learning and development outcomes for students are defined in their
different programmes.
•
Do the programmes have general education aims to develop intellectual skills
such as the ability to:
o
analyse, synthesize and critically assess complex material
o
formulate and defend independent judgments
o
conceptualise
o
communicate effectively in writing and orally
o
demonstrate an awareness of the wider context of the programme
of study
o
apply general concepts to practical situations
•
Does the School facilitate the development of a structured personal culture
and a related set of values?
How are these skills assessed?
•
! Summarise the key managerial skills (team work, interpersonal skills,
presentation skills, project management, leadership skills, etc.) which the School
promotes in students and the methods it uses to achieve them. Discuss the role of
practical work, internships and projects in developing these skills.
•
•
•
•
•
•
What opportunities are provided in the curriculum for students to apply the
targeted managerial skills?
Is there an appropriate balance between intellectual development and the
development of managerial skills in the delivery and assessment of
coursework? How are these skills assessed?
Do students receive training in research and consultancy skills?
Does the programme include sufficient individual practical project work for the
development and assessment of an individual’s ability to integrate core
subjects with the application of managerial skills?
What opportunities are provided to allow students to benefit from group work
and practical experience?
Describe any extracurricular or special activities involved in the programme
e) Programme delivery
! Describe the teaching methods currently used in programme delivery (lectures,
case studies, business games, group work, project-based learning, tutorials, etc.).
•
•
•
Does the School employ a sufficiently diverse range of teaching and learning
methods to maximise learning and the practical application of learning
outcomes? What is the balance between different methods and how does this
support programme aims?
How aware is the School of programme delivery practices in other
institutions/countries?
To what extent is there an emphasis on learning as well as teaching?
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! Explain the School’s policy as regards teaching innovation and the use of new
technologies in the educational process.
•
•
•
Does the School promote innovation in teaching methods and in the learning
process?
To what extent have the information and communication technologies been
integrated into the programme delivery systems?
What is the contribution of these technologies to individual programme
objectives? What specific knowledge, skills and qualities are developed
through the use of information technology and how do these match
programme objectives?
! Identify the main constraints which limit the range or scope of teaching methods
and materials employed in the School’s programmes.
! Describe processes for the allocation of faculty to programmes.
! Describe the mechanisms for maintaining quality control on a continuous basis.
Explain how the criteria and processes used to monitor programme quality relate
to the programme objectives.
f) Student assessment
! Describe the assessment systems for monitoring and grading students’ work and
progression through the programme.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
How does the School ensure that participants meet the agreed objectives and
learning outcomes for individual degree awards?
Does the assessment regime support the programme design in terms of its
ILOs, objectives and general philosophy?
Does the assessment regime explicitly identify the criteria for assessment and
the range and relative weighting of the various assessment methods
employed?
To what extent does the assessment system distinguish between the
attribution of a grade and marking designed to help students to understand
their shortcomings and to improve?
What provision is made for re-sitting assessments or examinations? Is this
appropriate and does it support the programme’s aims and objectives?
How does the School ensure that the assessment regime is applied with
sufficient rigour and consistency?
How is the degree-awarding function handled by the School?
What mechanisms are used to protect the integrity and validity of the degree
awarding process from abuse by individuals? What steps are taken to ensure
objectivity in terms of the standards being applied?
How does the School deal with cases of cheating and plagiarism?
! Demonstrate that the quality of the students’ work is appropriate to the level of the
programmes and meets international degree standards.
•
How does the School ensure that the depth of knowledge taught and
assessed in the programmes and that the intellectual demands made on
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•
students became greater the higher the level of programme (eg Bachelor,
Master, doctorate)?
How does the School calibrate its degree standards against those in other
countries? For example, would the School’s Bachelor programmes
automatically meet the entry requirements for a Master’s programme in a
reputable international school?
g) International, Corporate and Societal Relevance
! Explain how the School’s programmes include an intercultural perspective.
•
•
•
•
Which programmes are targeted at international students?
How attractive are the School’s programmes to international students?
How many courses are delivered in a foreign language?
How international is the content of the School’s programmes?
! Describe the opportunities for international cross-cultural learning between
students on the programmes, eg international student enrolment and
opportunities for student exchange.
•
•
Provide a table indicating international student enrolment in the School’s
various programmes over the past three years
Provide a table showing the extent of student exchanges including names of
key international partner schools for the past three years.
! Describe how the School’s programmes include a corporate perspective.
•
•
•
•
•
•
How is this perspective built into the definition of learning objectives and into
the design and delivery of the programme?
Does the School have formal processes for involving corporate stakeholders
in programme design and monitoring?
What is the extent of corporate practitioner input into the delivery of the
School’s programmes?
Does the corporate community provide opportunities for live project work,
internships and placements?
Provide a table showing the take up by students of these opportunities.
To what extent is the business community satisfied with the School’s
programmes and graduates?
! Summarise the extent to which programmes integrate the current challenges in
business and society such as Global Responsibility and Sustainable Development
and the necessity to develop socially responsible managers.
h) Programme quality assurance
! Describe the institutional systems designed to ensure the delivery of high quality
programmes that meet international standards.
•
•
What formal institutional quality systems are applied to programmes and how
do they contribute to the achievement of the School’s strategy?
What organisational structure supports these systems?
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! Describe the processes for the design and periodic review of programmes.
•
•
•
•
How does the School ensure that programmes meet the needs of the market
and of participants and how does it include key stakeholder groups (eg alumni
and corporates) in the process?
What generic adjustments to the programme design process have been made
over the last 5 years in the light of feedback from programme teams and key
stakeholders?
What mechanisms exist for the assessment of consistency with the standards
required by external bodies, where appropriate, for the programme content?
Is there a process for periodic fundamental review? Does this involve external
input, eg external academics?
! Describe the processes for the evaluation of programmes.
•
•
•
How does the School evaluate the quality of the teaching input, in addition to
evaluation by students?
How is the assessment regime rigorously evaluated by management,
particularly when new or innovative approaches are being applied?
How is the consistency of standards across courses assured, eg is there a
system of sample double marking?
! Summarise the evidence for satisfaction on the part of key stakeholder groups
with regard to programme design, content and delivery, and standards.
i) Sample or selected programme
! The selected programme will be reviewed in depth as an indicator of how well the
systems work across all programmes. More detail is therefore required for this
programme in the Self-Assessment Report and in the Base Room. The review will
cover components b) to h) above, namely:
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
Programme design processes
Programme content
Personal development and skills acquisition
Programme delivery
Student assessment
International, corporate and societal relevance
Programme quality assurance
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" A table indicating international student enrolment, if relevant, in the School’s
various programmes over the past three years
" A table indicating student exchange flows in the School’s various programmes
over the past three years
" A table showing the take up by students of the opportunities for live project work,
internships and placements with corporate partners over the past three years.
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Information and Documents to be provided in the Base Room during the Peer
Advisory Visit
General Programme Portfolio
" Teaching and Learning strategy (Provide any formal documents that may exist)
" Brochures and other general descriptions for each degree programme
" Course catalogue or list of courses in each programme, including brief
descriptions of the aims and objectives
" Documents describing the overall assessment regime and grading system
" Evaluation questionnaires
" Code of Ethical Conduct or similar document
Selected Programme
The term ‘Selected programme’ refers to the programme chosen for more intensive
assessment during the Peer Advisory Visit (see above – final paragraph of the
Introduction).
For this programme, the documents listed below should be made available in the
Base Room, either in hard copy or electronically. Shading indicates that the materials
should preferably be in English.
# Documents setting out the rationale and structure of the programme including
overall objectives and Intended Learning Outcomes
# Details of each course in the programme including Intended Learning Outcomes
and syllabi
# Descriptions of the assessment regime and grading system
# Access to online material regarding course organization and delivery.
# Teaching evaluations (summary) by students for each core course and elective
courses.
# Teaching materials and student work: there should be one course for each
faculty member selected for interview by the Peer Advisory Team.
Teaching materials should be provided for each of the selected courses to include the
course notes, slides or hand-outs, case studies, textbooks, journal readings.
Student work should be sampled based on mark or grade schedules or distributions
(list of student names with marks or grades) within the selected courses. Note that
mark schedules must be provided for each of the selected courses. For each of the
courses selected above, the following student work should be provided:
# the assignments/exams set
# a sample of 6 graded/marked student scripts matching those assignments/exams.
These 6 scripts should include the highest mark, the lowest mark and 4 from
close to the pass mark for the course (ie marginal scripts). If there are no failed
papers, the sample should consist of the 2 highest and the 4 lowest marks or
grades.
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A sample of 12 graded final dissertations or internship reports (as appropriate, eg
Masters theses or first degree “stage” reports) should also be provided, with the 3
highest marks and the 3 lowest marks and 6 with mid-level marks.
Notes
! All degree programmes should be included for assessment in this chapter,
including those offered to corporate markets such as the EMBA or in-company
MBAs.
! “Certification” programmes, i.e. programmes offered to continuing education
and corporate markets, should not be included since these awards are not
recognised university-level degrees and have no official recognition outside
the School itself. These programmes should be described in Chapter 8 on
External Links.
! Schools are invited to refer to the EPAS programme accreditation criteria,
which may be of help in preparing this chapter (available from the EFMD
website or from the EPAS Office).
! Please refer to the document “EQUAL Guidelines on Collaborative Provision”
in cases where the School offers its programmes in other locations outside its
main campus in collaboration with other schools (see Guidelines & Position
Papers, section F).
! In all EDAF documents, ‘programme’ refers to a structured period of study,
usually for a duration of one or more years, leading to a degree qualification
as in ‘MBA programme’, ‘undergraduate programme’, Masters programme, etc.
the term ‘programme set’ refers to a suite of programmes which have a
common core (at least 40% of all taught courses) but different named or
specialist pathways with different degree titles.
! The term ‘course’ refers to a single unit of study in a particular subject within
the programme as in ‘Marketing course’ or ‘Finance course’. Each course is
usually assessed separately and leads to a grade and a pre-established
number of credits.
! The term ‘module’ is sometimes synonymous with ‘course’ and sometimes is
used to refer to an organised sequence within a course. In this sense, a
course may be structured as a series of modules.
! In the case of more loosely organised programmes that may not have a strict
course structure, the term ‘module’ may refer to short sequences focusing on
a particular topic. For example, an Executive MBA programme may be
organised into a series of one to three week modules over a period of two
years.
! It is useful to distinguish ‘programme objectives’ and ‘intended learning
outcomes’.
# The programme objectives are general in nature, covering, for example
the target market, the profile of students to be recruited, the jobs for which
students are to be prepared.
# The intended learning outcomes or ILOs are more specific and relate to
what students are expected to know, what they are expected to be able to
do, and how they are expected to behave.
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Chapter 4: Students
Introduction
In this chapter, the assessment will address a range of issues regarding the School’s
management of its student population. Where appropriate, it will also include the
management of the participants in its degree programmes for executives, such as the
EMBA. The chapter covers the target markets, the School’s selection processes, the
quality of the students enrolled, the monitoring of students’ progression during their
studies, the support services for students in need of guidance, the career placement
services, and the alumni association. This chapter should be related to the chapter on
Programmes.
EDAF recognises that selection upon admission is not always possible, for example
in many public universities in Europe. In these cases, the School should be able to
show that high standards for progression through the programmes and for graduation
at their end will compensate for the absence of selectivity upon entry. The evaluation
of quality of the student body also encompasses students’ motivation, commitment
and seriousness of purpose for their programme of studies.
The School should be able to demonstrate that it is successfully preparing students
for potential careers in management. While it is desirable that the School is able to
attract students from other countries, it is also important that home country students
should be open to international experience and have exposure to an international
learning environment, including opportunities for study abroad.
An important indicator of student quality is their employability upon graduation, as
evidenced by time to employment, level of employment, and salary. The School
should show it has the professionally qualified resources to help students in their
search for a job, through career counselling and placement services. It should
proactively manage the interface with companies in order to bring students and
employers together. It should further demonstrate that it maintains a statistical record
of employment results for each graduating class. This chapter will also consider the
way in which the School maintains contact with and supports its students after
graduation and mobilises alumni in the pursuit of its strategic objectives.
An essential function of all institutions of higher education is to facilitate the
intellectual, social and personal development of students in preparation for their
future lives as responsible and creative citizens. In addition, management education
institutions have the particular responsibility of preparing students to assume
managerial roles in which very specific behavioural skills are needed. Furthermore,
younger students will require support in defining their career paths. Older students
enter postgraduate programmes in order to prepare themselves for an acceleration or
a redirection of their careers. Particularly in MBA programmes, objectives relating to
personal and professional development will occupy a significant part of the
educational experience. The expected outcomes relate as much to behavioural
factors as to the acquisition of new knowledge. In the area of executive education, the
emphasis is increasingly on management and leadership development in which
behavioural objectives are paramount.
There is an expectation that the School will educate its students to act ethically in
their professional lives. Values such as integrity, respect for others, socially
responsible action, service to society should be an integral part of the personal
development agenda.
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In sum, business and management education institutions play a key role in
developing personal awareness and the appropriate attitudes, values, skills and
behaviours to equip students in their professional lives as managers. Schools should
be able to demonstrate a concern for the type of managers they are trying to educate,
backed by suitable processes for helping students to manage meaningful change,
direct their energies and personal skills, and define their own future.
As a consequence, the educational experience organised by the School should go
much beyond classroom instruction and provide students with structured and
monitored opportunities to develop the personal and professional qualities that have
been defined as learning outcomes.
The Evaluation Criteria
The key areas are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
Target profiles and criteria for selection
Preparation for study and progression
Support and Counselling Services
Personal and Professional Development
Graduate quality and Career placement / support
Alumni Relations
Students on the Selected programme
a) Target profiles and criteria for selection
! Describe the target markets and profiles for incoming students in the School’s
various programmes (sets).
! Describe the target profile for graduating students in terms of knowledge, values,
managerial skills, professional competences, and entry level into corporate
employment.
! Provide a description of the selection processes and show how these relate to the
objectives set for the School’s different programmes.
•
•
•
•
•
Are the entry criteria set at the appropriate levels and are they used rigorously
in the selection process?
Can the School produce evidence that the procedures and standards applied
for admission for each programme are rigorous, fair and appropriate?
What standardised tools does the School use in evaluating the readiness of
candidates to successfully complete the programme of study for which they
are applying (eg aptitude tests, language tests, etc.)? How do these contribute
to the quality of the student selection process?
Do language skills and international experience figure among the admissions
criteria?
How do intake profiles relate to the target profile in the School’s different
programmes?
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! Describe the results of the selection for the different programmes, including the
number of applications, the number of students to whom a place was offered, and
the number of students effectively enrolled for each of the past three years.
•
•
•
•
How selective is the admission process for the School’s different
programmes?
Is there an adequate pool of candidates to ensure sufficient numbers of
students of the right quality? Do the selection and enrolment ratios support
this conclusion?
What is the international mix and the gender mix in programmes?
How does the School evaluate the effectiveness of its selection criteria and
processes? Is information for all programmes analysed in sufficient detail to
improve the targeting and effectiveness of programmes?
! In cases where selection upon entry is not possible, explain how the School
ensures the quality of its graduating students.
! Describe the current student population in terms of origin, previous study, age,
and gender. For post-experience programmes such as the MBA, indicate the
number of years of professional experience before admission. This information
should be presented in a table with statistics for the past three years.
•
•
•
What trends emerge from the above statistics?
What future changes would the School like to see in the student mix?
What actions are planned to address issues in recruitment?
! Describe the mechanisms in place to ensure that socially disadvantaged students
have access to the School’s programmes.
•
Are scholarships or other initiatives available to help needy students?
b) Preparation for study and progression
! Describe the processes used to prepare students in advance of their entry into
their course of study.
•
•
•
How does the School ensure that all students are adequately prepared and
informed about course requirements before enrolment?
What steps are taken to identify barriers to learning or progression as early as
possible?
To what extent is assistance provided to students who experience difficulties
or problems? How is the effectiveness of this support evaluated?
! Provide a summary for each of the main programmes of progression, completion,
failure and drop-out rates. This should be accompanied by an explanation of
these trends and the action taken to respond to them.
•
•
•
How is student progression through their course of study monitored?
Are drop-out and success rates acceptable? Are there any fluctuations or
trends in time and across programmes?
How does the School evaluate the match between its selection processes and
the subsequent progression/performance of individuals? Is information for all
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programmes analysed in sufficient detail to improve the targeting and
effectiveness of programmes?
c) Support and counselling services
! Describe the processes used to provide learning support for students throughout
their courses.
•
•
•
•
•
Does the School provide adequate support to develop learning skills in course
participants who have been absent from formal education for an extended
period of time?
How is student counselling organised? Does it work well? What evidence is
there that problems are diagnosed at an early stage and remedied where
possible?
Is special tutoring available to support disadvantaged students?
How does the School help its students to acquire intercultural skills?
Describe the service provided to outgoing local and incoming international
students.
d) Personal and professional development
! Identify the processes by which the School helps students to develop both
personally and professionally.
•
•
What are the key personal skills that the School aims to develop in
individuals?
Does the School encourage students to define their own personal and
professional plans as they proceed through their course of study?
! Explain the role of any special techniques and tools in diagnosing the personal
qualities of individual students.
•
Does the School have faculty and/or staff members who are specialised in
personal development?
e) Graduate quality and Career placement/support
! Provide clear statistics on the employment of graduates, such as
•
•
•
•
•
•
distribution of employment by market sector and function
distribution of salaries offered to graduates
geographical distribution
percentage of employment on graduation and 6 months after graduation
list of major employers over the past 5 years
How do these employment trends meet the stated programme objectives?
! Describe the arrangements for career development support on campus and for
the alumni.
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•
•
•
What services are provided to help students identify job opportunities and
prepare themselves for interviews?
Can students obtain counselling in defining their career objectives?
Describe the interface between the School and corporate world for
employment and career support, eg corporate representation and support on
campus, career days, forums, and links to international companies.
f) Alumni Relations
! Describe the way in which the School maintains and utilises contacts with its
former students.
•
•
•
•
Is there an Alumni association?
How is it used to support the School’s strategy and programmes and also
students in their career development? How effective is it?
How does the School support the Alumni?
To what extent do the Alumni contribute to the support (eg development of
programmes, funding) of the School?
h) Students on the Selected programme
! Show how all the above issues are applied to the Selected programme described
in the previous chapter on Programmes.
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" A table providing for each programme the statistical information about the
selection and admissions process (applications, offers, acceptances, enrolment,
full-time equivalent in the case of part-time students).
" A list of major employers over the past 5 years
Information and Documents to be provided in the Base Room during the Peer
Advisory Visit
" Documents relating to the selection process: information packs, application forms,
interview reports, test material, process documents, etc.
" Guidance documents for incoming international students, where applicable
" A table showing the profile of each student cohort within the School’s degree
programmes (previous study, age, gender, percentage of international students,
etc.). Indicate also the average number of years of professional experience for
MBA’s
" A table for each programme detailing the job placement record of students
graduating in the previous academic year
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Chapter 5: Faculty
Introduction
A key requirement for the development of a School is the existence of a permanent
core faculty, defined as academic staff for whom the School is the principal employer.
This definition excludes members of other schools employed on a part-time basis or
other part-time teaching staff. EDAF believes that an absolute minimum size of the
core faculty is 10 members, because it is unlikely that sufficient of the major
disciplines within business and management education can be covered adequately
with less. Ideally there should be significantly more than 10. These faculty members
are the core group that ensures the continuity of the School, embodies its traditions
and values, builds up its distinctive expertise through research and programme
innovation, and makes its reputation in the outside world. They constitute the
academic hub of the School which can interact with and coordinate the activities of
other part-time teachers.
However, EDAF recognises that most schools will deploy a second circle of teaching
resources, beyond this essential core faculty. This group is comprised of contributors
from other educational institutions and of practitioners from the professions or from
business. The existence of a carefully selected and well-managed pool of external
resources (adjuncts) is a valuable asset in providing essential support to the core
faculty and in enhancing the professional relevance of the courses offered.
The size, qualification, and composition of the faculty are expected to be sufficient to
allow adequate servicing of the School’s programmes and to be in accordance with
the current position of the School. The appropriate size of the faculty in any given
School will depend on the range of programmes offered, the number of students and
participants enrolled and the financial resources available to it. A small focused
business school offering only postgraduate and executive education programmes will
not require as large a faculty as a full service university Faculty offering first degree,
postgraduate and executive programmes.
Again the profile of the faculty will depend on the mix of activities. A school with a
primary focus on executive education will require a quite different faculty skills profile
from a school that mainly offers full-time degree programmes. Success in developing
the School will depend to a large extent on the School’s ability to adjust the size and
composition of the faculty in line with its strategic objectives.
Effective faculty management is a crucial function within management education
institutions. There should be processes in place for the recruitment, deployment,
evaluation and development of the faculty. Workloads should allow a reasonable
balance between teaching, intellectual activity (eg research), and internal
responsibilities such as programme management and development. Ideally there
should be an HR strategy, including a faculty development plan, linked to the
strategic agenda and supported by an adequate budget.
This chapter should be related to the next chapter on Faculty’s Intellectual Activity
and vice versa.
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Chapter 5: Faculty
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The Evaluation Criteria
The key areas are:
a) Faculty size, qualification, and composition
• Faculty size and composition
• Faculty qualifications and experience
• Use of adjunct or PT faculty
b) Faculty management
• Faculty management processes
• Faculty workloads
• Faculty development
c) External links
• International connections
• Connections to the corporate world
a) Faculty size, qualification, and composition
! Provide a full description of the current core faculty as defined above, including
the following information:
# The number of faculty members holding degrees, eg first degree (Bachelors),
Masters, Doctorates (PhD or DBA)
# The number of faculty members currently working towards a doctoral degree
# The organisation of the faculty (departments, chairs, professorial ranks)
# The distribution of the faculty by subject speciality or departments
# The age distribution of the faculty
# The gender mix of the faculty
# The distribution of the faculty by nationality
# The flows of new appointments and departures over the past five years
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What is the size and profile of the core faculty in terms of subject expertise,
academic qualifications, business experience, etc.?
Are the size and the composition of the faculty in accordance with the
strategic objectives of the School and are they sufficient to deliver the
School’s programme portfolio?
Does this profile ensure adequate coverage of the principal management
disciplines?
Does the core faculty have an inter-disciplinary approach and are they able to
integrate programme content across disciplinary boundaries?
What are the principal strengths and weaknesses of the current faculty?
What are the key areas of shortfall in faculty expertise and what actions are
being taken to address these problems?
How has the faculty evolved over the past five years?
Much of this information can be presented in the supporting documents in the SAR or
the Base Room as listed in the last section.
! Where appropriate, explain the impact of the national environment on the
organisation of the faculty (civil servant status, promotion procedures, tenure,
career tracks, remuneration, etc.).
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! Provide a full description of the non-core, adjunct or part-time teaching resources
available. Use a similar breakdown to that provided for core faculty.
•
•
•
How are these additional resources recruited and integrated into the School?
How does the School coordinate the contributions of non-core faculty within
programmes?
How does the School evaluate the relative effectiveness of non-core faculty
contributions? How does it manage performance issues?
! Describe the School’s current deployment of teaching resources, including both
core faculty and non-core faculty, within its different programmes.
•
•
•
What proportion of the total teaching provision is entrusted to non-core
teaching staff? Is this balance considered to be optimal and why?
What is the ratio of core faculty to the number of students enrolled, ie
student/staff ratio (SSR)?4 How has this evolved over the last five years?
What is the overall SSR, ie including the use of adjunct faculty?
Does the workload for the faculty as a whole allow participants sufficient
access to staff for tutoring and counselling?
b) Faculty management
! Describe the management processes governing the operation of the faculty.
•
•
•
•
How is responsibility for the management of the faculty allocated within the
School? For example, is there a Dean of the Faculty with overall responsibility?
Does the teaching planning process integrate all the requirements needed to
meet the strategic objectives of the School and the balance in core activities?
How are conflicts between demands resolved? Is there a faculty resourcing plan
which addresses all these issues?
Does the School provide a consistent framework of policy and practice for all staff
(full-time, part-time, servicing staff) which addresses the issues of School culture,
workloads and the integration of staff into the total teaching and learning
environment? Does this consistently reflect the strategic plan?
Is there an adequate balance within core faculty members’ workload between:
o
o
o
o
o
o
•
direct teaching and tutoring
programme administration
innovation, course development and the production of teaching
materials
intellectual activity such as research and publications
service to the profession and the wider community
consulting
How are workloads managed?
! Describe the current policy and practice regarding the recruitment, induction,
review and promotion of faculty members.
4
For an explanation on student/staff ratio: see Notes at the end of this Chapter.
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•
•
•
•
Is there a policy for the recruitment and selection process? What are the key
factors that attract high quality staff to the School? Can the School recruit
faculty of a quality which is consistent with the strategy and programme
requirements?
Are there processes in place for periodic evaluation of individual faculty
members and, if so, what are they?
What are the processes for retention and promotion of faculty members?
What are the formal processes for obtaining feedback from faculty members
on critical issues?
! Describe current policy for the development of faculty and explain how this
supports the strategic plan for the School.
•
•
•
•
•
•
How are priorities for staff development decided? What formal processes for
faculty development exist? How is their effectiveness reviewed?
What have been the major components of faculty development plans in recent
years? What faculty time has been laid aside specifically for the purposes of
individual development and general support of the faculty? What impact has
the development plan had on programme quality and general innovation?
What opportunities exist for sabbatical periods and for periods as a visiting
professor in other countries?
What opportunities do academic staff have to interact with the management
community? How do these benefit individuals and programmes?
Do faculty members participate in academic and professional organizations?
How does the School ensure that faculty are aware of the latest developments
in their field and are fully aware of modern business practice?
! Summarise the strategic plan for the future development of the faculty. Identify
the key priorities for the future and the budgets involved.
c) External links
! Describe the international dimension of the faculty.
•
•
•
•
•
What is the nationality mix of the faculty?
How many external visiting professors are involved in the School’s activities?
What percentage of the home country faculty has had significant international
exposure?
What are the foreign language skills of the home country faculty?
Is the current level of internationalisation of the faculty in line with the School’s
aspirations in terms of strategic positioning?
! Describe the nature of the links between the faculty and the corporate world
(through consulting, executive education, Board membership, etc.).
•
•
•
Is the exposure of the faculty to the world of management sufficient to ensure
the professional relevance of the School’s programmes?
To what extent are practising managers part of the teaching staff or involved
in programme delivery?
What percentage of the core faculty participates actively in executive
education programmes?
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•
•
What is the School’s policy with respect to consulting by individual faculty?
To what extent do faculty members engage in consulting activities?
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" A summary list of the core faculty indicating: name, academic rank, highest
degree, where degree obtained, nationality, subject area, date of appointment,
percentage of full time engagement in the case of contracts that are less than full
time (i.e. 75%, 50%, etc.)
" A table showing faculty staffing levels over the past five years, including the
number of new appointments and the number of departures for each year, with a
breakdown by category or rank
" Distribution of the core faculty by academic department when appropriate
" A table setting out for the current year the key statistics for the faculty (gender
distribution, age distribution, nationality mix, degree profile, etc.)
Information and Documents to be provided in the Base Room during the Peer
Advisory Visit
" HR strategy document (if it exists)
" Copies of the Faculty Handbook or other documents setting out the missions,
rights and responsibilities of the teaching staff (if available)
" CVs in English for all the core faculty members including publications over the
past five years (recommended format: 2 pages of CV + key publications list)
Notes
! The term “faculty” is used to designate “academic staff” members who are
employed to teach and/or to conduct research within the School.
! The term “core faculty” is used in preference to “full-time” or “permanent” faculty.
Members that can be considered legitimately as core faculty are not necessarily
full-time. In some countries it is common practice to allow teaching staff one day a
week for related activities. In reality, they hold a four-day a week contract. Some
faculty members on a three day contract may be considered as part of the core
faculty if the School or Institution is their only employer or their principal employer.
! The term “non-core faculty” is used to designate any person employed on an
occasional basis to teach or to conduct research. These persons may have an
annual contract with the School, but the School is not their principal employer.
They include, for example, practitioners from business and the professions,
academics from other institutions, and visiting professors.
! In describing the size of the faculty, the “full-time equivalent” (FTE) is a useful
indicator when a large percentage of the faculty have less than full-time contracts.
It is the total of faculty contract days divided by 5, assuming that 5 is 100%
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employment. For example, 5 faculty members with 3-day contracts would be the
equivalent of 3 faculty members with 100% contracts. In this case, the headcount
is 5 but the FTE is 3.
! The percentage of full-time employment refers to the number of contract days in
the case of faculty members who are employed on a part-time basis. A four-day
contract is thus the equivalent of 80%.
! The Student/Staff ratio is calculated by dividing the number of full-time equivalent
students by the number of full-time equivalent faculty overall including adjuncts.
Calculating the full-time equivalent for students is obviously a question of
reasonable estimation. For instance, the total number of students on a three-year
part-time MBA programme can be divided by 3 in order to approximate the fulltime equivalent. The ratio is useful as one indicator to measure faculty sufficiency.
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Chapter 6: Faculty’s Intellectual Activity
Introduction
Intellectual excellence contributes to the brand recognition of the School, to its
capacity to attract high quality faculty and good students, to the quality of its
programmes, to its capacity to attract funding, and to its ability to provide usable
knowledge and new management methodologies to its corporate clients. In sum, the
intellectual activity allows the School to fulfil its public service mission and to serve its
chosen markets better.
EDAF defines “intellectual activity” as a broad spectrum of endeavour ranging from
scholarly publication aimed primarily at the academic community, through
professionally relevant publications and activities aimed at organisations and
business practitioners, to educationally relevant productions aimed at learners and
teachers in universities, schools and companies. Therefore, within the EDAF
Evaluation Criteria, the term is not restricted to the purely academic conception of
research but encompasses a diverse range of activities, all of which enlarge
managerial knowledge and understanding and improve the quality of the
management profession.
For this purpose, EDAF classifies intellectual activity into three categories, with the
understanding that the boundaries between them will never be absolute.
1. Academic Research
In approaching the assessment of research, EDAF takes into account the particular
circumstances of the business school under review within the world of higher
education. On the one hand, university-based business schools should conform to
the principle that one of the missions within all business schools with university status
is to produce and organise new knowledge, to develop new theory, and to design
new methodologies within the discipline. In fact, university based systems of faculty
promotion and tenure often reinforce the requirement for such research rooted in
scientific methodologies and targeted principally at the academic community.
Business schools that are not part of a university, but that wish to be internationally
recognised as high quality higher education schools, cannot disregard this academic
dimension. Recognition by the international academic community and even by the
relevant press depends partly on a certain perception of academic research
excellence. In the group of the very best business schools of the world there are none
that do not excel in academic research.
Academic research quality can be assessed by its impact on the international
academic community. This impact may be measured by how often a publication is
cited by other academic researchers or whether an article has been published in a
widely read and reputed journal - often those labelled as “top international refereed
academic journals”.
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2. Practice-oriented Research
On the other hand, business and management education schools have, by their very
nature, a professional and practice-oriented mission, as is the case for schools of
medicine or schools of law for which research will always be judged by its relevance
not only to new knowledge and theory, but also to clinical and legal practice.
Therefore, original contributions to knowledge should not be confined to traditional
academic research as described above. They should also include new knowledge
contributing to the effective advancement of management practice. Research of this
type is usually supported by methodologies based on in-depth and close observation
of complex business situations, often by means of case studies, surveys or even the
rigorous rationalisation of significant accumulated managerial or consulting
experience.
The quality of practice-oriented research can be measured by its impact on
practitioners. This impact may be estimated by looking at indicators of funding
provided by corporations for specific research projects or research centres or
academic chairs. It can be also gauged by assessing the number of participants in
open or tailored executive courses, or specialised degree programmes, covering the
topic where practice-oriented research strength is claimed. It can also be estimated
by the number of articles published in practice-oriented professional journals and by
references from client organisations on the impact made.
3. Pedagogic Development and Innovation
The provision of innovative pedagogical methodologies, educational tools and
learning materials in support of more effective learning in business schools and
companies is also considered an important dimension of a school’s intellectual
activities.
Achievements in this area can be assessed by their impact within the School on its
teaching mission and outside the School by their impact on other educational
practitioners. In part this impact may be judged by the number of individuals or
schools that make use of the pedagogic materials or techniques developed by the
School. For example, the quality of textbooks, cases, business simulators, etc. could
be evaluated by the number of copies sold in a certain time period.
While many schools will have some production in all three areas, the main focus or
the particular mix will depend very much on the type of school, the profile of its faculty,
the funding available, the markets that it is serving and the strategic choices that have
been made. A university business school will probably place greater emphasis on
academic research, while an independent business school serving a corporate
market will most likely seek professional relevance in its research effort. Whatever the
mix, there should be evidence of productive intellectual activity with measurable
outcomes. The key measures of quality are the relevance and impact of the
production for the different audiences, constituencies or stakeholders that the School
is serving, as well as its contribution to teaching quality.
Schools should be able to demonstrate that they are productive in some areas of the
intellectual activity spectrum as described above, that there are processes in place for
the management and monitoring of the activity, and that they allocate time and
resources to support faculty members. Whatever the chosen emphasis by different
schools, involvement in some form of intellectual activity is seen as essential for each
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faculty member in order to keep abreast of current developments in his or her
discipline. The purely vocational or the exclusively practice oriented school with a
sole emphasis on teaching is unlikely to develop as a renowned business school.
It is further expected that schools will have an explicit, publicly stated strategy and
policy regarding the development of intellectual activities and production. At one
extreme, this may only be a commitment to the principle that such activity is an
individual concern and that it cannot be managed centrally. Nonetheless, even in
these cases, recruitment policy, time allocation, evaluation and reward processes
provide a context in which intellectual activity can prosper. In most schools, the
activity requires some planned guidance in the form of targeted specialisations,
centrally managed research centres, an encouragement to pursue collaborative work,
and so on. This is particularly true of the many schools around the world that are
currently striving to upgrade their research potential, often from a situation in which
research was not seen as a value and only given low priority.
These latter aspects particularly should be related back to the chapter on Faculty.
The Evaluation Criteria
The key areas are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Expectations on intellectual activity
Academic and applied research activities
Pedagogical development and innovation
Consultancy activities and links with the corporate world
Management of intellectual activity
Intellectual output
a) Expectations on intellectual activity
! Given the School’s current positioning, mission and target audiences, describe in
general the objectives for intellectual activity and the types and extent of this
activity expected from faculty members.
•
•
•
What are the key forms of intellectual activity that best fit the School’s mission
and strategic objectives? For example does the School aim to be an
internationally renowned school in which case academic research publication
may have the highest priority, or does the School primarily aim to be a
teaching oriented institution where the production of case studies and
textbooks may be more important, or does it primarily aim to raise the
performance levels of management in local and national organisations in
which case articles in newspapers and professional journals may be key?
What processes and/or incentives are in place to encourage faculty to
undertake the School’s primary focus on intellectual activity?
Are all core faculty expected to undertake intellectual activity as defined
above? Are faculty free to choose where they operate on the intellectual
activity spectrum, including the possibility of being teaching-only faculty?
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b) Academic and Applied Research activities
! Describe the School’s overall research strategy and policy. Explain how the
research agenda contributes to the strategic objectives of the School.
•
•
•
•
•
•
What are the principal types of research carried out by the School?
How are priorities established within the strategy?
What is the current research potential of the core faculty?
How has this potential evolved over the last five years?
What methods have been used to attract key research staff to the School in
recent years?
What are the plans for future development of the research capacity?
! Describe how research is organised within the School.
•
•
•
•
Is there a Dean or Director of Research?
Is there a Research or Scientific Committee?
Are there self-standing Research Centres or Institutes within the School?
To what extent is the research agenda managed?
! Describe how the School attracts applied research and consultancy contracts.
•
•
•
What types of applied research and consultancy is generally undertaken?
How successful has the School been in winning contracts in the last 3 years?
What have been the unique selling points for success and what have been the
perceived barriers to success?
! Explain how research is funded (internal budgetary allocations, government
funding, research grants, company sponsorship).
! Describe the research activities of the non-core faculty to the extent that they
contribute to the quality of the School’s programmes and to its ability to serve its
chosen markets. Clearly specify which of this output is produced by academics
that work primarily for another academic institution.
! Describe the impact and influence of research on the School’s activities.
•
•
•
•
How has research contributed to the accumulation of distinctive expertise
within the School?
How have the outcomes of research contributed to the quality of learning and
programme innovation?
If applicable, how has the doctoral programmes contributed to the School’s
research profile?
What has been the contribution of the research agenda to the international
dimension of the School?
o
o
Give details of faculty involvement in joint research with schools or
colleagues in other countries.
Describe the contribution of international academic visitors to enhance
R&D in the School.
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c) Pedagogical Development and Innovation
! Describe the School’s overall policy for promoting pedagogical innovation and the
mechanisms for determining priorities in this area.
•
•
Summarise the key achievements in pedagogical innovation, including the
development of new courses, educational materials, and new learning and
delivery methods that may or may not be based upon state-of-the-art
information and communication technologies.
Describe any current and proposed activities designed to develop new tools
for management or to increase the impact of the School in its corporate
market.
d) Consultancy and Links with the Corporate World
! Describe how the School’s overall intellectual production can be considered
relevant to its corporate markets.
•
•
•
•
Describe how the School engages in knowledge development with business
and other stakeholders through collaborative enquiry and other methods.
What types of output does this generate?
Describe intellectual activities that are sponsored by or run in collaboration
with companies.
Describe the type and extent of consultancy activities undertaken by faculty. Is
this type of activity encouraged and how is it rewarded?
Describe any projects relating to the area of socially responsible
management.
e) Management of Intellectual Activity
! Describe how intellectual activity is integrated into the workload of individual
faculty members.
•
•
•
•
What priority level is accorded to this activity?
To what extent is intellectual activity a value within the culture of the School?
How much time is allowed for this activity within faculty members’ workload?
What is the link between the faculty developmental budget and the policy on
intellectual activity?
! Describe the processes for monitoring and evaluating intellectual activity.
•
•
•
Is intellectual activity a requirement for promotion and retention?
What is the reward system for excellence in research?
Is the School able to assess its total intellectual property, in terms of research
and expertise?
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Chapter 6: Faculty’s Intellectual Activity
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Document Version January 2014
f) Quantity and Quality of Intellectual Output
! Summarise the intellectual activity carried out by the core faculty over the past
five years (Please use the attached Table 2 as a guide or a similar reporting
format to provide this data). The data in this Table should be critically analysed in
the Self-Assessment Report.
•
•
•
What strengths and weaknesses emerge from this data?
What have been the significant trends during this five-year period? In what
areas has progress been made? In what areas has output declined?
What proportion of the faculty can be considered intellectually active within the
definitions of this chapter?
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" Provide pertinent numeric data on output using the format in Table 2. Explain on
the basis of what criteria output numbers are placed into a particular category. For
instance, how are “internationally refereed journals” defined by the School for the
purposes of Table 2.
" It should be noted that Table 2 is intended as a guide to help schools in reporting
the data that EDAF is looking for. Schools may use their own reporting format
provided that it covers the same information.
" A table listing the School’s choice of the best 10 articles published over the past
five years.
" A table listing funds received from research grants, commissioned research or
development, and company sponsorship over the past five years
" A table of applied research and consultancy contracts won over the past 3 years
showing client name, nature of work, revenue
" Membership of the Research Committee
Information and Documents to be provided in the Base Room during the Peer
Advisory Visit
" Materials published during the past year as reported in Table 2 (Articles, Books,
Theses, Reports, Case Studies, Educational materials, etc.). These can be made
available in hard copy or electronically
" Any written statements regarding strategy, policy and processes on intellectual
activity.
Notes
Data on research and publication should only be reported for the core faculty, defined
as those members of the teaching staff for whom the School is the principal employer.
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Chapter 6: Faculty’s Intellectual Activity
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Document Version January 2014
The publications of part-time staff from other schools, adjunct teaching staff, visiting
professors, or business practitioners should not be included in Table 2.
It must be underlined, however, that non-core teaching resources can contribute
substantially to innovation and development. Their contributions should be described
separately.
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Chapter 6: Faculty’s Intellectual Activity
48
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Chapter 6: Faculty’s Intellectual Activity
companies or organisations
•!!!!!Improve Management Practice
•!!!!!Understanding of the environment
•!!!!!Updating of course content
•!!!!!Faculty Development
•!!!!!Inform practitioners,
•!!!!! Educate students
•!!!!!Targeted research for specific
innovative teaching programmes
•!!!!!Advance theory
•!!!!!Create new knowledge
•!!!!!Devise new methodologies
•!!!!!Sustain a doctoral programme
•!!!!!Underpin up-to-date and
Pedagogical •!!!!!Create new course materials
Development •!!!!!Create new programmes
•!!!!!Define new learning methodologies
•!!!!!Create new learning tools
PracticeOriented
Production
Academic
Production
Objectives
Research/Publication/Production
Table 1
Directors
•!!!!!Programme Directors
•!!!!!Other teachers
•!!!!!Students
•!!!!!Executive Education
Markets
Participants
•!!!!!Companies/organisations
•!!!!!Practitioners
•!!!!!National & International
•!!!!!Students
•!!!!!Executive Education
(necessarily in English)
•!!!!!Other Academics
•!!!!!Graduate Students
•!!!!!International Market
Target Audience
•!!!!!Case Studies
•!!!!!Software
•!!!!!Innovative Programmes
•!!!!!Books
•!!!!!Studies
•!!!!!Reports
•!!!!!Articles
•!!!!!Articles
•!!!!!Conference Presentations
•!!!!!Papers
•!!!!!Research Monographs
•!!!!!Scholarly Theses
Target Production
•!!!!!Discipline-based
•!!!!!Academic
•!!!!!Scholarly
•!!!!!Pure
•!!!!!Refereed
•!!!!!Rigorous
Characteristics
Key Words
Software Outlets
•!!!!!Commercial
Houses
•!!!!!Case Clearing
•!!!!!Transferable
•!!!!!Innovative
•!!!!!Tailor-made
•!!!!!Relevance
•!!!!!Useful knowledge
•!!!!!Applied
publications
•!!!!!Practitioner Journals •!!!!!Practice-oriented
•!!!!!Field Work
•!!!!!Text books
•!!!!!Specialised
•!!!!!Scholarly Journals
•!!!!!Conferences
•!!!!!University Presses
Target Outlets
Document Version January 2014
49
Document Version January 2014
Note: It should be noted that Table 2 is intended as a guide to help schools in reporting the data
that is requested. Schools may use their own reporting format provided that it covers the same
information. Every item should be counted once only.
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Document Version January 2014
Chapter 7: Market Positioning
Introduction
In this chapter the School should demonstrate that it has a clear understanding of its
market position and the perceived value of its brand. It should be aware of its local,
national and international (where relevant) competitors and of any product
differentiation between them. It should have developed a marketing plan with clear
objectives and have sufficient resources to implement the plan. This chapter should
also be related to the following chapter on External Links.
The Evaluation Criteria
The key areas are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Analysis of current market position
Marketing organisation
Marketing/communications strategy
Marketing/communications channels
Performance measures
a) Analysis of current market position
! Describe the School’s current market position in terms of
•
What is the School’s current reputation among its stakeholders and in its
markets? Indicators of public reputation or esteem might include:
o
o
o
o
•
How well is the School situated in each of its programme markets (with
quantitative analysis over the last 3 years, where possible)? For each broad
degree programme area give information on:
o
o
o
o
•
Size of market in student numbers
% Market share
Revenue generated, where available
Main competitors
What impact does the School’s reputation have on other activities such as:
o
o
o
•
National and international accreditations
Results of external audit reports
Position in national and international media rankings
Significant links with academic partners and client organisations
Bidding for applied research and consultancy contracts
Recruitment of faculty and administrative staff
Seeking donations and sponsorship
What are the perceived unique selling points (USP) of the School and where,
if any, are the perceived problem areas in marketing and selling the School’s
portfolio of activities?
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b) Marketing Organisation
! Describe the organisation for the marketing and promotion of the School’s
activities.
•
How are Marketing and Communication operations staffed and financed? To
whom does the function report (eg Dean, Chief Admin Officer)?
•
If this is carried out at a higher organisational level (eg University central
function), how does the School ensure that it receives an effective service?
•
How are the Marketing and Communication resources allocated to different
aspects of the School’s activities?
c) Marketing/Communication Strategy
! Explain the nature of the Marketing / Communication strategy.
•
How and with whom is the marketing strategy developed? How does is it
relate to the School’s overall strategy?
•
Does the strategic marketing planning process involve the major internal
stakeholders of the School (eg programme directors)?
•
What are the strategic marketing objectives?
•
How are these objectives to be achieved and what resources are available for
implementing the plan? [The marketing plan should be available in the Base
Room]
d) Marketing/Communication Channels
! Describe the mix of communication channels most commonly used by the School
and how their effectiveness is assessed.
•
•
•
What are the components of the marketing mix used by the School?
How is the budget allocated across the mix?
To what extent are outside agencies used and how are these managed?
e) Performance Measures
! Describe how the effectiveness of the Marketing / Communication activities
overall is evaluated.
•
What performance measures are utilised to assess marketing effectiveness?
•
How do these measures influence management control of the Marketing /
Communication function?
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Document Version January 2014
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" Table showing student application and intake numbers, by broad programme
category, over the past 5 years
" Table showing the marketing budget for the current year and for the past 3 years
Information and Documents to be provided in the Base Room during the Peer
Advisory Visit
" Marketing strategy/plan
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Chapter 7: Market Positioning
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Chapter 8: External Links
Introduction
A business school cannot and should not operate in isolation from the external world.
Since its function is to provide not only an intellectually rigorous education based on
academic excellence but also to provide practical skills for a managerial career, it has
a responsibility to ensure the professional relevance of its programmes. It is therefore
necessary that the School be grounded in its external links. These links are likely to
be at local, national and possibly international levels and to encompass community
and corporate needs. This chapter should therefore also link back to the Marketing
chapter.
The School should act as a catalyst for the development of the local or national
business communities, as a forum for debate, and as a source of dissemination of
new ideas and trends. It may also have international outreach in this area. The faculty
should be encouraged to involve themselves in a range of activities that fall outside
normal academic activity.
An international perspective is important for business schools since the graduates will
be operating in a global market place with shrinking communication boundaries.
However EDAF recognises that internationalisation can take many forms and that the
degree of internationalisation will vary considerably across a broad spectrum of
activities. Very few schools can act independently of any particular national culture
and have a student and faculty mix in which no one nationality dominates. Most
schools have their roots in the mainstream of their national system of higher
education. The main objective in their first degree or Bachelor’s and pre-experience
Master’s programmes is to ensure that the knowledge and skills imparted by their
programmes are in line with the realities of management in their home country while
recognising an internationally inter-dependent world. The challenge for them is to
introduce a culture of internationalisation into their own national culture, without
repudiating the latter.
It should be noted that, within EDAF, corporate links refers to any organisation that
needs to be managed, eg government and public sector organisations, NGOs, notfor-profit charities, private sector companies including multinationals, SMEs,
professional firms, etc. These links will impact upon many dimensions of the School’s
activities including the School’s overall strategic priorities, its system of governance,
its definition of programme outcomes, its internship and career placement services,
its faculty profile, its research agenda, and of course its executive education provision.
EDAF recognises that the extent and intensity of the corporate interface will vary
considerably between schools. An appropriate balance is expected between
academic quality and managerial relevance related to the mission of the School.
Special mention should be made of the executive education activity, if applicable.
The Evaluation Criteria
The key areas are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Policies for developing external links
Community links and activities
International links and activities
Corporate links and activities
Executive education
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Chapter 8: External Links
54
Document Version January 2014
a) Policies for developing external links
! Describe strategies and policies for external links.
•
•
Are external links a key part of the overall strategy of the School? Is their
development an explicit part of the School’s strategic plan?
Who or what functional areas within the School are responsible for these
activities and to whom do they report?
b) Community links and activities
! Describe the role of the School in the local, national and international community.
! Summarise the School’s overall contribution to the local and national
environment, its role in developing the community and in acting as a catalyst for
initiatives such as:
•
•
•
Contribution to the business community, eg the development of small
enterprises
Role in providing an active forum for debate and the dissemination of
knowledge
What is the School’s policy towards faculty involvement in the service to the
community?
! Describe the engagement of students in non-profit and/or humanitarian activities.
•
•
•
•
How are these activities supported by the School?
How do these activities contribute to the personal development of the
students?
How does the School decide on the scope and level of resourcing afforded to
activities that enrich the community and the individual students’ experience?
What role do the faculty have in supporting extra-curricular activities?
! Describe the School’s policy towards faculty participation in academic and
professional organisations.
•
What is the contribution of the faculty to the profession? Do they sit on key
boards or committees for management education?
! Describe the School’s policy on sustainability and socially responsible
management.
•
•
•
How are issues relating to ethical behaviour and corporate responsibility
integrated into the School’s degree programmes, executive education
activities and research?
How does the School show practical concern for the environment in its own
operations?
Describe the School’s policy and actions in favour of disadvantaged
communities
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Chapter 8: External Links
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Document Version January 2014
c) International links and activities
! Describe the School’s international strategy and policies.
! Summarise the evidence that the international dimension is reflected in the
School’s strategy and current operations.
•
•
•
How does the School integrate the international dimension within the normal
structures and processes governing the activities of the School?
What are the key processes used to manage the School’s international policy
and relationships?
What are the resources specifically allocated to the management of the
School’s international activities? Does the School have an adequately staffed
international office?
! Describe the current level of internationalisation as reflected in the profile of the
faculty and the student body, and in its programmes.
•
To what extent has the School internationalised the classroom on its home
campus as measured by the intercultural mix of students and the international
perspective in its programmes?
! Summarise the School’s international activities outside its home country
(exchange students abroad, faculty mobility, joint programmes, offshore
operations, etc.). Describe the School’s network of international academic
partners.
d) Corporate links and activities
! Describe the School’s strategy and policies regarding the interface with the
corporate world.
! Describe the involvement of the corporate world in the School’s teaching activities.
•
•
•
•
Are business people involved on Advisory Boards? Do they give advice on
curriculum design and review?
Do practitioners give (part of) courses in some programmes?
Do corporate partners provide internships and projects?
To what extent does the School enter into partnership with targeted
companies and organisations?
! Describe the key processes used to manage the School’s relationships with the
corporate world.
•
•
To what extent does the School have a customer orientation?
Does the School have a ‘corporate relations’ office or department?
! Summarise the flow of funding from corporate sources in the investment and
operational budgets.
! Describe any international features of the School’s relations with the corporate
world.
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Chapter 8: External Links
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Document Version January 2014
e) Executive education
! Explain how executive education fits into the School’s overall strategy.
•
•
Can the School show that its executive education operation contributes to its
strategic objectives beyond mere income generation?
How is executive education integrated into the mainstream of the School’s
activities and management systems?
! Describe the portfolio of programmes and services offered in the area of
executive education and explain their rationale, eg
•
•
•
•
Type of programmes- open/customised,
Residential/non-residential/distance learning
Duration: short/long/modular
Content (functional, general management, issue-based, skills workshops,
action oriented, etc.)
! Evaluate the School’s positioning in the national and international market for
executive education.
•
•
•
Who are its main clients?
Who are its main competitors?
How strong is its brand image in the area of executive education?
! Describe the School’s marketing and sales approach for its executive education
activities.
•
•
To what extent are faculty members involved in the sales of the School’s
programmes?
How rapidly can the School respond to a request for a customised
programme?
! Describe the School’s processes for selecting and managing the participants in its
programmes.
! Describe the support processes for participants before, during and after training.
! Describe the design process for executive education programmes.
•
•
Does the School have faculty and staff skilled in the task of negotiating
customised programmes?
How are customer requirements diagnosed prior to designing customised
programmes (needs analysis)? Is the faculty involved in this process?
! Describe the School’s key areas of expertise in the area of executive education.
! Describe the delivery methods used in the School’s executive education
programmes.
! Describe the School’s approach to the management of quality in its executive
education activities and the associated processes for monitoring, evaluating and
reviewing programmes.
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Chapter 8: External Links
57
Document Version January 2014
•
•
What processes are in place for the regular evaluation of programmes and the
longer term review of programmes?
Explain how the School measures the impact of its programmes on:
o
Individual participants
o
The participants’ companies
! Describe the faculty resources available for deployment in executive education
programmes (core faculty, adjunct faculty, part-time faculty, visiting faculty, etc.).
•
•
What proportion of the core faculty is involved in executive education and to
what extent (eg % of workload)?
How is executive education integrated into faculty workloads? Is this activity
considered on-load or off-load? Is extra remuneration offered as an incentive
to engage in executive education?
! Describe the School’s links to the international corporate world.
•
Does the School engage in executive education with clients outside its home
country?
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" Examples of community outreach activities
" List of international academic partners showing the nature of relationship (eg
student exchanges, faculty exchanges, research collaboration, joint programmes)
" List of the School’s principal corporate partners indicating the nature of their
relationships
" Statistical data on the programmes offered over the past 3 years
" A list of the School’s key clients in the field of executive education in the past
three years
Information and Documents to be provided in the Base Room during the Peer
Advisory Visit
" Strategy and policy documents on external links
" Documents describing special projects related to the community.
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Chapter 8: External Links
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Document Version January 2014
Chapter 9: Senior Management Team
Introduction
As stated in Chapter 1, the effectiveness of the internal management and the
decision-making processes is of crucial importance to the success of the School.
Experience has usually shown that effective managerial processes are the critical
means to achieving quality in management education. While that chapter provided a
full description of the system of the internal management processes, this chapter is
concerned with the effectiveness of the Senior Management Team in utilising the
processes to the benefit of the School and the wider community.
The definition of who constitutes the Senior Management Team (SMT) is an open
question. While this could just be the Dean, it usually includes other senior people
with responsibilities for particular areas of operations. These may be designated as
Vice or Associate Deans, Directors of functional units (eg Finance, HRM, Marketing),
Programme Directors, etc. The EDAF process is likely to be far more useful to the
School if there is a wider SMT but it is up to the Dean and the School to decide who
should be part of the SMT.
This chapter should aim to give an honest opinion of how well the processes work
and of the areas in which the SMT needs guidance from the Mentor so as to improve
their own performance and that of the School.
This chapter is confidential to the Peer Advisory Team, including the Mentor
Designate, and possibly to the line manager of the Dean. It will not be discussed
directly with other members of the School during the visit although their opinions on
various matters may impact on the views of the PAT. This chapter should therefore
not be made available to other members of the School. Equally the resulting Peer
Advisory Report on this chapter will only be available to the School’s Senior
Management Team and the Dean’s line manager. Of course the depth of advice will
be directly proportional to the degree of honesty expressed by the Dean and Senior
Management Team!
The Evaluation Criteria
The key areas are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
Senior Management Team Structure and Operation
Appointment processes
Quality of senior management
Management style and culture
Leadership abilities
Strategic management
Operational management
Performance appraisal and development
a) Senior Management Team Structure and Operation
! Describe the Senior Management Team structure showing the areas of
responsibility for each member of the Team and relate the reporting lines back to
the organisation chart given in Chapter 1.
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Chapter 9: Senior Management Team
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Document Version January 2014
# Provide a brief job description for each member of the Team in terms of their
management role (ie excluding any faculty role as a teacher / researcher).
! Describe how SMT operates in terms of meeting schedules (frequency), agenda
setting, decision making, communication of outcomes to the School, follow up
actions, etc.
! Comment on the working relationship with the governing body or person.
! Explain any steps that have been taken to review internal decision-making
structures and processes and improve their effectiveness over the past 3 years.
b) Appointment processes
! Describe the appointment process for the Dean or Director of the School.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Once vacant, how is the post of Dean filled, eg by election within the School,
appointment by the governing body, by open competition, or by some other
method?
If by internal election, what is the process? What safeguards are in place to
ensure appropriate candidates?
If by open competition, is a search committee established; is the post
advertised within the School, nationally or internationally; what is the selection
process?
If by closed appointment, who are the decision makers?
What are the key criteria for appointment?
By what method was the current Dean appointed?
! Describe the appointment processes for the other members of SMT. These may
be different for different roles.
•
•
•
Is the appointment usually made by the Dean? Are others involved in the
selection / appointment process? What are the selection criteria?
Are these posts usually held for fixed but renewable terms or are they
permanent?
Are they full-time or part-time appointments? If part-time, what proportion of a
normal workload do these roles entail?
! Describe any incentives, rewards or compensations made for taking on these
roles and their general nature. Confidential personal information is not expected.
•
•
Are responsibility payments sometimes or always made for some or all of
these roles?
Are these promoted (career advancement) posts?
c) Quality of senior management
! Provide information on the qualifications and management experience of the SMT
members.
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Chapter 9: Senior Management Team
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Document Version January 2014
•
•
•
What experience do the team members have of managing academic
operations / institutions and the staff within them?
For those relatively new to the roles, what development support was provided
by the institution?
What are generally seen as the strengths and weaknesses of SMT?
d) Management style and culture
! Describe the management style and culture within the School.
•
Would others say that the culture or management style of the Dean and SMT
was open and consensual, top down or autocratic, or somewhere in-between?
Where does SMT generally lie on this spectrum?
o
In a consensual culture, is SMT seen as ultimately decisive after
consultation or do decisions drift?
o
In a top down culture, to what extent does consultation occur prior
to decision making?
o
What are perceived as the relative advantages and disadvantages
of these approaches?
•
Is open debate on major issues within the School fostered, listened to and
acted upon if appropriate?
Are there effective information flows up and down the School? Do people
know what is going on and why?
What is the primary focus of the Dean and SMT members, eg on internal
operations, external affairs, a carefully defined mix depending on roles?
Please specify.
•
•
e) Leadership abilities
! Describe the approach of the Dean and SMT members to providing leadership to
the School.
•
•
•
Would others say that SMT provides visionary leadership?
How do SMT members motivate the School’s staff to fulfil their functions
effectively and to help develop the School?
What factors make this a good leadership team, or not?
f) Strategic management
! Describe the approach of the Dean and SMT to the development of the School’s
strategy.
•
•
•
•
Has SMT been pro-active in developing a vision for the future of the School
and promoting it among the School’s stakeholders?
How has SMT gone about leading the strategic planning process?
How has it ensured that the planned portfolio of the School’s range of
activities is coherent, feasible and sustainable?
To what extent does SMT believe in and own the strategic plan?
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Chapter 9: Senior Management Team
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Document Version January 2014
•
•
What people and management issues have arisen during the planning
process?
How is implementation of the strategic plan managed by SMT?
g) Operational management
! Describe the major issues that arise in running the School’s various operations,
eg customer or student focused, academic, resource or finance based, people or
staff focused, etc.
•
•
What are the key management (including people management) issues that
arise frequently?
What are the major problem areas on which the EDAF Mentor may be able to
provide advice?
h) Performance appraisal and development
! Describe the performance review process for the SMT.
•
•
•
•
•
Who appraises the performance of the Dean?
Who appraises the other members of SMT?
What is the appraisal process and what are the criteria? Does it include a 360o
appraisal, ie relationships upwards, downwards and sideways?
What are the potential generic outcomes, eg written report, possible
promotion or pay rise, identified development needs?
What steps are then taken to improve performance through personal
development measures? What might these be?
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" Senior management structure chart
" An annex table of SMT job descriptions
" Minutes of SMT meetings for the past 3 years
" Summary table of qualifications and experience of SMT members, giving name,
role, age, gender, academic qualifications and experience in the past 10 years.
Information and Documents to be provided in the Base Room during the Peer
Advisory Visit
" Review reports on management structures, if any
" CV’s for each member of SMT
" Performance management documentation
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Chapter 9: Senior Management Team
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Chapter 10: Concluding Overview
Introduction
This chapter is initially a form of Executive Summary in which the School should
summarise where it is today, including a SWOT analysis (which should have been
developed as part of its strategic planning process), and hence it should identify the
key issues which it needs to address for its future development.
Secondly the School should be able to list areas in which it seeks advice from the
Peer Advisory process, and subsequently from the Mentoring process, and also
areas in which it seeks assistance through an EDAF generated partnership.
In order to assist in writing this chapter, the School should first complete the
Institutional Development Profile (IDP) from its own perspective. This IDP should be
included as an Annex to the SAR.
a) Summary of current position
! Describe very briefly the key aspects of the School’s current position.
•
Constraints and difficulties in current operations
! SWOT analysis as a basis for future development
•
•
•
•
Strengths of the School on which to build (eg faculty specialisms, ability to
attract top quality students, excellent facilities, generous funding)
Weaknesses – areas to be strengthened or developed (eg poor qualifications
of faculty, only able to attract weaker students, limited resources)
Opportunities potentially available in the market place (eg growing demand for
executive education, additional funding to be bid for, booming economy and
population growth generating rising demand for higher education)
Threats to be mitigated through risk management actions (eg new competitors
entering the market, declining economy and falling population)
b) Key issues for future development
! List briefly the key features of the strategic plan, ie not just the strategic objectives
but also the planned actions to achieve them.
! List the areas and issues perceived as key to the successful achievement of the
School’s strategic objectives.
•
•
•
What are the constraints on the School which may inhibit achievement of its
objectives (eg government/university restrictions, limited resources)?
What actions should the School be taking to reduce or eliminate the effects of
the constraints?
What other actions should the School take to facilitate the implementation of
its strategic plan?
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Chapter 10: Concluding Overview
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c) Areas for EDAF advice and assistance
! List areas in which the School and its SMT are particularly seeking advice and
assistance through the EDAF process.
Supporting Information and Documents to be provided in the Self-Assessment
Report
" The EDAF Institutional Development Profile completed by the School.
EDAF Evaluation Criteria
Chapter 10: Concluding Overview
64
!
EFMD GLOBAL NETWORK
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