Transcript 5. William T. Lin, Professor of Finance and Director of the Center for Greater China’s Financial Markets, Tamkang University, Taiwan (

The 19th PBFEAM Conference
Business Education:
Past, Present, and Future
William T. Lin
Professor of Finance, Tamkang University
Director, Center for Greater China’s Financial Markets
2011.07.09
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Business Education in Taiwan Before
 Students – small in number and preparation, but high in
morale. Students’ education can catch economic
development.
 Faculty – less qualified, but more in demand. Not many
professors have extended business exposure. But they are
needed much by students and industries.
 Job Market – demanding more than supplied. The
economy’s momentum is built on the talent of business
school graduates.
 Contributions – higher than expectation. So business
education pays!
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Business Education in Taiwan Now
 Students – more in number than industries need, as many
colleges emerge and business schools increase number of
departments and student enrollments.
And
 Faculty – more qualified than students need. Many more
PhD graduates from domestic and foreign universities are
recruited to business schools.
Plus
 Job Market – less developed than needed. The economy
does not offer strong potentials to business graduates!
So
 Contributions – falling short of expectations. So pay is
low!
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What Should We Expect
 Uneven student qualities – due to diminishing
numbers. There will be a big drop in 2015.
 Dissatisfied graduates – due to stagnant pay. Students
will be less motivated!
 Unmotivated faculty – due to lower expectation from
students. Teaching has to be reengineered.
 Impractical education – due to unmatched demand (job
market) and supply (graduates). Business schools need to
collaborated with industries to reshape the profile of
business education.
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What Can Be Done
 More Diverse Courses – to compensate for student
quality. Business school curriculum has to be modified to
adapt to Taiwan’s service-oriented economic model.
 More Practical Courses – to raise productivity and pay.
Students need to be trained for practical skills before
graduation.
 Fewer programs – to concentrate learning. Number of
academic programs should go down for business schools to
be more focused!
 Better Textbooks – to fit the education. Content should
be more relevant to Taiwan’s business environment.
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