EVENT: TCI /MOC Asian Chapter Summer Conference 2022. ORGANIZERS: TCI Network, Microeconomics of Compettitiveness (MOC) from Harvard Business School, and Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI ). TOPIC: 2026 and the Future of Collaboration. KEY SPEAKER: Professor Michael Enright, Northeastern University, Founder and Member Board of Advisors, TCI Network. DATE: 1st July 2022 CHAPTER: Asia

1. Universities, Networks
and Competitiveness
Past, Present and Future
TCI / MOC Asian Chapters
Summer Conference
01 July 2022
CamEd Business School
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Ken Charman
BA Joint Honours, MBA, PhD (Econ)
Professor at CamEd Business School, Phnom Penh
Visiting Research Fellow at the Royal Institution, London

2. Ken Charman: My Background
• Graduate in Economics and Agricultural Economics, University of Nottingham
• Experience in oil industry, consulting and running my own consulting business
• MBA 1991 and PhD (Econ) 1998 London Business School
• The first funded person in the first Business School in Central Asia (KIMEP 1993)
• Managed EU Programmes in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Middle East (Syria)
• Appointed Visiting Research Fellow at the Royal Institution, London 2012
• Prof at Kazakh British Technical University 2013-2018
• Prof at CamEd Business School, Phnom Penh 2018-19
• Chair of the Microeconomics of Competitiveness Asian Chapter and Curriculum Council
• My background is economics but I am much stronger on organisations, competitiveness and people,
and now creating shared value!!
1

3. Universities and Competitiveness in the Next Normal
Structure of this Presentation
• Some observations – competitiveness based knowledge and good fit
• A framework on the idea of ‘universities and competitiveness’
• Universities and the Next Normal:
– what stays the same & what is changing?
• How universities measure their contribution to competitiveness
• A quick look at the countries that are doing well (and what they do)
• Universities of the past, present and future
3
2

4. Universities and Competitiveness in the Next Normal
Some of the Issues
• The status of the university
• The value of the academic degree
• The upholding of academic standards
• Employable skills
• Life skills
• Digital Transformation (Supply Side and Demand Side Changes)
• Teamwork (collaboration)
Direction & confidence for students at an age when they have to make decisions about
their lives
It’s a lot of responsibility for universities and the faculty that work in them
4
3

5. The Royal Institution, London (The Ri)
Where Michael Faraday Made the World’s First Electric Motor
The Royal Institution, London
Michael Faraday Demonstrates the world’s first electric motor in 1821
5
4

6. The Royal Institution in 2022:
“Science Lives Here”
Digital and Worldwide
6
5

7. Assessing the Impact of Universities on competitiveness?
• There is no ‘competitive’ country that does not score well in ‘education’
• Education feeds each component of competitiveness:
– institutional framework, labour markets, good markets, financial markets,
business innovation, infrastructure
– you can’t build roads and railways without education
• Education and skills matter themselves (for their own value)
• All the components of competitiveness (MOC) – education provides a pillar
for them all
6

8. Based on the Rankings – How do Universities Contribute to Competitiveness?
The quality of
teaching
More widely….. The Quality of their
Research
The Quality of their
Network and links
with business
International
Outlook
The learning
environment they
create for students
The motivation to
learn
(for all ages)
The academic
community’s view
on who is most
influential
The focus on
employable skills
Number of
international
students
The academic and
learning support
that they provide
Student engagement The number of
citations
The links with
businesses for
employment and
curriculum
development
Number of
international faculty
The access to
sources of
knowledge
The use of the wide
variety of learning
materials
The number of
publications per
faculty
The provision of
experience in the
workplace
Demonstrable links
and projects and
exchanges
internationally
8
7

9. Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Science
Rankings (15 years of age) OECD
Many of the top performing countries and regions are small countries, without
natural resources, or any other natural endowment
Top 10 Ranked PISA
Countries
Top 10 Ranked Best Education
Countries
Top 10 Ranked Global
Competitiveness Countries
1. Singapore
2. Japan
3. Estonia
4. Taiwan
5. Finland
6. China: Macao
7. Canada
8. Vietnam
9. China: Hong Kong
10. China: Beijing, Shanghai,
Jiangsu, and Guangdong
1. Switzerland
2. Finland
3. Denmark
4. Netherland
5. Germany
6. Norway
7. Sweden
8. Iceland
9. United States
10. New Zealand
(source: World Economic Forum report 2019)
1. Singapore
2. United States
3. Hongkong
4. Netherland
5. Switzerland
6. Japan
7. Germany
8. Sweden
9. United Kingdom
10. Denmark
(source: World Economic Forum report 2019)
8

10. PISA Rankings 2018 (OECD)
(Schools – Tests for 15 years olds –
every 3 years since 2002)
“Show that many of the most disadvantaged students in
China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macau,
Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam
perform as well as the highest-achieving quarter of
students around the world.
In the western world, only Estonia and Finland
match such a level of resilience against social
disadvantage.”
9

11. The Most Competitive Countries for Education
what do the best countries for education do?
• They engage with business
• They engage with schools
• The embrace new technologies
• They adapt their programmes to suit the needs of the market
• They focus less on their own status and more on adding value
to the communities that they serve
• They focus on both teaching and on research and the best
will marry the two
11
10

12. The Practical Measures of Universities
Every student needs to choose
• Will I get skills I can use?
• What will I learn?
• How will I learn?
• Will I get a job?
• Will it repay my investment?
• Is it worth knowing abstract concepts?
• Is it worth knowing about research?
• Will I join a network?
• Will it give me contacts?
11

13. University Education in the Past
• For the privileged few
• Status of the institution more important than the degree
content
• Networks are very strong, (fraternities and sobrieties in
some parts of the world)
• Certain universities seen as ‘elitist’ (e.g. ‘Grand Ecoles’)
• ‘Lectures and notes’
• ‘Exams’
• ‘Letters after your name’
You ‘toe the line’, learn by scribbling notes and photocopy
papers in the library
A few ‘greats’ get to make their contribution
13
12

14. Universities in the Present
The Fundamentals Remain
The fundamentals are still the same
We have a new generation of students, each year, they need
educating, motivating, and guiding into a changing world
We will need hubs of knowledge and networks more than ever
13

15. Universities in the Present
Some comments I have Heard……
• No need for them!
• Just get it on-line!
• MOOCs are cheaper!
• Why bother with lectures….I
want to meet people from the
real world!
• I just need the degree, (the piece
of paper)
• I respect my teacher
• I really appreciate the work my
professor put in for me
• I’ll never forget my professor, she
was my only mentor
• The first time I read that case study, it
just opened my eyes to knowledge
14

16. Digital Transformation
From Chalk-and-Talk to Online and Hybrid Classes
DEMAND SIDE (STUDENTS)
Pre-Covid Demand-side (end-2019)
Physical presence in class
Attention on contribution in class
Engagement with a few students
Engagement with student groups
Less visual learning, more aural
Students can meet and socialise
Post-Covid Demand-side (2020 onwards)
Online (learn from anywhere)
Attention on contribution in class
Engagement with a few student
Engagement with student groups
More visual learning
Lonely students at home
15

17. Digital Transformation
From Chalk-and-Talk to Online and Hybrid Classes
SUPPLY SIDE (TEACHERS)
Pre-Covid Supply-side (end-2019)
Physical presence in class
Physical presence at conferences
Planning classes + improvise
Teaching portfolio ad-hoc
Visual aids not the norm
Student engagement-inspiration key
Post-Covid Supply-side (2020 onwards)
Online (teach from anywhere)
Online (more productive conferences)
More preparation and planning required
Teaching portfolio developed and planned
More visual learning
Student engagement-inspiration key
17
16

18. Future Direction of Universities
Social Sciences and Business Schools
Engagement with Business
• Focused research for a wider audience
• Engagement with employers to prepare students for
the work environment
• More focus on behavioural issues that students will
face in life (e.g. more behavioural economics and
decision science, rather than classical theoretical
economics)
18
17

19. Future Direction of Universities and
Business Schools
What Will We Teach?
• Functional Skills
– Ensure everyone has a background in accounting and law (functional
skills)
– Ensure electives consolidate basic skills (curriculum design)
• Life Skills
– Knowing yourself, understanding the organizational and
psychological issues you will have to deal with is more important than
abstract theory
19
18

20. Future Direction of Universities and
Business Schools
What Will We Teach?
• Career Path Skills
– Ensure everyone is aware as to how flexible they will have to be
– How to change direction
– What it means to be successful
These skills are often ignored by universities but they are the future keys
to success of business, entrepreneurs and a satisfied and motivated
workforce
19

21. Universities in the Future
An evolving environment
• Education is now for the masses
• You will not be competitive if you do not have an educated workforce
• Education is worth having for its own sake
• Employable skills will be essential
• Life skills will be even more essential
• Appreciation for knowledge is essential
• Networks, team spirit, affiliation are still equally important,
to be Affiliated with a Great Institution
20

22. Universities and Competitiveness in the Next Normal
Research is changing
• Big data may be king
• A more limited scope for contribution, especially in social sciences
• Comparative surveys are powerful, but difficult to organise
• Everyone is too busy teaching
• Big teams required for research (e.g. 3,000 at CERN)
It’s a far cry from the days of Faraday, Einstein, James Clerk-Maxwell, Nils Bohr, or
Heisenberg
We need research as much as we ever did & we need big teams to do it, even in social
sciences
We need university networks, we need professors, students, everyone inspired to be
involved
21

23. Universities and Competitiveness in the Next Normal
Not to Be Forgotten
• Academic standards
• Inspire confidence
• Are universities really just about selection?
• Why do we consign 40% of students to a C grade just to fit in with your normal
distribution?
• Get everyone up to standard, so they can feel confident
Encourage students to think about
who they are, who they are not, and what they would really like to do
If more people can discover their potential and what they want to do, we will be
more competitive
22

24. Universities in the Future (and the Next Normal)
How will they be assessed?
Universities may increasingly assessed on
• Undertaking top quality research and making this accessible to a wider audience
• Supplying the graduates in the subjects and numbers that industry wants
• Supporting and guiding students at early career stage into professions where they
actually want to be
23

25. Universities in the Future (and the Next Normal)
The enduring fundamentals (i.e. what is not changing?)
Universities have to :
• Educate
• Contribute to knowledge
• Provide a network and a community for knowledge
• Provide skills for the workplace
• Disseminate knowledge
These form the core of each component of competitiveness
24

26. Universities and Competitiveness in the Next Normal
Some Guiding Principles
• Schools and universities should mix – a smooth transition
• Universities and workplaces should mix – an even smoother
transition
• Research and experiment should be encouraged at an early age
(it is not the preserve of the few)
• Get back to the old lectures of the Royal Institution – they can
encourage people to learn
25

27. Universities and Competitiveness in the Next Normal
Conclusion: We Need Universities more than we ever did
The role of universities is expanding, with ever great responsibilities
• Universities will have an expanding role, to meet the more focused and rigorous
requirements for teaching and liaison with business, as well as research
• A growing number of students worldwide need skills and guidance
• Market needs are changing and need specific and life skills – students cannot learn
all this on the internet – we need universities that work with businesses and schools
• Research is not done alone (not like Michael Faraday in 1821)
27
26

28. My Conclusion
We are only going to be competitive if we have
good education and good universities, undertaking
an ever more focused but diverse role in teaching,
research, as hubs and networks.
This will contribute to knowledge, guiding
students, researchers and anyone who wants to
learn, and help prepare people for life……..
……and to be competitive in the next normal
With thanks
Ken Charman
28
27