Around 120 entrepreneurs, economists, and academics participated in the “Stakeholders’ Conference†held at the University of Bahrain on Tuesday, 11 March 2019. The conference was organized by the College of Business Administration. It offered an excellent opportunity to provide information on the goals and outcomes of the strategic plan of the College of Business Administration, national and international accreditation of the academic programmes offered by the College and its achievements.
The conference proposed a new strategic plan for the College to be implemented in 2020. which would render it amongst the best colleges in the world for business and economic degrees. It would also contribute to the economic and scientific development of the Kingdom of Bahrain, would help in building effective public/private partnerships and foster stronger alumni relationships.
Prof. George Najjar, Vice President for University Advancement at the Lebanese American University (LAU) and Founding Dean of UoB College of Business Administration (1987-1997), discussed the importance of adopting a quality-oriented approach toward strategic positioning. He also addressed challenges facing business schools in the future and employers’ demands from business graduates in a changing job market.
Prof. Najjar also expressed his delight that the College of Business Administration was accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
Mr. Cameron Mirza, Advisor to the UoB President, gave a detailed presentation on the Transformation Plan (2016 – 2021) of the University, highlighting what has been achieved so far.
Dr. Hatem Masri, Director of the Quality Assurance and Accreditation at the College of Business Administration, talked about the impact of implementing proper strategic planning processes on university graduates and the importance of integrating theoretical and practical educational practices through collaboration with public and private sectors.
‘The College of Business Administration has the largest student enrolment. Graduates of this college contributed significantly to the development of Bahrain’s business and banking sectors. Approximately 30,000 students have graduated from the College so far,’ added Dr. Masri.
The conference ended with a panel discussion. The panelists included Director of Higher Education Institutional Performance Audit Dr. Shaikha Lubna bint Ali bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Training and Manpower Development Director at the Ministry of Labour and Social Development Dr. Issam Ismail Al-Alawi, Managing Director of Manara Developments Company Dr. Hasan Al Bastaki, CEO of Bahrain Real Estate Investment Company (Edamah) Mr. Amin Al Arrayed. The panelists shared their perspectives on the future business trends and bridging the gap between UoB business graduates and the labour market.