MONA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Professor Neville Ying – Acting Executive Director WORK OF THE SCHOOL During the academic year 2007-2008,the Mona School of Business (MSB) implemented the strategic objective of diversifying its programme offerings by introducing the Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) degree and the MSc in Telecommunications Policy and Technology Management. Several new initiatives, including the planning for offering the MBA in Marketing and Banking & Finance at the Western Jamaica Campus and for the introduction of a mixed-mode e- learning programme delivery, are in train. Enrolment continues to be good and in addition to students in the newDBA andMSc programmes, 250 students entered the E/MBA and Diploma programmes. External examiners continue to endorse our programme offerings and commend the school for its high-quality product. The School won International recognition when Eduniversal International Scientific Committee (France) ranked it among the top 1000 Business Schools in the World in the 2008 Worldwide Business Schools Ranking. MSB has been a member of the US-based accreditation body the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) since 2004, and is now also aggressively pursuing accreditation from AACSB’s UK counterpart, the Association of MBAs (AMBA). Notable personnel changes this year include the imminent retirement of Professor Neville Ying and the announced appointment of his replacement, Professor Evan Duggan. Mrs Frances Coke opted for early retirement andMessrs Claude Robinson and Boswell Ivey left on normal retirement. Ms. Minna Israel, Managing Director of RBTT Jamaica was appointed Chairperson of Board of Directors of the School. 445 STUDENT & PROGRAMME AFFAIRS New and Revised Programmes MSB started the following new programmes in January 2008: ¡ The Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), which intakes students with executive management experience and prepares them to make an original contribution to management knowledge and practice ¡ MSc in Telecommunications Policy and Technology Management, which specifically seeks to meet the demand for telecommunications executives and technical specialists trained to an advanced level in the specialized areas of Policy, Technology and Management In addition, we gained approval to upgrade the Diploma in Business Administration programme to a full-fledged UWI post-graduate diploma, extending the number of courses from seven to 12 and the duration from seven months to a year. The School is in the final stages of preparing to offer a week-end MBA programme at the Western Jamaica Campus, with concentrations in Marketing and Banking & Finance. Throughout the first half of 2008, we pursued an aggressive marketing thrust in Western Jamaica, with Open House/ Information Sessions to convert interest in the MBA into applications. Quality Assurance The external examination process is an important mechanism for quality assurance in the School and the comments of examiners have always been a source of valuable recommendations for maintaining and improving standards. Our external examiners are all from overseas Business Schools with which MSB has established institutional relationships. Once again, the recommendations of the external examiners congealed around the importance of attaining world class standards in all aspects of our programmes and seeking to validate this attainment through the involvement of formal accreditation bodies. This is currently being pursued with the British based Association of MBAs (AMBA). 446 Finalizing Students and the MSB Annual Awards Ceremony 2007 Of the 125 EMBA and MBA students who participated in the UWI 2007 graduation exercise, the following students graduated with distinction: ¡ EMBA – Patrick Brown, Jerry Hamilton, Michael Hamilton, Venita Hanson, Alfred McDonald, Yvette Nicholson-Allen, Nadine Shirley-Moore, and Carlene Sinclair. ¡ MBA Part-Time – Ian Anderson, Nicole Brackett, Wendy Birthwright, Kesha-Ann Harper, Chana Hay, Judi-Rose Jagmohansingh, Youlan Laidlaw, John Lobban, Adrienne Reynolds, Dale Seaton, Tracy-Ann Spence, and Leneisha Sterling The School also hosted its annual graduation (for the Diploma students) and awards ceremony for outstanding EMBA and MBA students on November 28, 2007, at which the Minister of Education, The Honourable Andrew Holness, was the guest speaker. 43 students graduated from the Diploma in Business Administration programme. The Executive Director's award for most outstanding academic performance was presented to Alfred McDonald from the EMBA programme; he also won The Principal's Award for Leadership along with Glenville Davis (MBA Full-time), Alton Ellington (MBA Part- time), and ChanaHay (MBAPart-time Sundays). Other awards for best academic performance went to Wade Jeremiah (MBA Full-time), Kesha-Ann Harper (MBA Part-time), and Christopher Benjamin (Diploma). Scholarships The School hosted two scholarship award functions. The annual Scotiabank Jamaica Foundation/Sir Alister McIntyre Scholarship was awarded to Miss Vanessa Hemans and the inaugural (2007) Jamaica National Building Society Scholarship was won by Mr. Ryan Williams. The awardees both received first class honours in their undergraduate degree programmes. Executive and Professional Development Training MSB offers executive and professional development courses and customized training to improve the competencies of current and future leaders in both private and public sector organizations. These courses 447 also provided an avenue for the faculty to dialogue with the members of the business community and public sector organizations and to the current offerings of the School to potential students. During this academic year, 141 persons participated in ten (10) offerings of six courses. The courses offered were in the areas of Business Communication, Financial Management, Project Management and Strategic Negotiation. SPECIAL EVENTS MSB Open House TheAnnual OpenHouse for the academic year 2007/08 was held at the School on January 17, 2008. One hundred and eighteen (118) persons accepted the School's invitation. Attendees were taken on tours of the Alister McIntyre complex and were introduced to faculty and staff and listened to lively presentations on theUniversity,MSB and the potential academic and practical gains possible as a result of studying at MSB. Representatives from several Financial Institutions offering educational loan services also participated in the day's activities. MSB Week The School marked its Annual MSB Week by hosting the following activities during the period November 22-30, 2007: ¡ A Public Forum on Political Campaign Advertising in the 2007 General Elections Co-hosted with CARIMAC, November 22, 2007. ¡ MSB Alumni Homecoming Week Lecture by Mr. William Clarke, President & CEO, Scotiabank Jamaica Limited on November 27, 2007 at the School ¡ MSB Awards Ceremony, November 28, 2007 at the Mona Visitors’ Lodge & Conference Centre ¡ MSB Wellness Fair, November 29, 2007 at the School. ¡ ZENITH Alumni Network Party, November 30, 2007 at the Mona Visitors' Lodge 448 MSB Alumni Launch The Mona School of Business saw the launch of a new Alumni Association in January 2007. Since then the Association has published its first Newsletter, MSB Alumni News Link, Vol. 1 Issue 1. MSB/Synergy Communications Marketing Seminar The Mona School of Business collaborated with Synergy Communications to present a Marketing Excellence and Brand Leadership Seminar in April 2008. The featured presenter was World Marketing and Branding Guru, Dr Kevin Keller. The seminar had 3 components: ¡ Exclusive Speaker Dinner Brand Forum on April 15, 2008 at the Terra Nova Hotel ¡ Seminar for Students and Alumni of MSB and the wider UWI community on April 15, 2008 ¡ International Seminar on April 16, 2008 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel MSB Newspaper Column A new feature for the School was the hosting of a fortnightly newspaper column titled Business@Mona which was featured alternating between the Financial Gleaner and the Business Observer newspapers. The goal was to raise the profile of the School and its faculty while engaging our target audience on matters of public interest. Guest National Newspaper Editor. Dr Michelle Commosioung appeared as an Editor in July 2008 issues of the Daily Gleaner newspaper as part of The University of the West Indies? 60th Anniversary Special Edition Supplement, published on Monday 14th July, 2008. ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES There were two major areas of activity under entrepreneurial development, the UWIVenture Competition, and the Vincent HoSang Programme. MSB again participated in the Opportunity Funding Corporation (OFC) Venture Challenge at Clark Atlanta University, 449 USA. The team performed credibly, but did not make it to the second round this year. The Vincent HoSang programme, which was established in 2002, currently has four (4) projects in incubation. RESEARCH AND OTHER SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES There was an increase in research and publication efforts this year, over last year, as indicated hereafter. ¡ Two major academic and policy research studies were undertaken by the Telecommunications Policy and Management (TPM) Group for the local and regional ICT industry. These focused mainly on mobile telephony usage patterns in Jamaica. Dissemination of these and other research results was an ongoing process in the period. Several technical reports, conference papers and articles were also produced. ¡ TPM also hosted a well-attended Public Seminar entitled “Ringtones of Opportunity: People, Poverty and the Possibilities of Mobile Telephony in Jamaica” on May 16, 2008. The seminar was broadcast nationally on the RJR Group's television channel Jamaica News Network (JNN) shortly after it was held. ¡ An edited volume entitled Emancipation – The Lesson and the Legacy was completed by TPMDirector, Dr. Hopeton Dunn in the period and work continues on other major publications, including on Telecommunications Reform and on Cultural Industries in the Caribbean. ¡ Mr. Claude Robinson of the Research & Policy Group (RPG) organized and coordinated a Public Forum on “Political Advertising in the 2007 General Election in Jamaica” on October 30, 2007, and a presentation on “Understanding Media” at the CARIMAC Media Training Workshop on Managing Communication Crisis for Executive Managers of Jamaica Deposit Insurance Corporation, April 17, 2008. He was also co-organizer of the Annual Caribbean Media and Communication Conference, Georgetown, Guyana May 1-3, 2008 in observance of World Press Freedom Day and moderated a Public Forum on US Presidential Candidates, Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain at the United States Embassy in Kingston, July 30, 2008. 450 ¡ Professor Duggan hosted Professor Catherine Middleton from Ryerson University, Canada for discussions regarding long-term institutional collaboration and funding for a five-year research programme to provide insights on the effective diffusion of ICT in the English-speaking Caribbean to stimulate innovation, enterprise, collaboration, and knowledge sharing for enabling global competitiveness, economic growth, and social mobility. ¡ MSB finalized a proposal for working with the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) on the FINPYME (Spanish acronym for Innovative Financing for Small- and Medium-size Enterprises) project to implement a business identification and diagnosis methodology for helping selected SMEs in Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados access financing for improvement and expansion Conferences / Symposia / Special Lectures The School collaborated, hosted or partnered with other UWI departments and the private /public sectors in the staging of the following conferences / symposia / fora /workshops: ¡ 6th Annual Caribbean Reasonings Conference in honour of late Jamaican anthropologist, MG Smith ¡ 2nd Ideas Forum ¡ Energy Think Tank Forum ¡ Surrounding Community Relations Security Forum. ¡ Crime and Violence in the Caribbean Conference ¡ Launch of the Centre for Leadership and Governance ¡ Social Policy Forum on Strengthening Social Capital ¡ Caribbean International Leadership Summit: “A Launch Pad to Global Competitiveness” in Barbados ¡ TPM Public Seminar – Ringtones of Opportunity ¡ Annual Caribbean Media and Communication Conference ¡ Public Forum on: Political Advertising in the 2007 General Election in Jamaica, 451 ¡ Workshop on “Theorizing in the Social and Organizational Sciences” conducted by Professor Ojelanki Ngwenyama, from Ryerson University, Canada ¡ Workshop on dataMining conducted by Professor KwekuOsei- Bryson for Virginia Commonwealth University, USA ¡ Colloquium on “Outcome-based Education for Professional Schools” by Professor Harvey Brightman from Georgia State University, USA. Master Teacher Seminar AMaster Teacher Seminar for the Faculty of Social Sciences' lecturers, organized by a FSS team headed by Professor Evan Duggan, was held March 27 - 29, 2008 in the Executive Lecture Theatre of Mona School of Business. Sponsored Research Projects / Surveys The School in collaboration with the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ), both Partner Institutes of the Global Competitiveness Network of the World Economic Forum, once again conducted the annual Executive Opinion Survey of Jamaica's leading firms from the major sectors of the economy. The study is the world's leading cross- country comparison of issues relating to economic competitiveness and growth. Data from Jamaica and approximately one hundred and thirty- one (131) other countries are used to rank countries on two separate indices: (i) The Global Competitive Index (GCI) and (ii) The Business Competitive Index (BCI). The Executive Opinion Survey contributes to the preparation of the annual Global Competitiveness Report. Mobile Telephony Research (Funded by the IDRC (Canada)) THE TPM Programme and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) through the Regional Dialogue on the Information Society (DIRSI) have been collaborating on research on the pro-poor applications ofMobile Telephony in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean. 452 PAPERS PRESENTED • Burke, O. “Caribbean/Regional Quality Assurance and Accreditation”: An Assessment of its Feasibility, Fourth Caribbean Area Network Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, October 8-11, 2007. • Commosioung, M. “Pursuing ‘States of Happiness’ through the use of ICT: A Caribbean Perspective”. IADIS 2008 ICT, Society and Human Beings Conference. Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 12 pp. July 2008 • Commosioung, M. and Lloyd Waller. “Beyond Diffusion: Mapping the Use of ICTs among Jamaican Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises”. International Telecommunication Society (ITS) 2008 - 17th Biennial Conference of the ITS. Montreal, Canada. 31 pp. June 2008 • Commosioung, M. “ICTs in Secondary Schools in Jamaica - Myth or Reality: A Snapshot”. EduVision International Conference on Technology in Education: Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Dec. 2007. • Commosioung, M. “Customer Satisfaction and the Jamaican Mobile Provider”. International Telecommunication Society (ITS) Africa-Asia-Australasia Regional Conference, Perth, Western Australia. 22 pp. August 2007 • Duggan, E. “The role of ICT in enabling the competitiveness of small, open economies”. Seminar on the Competitiveness of Caribbean Economies, UWI, June 12, 2008. • Chevers, D., Duggan, E “Agile systems development versus process-centricity: a conflict of priorities”. 2008 International Conference on Information Resources Management, Niagara Falls, Canada, May 19, 2008. • Duncan, K., Duggan, E., “Information security policy development for Caribbean financial institutions”. 2008 International Conference on Information Resources Management, Niagara Falls, CA, May 20, 2008. • Duggan E. IT Governance: Toward IT Benefit Realization, Jamaica Computer Society Annual Technology & 453 Management BiztTech Forum - CIO Forum, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, October 26, 2007. • Dunn, H. “Maximizing the Value of Telecom & ICT Networks in the Single Market”. Technical Working Group on the Assessment of Telecommunications Sector in CARICOM, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, September 6, 2007. • Dunn, H. “Telecommunications and New Forms of Work Opportunities and Challenges of Telecommuting, Outsourcing and Offshore Employment in Jamaica and the Caribbean”. UNI-FES PROJECT - SeminarWorkshop onGlobalization and the New Economy, Montego Bay, Jamaica, November 19-22, 2007. • Dunn, H. “Political Advertising and the 2007 General Elections”. Political Advertising Forum, Mona School of Business, UWI, Mona, Jamaica, November 22, 2007. • Dunn, H. “Poverty and Mobile Telephony: Results of a National Household Survey of Low Income Users in Jamaica”. Caribbean Telecommunication Organization's (CTO) Annual Forum, Ritz Carlton, Montego Bay, Jamaica, September 23-26, 2007. • Dunn, H. “Consumer Driven Media Content: The Challenges and Opportunities of the Emerging Wiki-World”. Caribbean Media Conference and Expo, Knutsford Court Hotel, Kingston, Jamaica, October 10-11, 2007. • Dunn, H and Dunn, L. “Teleuse at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Genderstanding Mobile Telephony”. 3rd Global Knowledge Conference (GK3), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, December 11-13, 2007. • Dunn, H. “Usage Patterns for Mobile Phones in Jamaica”. Research Day, UWI, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica, January 24, 2008. • Dunn, H. “Globalisation, Convergence and the Digital Future: Policy Issues in Caribbean Broadcasting Regulation”. Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago Seminar, Port-of Spain, Trinidad, April 2-3, 2008. 454 • Dunn, H. “Digital Technologies and Jamaican Creative Industries: Towards Global Competitiveness”. 2008 ACS Crossroads Conference, UWI,Mona, Kingston, Jamaica, July 3- 7, 2008. • Dunn, H. “Mobile Telephony as Bridging Technology toWider Broadband and e-Commerce Usages by Low Income Jamaicans.” Annual Conference of the International Association for Communication and Media Research (IAMCR) in Stockholm, Sweden, July 19-25, 2008. • Robinson, C. “Content, Commerce and Community: Challenges for Caribbean Media in an Environment of Convergence”. Public Lecture at Global Media Research Centre, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Illinois, USA, October 11, 2007. • Robinson, C. “Content analysis of political advertising in the 2007 general elections in Jamaica”, Public Forum on: Political Advertising in the 2007 General Election in Jamaica, Mona School of Business UWI, 30 October, 2007. • Robinson, C. “Reform of Defamation Laws and the Practice of Journalism in the Public Interest”. Reform of Libel and Slander Laws in Jamaica. January 29-2008. • Robinson, C. “The State of Media in the Caribbean: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities”. Annual Caribbean Media and Communication Conference, Georgetown, Guyana. May 2, 2008. • Williams, R. “Confronting Old Challenges Differently: Leveraging Mobile Technologies Toward Strengthening Caribbean Youth Advocacy Networks”. Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network Conference, Kingston, Jamaica, May 7-10, 2008. • Ying, N. “Productivity and Sustainable Development” Jamaica Productivity Centre Meeting. January 2008. 455 PUBLICATIONS Books & Monographs * Dunn, H. (ed.) 2007. Emancipation: The Lessons and the Legacy. Kingston: Arawak Publications. Refereed Journal Articles * Commosioung, M. and Duggan, E., “Increasing Competitiveness in SIDS by Building ICT Resilience: An Extension of the Vulnerability Hypothesis Framework”, The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs 2008, 97 (396): 397-417. * Dunn, H. and Dunn L. (2007) “Teleuse at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Genderstanding Mobile Telephony”, The African Journal of Science and Technology Online and by Lirne Net Online and at: www.regulateonline.org/component/option, com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,23/ Refereed Conference Proceedings * Commosioung, M. 2008. Pursuing “States of Happiness” through the use of ICT: A Caribbean Perspective. In the IADIS ICT, Society and Human Beings Conference Proceedings, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, July 2008. * Duncan K., and Duggan, E. “Information security policy development for Caribbean financial institutions”. 2008 International Conference on Information Resources Management, Niagara Falls, Canada, May 19, 2008. * Chevers, D., and Duggan, E. “Agile systems development versus process-centricity: a conflict of priorities?” 2008 International Conference on Information Resources Management, Niagara Falls, Canada, May 19, 2008 * Barclay, C., and Duggan, E. “Rethinking the Digital Divide: Towards a Path of Digital Effectiveness”. Proceedings of the 37th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. January 7-8, 2008. * Dunn, H. (2008) “Global Technologies and the Business of Jamaican Culture: Maximizing the Potential of ICTs and New Media”. Proceedings of UN-SIDS Conference UNESCO 456 Inter-Regional Experts Meeting – Islands as Crossroads: Cultural Diversities, Identities and Industries in Small Island Developing States 2007. Other Peer Reviewed Publications * Duggan E., and Thachenkary, C. “Supporting the JAD Facilitator with the Nominal Group Technique” in End-User Computing: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications, by S. Clarke (Ed), University of Hull, UK: Technical Reports * Commosioung, M. Wrote two core chapters – “The Use of ICTs” and “Issues of Competitiveness” – in Report entitled: A Landscape Assessment of Jamaican Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, 2008. Jamaica Trade and Invest/ PSDP Jamaica Government Report * Dunn, H. “Mobile Opportunities: Poverty and Telephony Access in Latin America and the Caribbean. Jamaica Country Report”. Prepared for DIRSI-IDRC, 2007. * Dunn, H. “’Wha’ a Gwaan’: Research Report on a Qualitative Study on Mobile Telephony and Poverty in Jamaica Qualitative Research Report Mobile Phone Access and Usage Patterns in Jamaica”. Prepared for DIRSI- IDRC, 2008. * Brown, Allison. “Beyond Voice: The Use of Mobile Services and Value Added Features by Youth and Young Adults”. DIRSI Junior Scholar's Paper, 2008. PUBLIC SERVICE Mr. Harry Abrikian – Director, Ian Randle Publishers Limited – Director, Business Recovery Services Limited – Chairman, Stock Analysis Committee, Jamaica Stock Exchange – Member, CVSS/United Way Programmes & Technical Assistance Committee 457 Mrs Ingrid Bennett-Lewis – Member, Project Management Institute – Member, Society for HumanResourceManagement (SHRM) – Member, International Industrial Relations Association – Volunteer Teacher, office Administration to Adult Underprivileged Students – Board Member, Ebony Vale Baptist Church Early Childhood Development Centre Mrs. Olivene Burke – Member, Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE) – Member, Society for HumanResourceManagement (SHRM) – Member, Human Resource Management Association of Jamaica (HRMAJ) – Secretary, Professional Development Committee, WIGUT – Member & Secretary, Board of Governance, Hope Valley Experimental School – President, Hope Valley Experimental School PTA Mr. Kamau Chionesu – Economic & Social Analyst, Jamaicans For Justice – Research Advisor, Economic and Social Justice Project Dr. Michelle Commosioung – Chairperson, FSSM Research Day Awards Committee 2008 Professor Evan Duggan – Member, Global Editorial Review Board (ERB), Idea-Group Publishing. – Associate Editor, for the journal, Communications of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS) – Associate Editor, Alternative Approaches to Information Systems Development Track for International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS) 458 – Section Editor, African Journal of Information Systems (AJIS) – Member, International Editorial Review Board of the Advances in End User Computing (AEUC) Book Series – Chair of Doctoral Students Affairs Committee, Decision Sciences Institute (DSI), 2007-2008 – Member, Target Growth Competitive Committee (TGCC) of the Private Sector Development Programme – Chairman, Board of Directors of Syncon Technologies Ltd. Dr. Hopeton Dunn – Chairman, Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica – Commissioner - Jamaica National Commission for UNSECO – Associate Editor, Critical Arts – Journal of South-North Cultural and Media Studies – Member, Governing Council, International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) – Plenary Member, Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Dialogue on the Information Society (DIRSI) – Member, ICT Task Force, Planning Institute of Jamaica – President, Jamaica-South African Friendship Association (JASAFA) Mrs Patricia Lothian – Member, Jamaica South African Association – Member, Special Olympics, Jamaica Funding Raising Committee – Board Member, FISH Medical Dental & Eye Clinic Mr Claude Robinson, – Executive Member, Michael Manley Foundation – Commissioner, Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica – Chairman, Legislative and Policy Committee, Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica 459 Professor Neville Ying – Chairman, Overseas Examinations Commission – Council Member, Jamaica Employers' Federation – Adviser to the Government of Jamaica team to the ILO, Conference in Geneva, – Chairman, Mico Foundation – Chairman, Jamaica Flour Mills Foundation – Director, MultiCare Foundation – Director, University Council of Jamaica – Director, First Caribbean International Bank 460