Dr. Geoff Perry, a Prominent Person in the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and Chancellor of Auckland University, New Zealand gave a guest lecture a Sri Krishna Hall of Amrita School of Business, Coimbatore on August 7, 2017. The AACSB gives rating to colleges based on the quality of the university and students. In 2012 Geoff Perry contribution and impact as a leader was recognized with the Excellence in Business Leadership Award at the Westpac Auckland Central Business Awards. He holds a Ph. D. in economics and as he discovered his passion towards education he became a member of AACSB. He remains a fellow of the CPA and sits on the boards of the American Chamber of Commerce and the World Council and Assembly for Co -operative Education.

The session began by Sreejith giving a small introduction followed by Sukanya who briefed about the career and achievements of Dr. Geoff Perry, the guest for the day. Mr. Perry began his speech by giving us insights about the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Its presence for about a century ensures the quality of the B-School list. He mentioned that a person who graduates from the AACSB accredited college has a great opportunity of getting a good job. If a B – School gets accredited it puts you among the top 5 percentage of the colleges globally.

A B – School should have its mission statement in line with its activities. Mr. Perry mentioned the following as the characteristics of a good B – School.

• Engaging with the stakeholders
  • Knowledgeable leaders and academicians
  • Students
  • Society and business community
• Innovation and continuous improvement
• Impact which tells whether the b-school is making a difference set by the mission

Mr. Perry stressed upon the need of having a good set of faculties who would guide the students and facilitate their process of study. Good academicians would be able to pass on their knowledge to their next generation through their teaching and lecture. Students play a key role in the formation of a good B-School. Their urge to learn and ability to articulate things will change the position of the university. Society and business community teaches the core values and ethics to be followed in a business environment. Constant technological developments and innovation will lead to updated education and learning process. These were the key points mentioned by Mr. Perry.

He has served in key positions of various universities and domains. The domains are economics, law and business. He believes in Amrita’s real mission and emphasizes that theory and practice should go hand in hand.

There was also an interactive session between Mr. Perry and the students. He posed some questions:

• Why did you choose to study in Amrita School of Business?The students gave a list of replies: helpful and world class faculty, diversity, experience, self development courses, etc., which sets apart the college from other institutes.
• Why did you opt for an MBA degree?Holistic development, time management, technical knowledge in all the areas of business was the answers given by the students.
• What is the mix of fresher’s and people with work experience?There was an equal split between the students who are freshers and those with work experience. Students also replied that they could learn from their peers who have work experience.

Mr. Perry explained that in countries like New Zealand MBA can be done only after having a few years of experience (with atleast a minimum of 3 years work experience). Dr. Geoff Perry was felicitated by Dr. Sanjay Banerji with a shawl. He was also presented a momento by Prof. Shyam. And finally Sukanya rendered the vote of thanks.