As we enter 2019, now seems a better time than any to look back over the previous year and some of its key themes for business schools. Working with schools across 10 different countries, BlueSky Education naturally has an abundance of professors who have a lot to say on a wide range of topics. In fact, in 2018 alone BlueSky Education delivered over 1,000 pieces of unique coverage for its clients across a whole host of areas, in international, national and trade publications.
Let’s take a look at three of the top themes which featured the
prominently in BlueSky Education’s coverage this year:
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Despite the actual nuts and bolts of how it operates being unbeknown to most, AI still managed to be a topic which dominated much of the news agenda in 2018. Whether it be the world’s first AI news anchor unveiled in China, the launch of Uber’s driverless cars or the Robot Football World Cup in the summer, the topic of AI was something that was on the lips of many this year.
The discussion around AI is one that many of BlueSky education’s clients also contributed to, with over 40 pieces of coverage being focused on this topic, including this piece on Uber’s partnership with one of our clients, Ecole Polytechnique, in a bid to create flying taxis, which featured in The Guardian, BBC and CNN. Or this piece of research from a professor at one of our clients, BI Norwegian Business School, which showed how emerging economies were more open to AI for business management purposes, which featured in Forbes.
Gender diversity
The #MeToo movement, which began in 2017 as an attempt to demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, continued throughout 2018 with many news stories surrounding its impact. Though originally sparked as a movement against sexual harassment, it has gone on to highlight many key gender issues in the workplace, such as the gender pay gap, the glass ceiling for women, and lack of women at board level.
In 2018, women in business, and also studying at business school, has been a much-talked about topic in the graduate management education field. It is also a discussion many of our clients have contributed to in over 25 separate pieces, including this piece in QS Top MBA on the female dean of our client Vlerick Business School, on how she is championing diversity at the school, and this piece in the Financial Times on business schools targeting getting women into finance, which featured quotes from the associate dean of programmes at our client Imperial College Business School.
Brexit
Sadly, there cannot be a list about reoccurring news topics without including the B-Word – Brexit. It has completely dominated the news cycle in the UK (and much of the world) over the last year and understandably will have a profound effect on a whole host of business schools, if we ever do leave the EU, that is. Unfortunately, this year there has not been a day which we have not seen the word ‘Brexit’ plastered over the front page of news sites, and this is only likely to continue into 2019.
However, it has provided a great opportunity for faculty from our clients to provide thought-leadership on the subject, offering their expert opinions on how Brexit is likely to not only effect the UK, its industries and its economy, but also the business school market. In this piece in the Daily Express, a professor from our client, ESCP Europe, explains the impact of a no-deal Brexit on students studying in the UK, whilst in this piece in BusinessBecause, the dean of our client King’s Business School explains the impact of Brexit on UK business schools.
What do you think the key themes will be for business schools in 2019? Comment at the bottom of the page.
