Engineering a Partnership

1. The 6th International Business School Shanghai Conference (2016) Engineering a Partnership Ira Solomon Dean and Debra and Rick Rees Professor of Business A. B. Freeman School of Business Tulane University, New Orleans

2. WHEW! WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN SHORT TIME • Circa 3,500-4,000 BCE: Wheel is invented, probably in Asia • 300: Romans develop crankshaft-driven device • 600-900: Chinese develop the piston pump, gunpowder, cast iron, propeller • 1794: Thomas Mead patents the gas engine • 1879-1885: Karl Benz patents engine, develops first automobiles • 1913: Henry Ford moves automobile production to an assembly line • 1945: Dawn of atomic age; Cold War accelerates technology research • 1969: First human lands on the moon • 1981: IBM markets first personal computer for mass market the market • 2001: Apple releases iTunes and iPod • 2011: WeChat developed and released by Tencent • 2016: Artificial intelligence:- driverless cars, medical robots, personal drones

3. IN 1966, STAR TREK ENGINEERS THE FUTURE • Concept devised by screenwriter and producer Gene Roddenberry • Central theme: A universe mostly in harmony • Engineered technology serves mankind • Propulsion • High-tech medical devices • Defense systems • Communications • Reliance on computers • Social and cultural respect

4. TECHIES & TREKKIES INSPIRED ACROSS THE GLOBE • Business and engineers responded to consumer demand, increased interest in technology for industrial and personal use • Star Trek interest revived in late 1970s, leads to series of thirteen movies, television series and plethora of merchandising • 2016: Chinese businessman Liu Dejian builds 600 million RMB USS Enterprise shaped headquarters for NetDragon WebSoft Inc.

5. FANTASY YESTERDAY, BECOMES REALITY TODAY • Cell phones and Bluetooth technology • Hand-held medical monitoring devices • Laser and Taser defense systems • Stealth technology (Star Trek called it cloaking) • Drones for military, industrial and personal use • Computers an integral part of daily life for billions of people • Robotics and artificial intelligence • Biotech applications, devices

6. TECHNOLOGY INNOAVTION ACCELERATES • China discussing moon base and spaceship to Mars by 2020 • Elon Musk, others privatizing space (Space X) • Musk, NASA developing Mars colonization plan • New approaches needed for building more durable roads, bridges, airports, and cities • Growing populations place increasing demands for food, water, energy, health, and education • Biotech accelerating as diseases (Zika) spread and genetic research offers hope of extending lifespan, curing diseases

7. THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE • Faster technology diffusion and adoption rates • Emergence of complex industry global value chains • Rapidly evolving business models • Technology drive M&A and corporate venturing • Companies compete to recruit flexible and adaptable employees and build a culture of innovation • Global marketplaces for jobs • Ongoing commoditization of knowledge • Shorter company life expectancies – innovate or perish

8. EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGE • We tend to live/work in philosophical and organizational silos where student exposure to partner disciplines is limited • We must be forward-looking to anticipate markets, technologies, complex global capital markets, regulatory hurdles • We need up-to-date, comprehensive student preparation with a focus on adaptation and integration skillsets • Our target must outcomes evolve with need and must be examined regularly • Faculty/administration communication and collaboration between colleges on our own campuses must broaden

9. WE HAVE A STARTING POINT Tulane focus • Prepare students for immediate impact when they enter the workforce • Innovative, creative, systemic problem solvers and critical thinkers • Perspectives for success in global economy with cross cultural capabilities • Professionals who excel in a complex matrix of economic, technological, environmental, social and ethical challenges

10. CALLS TO ACTION • Break down traditional barriers, get out of silos • Become STEM fluent • Analytics growing in importance for business management – business programs are receiving STEM designations • We need each other, collaboration across disciplines is required inside academia just as it is on the outside • Engineering schools should expand business exposure beyond entrepreneurship to provide broader perspectives • Business schools must engage engineering/science faculty to give their students insights into the science and engineering of the devices and procedures they will bring to market

11. STEPS TO SUCCESS • Interdisciplinary research (graduate and undergraduate) • Integrate graduate teamwork among colleges & universities • 4 + 1 accelerated masters programs • Engage corporate partners • Rewards • Students well-prepared for workplace success and future adaption • Interdisciplinary faculty research improves approaches and outcomes • University’s prestige as an enlightened center of learning is enhanced

12. IN SUMMARY • Students must be adaptable, not simply knowledgeable and possess integration skills • Engineersmustembrace business concepts • Business students need to invest in understanding technology, science, and engineering concepts • Collaboration and partnership arekey for business and engineering schools • Students need to be prepared for short runway opportunities • Our mission: prepare them to meet challenges of a fast-evolving and competitive global workforce

13. IN CLOSING Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. It’s continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

14. THANK YOU 谢谢