In Arizona State University's continued online emergence, the latest twist is their online business certificate that is projected to reach 100 million participants worldwide by 2030. The Thunderbird School of Global Management, whose Dean Sanjeev Khagram says is "the most global and digital management and leadership academic in the world," will target participants in the developing world by cultivating their business and entrepreneurial capacity.
Skeptics of the Thunderbird initiative say that the number of potential certificate seekers is hyper-exaggerated and others question how any program could be translated into 40 different languages in meaningful and culturally-respectful ways. Leadership scholars vary in their embrace of the GLOBE research that claims to have created a model that differentiates elements of leadership according to unique cultures.
It appears that ASU has competition in new initiatives. The University of Arizona Global Campus has a big vision as well but is facing scrutiny from its creditors and has enrollment challenges.
One has to question such ambitious, although potentially worthy, goals for the business and entrepreneurship program that could spread across the world. Will the content be truly adaptable to local circumstances or will the result be the imposition of prescriptive models that result in uniformity around the world? On the other case, the race for online dominance has many risks if quality is not a central focus.
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