Dr. Ley Sopheap’s Leadership at the International Business Institute (IBI) in Cambodia since 2016.
Dr. Ley Sopheap began to rebuild the International Business Institute (IBI) by focusing on the needs of students and faculty as his key priority. An in-depth partnership with the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee in both the public and private sectors was also established to promote faculty, student, and personal growth. Both parties contributed to teaching methodology, course content, values constellation, and the context for learning effectively to be achieved. Dr. Sopheap’s leadership has had a significant impact on IBI. He has provided the institute and has dealt with the obstacles of a nation that is still rebuilding political and economic stability. He has turned a half-filled classroom of primarily unequipped and discouraged students into a student-focused and faculty-empowered environment where his persistence and vision have resulted in IBI students being able to meet high standards of acceptance because of their abilities after their studies. With an intense level of passion for opening learning opportunities for all students, past limitations due to political and economic instability have been removed.
Education programs at the graduate level are designed to shape students to become outstanding successors in their civilian occupations. Future leaders at the national and international levels in business, diplomacy, politics, culture, education, and social activities all need further professional training. At the international business level, with nearly every organization facing added risks and opportunities around the globe at an increasing pace, there is a significant and growing role for broad-ranging educational programs to meet these challenges. Given the number and striking growth of such programs at universities, which now number in the hundreds, they appear to be serving an important need for many people in various countries. A basic assumption of such international programs is that graduate-level education can indeed help prepare students from a variety of job functions to meet the challenges now and in the future.
The question presents itself, “What are the implications for this burgeoning field of educational programs, i.e., International Business Institutes, and what lessons can be drawn?” It is obvious from the curriculum perspective that such education can be given in a wide variety of forms. Some schools should perhaps be targeting specialized contrast while others emphasize interdisciplinary programs. A plausible case can, no doubt, be made for basic research-oriented or non-traditional education or conversely for direct practice-oriented training programs. Assuming one stays a universalist, should one stress in-country competence, an understanding of international differences, universal training, or emphasize the traits, tools, and competencies needed by managers? Given the existence of organizations of different sizes, objectives, histories, maturity, and experiences, how should these educational tasks shape and who should they serve?