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(November 2, 2000, Gazette)
Developing countries
benefit from
visiting business professor
Dr. Sudhir
Saha
By
Megret Yabsley
In
June 2000, Dr. Sudhir Saha, professor of organizational behavior
with the Faculty of Business Administration, visited Bangladesh
and Nepal to conduct faculty workshops for business professors
and senior government officials. As part of the Canadian International
Development Agency-funded project, NETWORKS, the Canadian Consortium
of Management Schools (CCMS) sponsors numerous such projects
in developing countries around the world.
From June 3–5, 2000, Dr. Saha held a three-day strategic
planning seminar for the Association of Management Development
Institutions of Bangladesh in Dhaka. During this particular session,
Dr. Saha learned that his professor of 37 years ago, Dr. Shamsul
Haque, was attending.
“Developing and implementing a strategic plan is important
for all organizations in the world,” explained Dr. Saha.
“It is, however, especially important for those in developing
countries. These organizations need any help that we can provide
them with.”
Following his trip to Bangladesh, Dr. Saha traveled to Katmandu,
Nepal, where he conducted similar workshops for the Association
of Management Development Institutions in Nepal. Professors and
public administrators from different regions of Nepal came to
Dr. Saha’s two-day strategic planning and management workshops.
Following these workshops, Dr. Saha met with a number of senior
executives from Nepalese institutions for management training
and development. In one instance, Dr. Saha provided free consulting
service for the development and implementation of a strategic
plan.
This is not the first time that Dr. Saha has been involved with
CCMS projects. In the past, he has traveled to the Czech Republic
to teach MBA students at the Czech Management Centre. In a reciprocal
arrangement, a faculty member from the Czech Management Centre
came to St. John’s to take refresher courses with members
of the Memorial business faculty.
“As an educator, I feel incredibly valued when I teach in
developing countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal or
a country in transition like the Czech Republic,” said Dr.
Saha. “It is not only giving what you can, but also learning
from these places and people. I am very pleased when a person
who is attending one of my workshops says that it is really important
for them and their country to learn from my presentations.”
Not only does Dr. Saha assist developing countries by holding
seminars and workshops, but he also organizes numerous book drives
for management education institutions around the world. Recently,
Dr. Saha organized a book drive for the Czech Management Centre
and sent much-needed Western management textbooks to students.
Oftentimes, the used books are being thrown away by students
and professors who no long have a need for them.
“Building bridges between students, professors and managers
from different countries is very rewarding for me,” said
Dr. Saha, adding that it can be challenging to take his message
and mission into an unfamiliar territory. “It can be very
comfortable to remain in one place and to do the same thing over
and over again; however, there is much to be learned by being
in a different country and culture.”