1982: Birth of a Business School
Thailand was in the midst of social and economic transformation. The discovery of energy sources within the country in the 1970s, lignite in many parts of the country and oil in the northern part and gas in the gulf, sparked the rapid shift from an agricultural- to a manufacturing-based economy.
At the same time, East-West tensions eased. International air travel became more convenient. Information technology in the form of computers, faxes, telephones, fiber optics and satellites developed rapidly. These factors made it possible for companies to locate manufacturing and other facilities overseas, to environments more suitable for optimizing return on investment on a global scale.
Due to its relatively stable political environment, its central location within Southeast Asia, and its active pursuit of foreign direct investment, Thailand soon became the investment of choice for multinational corporations expanding their operations in Asia and around the world.
Heady with immense flows of foreign direct investment and an economy primed for take off, the business community in Thailand faced a dilemma—how could the economy continue to meet the skyrocketing demand for effective managers and leaders?
Mr. Bancha Lamsam had a vision. What Thailand needed, thought the Harvard-educated head of Thai Farmers Bank, was a world-class business school to help produce the needed business administrators and leaders.
On September 15, 1982, Chulalongkorn University Council made Mr. Lamsam's vision a reality by agreeing to the establishment of The Graduate Institute of Business Administration, an independent institution within Chulalongkorn University, Thailand's oldest university.
|
