UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION IN BUSINESS SCHOOLS. CASES OF RUSSIA AND KAZAKHSTAN

Over the last decade, national authorities have set up both institutional and programme accreditation procedures, and an accreditation is increasingly becoming the most dominant form of quality assurance of higher education following national adaptations to the Bologna-declaration, and the possible effects of an emerging ‘accreditation market, (Stensaker et al, 2006), accompanied by a growing number of private accreditation schemes.

The business schools reconsider their role in society, and the international accreditation process here is a perceived vehicle for the introduction of institutional change that takes place not only in Europe, but in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The purpose of this paper is to present some findings of independent research on the experience of business schools that already gained the international accreditation (case of Russia) or in the process of pursuing accreditations (case of Kazakhstan) mainly from the following accrediting bodies: AMBA, EQUIS, EPAS and AMBA. The business schools´ unknown experience in these countries as the leading countries (Russia is in CIS, and Kazakhstan in Central Asia, CIS) in these processes provide us with some interesting insight on the preferences in the order of pursuing these accreditations, advantages versus shortcomings and the changes needed to be implemented.

The results of independent research among both the private and public local business schools show that the main preferences in ranking these bodies by importance are AMBA which is a starting point ranked by business schools as the first place, and AACSB which is ranked as a final top point. This trend has the prevailing evidence in Russia, but rather different in Kazakhstan. The majority of local business schools in Kazakhstan that apply for international accreditation are mainly the private local business schools.

Business schools both in Kazakhstan and Russia perceive international accreditation with the advantages of improved reputation of school on domestic markets, a signalling strategy for the students that school is of high quality, the increased value of assets and brand and the competition that distinguish schools from their competitors. School with foreign ownership view the advantage of the international accreditation as a signalling strategy for the students and for the faculty members that the school is of high quality.

The views of business schools on disadvantages of these accreditations point out that this process is very time-consuming, it also requires human resources and considerable investment, some schools also bring the opinion that accreditations requires very high standards of internationally recognized academic research which exceed the expectations of the school’s stakeholders. The changes needed in schools in order to gain international accreditation provide different reasons. This independent research brings more understanding how these processes are progressing in these two regions of CIS which are the leading regions in the trends of higher education sector.