Andreas Kaplan

It all began when the world’s first business school, the European School of Commerce Paris (ESCP), was established in 1819. Criticism notwithstanding, business schools have since continued their path in higher education without facing existential metamorphoses. Covid-19, however, has accelerated business schools’ digital transformation, calling into question the concept of business school itself.Business schools are in a new competitive landscape and profound structural changes seem inevitable. This concise text offers insights into how business schools should rethink their approach to management education, differentiate themselves from new players in the higher education market, and find innovative ways of doing things. The book is a survival toolkit for leadership teams across the world. It examines the rationale of business school and how it has evolved. The purpose of research is explained, and the teaching of management is explored. Kaplan analyzes the current business model in the digital environment. He looks at the business of accreditations and rankings and branding and community-building as strategies to address competition. The book concludes by looking at change leadership at business schools.It will interest both leaders of established academic institutions and alternative educational providers from edtech and big tech planning to enter the management education market.

Will we one day inhabit virtual worlds? From the buzz around Second Life in the early 2000s to Mark Zuckerberg’s much-hyped quest for the metaverse, there seems to be a clear pattern. After being touted as revolutionary, virtual worlds fail to meet expectations and fade into obscurity. Yet the dream of an immersive, independent, and interconnected virtual social universe still has the potential to transform the economy, reshape society, and profoundly affect the future of humanity. This book contends that despite shifting trends, the virtual universe remains crucial to the technology of tomorrow—and might arrive sooner than we think. Through vivid examples and detailed case studies, Andreas Kaplan, a pioneering researcher of virtual worlds since the early 2000s, provides a comprehensive examination of the metaverse and its far-reaching implications. He delves into key technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and extended reality and discusses ethical issues around privacy, identity, and governance. Kaplan examines business models, digital ownership, and corporate strategies alongside applications spanning marketing, research and development, human resources, and supply chain management. The book concludes by contrasting potential futures, from utopian promise (the Petaverse) to dystopian peril (the Metaworse) and everything in between. Written in an engaging, reader-friendly style, The Virtual Universe goes beyond the hype—and the doubting—to uncover the true potential of the metaverse.

Artificial intelligence is shaking up economies around the world as well as society at large and is predicted to be either the best or worst thing to happen to humanity. This book looks at what exactly artificial intelligence is, how it can be classified, how it differentiates from other concepts such as machine learning, big data, blockchain, or the Internet-of-Things, and how it has evolved and might evolve over time. Providing a clear and unbiased picture of artificial intelligence, the book provides critical analyses of the advantages and disadvantages, opportunities and threats of AI progress for business and civilisation. Solutions and possible directions of how humanity might deal with rapid development and evolutions will be given and discussed, and consider regulation, employment, ethics, education and international cooperation. Unlike existing literature, this book provides a comprehensive overview of AI based on detailed analysis and insight. Finally, several real-life examples from various sectors and industries, including for profit organizations, higher education, and government, will substantiate and illustrate the presented concepts, classifications, and discussions. This book is of interest to researchers, educators, students, and practitioners alike who desire to understand AI in its broad lines and discover the latest research and studies within the field.

It all began when the world’s first business school, the European School of Commerce Paris (ESCP), was established in 1819. Criticism notwithstanding, business schools have since continued their path in higher education without facing existential metamorphoses. Covid-19, however, has accelerated business schools’ digital transformation, calling into question the concept of business school itself.Business schools are in a new competitive landscape and profound structural changes seem inevitable. This concise text offers insights into how business schools should rethink their approach to management education, differentiate themselves from new players in the higher education market, and find innovative ways of doing things. The book is a survival toolkit for leadership teams across the world. It examines the rationale of business school and how it has evolved. The purpose of research is explained, and the teaching of management is explored. Kaplan analyzes the current business model in the digital environment. He looks at the business of accreditations and rankings and branding and community-building as strategies to address competition. The book concludes by looking at change leadership at business schools.It will interest both leaders of established academic institutions and alternative educational providers from edtech and big tech planning to enter the management education market.

Artificial intelligence is shaking up economies around the world as well as society at large and is predicted to be either the best or worst thing to happen to humanity. This book looks at what exactly artificial intelligence is, how it can be classified, how it differentiates from other concepts such as machine learning, big data, blockchain, or the Internet-of-Things, and how it has evolved and might evolve over time. Providing a clear and unbiased picture of artificial intelligence, the book provides critical analyses of the advantages and disadvantages, opportunities and threats of AI progress for business and civilisation. Solutions and possible directions of how humanity might deal with rapid development and evolutions will be given and discussed, and consider regulation, employment, ethics, education and international cooperation. Unlike existing literature, this book provides a comprehensive overview of AI based on detailed analysis and insight. Finally, several real-life examples from various sectors and industries, including for profit organizations, higher education, and government, will substantiate and illustrate the presented concepts, classifications, and discussions. This book is of interest to researchers, educators, students, and practitioners alike who desire to understand AI in its broad lines and discover the latest research and studies within the field.

The digital transformation of higher education has the same reputation as the higher education sector itself: rigid and reluctant to change. Covid-19 has radically changed this rigidity, with thousands of Universities compelled to go 100 percent online in just a few days. Threatened by edtech start-ups, big tech corporations increasingly interested in academia, as well as venture capitalists attracted by the sector's high profit margins, Universities need to change their way of doing business to stay in business. Higher Education at the Crossroads of Disruption: The University of the 21st Century looks at the various areas of higher education that will likely undergo radical changes. Learning and teaching approaches will increasingly move into the digital sphere; advances in artificial intelligence as well as (big) data availability, will change the way academia works. This books examines how teaching formats will vary, and how curricula and course content will evolve. Higher education will most likely focus on skills development, with a stronger emphasis on inter- and multidisciplinary study content, and a steady turn toward society's well-being and sustainability. This is essential reading for those holding a leadership position in higher education, researchers with a focus on higher education, and to anyone interested in the evolution and future of higher education.