Bond University’s Bond Business School has been granted EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) Accreditation, joining a select group of 159 high-quality Business Schools worldwide.
EQUIS is the leading international system of quality assessment, improvement and accreditation of higher education institutions in management and business administration. EQUIS is managed and run by the EFMD and its fundamental objective is to raise the standard of management education worldwide.
Bond Business School Executive Dean Professor Mark Hirst said EQUIS Accreditation was a huge accomplishment for the Faculty, University, staff and students.
“EQUIS is an internationally recognised stamp of excellence and going through the extensive accreditation process itself delivered significant value.
“The process involved so much more than the supply of data to develop forced rankings, guides and lists.
“In addition to self-analysis, an in-depth review of our School, strategy, programs, research, community outreach and global competitive positioning was conducted by a panel of our international peers,” he said.
“The constructive, supportive advice of the professional peer review team ensured it was a positive learning process for us and one that provided significant guidance and direction.
“We were put under the microscope to measure how we marshalled our resources – including our faculty, students, community and business networks – to deliver a truly world class student experience.
“The expert opinion of the peer review team reinforced our confidence that our focus and competitive positioning for the future is on target.
“The University’s foundations were built on its strong business community connections more than 25 years ago, ensuring Bond already possessed the essential criteria at the heart of EQUIS Accreditation, namely a balance of high academic quality and strong engagement with the corporate world.
“Our success as Australia’s first and only private business school is due to the advice, advocacy and resources we receive from this community and from our national and international alumni network.
“However, by going through the accreditation process we recommitted to nurturing our community relationships and continuing to ensure our future graduates have the ability to compete and succeed globally.
The EFMD also assessed the competitive positioning of the Bond Business School and its capacity for innovation, continuous improvement and financial viability.
“Bond positions itself as a premium, high-value education offering in the international market and as part of the accreditation process we were able to validate that there was a strong and growing market demand for this offering,” Professor Hirst said.
“Most importantly, our students are assured they will receive international recognition for their qualification, which is absolutely vital in today’s competitive global marketplace.
“With less than 2% of the world's 13,000 business programs EQUIS Accredited, Bond University and its Bond Business School are in very good company indeed.
“We look forward to developing strong relationships with our EQUIS partners and exploring mutually beneficial exchange opportunities involving our students, faculties and curriculums.”
There are currently 159 EQUIS Accredited schools in 40 countries including London Business School, Cambridge, Oxford, IMD, INSEAD, HEC Paris, Iese Business School, IE Business School, ESADE Business School, CEIBS, SDA Bocconi, Rotterdam School of Management, Indian Institute of Management, NUS Business School, Nanyang Business School and the University of Capetown.
“Put simply, the EQUIS Accreditation certifies the Bond Bond Business School as a world class international business school whose program is driven by an intimate connection with the business community to provide a transformational experience for its students,” he said.