Business schools in higher education are expected not only to produce highly skilled human resources but also to contribute to national development, particularly in addressing sustainability issues.
This is especially important as Indonesia continues to face structural development challenges, including poverty alleviation and institutional reform.
This point was raised by the Dean of the UGM Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB UGM), Professor Didi Achjari, during the 22nd meeting of the Association of Indonesian Faculties of Economics and Business (AFEBI), held in Denpasar, Bali, on Thursday, May 8.
On this occasion, Professor Achjari shared his views on the strategic role of business schools in generating societal impact by contributing to solutions for development challenges.
He emphasized the importance of reorienting the mission statements of business schools.
“Reorienting the mission statement of business schools is part of the continuous improvement process for AACSB-accredited institutions,” he explained in a statement sent to journalists on Wednesday (May 14).
Professor Achjari also highlighted FEB UGM’s efforts to design academic and research programs grounded in societal impact.
These include curriculum innovations such as the MBA in Sustainability Management and the Master of Economic Development, both focusing on sustainability issues.
The faculty is also developing data analytics content for the Data Analytics course in the Master of Science in Management program and the Data Science and AI course in the Master of Science in Accounting program.
“We also offer a fast-track undergraduate-to-master’s program in Accounting,” he said.
Other efforts include FEB UGM’s continued commitment to increasing diversity in its student admissions process and expanding access to knowledge through the Kanal Pengetahuan and MOOC platforms.
FEB UGM also promotes collaborative research to inform policymaking. One example is research conducted by Dr. Elan Satriawan from the Department of Economics and his co-authors, who have evaluated the impact of poverty alleviation programs.
Their research focused on the Conditional Cash Transfer Program (PKH) and the Electronic Food Voucher Program (BNPT-Sembako) and their effects on the livelihoods of low-income households in Indonesia.
The impact evaluation of the electronic voucher program was conducted in collaboration with Professor Abhijit Banerjee (MIT), a 2019 Nobel laureate in economics.
The research has been published in the American Economic Review and American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, both top-ranked journals in the field of economics.
“This research has served as evidence for the Indonesian government to improve the PKH and BNPT-Sembako programs,” he added.
Professor Achjari also noted that FEB UGM actively promotes digital financial literacy through initiatives such as the Sidek-Edu training program, which simplifies accounting education by integrating theory and practice in a single digital platform based on a Learning Management System (LMS).
This program has been implemented in over 25 vocational schools in Java and two universities, and there are a total of 3,634 active users.
The results show that Sidek-Edu has improved accounting learning satisfaction, addressed student needs, and enhanced understanding and skills.
The faculty has also provided training for MSMEs, including in Papua in collaboration with the Keerom District Government, to support the use of Sidek-ERP in integrating enterprise resource planning for small businesses.
In addition, FEB UGM has developed the Gadjah Mada Digital Transformation Governance Index (GM-DTGI).
This innovative index facilitates performance evaluation of digital transformation efforts in district and city governments.
“This instrument was developed to assess the implementation of electronic-based government systems and other digital innovations adopted by regional governments across Indonesia,” he said.
In closing, Professor Achjari invited all AFEBI members to enhance their relevance through societal impact.
In line with this goal, FEB UGM is reorienting its mission and strategic plans to address a range of strategic economic and business issues in society.
Reporter: FEB UGM/Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya