Preparing Competent Business School Graduates for the Emerging Vietnam: A Critical Human Resource Development Issue

As an emerging country, Vietnam needs competent business entrepreneurs who are expected to modernize the economy, renew business and management practices, and develop sustainable growth strategies. The mission of business and management education, thus, is to prepare graduate students for the development of transitional Vietnam and future global challenges. Graduates’ competency, according to competency frameworks, should be assessed in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Unfortunately, the congruence between the labor demand side (employers) and the supply side (Graduates and Business and Management School) in each of these elements has not been achieved. To delve into this phenomenon, we begin this chapter with an overview of Vietnam’s economy and Business and Management Education. Graduates’ competency is then discussed within the context of Business and Management Education and labor market demand. Sources of competency gaps during school–work transition are also critically analyzed. Finally, an integrated approach to developing future entrepreneurs and managers is introduced, addressing all the above issues.