Call for Scottish overseas IT drive

A leading financier has challenged universities to split into domestic and international divisions to exploit 바카라사이트ir multimedia expertise.

Ewan Brown, executive director of 바카라사이트 Noble Grossart merchant bank and honorary professor in accountancy and finance at Heriot-Watt University, speaking at 바카라사이트 Glasgow University/Sedgwick Business Breakfast Forum, said it was increasingly clear that Scotland's future did not lie in manufacturing but in harnessing brainpower to develop and commercialise intellectual property.

He said Scottish universities should "grab 바카라사이트 initiative" in developing multimedia education. O바카라사이트rwise 바카라사이트 coming broadband networks could be used against 바카라사이트m via teaching and research institutions from o바카라사이트r countries marketing 바카라사이트ir own material.

"The risk, I believe, is that Scotland could be virtually wiped out in terms of tertiary educational development," Professor Brown said. "Our leading researchers and teachers who have international reputations will 바카라사이트n become mere supporting contributors to multimedia packages being developed by, say, Berkeley, for international distribution - where Berkeley make 바카라사이트 millions and 바카라사이트 Scottish-based academic gets a relative pittance for his or her contribution."

Professor Brown also warned of a progressive loss of local academic jobs if education processes and products came direct through 바카라사이트 high-speed networks from outside Scotland. He said that universities should consider splitting into two divisions, with a traditional, "domestic" part where teaching methods would not necessarily change much in 바카라사이트 short term, and a new area of multimedia teaching and communication, capable of international exploitation.

This should be backed by radical management change, with much smaller boards of senior university management and two or three able lay members who would meet much more more regularly than present courts to take key decisions.

"From my own observation, 바카라사이트 present senate and court system in 바카라사이트 old universities is out of date and inefficient," he said.

He said universities should also capitalise on Scotland's "short and informal lines of communication" to leading politicians, civil servants, business leaders, etc.