--By Siromani Dhungana

 

Election fever has gripped the Nepali management community as the Management Association of Nepal (MAN) is electing a new executive body amidst a call for expanding private sector participation in the organization. The 33rd National Management Convention and Annual General Meeting of MAN on Friday will elect a 17-member 17th executive committee, said Janak Raj Shah, president of MAN. Of the 17 seats, six are to be filled by representatives of institutional members and the rest by individual members. The final list of candidates has 20 from the individuals and eight from institutions. 

 

All the 28 prospective candidates for the top MAN posts are busy in lobbying and making their permutation and combination right.  

 

Though the new office bearers of MAN will be decided by the executive committee members, some candidates have expressed their interest in the vital posts. Former general secretary Shiva Adhikari has expressed his interest for the key post of president while other candidates are busy in their cover campaigning. 

 

The theme for this year’s AGM is ‘Political Management: A Case of Nepal’. President Shah claims the topic to be “highly relevant as Nepal is in dire need of political management.” He says, “The political leadership should be able to manage political differences and tensions to ensure stability in the business sector.” 

 

A critical issue facing the Association is representation of the private sector in the executive body. MAN has not been able to attract enough corporate/private sector managers in the Association. “The world has moved on very fast but MAN has not,” says one of the Association’s former presidents Arzu Rana Deuba. “MAN leadership should realize the fact that the institution is yet to be owned by Nepal’s private sector/ big corporate houses.” Other former presidents of MAN express similar views. “With the adoption of liberal economy in 1990, involvement of managers from the private sector should have increased in MAN but it could not happen,” said former finance minister Madhukar SJB Rana, who is also a former president of MAN. Rana also suggested to the private sector to realize the importance of institutions like MAN. “The Private sector is yet to realize the importance of MAN. They seem focused more on organizations established at their own initiatives such as FNCCI and CNI,” he said. 

 

Another former President of MAN Rameshore Khanal who retired as Finance Secretary said, “MAN has failed to offer services which are useful to the corporate sector. This is one of the main reasons behind the lower representation of the private sector in the organization.” He said MAN cannot be a complete platform for all managers until it ensures representation of the private sector.

 

Besides active representation of private sector, there are several  other challenges as well that MAN needs to address. MAN should conduct research, provide education, and impart training in the field of management, Khanal said. “But these are not easy tasks and the organization should not take all these responsibilities as a mere formality.” The major challenges before MAN is to connect management movement of the country with that of global trends, he said. 

According to former chief secretary and another former  president of MAN, Bimal Koirala, the lack of commitment from MAN members has been very challenging to make the organization vibrant. 

 

Incumbent president hah said that both MAN office bearers and private sector should put collective effort for taking the organization to the next level. Lower participation of the private sector in the organization may be the reason of lower corporate culture in business units, he opined. 

 

The Corporate’s Suggestions to MAN 

1) MAN should create a platform to share innovative practices in corporate governance in Nepal 

2) MAN should recognise corporate houses that have commercially and profitably implemented innovative ideas in practice. 

3) MAN should take initiative to ensure that the upcoming government passes a resolution to allocate 1 or 2 % of the turnover to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities

4) MAN should bring out a code of conduct for self-regulation of its members to bring about transparency in corporate governance

5) MAN should take up sectoral reforms and assist entrepreneurs by way of exchange programmes for NRN youth

6) With the help from the government, MAN can organise NRN Summit on Management

 

MAN’s Vision for the Future

• Increase participation of private sector in the organization

• Expansion of its network base by incorporating B-Schools and corporate houses

• Promote professional management education through innovative programmes and initiatives

• Provide a platform for sharing ideas and exchanging knowledge 

• Enhance knowledge of members by sharing experiences on newer trends in the field of management in the backdrop of changing global environment

• Maintain best-in-class standards of education and training to build a world class management institution

• Provide relevant inputs to the government regarding changed global trends in the management movement 

• Promote and facilitate academic research and set-up a research facility