MBA Program Chair Interviewed for AmCham Magazine

2 min read

YEREVAN, Armenia — Associate Professor and Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program Chair at the American University of Armenia (AUA) Dr. Mane Beglaryan recently sat down with AmCham magazine for an engaging interview. She talked about her professional journey, her role in advancing the MBA program and students’ skills, her research on digitalization, and the enormous potential of digital technology for social and environmental sustainability.

Dr. Beglaryan pursued a Master of Public Administration degree at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. After gaining consulting experience in the US, she returned to Armenia and was engaged in the same for private and international organizations while also teaching at AUA. Subsequently, she earned her Ph.D. from the National Academy of Sciences with a focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Her research on SME resilience, innovation, and strategic foresight has been published and presented internationally.

As the MBA Program Chair at AUA, Dr. Beglaryan aims to instill in her students a range of essential  skills, including resilience, agility, open-mindedness, and sound decision-making. Under her leadership, the MBA program has pressed on, attaching great significance to growing students’ intellectual capacity, people skills, and ability to see the bigger picture. Faculty members, many of whom are practitioners, bring real-world expertise into the classroom. The program is further enriched by guest lectures, company visits, and hands-on projects that  provide experiential learning through close collaboration with local and international businesses, altogether ensuring that graduates are fully prepared for successful careers. 

Elaborating on her research, Dr. Beglaryan underscores the importance of digital competence and transformation for businesses in Armenia to remain globally competitive. While recognizing that the government of Armenia has been actively supporting digitalization initiatives, Dr. Beglaryan emphasizes the need for growing targeted support to address gaps and adopt a clear digital transformation roadmap for SMEs.

Her research explores the implications of government support for digitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses with the capacity for digital transformation experienced a lesser financial burden. Surprisingly, companies that received government support had lower chances of undertaking digital transformation. This calls for more effective and targeted support programs to encourage sustainable digitalization.

She exhorts business owners to build-up digital competence and embrace digitalization as a pivotal long-term investment. Aligning digital transformation with a company’s growth strategy and integrating into its development various digital technologies are crucial to its sustained success. Furthermore, embracing digital tools will enable organizations to reinvent their products, enter new markets, and lower transaction and coordination costs.

Dr. Beglaryan’s expertise and dedication have contributed to the development of future business leaders who are positioned to thrive in an evolving global economy. Through her research and key role at AUA, she is playing a big part in empowering businesses to embrace digitalization, achieve sustainability, and succeed in an ever-evolving business landscape.

The full interview can be accessed at the American Armenian Chamber of Commerce website.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.