Almaty Management University


Almaty Management University is a higher educational institution in Almaty, Kazakhstan, providing preparation of specialists of economic fields under bachelor's degree programs, MBA and DBA.
ALMA is one of the first business higher schools in Kazakhstan — the University was organized in 1988 as Alma-Ata School of Managers, in 1996 it became the International Academy of Business. In 2014 it adopted its current name.

History

Almaty School of Management

In the autumn of 1988 the Alma-Ata City Executive Committee initiated creation of "Union" Republican Cooperative Association, Leonid Solomin was invited to be head of the association. Together with Bazhangali Kozhshibayev, he decided to create the first business school in Kazakhstan. On December 12, 1988 the Alma-Ata School of Managers has been organized in Alma-Ata on the basis of "Union" Republican Cooperative Association, its first listeners were engaged in assembly hall of the Soviet district committee of the Communist party exactly during a month. During the first period of existence of the school education was conducted in the form of short-term courses which were listened by the top and medium-level managers, people with higher education.
In October 1989 Asylbek Kozhakhmetov who was working in the school as the teacher of computer science became the director of ASM. In 1990 the staff of ASM has taken part in the organization of Association of Schools of International Business, the director of ASM Asylbek Kozhakhmetov became a member of its council, assembly of institutes, schools of preparation of entrepreneurs of the CIS.
In 1992 the staff of the school began doing steps to create a Master of Business Administration program and project on realization of programs for administrative personnel, ASM was the first institution in Kazakhstan proposing MBA on the educational market of the country.
In 1994 the Ministry of Economy of Kazakhstan announced a tender for the project on consultation of the enterprises, financed by the World Bank. Five of six western organizations participating in the tender named ASM as the most preferable partner. In 1995 the educational institution has been renamed into Almaty School of Management.
In October 1995, the competence, reliability and actual success of the Almaty School of Management was highly appreciated by the People to People International, which awarded the “Torch of Birmingham” for successful economic survival and development under conditions of the emerging market relations.
In 1996 ASM organized the international conference «Management of human resources: strategy and practice» with participation of more than 100 delegates from 15 countries, the Minister of Economy Umirzak Shukeyev, an adviser of the President of Kazakhstan for economic issues Altay Tleuberdin, the first secretary of representation of the European Union in Kazakhstan Onno Simons, the representative of the United Nations in Kazakhstan Nigel Ringrose and others.

Transformation to IAB

On November 14, 1996, according to the Order of Government of Republic of Kazakhstan #1387 Almaty School of Management has been transformed to the International Academy of Business. The first intake to evening program of MBA with corporate management specialization has been carried out the same year.
In 1998, the International Development Association of the World Bank chose the Academy as a partner in realization of the program of creation of research base for working out of 1998–2001 economic policy in the countries of Central Asia.
In 1999, the Almaty School of Management had an agreement with the Canadian McGill University about start of joint program of preparation of financiers under the name "Professional Financial Diploma". At the same year an agreement of cooperation with the HEC Paris has been signed with support of embassy of France in Kazakhstan and the first intake to the program «Master of Professional Management» was done.
On January 14, 2000, official opening of the International Academy of Business in a new building took place with participation of the President of Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan, the Chairman of the Council of Trustees of IAB Daulet Sembayev, the Vice-Mayor of Almaty Kozy-Korpesh Janburchin, diplomats and businessmen. At the time of opening IAB included eight institutions providing economic education: Almaty School of Management, Almaty Center of Bank Education, educational center of network and telecommunication technologies «CISKO», Institute of Managers McGill — ASM, Institute of Economy and Finance, Kazakhstan Institute of Marketing and Management, business class, program «Begin and improve your business».
In July 2000, IAB has received a grant from Philip Morris Kazakhstan JSC for purchase of computers.
In 2000, the Academy started the program of the higher professional education.
In 2002, IAB as a pilot high school participated in public accreditation passing by criteria of European Quality Improvement System initiated by the Central Asian Foundation for Management Development. From 65 high schools from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan applied for accreditation, only four educational institutions including IAB were able to pass it successfully.
According to the results of 2002, the Academy became the winner of “With Overall Quality to the 21st century” competition of the Republican Quality Association in the category “Education” for the best management system.
In 2003, the International Executive MBA program was developed in cooperation with HEC Paris and Louvain School of Management. This program became a development of the one-year program «Master of Professional Management» operating from 1999.
In 2003, the representative office of the International Academy of Business was opened in Astana for realization of MBA programs, organization of corporate seminars, trainings and consulting services.
In July 2003, the Kazakhstan-European Center of Strategic Management of Universities was created on a basis of IAB, the founders of the center were the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, the European Foundation for Management Development, Association of High Schools of Kazakhstan, Association of Institutions of Professional Education of Kazakhstan, the Central Asian Foundation for Management Development.
The same year in Kazakhstan business schools rating under МВА programs conducted by the National Business magazine the International Academy of Business has won the first place outstripping KIMEP and UIB.

Recent history



In 2009 the president-rector of MAB Asylbek Kozhakhmetov initiated the program «Support of rural schools by high schools»; according to the initiative it was offered to each of 144 Kazakhstan high schools to look after one of 200 rural districts of the country. IAB within the framework of the program has been incurring support of educational institutions of Aiyrtau District of North Kazakhstan Province. Within the framework of the program teachers of Aiyrtau District schools are gratuitously invited to Almaty for improvement of professional skill during spring and autumn school vacations.
Since 2009 within the framework of republican competition "ZachOT" founded by the International Academy of Business more than 20 Kazakhstan journalists and mass-media are annually awarded for the best illumination of vital topics in sphere of Kazakhstan education.
In autumn of 2009 teachers of IAB published the book «Business Express Course» within the framework of the project "Business Adviser" — gratuitous methodical support of individual entrepreneurs in village areas organized by Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund.
Since June 2010 IAB holds the international summer session Business Education Teachers Academy directed on development of professional skills and personal growth of teachers of Kazakhstan and foreign high schools.
Since 2010, IAB has organises the Ulytau cultural-linguistic camp — a project for the studying of the Kazakh language through immersion in the language and cultural environment. In the summer of 2010, the first participants of camp-aul numberes 83 persons — heads and experts from the national companies participating in the National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna". In 2011 60 participants passed "immersing" in Ulytau camp.
In 2010 the International Academy of Business has opened representative office in the West Kazakhstan region.
Since autumn of 2011 the Academy became the first private high school in Kazakhstan technically ready to accept students and listeners with the limited possibilities ; toilets, wheelchair ramps and special lift were equipped for this purpose.
In 2014, the International Academy of Business changed its name to Almaty Management University, with ALMA University used as a shortened form of the new name.

Academics

Almaty Management University uses the model for continuous educational process which includes:


College of IAB was created in 2009 and prepares specialists for seven specialties of technical and economic education: economics, marketing, management, accounting and audit, finance, information systems, assessment.
Higher Professional Education Department of Almaty Management University prepares bachelors in the following specialties: Economics, Management, Marketing, Accounting and Audit, Finance, Information Systems, Regional Studies, Restaurant and Hotel Management, Business Analytics and Big Data, Software Engineering, Jurisprudence, State and Local Administration, Public Relations, Logistics.
Master's degree programs: Management, Marketing, Finance, Business Analytics and Big Data, Jurisprudence, Informatics.
Doctoral programs: Management, Marketing, Finance, Business Administration.
Master of Business Administration Department of the Almaty Management University provides educational services according to the following MBA programs:
There are plans of development of new joint MBA programs with leading business schools of the European Union and ASEAN.
Doctor of Business Administration program in IAB is maximally individualized and allows to listeners to create variants of studying programs consisted from various modules of basic and special courses. Education includes auditorian work in groups and independent work under direction of a supervisor of studies, and also individual work of listeners of the program without direct participation of a teacher on chosen educational and research trajectory. The DBA programs are joint products of IAB and the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Service under the President of Russia and Maastricht School of Management.

Student life



Since 2001 the University has hosted theoretical and practical conference «Young Sharks of Business», since 2007 the conference has an international status. The organizers of the conference are the International Academy of Business in cooperation with students' scientific organization «Dixi!».
Since 2001 student council works in the Academy, election of council's members is made by student voting.
Since 2003 best students of IAB are annually awarded in 10 nominations at annual ceremony «Gold Snail» with encouragement of winners in form of 10—60% discount for education fee.
Students of IAB were among winners of the republican competition for the best scientific work of students on natural, technical and humanitarian sciences at the II international youth forum «Youth in Science-2010» organized by the Foundation of the First President of Republic of Kazakhstan. Students of the Academy are winners and prize-winners of international, republican, city student olympiads.
Annually IAB organizes various competitions for students: winners among business projects developed by students of IAB within the framework of competitions "Business Safari" and "Business Incubator" are awarded, intellectual games What? Where? When? and Brain Ring are held. The Career Centre of IAB regularly organizes fairs of vacancies and presentations of the companies-partners for the purpose of employment of students of the Academy.
A student newspaper Primus inter pares is published in the Academy; in 2010 by an initiative of students IAB held the I National Forum of Student Mass-Media with support of Soros Foundation Kazakhstan.
Annually IAB organizes competition «Mister and Miss IAB», mayovkas, thematic evenings in the academy's building and clubs and other entertainment, there are KVN teams in IAB.
KVN team "Capital"
- Winners of the KIMEP Rector's Cup 2015
- Winners of the Final Regional League Cup of Azerbaijan 2015 in Baku
- Owners of an increased rating at the KiViN Festival Sochi 2015
KVN team "Friday"
- Holders of the Rector's Cup 2015
- Finalists of the League of KVN "Alma-Ata" 2016
- Finalists of the League of KVN "Alma-Ata" 2017
- Champions of the Regional League KVN "Irtysh" 2017 Pavlodar
- Participants of the Regional League KVN "Ala-TOO" 2018 Bishkek
The Sinergy Debate Club has existed since 2001.
- Winners of tournament 2014
- Winners of the KBTU 2015 Cup
- Winners of the CDU 2015 Cup
- Winners of the city tournament KazNU 2016
- Three-time finalists of the CDU 2017 Cup
- III place in the city tournament in 2017

Material and technical basis

The International Academy of Business is located in a building in Almaty with total area of 8,732.1 m2, there is also a sport center with area of 1,024 m2, a parking for 250 cars, a dining room with 190 seats. Buildingof the Academy is technically ready to accept students and listeners with the limited possibilities ; toilets, wheelchair ramps and special lift were equipped for this purpose.
The Academy's library was created in 1996, listeners of the Almaty School of Management were its first users. In 1997 the library received a grant of Eurasia Foundation for the project «Development of library and reading room» which main purposes were equipment by technics and replenishment of library fund by the necessary literature for maintenance of educational process of the academic programs, and also providing of access to Internet. In 2001 a grant was received for the project «Formation of book fund and development of library of the International Academy of Business» with purposes of further development of book fund, improvement of given services due introduction of program «IRBIS» to library processes. Library of IAB is a member of the Information Consortium of Libraries of Kazakhstan. The library's fund consists of 203,000 books.
On December 4, 2009 solemn presentation of sport club and new sport complex of the International Academy of Business has taken place with participation of Mayor of Almaty Akhmetzhan Yessimov, known Kazakhstan sportsmen, actors, representatives of mass-media, students and employees of IAB. Opening was visited by Olympic champions Zhaksylyk Ushkempirov and Olga Shishigina, Olympic bronze winner, youth world champion Nurbakhyt Tenizbayev, the Vice-President of Football Federation of Kazakhstan Seilda Bayshakov and others.
In September 2017 Almaty Management University opened the Knowledge Building - a new intellectual innovation building.
The new building of AlmaU, built using the latest technology, is probably the most ambitious project in the field of education. Modern infrastructure, including coworking centers, food courts, places for relaxation, conference rooms, modern laboratories, classrooms; beautiful design, versatility, innovation and convenience in everything are the main criteria which the developers of this building of the southern capital were guided by.
On the 1st floor there is Atrium Grand Hall for 600 seats with a huge LED display and professional acoustic and lighting equipment, and a reading room with a book-crossing sector and a cafe with flavorous coffee.
On the 2nd floor there are student classrooms, a relaxation room and 4 laboratories:
“Petroleum Transportation Lab” Laboratory of School of Economics and Logistics. Creation of “PetroleumTransportLab” laboratory is one of the key steps towards implementation of a number of projects: creation of a transport hub, logistics outsourcing, development of transport services, operator and forwarding business, etc.
Neuromarketing Laboratory of Graduate School of Management is equipped with a video camera, microphone and Tobii Glasses 2 mobile eye tracking system, which provides objective data on consumers' perceptions of various trademarks and brands and reveals hidden factors affecting decision making process. Using this technology, it is possible to study the visual perception of consumers when making a purchase decision. The laboratory allows to conduct applied research using neurobiological analysis tools and expert opinions for business. This project has no analogues in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Simulation room of Center for Mediation and Center of Excellence is equipped with four video cameras, microphones and voice recorders. It is used to resolve disputable situations and conflicts that may arise in the educational process, for example, between a student and a teacher. Situations are played in the simulation room, audio and video recording is conducted, which makes it possible to analyze the process. The room is also used for conducting research with participation of focus groups, and conducting in-depth interviews with possibility to observe the process from the adjacent sector: whether the methodology is not violated, whether there is no pressure on respondents.
The oratory workshop of Graduate School of State and Public Administration and Law is a mirror room equipped with a video camera for recording and analyzing the speaker's speeches. A photograph of a listening audience on the wall creates an atmosphere of real-life performance. In the course of trainings, the psychological barrier is overcome, communication and oratorical skills are developed. The workshop is aimed at shaping the culture of public speaking: the conceptual apparatus, wide vocabulary range, techniques of verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as presentation and self-presentation skills.
On the 3rd floor of Knowledge Building there are classrooms of Graduate School of Business equipped with a smart system, in particular, MBA programs and doctoral programs, as well as the classroom of MBA Association, whose accreditation is got by Almaty Management University, the only university in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, in the list of the top 200 best universities in the world.
On the 4th floor there are 3 laboratories:
DesignLab Laboratory of Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development, is equipped with a sound system and a projector, glass boards for design processes, as well as tools and accessories for creating and modeling prototypes. In the process of working in the laboratory, students and trainees perform dozens of practical tasks, simulating prototypes of business processes on their own - this is how fast experience is formed, practicing thinking and various methods of working with the project are applied in order to find their own ways of solving creative problems. The value of design thinking for business is that this technique allows to work with “implicit knowledge” of the consumer, which he cannot recognize and tell on his own. That, ultimately, allows you to get products and services that are focused on people.
Cyber-Polygon "EngEkon" Laboratory of the School of Economics and Logistics is considered to be the brightest laboratory. Its walls are painted in three different colors: red, green and blue, the laboratory is equipped with 4 displays, 7 computers, a projector, an audio system. As planned by the authors of the project, two opposing forces are involved in the simulation: the attacker, occupying the red corner, is trying to make a hole in the system; defenders, sitting opposite the screen in the green zone, use preventive methods to isolate the attack. Each side has 3 computers. The blue zone is the zone of observers, where the overall picture of the unfolding battle between “hackers” and “Information Security” is visible on the display. The purpose of the cyber-test site is to teach students to counteract cyber-terrorism, preventing hacking of databases and data leakage.
MediaLab Center for Multimedia Journalism of Graduate School of State and Public Administration and Law is equipped with a projector, computers and a voice recorder. It is an open working media space operating on the principle of dual education. A feature of the project is the working format of the center: students under the supervision of mentors initiate their own topics independently and in project groups and experiment with the production of various content, as well as learn how to work in social networks and how to create and maintain their own brand. It is important: MediaLab helps not only to students-journalists and PR specialists, but works “at the junction”, teaching economists, financiers, and logisticians to create media content.
On the 5th floor there are administration offices, equipped with smart systems, student classrooms, meeting room of AlmaU Board of Trustees.
On the 6th floor, visitors will see “SMART-conference hall”, where it is possible to control light, sound, air conditioning, a projector, roll-up curtains from the iPad; Also, guests can view the magnificent panorama of the mountains from the windows of Panorama Hall.
All the laboratories of the new building, whose construction was financed by Capital Bank Kazakhstan, are equipped with innovative technologies and work together with the partners of the university - government agencies, business structures, media companies. It is this format that allows the university to implement the principle of Win-Win-Win, according to which any mutually beneficial cooperation between the two parties should be of benefit to a third party - society. It is also an excellent example of successful implementation of the “triple spiral” theory, the essence of which is in dynamic development of relations between the state, universities and business for effective development of new industries and solving existing problems.
It is worth noting that the new building will be managed in a new way. It is facilitated by the knowledge management system launched at AlmaU. Created to improve university management efficiency, the Knowledge Management System processes large streams of information, integrates various information systems, and automates business processes.

Awards, ratings, accreditations

Since 2008 Asylbek Kozhahmetov is the president-rector of the International Academy of Business. He worked as a teacher of the Alma-Ata School of Managers since January 1989, since October of the same year he worked as the Director of the School of Managers of the "Union" Republican Cooperative Association, since 1990 he was the Director of small collective enterprise «Alma-Ata School of Managers», since 1992 he was the General Director of «Almaty School of Managers» JSC, in 1998-2002 he was the President of the International Academy of Business.
In December 2009 the Council of Trustees of IAB was created with the purpose of maintenance of financial and information support, assistance to strengthening of material base and a social infrastructure, working out and solution of tasks of strategic development, contribution to personal growth of staff and students of the Academy. The Chairman of the Council of Trustees is the President of Commercial and Industrial Chamber of Kazakhstan, the Chairman of Board of Directors of «Parasat Holding» JSC Yerlan Kozhasbay. Council also includes the Chairman of the Council of the Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan Serik Akhanov, the Vice-Mayor of Almaty Serik Seidumanov, a member of the Council of Businessmen under the President of Kazakhstan, the Chairman of the Council of the Forum of Businessmen of Kazakhstan, the Chairman of the «Raimbek Group» company Raimbek Batalov, the President of «Astana Group» JSC Nurlan Smagulov, the Vice-President of Board of Directors of Kazkommertsbank, the ex-chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, the ex-vice-premier of the Government of Kazakhstan Daulet Sembayev, the Chairman of a Board of Trustees of the Association of Economists of Kazakhstan, the ex-chairman of National Bank of Kazakhstan, the ex-vice-premier of the Government of Kazakhstan, ex-Minister of Finance Uraz Dzhandosov and other known economists and businessmen.