Tailoring training to client demands
In offering postgraduate programmes in Hong Kong, a top priority for the Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) is ensuring course choice and content meets the needs of busy executives.
Whether starting with a postgraduate certificate or diploma, or going straight to the master of management or MBA, students know they will get new perspectives and upgraded skills tailored to the requirements of global business.
'We ensure that students receive quality teaching that is grounded in industry and has practical application,' says Richard Petty, associate dean (international) and professor in management (accounting and finance) at MGSM. ' Our MBA is designed to mirror the working environment. The carefully selected suite of core units ensures students develop a thorough knowledge of key business practices, while electives allow them to delve deeper into an area of study.'
The purpose of each programme is teaching what it takes to create sustainable value for companies and communities. The intention is to leave them better equipped to make contributions which will benefit business and society at large.
To that end, faculty members regularly update case studies and other course material to maintain topicality and achieve the intended learning outcomes.
A flexible, well-planned structure enables executives to begin with the programme best suiting their background and experience and progress to a higher qualification. For instance, completion of the three-unit postgraduate certificate leads to the diploma, which paves the way to a master of management and a 16-unit MBA.
This offers a chance to achieve multiple qualifications taught by a leading business school, plus an extensive curriculum covering everything from finance and marketing to performance management and strategy.
At each stage, entry requirements relating to work experience and educational attainments are clearly set out. Many units involve both group work and individual assignments to build all-round knowledge and versatile skills.
'MGSM supports an environment of continual improvement,' Petty says. 'We review assessments by present and graduating students and identify chances to improve, including subject and curriculum development.'
He cites the unit on 'managing with a global mindset', to help students develop the competencies of a global business leader, attuned to various ways of seeing, doing and managing. The module, pioneered in Hong Kong, fits with MGSM's mission of developing leaders who create sustainable value and are good citizens.
'Ultimately, alumni satisfaction is the best proof of a school's quality,' Petty says. 'However, rankings and accreditation will continue, as they should, to be very important and a valuable reflection of cross-border recognition.'
