Grooming for the global market
A new course aims to help executives meet the challenges of economic integration faced by international businesses
It would seem there is no limit to the number of programmes the Hong Kong MBA market can accommodate. A new one that will see its first intake this year is the Master of Business (MBus) offered jointly by the University of Newcastle, Australia and the Hong Kong Management Association.
The university has a number of accolades to attract potential students. It is rated one of the top four in New South Wales in its ability to attract students and has received the highest rating for the academic qualifications of its lecturers, according to The Australian Good Universities Guide.
Professor Bernard Carey, pro-vice chancellor of the Faculty of Business and Law, says the MBus programme will provide students with the management instruments to conduct international business.
'The course explores the particular challenges of economic integration and globalisation which an international business faces,' Professor Carey says.
The focus is on various approaches to strategic management and the human factors affecting strategy.
According to William Purcell, head of the university's Graduate School of Business, the programme seeks to integrate the skills and knowledge learned in a real-life setting and through management consultancy with a local organisation, or a simulation game.
The simulation game involves groups of students representing fictitious companies and making business decisions appropriate to the time and context.
The essence of the game is to allow students to demonstrate their skills in finance, production, investment and marketing matters.
The course comprises eight core and professional management courses in management information systems and marketing concepts, organisational behaviour, accounting and financial management, international business, corporate finance, and strategic management and new enterprise development.
Each course is delivered in a study schedule of six to eight weeks, and conducted through an offshore intensive seminar block.
Full-time faculty from the university's Graduate School of Business will fly in to lead the sessions. Each seminar offers 36 contact hours, held over two consecutive weekends, plus two week-day evenings.
The programme can be finished in 15 months, although students have up to 30 months to complete it.
The association believes the time frame, and a competitive price ($89,600), should make the programme attractive to applicants.
Graduates of the programme are eligible for direct entry to year two of the Doctor of Business Administration programme jointly offered by the University of Newcastle and the Hong Kong Management Association.
