'People are increasingly looking for shorter courses,' said Veronica Chan, general manager at the Hong Kong office of Henley Management College. 'They are also more interested in specific management skills relevant to their careers, rather than the general management know-how you get from an MBA.'

Applicants vying for the two scholarship places can choose one of four five-day courses on people development and business development topics. The scholarship covers air tickets, accommodation and food.

The courses include Developing Leaders, which examines the thinking, behaviour and experience required to lead well, and the Leadership Programme, which helps senior executives and directors develop their ability to inspire and motivate.

The Developing Business Acumen course covers strategy and understanding how decisions have a direct impact on profitability and organisational performance. The Essentials of Management covers practices for building confidence, developing new ideas, leading teams and delivering results.

'The Essentials of Management is like a mini MBA,' said Ms Chan, who has taken the course. 'You learn skills useful in all areas of business. And the simulations, which you do in small groups, are just like running a real company. Your team is expected to respond to different situations, such as how to expand your production plant or sell it, which is a great way to learn.'

Anyone who has seen American property tycoon Donald Trump's popular reality television show The Apprentice would have some idea how intense group work can become. Teams work fiercely and closely together on strategies to complete assigned tasks and to beat the opposing team.

The morning sessions of the Essentials of Management course are usually set aside for lectures on business tools and techniques.

'A team might be asked to find ways to make their enterprise profitable or boost its share price,' Ms Chan said. 'It's not at all like a typical classroom setting. You acquire new skills by working on practical challenges.'

She said leadership and business change were areas of special interest to employers these days.

In 2003, when Hong Kong was recovering from the Sars outbreak, the South China Morning Post and Henley offered a one-off scholarship in recognition of the medical community's huge efforts during the health crisis. The scholarship programme was designed for leadership development for anyone in the medical profession.

The winner of the award was Peggy Tan, who at the time was working as a doctor in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Tuen Mun. She said the course gave her an opportunity to examine things from a fresh perspective.

'The programme taught us how to be good leaders, understand other team members and bring out the best in each other,' Dr Tan said.

Honing leadership skills in a practical environment was especially useful. 'I was suddenly looking at things from a business perspective, which was different and very refreshing,' Dr Tan said.

She said doctors tended to be detached from the world of business, and for that reason 'it was fascinating to take a front-row seat in discussions about business management'. This called for a completely different way of thinking, she added.

The course also gave her insight into the value of teamwork and the importance of drawing on the talents of others. She believed the experience had helped her interact better with her colleagues and others in the workplace. She has gained a better understanding of other doctors, nurses and hospital staff, and this has helped her interact more effectively with junior colleagues.

Dr Tan recalled finding herself the 'lone representative of the medical profession' when she was attending the course in England.

'The others were running banks and companies. They all had previous training in business management, while my training up to that point had been in medicine only.'

The other rewarding thing about the programme was the chance to make lifelong friendships with a diverse group of people. Most of Dr Tan's classmates were from Britain and other European countries.

The Henley Management College courses are generally designed for between 15 and 20 participants. The key objective is to sharpen one's business practices and work performance, rather than concentrate on techniques for climbing the corporate ladder.

'The courses are a practical way for managers to strengthen their knowledge base and make sound business decisions,' Ms Chan said. 'They get to see things from a different perspective.'

The four courses offered under the scholarship programme were chosen as being those most likely to appeal to the Hong Kong executive.

Those wishing to apply for the scholarship should have reached management level and be fluent in English. They must submit a 400-word essay that describes how they and their company would benefit from the chosen programme.

Applicants must also include a CV and a letter from their employer saying the company approves of their participation in the scholarship.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an interview with a panel of judges, who will review their business background and presentation skills, and assess how they might benefit from the programme.

'Personality is also important,' Ms Chan said. 'You should be outgoing and willing to share your experiences and point of view.'

Henley Management College, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, is one of only a few business schools to have achieved accreditation from three leading international bodies - the Association of MBAs (in Britain), the European Quality Improvement System, and the International Association for Management Education (in the United States).

Earlier this year, Henley received the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade, which recognised the college's sustained international growth over the past six years.

SCMP/henley scholarship

Application deadline September 30

Interviews October 13

Courses on offer

Developing Leaders (valued at GBP3,750, about HK$55,000)

Leadership Programme (GBP3,950)

Developing Business Acumen (GBP3,250)

Essentials of Management (GBP3,250)

Round-trip flight to London