Exposure to international student body added bonus
MARKETING professional Don Anderson enjoyed the added benefit of learning about cultural differences while doing his MBA course at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) in Sydney.
He was specialising in marketing management but the diverse student population in his class taught him about values and practices across the globe.
'I have a much greater sense of globalisation by being exposed to the international student body,' said Mr Anderson, now manager of marketing and communications for scmp.com.
The Canadian, who worked as a journalist in the 1990s, came to Hong Kong in the middle of 2000 to work as a Web consultant. He moved to Sydney early last year to take up the MBA course full time. He completed the course 20 months later, having finished the last leg in Hong Kong.
Considering Hong Kong his home, he was pleased with the flexibility offered by the course, which allowed him to finish it at different locations. The strong exposure to cultural diversity in Sydney led him to think that people taking the MBA course should spend at least a semester in Australia.
'Working on projects with students from around the world made me feel like I was getting another degree in cultural management on top of the MBA. There were students from places like Africa and Europe in the class,' he said.
On the academic front, he was particularly interested in modules that covered variables affecting company survival, including strategic management and financial management. 'Ultimately, I hope to have my own business,' he said.
