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SCMP Reporter

PEOPLE are enrolling in Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Master of Business Administration (MBA) course to move into executive management jobs.

   Although hundreds of MBA courses were offered in Hong Kong, the Polytechnic University's MBA was distinctive, said Peter Yuen Pok-man, head of the Department of Management.

  Billed as an executive management course, the part-time MBA catered for those with a minimum five years' work experience, Dr Yuen said.

  'It's different from regular MBA courses so common in Hong Kong as students have knowledge of management and local markets when they start,' he said.

  'Other MBA degrees are for students who have just graduated from their first degree and go into programmes with little or no practical experience.

  'Our MBA course is to train people already in management so they can move to a higher level with a good general grounding in all aspects of corporate business.

  'It's not for people moving into management for the first time. It is for those in supervisory, mid-level management moving to top-level management.'   Tough competition in the territory's job markets had seen more people studying MBA courses to upgrade skills and improve career prospects, he said.

  The demand for executive management courses was increasing in line with demand for basic management courses, which only taught basic skills.

  The Chinese University also offered an executive management training programme, which had similar objectives to the Polytechnic University course, he said.

  Demand for higher education diplomas, MBA degrees and doctorates was increasing as more people obtained bachelor degrees, Dr Yuen said.

  He said adept business management was linked to success and higher degrees in technical areas were 'not as attractive or enhancing to career prospects as management degrees'.

  'Our MBA course takes a holistic approach. We are not training students as experts in functional areas such as marketing, finance or human resources,' he said.

  'Our MBA is more integrated which is important for people who want to apply a corporate view to business.

  'People who shift from a functional area to a corporate management position need to be able to apply strategic management and business quality practices.'   Programmes offered through institutions such as the Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) focused on a functional approach to business, Dr Yuen said.

  Other courses taught students in specialised fields such as finance and were more general courses for people moving into management.

  The Polytechnic University's MBA was a structured programme even though it was not divided into modules, or subjects, and was not credit-based, he added.

  Students made valuable business contacts with others on the course during the 27-month programme, which included two weekend residential seminars.

  The University Grants Commission (UGC) funded the course, which cost $15,375 for one year part-time.

  It was cheaper than most distance-learning MBA programmes which were self-financing, Dr Yuen said.

  'If the university charged students the full cost of the course, it would be a lot more expensive,' he said.

  'However, fees will go up in line with the UGC's plan to recover 18 per cent of tuition fees. But we don't see this increase will affect the demand for our programme.'   The first courses to be targeted by the UGC fee increase would be part-time, postgraduate programmes as most students in these courses worked and already had a first degree, Dr Yuen said.

  A lot of courses offered in Hong Kong, particularly those by distance learning, were not applicable to the territory's business and did not adapt the content for Hong Kong, he said.

  'We try to focus on management in Hong Kong, China and the region and have made the programme relevant with local cases,' Dr Yuen said.

  'More than 80 per cent of students enrolled in MBA courses work in the service industry, for Government or companies such as Telecom.' The programme is offered through the Information and Business Systems Faculty.



MBA suits HK's needs