The corporate world maintains its prime status for business school graduates, but increasingly, those with ambition are choosing to go it alone with a more entrepreneurial spirit. It seems that business schools are nurturing this propensity and encouraging MBA students to think globally.
Every course at a business school features an element of international education. The student body tends to be made up of students from all over the world, which teaches students about effective communication between different cultures, as well as kick starting a global network of associates, an imperative factor for success for any businessperson. Similarly, if you're at business school, you can expect to reap the rewards of an illustrious alumni network too. For those looking to develop their businesses with an international focus – whether in terms of presence, sales, or supplies, having connections around the world is invaluable.
Of course, the advantages are not merely circumstantial. Business schools design their courses with the global business environment in mind. Courses include modules on theories of globalisation, international business, and global supply chains. Joseph LiPuma, Director of the EMLYON Business School's International MBA Programme, recalls how much launching a US business in the UK taught him about the importance of teaching entrepreneurship on a global scale.
EMLYON is not alone in teaching entrepreneurs how to take to the international stage; most of the leading schools have an international focus. Many universities offer their courses at several partnering institutions around the world and by increasingly offering practical experiential training projects; students can apply theoretical learning to real business environments all around the world.
People are attracted to global entrepreneurship because as a founder of a company, they have the potential to address a real problem they find or an omission in the market. In the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai, more than 50% of students are involved in the Entrepreneurship Club, even though most will still opt for salary-based jobs upon graduation. To teach entrepreneurship is to foster creativity and develop the courage within students and help them take calculated risks and push forward.
MBAs, EMBAs, and IMBAs seem to leave business school with an appreciation of the global market, but also with a belief in their own potential to engage with it successfully. Entrepreneurship is a mindset that powers the most motivated of MBAs and by learning about the global business environment in business school, it seems that success often follows.