Well-established MBA programmes run by British universities have been refined after years of experience in the global business environment. A good programme trains successful students to address whatever business circumstances they face and blend different business styles. Rapid changes in the world's economic climate have prompted these tertiary institutions to regularly review their curricula, and Manchester Business School (MBS), the fourth top business school in Britain, is one of them. In view of Hong Kong's unique business environment and the mainland's growing economic importance, the school is considering modifying its curriculum for Chinese students to cope with the mainland's development. 'Out of many business schools, some [of their curricula] take a local or national approach. For us, we adopt a global European style,' noted Nigel Banister, the school's chief executive in charge of all part-time MBA programmes in Britain and worldwide. 'We don't normally change our faculty curriculum but the increasing significance of China may require a different approach.' At present, 15 per cent of students studying on MBS's British campus are from the mainland. In Hong Kong, 25 per cent of the 400 MBS students come from the mainland. Mr Banister said the school hoped to form a partnership with universities in major cities, such as Shanghai and Guangzhou, where the number of students had grown to a critical size. 'We carry out regular executive training for companies in China. We have also had research collaboration with mainland universities, so we have already had a long history and experience of working with China. It won't be too difficult for us to open a centre in the country,' he said. The move is part of the MBS's worldwide recruitment activities in what Mr Banister described as BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - which are huge nations with significant economic growth. The school already has centres in Dubai, Jamaica and India. Recently it opened a centre in Brazil and is recruiting strongly in Russia. MBS is one of the most international schools and teaches using a practical approach. Its philosophy is to put theories learned into practice through project work in a controlled environment. The Financial Times ranked MBS's doctoral programme as No 1 in the world in January. Mr Banister said the programme's research work could be used in its MBA programme curriculum. To meet the fast-changing economy, the school's MBA programmes have recently been reformed. Last year, it introduced a programme that specialises in globalisation and caters to executives working in international organisations. It also designed specialised programmes for individual companies which sponsor executives for training. 'As management quality has grown by leaps and bounds, we see such programmes as necessary. For example, we have a sports event management course for professionals in the industry.' Another development has been the introduction of bilingual teaching in places such as the BRIC countries. The school sees this as a means to widen its chance of recruiting the best students. 'In many places in South America, English is not the first language. But the best MBA students may not be those who speak the best English. They may not be confident in a foreign language. We think we can teach half of our programme in English and half in their language. 'Such models work successfully in our programmes taught in China,' Mr Banister explained. The school has also adjusted its MBA programme modules by incorporating social ethics and social responsibility elements such as corporate responsibility, sustainability and environmental protection. The school's programmes equip participants with the necessary skills and confidence to cope with the ever-changing economy. In addition to this, the mix of backgrounds in the student body provides students with good networking opportunities. In Hong Kong alone, there are 1,000 MBS alumni. Mr Banister said Hong Kong students were conscientious and capable of juggling between work, study and family life. Their success rate in completing the course was more than 90 per cent.
