The British-based Henley Management College established a presence in Hong Kong 24 years ago. Now the Henley Business School at the University of Reading following a merger with the British university, it offers courses that draw local programme members and individuals from all over Asia-Pacific. Neil Gibbons, Henley's executive director of business development worldwide, said: 'Hong Kong serves as one of our hubs. We offer an Asia-Pacific programme with global and local flavour ... that caters for the public and private sector.' The principal course is the MBA programme, based on distance learning. The merger has led to a relaunch and the consideration of an executive MBA at the school. The plan is to create a mode of study suitable to different groups, ranging from younger, upwardly mobile executives to mature players. The school is also developing course material that is relevant to Asian markets. 'There's a lot of value in offering a blended approach between western and locally based materials. In that way, our programme members get the best of both worlds.' The school emphasises the international aspect of its MBA. It offers Hong Kong-based MBA programme members the opportunity to join international study trips to Britain, in addition to other locations. This provides an opportunity to see different cultures and problems - and to broaden the scope of peoples' studies. However, the merger has changed little in terms of the Henley MBA, according to Mr Gibbons. This year the Henley MBA was ranked No 2 in Britain and No 6 in the world for distance learning, and last year was ranked No10 in the world for full-time time studies according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a subsidiary of The Economist and a research and advisory firm with more than 40 offices worldwide. The rankings are based on three criteria: programme content, quality of fellow students and distance learning elements. Sixty per cent of the EIU ranking is based on a survey of actual programme members, and 40 per cent is based on quantitative data from schools. The Henley Business School at the University of Reading offers new sources of knowledge and thought leadership, including corporate finance input from the university's International Capital Market Association (ICMA) Centre. Given that this is a hot issue in Asian markets, the School of Reputation and Relationships should be interesting for Asian programme members who would like to learn more about corporate governance.
