The MBA degree is widely seen as a surefire way for students to gain the hard knowledge to succeed in the business environment. But as the business environment evolves, so must the programmes which teach the skills to manage and lead.
This has led to an array of 'non-traditional' subjects being added to MBA programmes to develop students' all-round skills.
Chris Chan, assistant dean and director of MBA programmes at the faculty of business and economics at University of Hong Kong (HKU), said the faculty had introduced non-traditional subjects to build up students' skills and to enhance their ability to weather the economic crisis.
'We offer a course on creativity and innovation, which is designed to improve students' ability to think out of the box and innovate in an uncertain world,' Dr Chan said.
HKU also offered a course on corporate social responsibility which was 'a critical course to address many underlying problems in corporate decision making and behaviour that may have caused the financial upheaval', Dr Chan said.
The course was also the driver for its corporate social responsibility club, and some MBA capstone projects which focused on microfinancing of underdeveloped economies, Dr Chan said.