As the world increasingly looks towards the mainland as the future of economic prosperity and political dominance, Hong Kong's business schools are rapidly positioning themselves as the best destination for students. These schools are ideal for anyone looking for an MBA programme that can give them the kind of exposure to mainland business that courses in other parts of the world simply cannot match.
Many of the city's MBA programmes offer an international study environment with a strong focus on doing business on the mainland.
This is reflected in the extensive mainland business research conducted by local faculty and the design of the MBA curriculum here, which often involves a number of field trips north of the border.
'Students looking for a focus on mainland business may think about going to the mainland to study but [Hong Kong's universities] can offer more than those in the rest of China, in terms of international faculty, better student bodies and more extensive China business research,' said Michael Ferguson, associate dean (graduate studies) and director of MBA programmes at Chinese University. 'China's business schools are getting better and better, but in these terms we are still the best.'
Chinese University is the world leader in terms of mainland business research, and according to Ferguson, 'our school, like the city it is in, really bridges the gap between the mainland and the rest of the world'.
He explained that the Chinese University MBA programme offered students four concentration options: marketing, finance, entrepreneurship and mainland business. The mainland business option involves field study, giving students the opportunity to get first-hand exposure. As the first MBA programme to be offered in Hong Kong, Chinese University has had time to build up an extensive alumni network of senior executives across Hong Kong and the mainland. Like other local universities it has also built strong ties with mainland schools.
While Hong Kong's MBA programmes have built and maintained a strong focus on mainland business studies, they have not done so at the risk of ignoring business in the wider global context. K.K. Wei, dean of City University's College of Business, explained that the future of business schools in Hong Kong would be more globally oriented, while continuing to be the key business hub in the region. 'At City University, our strategic goal is to build and sustain a reputation as a leading global business school in China, for the world.'